Chocolate Mousse
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Need a dessert that’s both impressive and easy? This chocolate mousse recipe delivers rich, silky chocolate goodness in just 20 minutes (plus a bit of chilling time)—the perfect treat for chocolate lovers!
Chocolate mousse, or mousse au chocolat, is one of the easiest French desserts to make. Seriously, if you have a microwave, a hand mixer, and a spatula, you can whip up a batch that rivals any French restaurant’s version—in just 20 minutes! This recipe from Tyler Florence is practically foolproof. I’ve tried adding coffee or a splash of booze, but my family agrees—plain chocolate is best. Sometimes, simple is just better, and this one delivers deep chocolate flavor.
For serving, anything goes—juice glasses, martini glasses, small bowls, or even espresso cups. Hosting a party? Try serving it in porcelain soup spoons for a fun, elegant touch. Just make sure to let the mousse chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set properly.
“I made this classic chocolate mousse for Valentine’s day and it was delicious! The instructions were easy to follow and the results were amazing.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Mousse
- Butter: Adds richness to the chocolate mixture.
- Semisweet chocolate: Use good-quality chocolate since it’s the key ingredient. For a darker, less sweet mousse, go with bittersweet chocolate. You can also add shavings for serving. (Use a vegetable peeler on a chocolate bar for easy shavings.)
- Large eggs: Essential for structure and richness; yolks create a creamy base while whipped whites add lightness. Chocolate mousse is made with raw eggs, so if that’s a concern, look for pasteurized eggs. They’re gently heated to kill any potential bacteria without cooking the egg.
- Cream of tartar: Helps stabilize the egg whites for a better texture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the mousse; a bit is added to the egg whites and some to the whipped cream for balanced sweetness.
- Heavy cream: Contributes to the mousse’s rich, creamy texture, with additional heavy cream whipped for a light topping.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm flavor that enhances the chocolate.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Melt the chocolate. Place the butter in a medium heatproof bowl and break the chocolate into pieces right over it—no need to chop. Microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between, until about 75% melted, then stir until smooth. The residual heat will finish the job without risking scorched or seized chocolate. Alternatively, melt the butter and chocolate together over a bowl of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.
Step 2: Whisk in the egg yolks. Let the mixture cool slightly, then whisk in the yolks one at a time, working quickly so the yolks don’t cook. Adding the egg yolks one at a time ensures they blend in smoothly and evenly thicken the mixture. Set the chocolate mixture aside.
Step 3: Beat the egg whites. In another medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until foamy. (Be sure your bowl and beaters are completely clean and dry—any fat or moisture can keep the whites from whipping properly.)
Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form—they should just hold their shape before folding back into themselves. Slowly add the ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, meaning the peaks stand straight up without drooping when you lift the beaters.
Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. This technique helps keep all that air you just whipped in, which gives the mousse its light, airy texture. Scoop from the bottom and lift up and over until the mixture is just combined—don’t overmix. Set aside.
Step 4: Whip the cream. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Add the remaining sugar and vanilla. Beat until medium peaks form—they’ll look thick and creamy but still soft. Avoid overwhipping; medium peaks are ideal because they fold smoothly into the mousse without turning grainy or stiff. If in doubt, stop early and finish whisking by hand. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until uniform.
Pro Tip: If you have a few extra minutes, chill the bowl and beaters in the fridge for a few minutes before whipping the cream; this makes for faster whipping and more stable peaks.
Step 5: Assemble and chill. Spoon the chocolate mousse into six individual glasses, cover, and chill until set, about 2 hours.
A few hours before serving, make sweetened whipped cream and dollop on top. Finish with chocolate shavings and serve. The mousse (without the whipped cream topping) can be made up to 1 day ahead.
Video Tutorial
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Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, best quality
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream, cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
- ½ cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Break the chocolate into small pieces directly into the bowl. Microwave it in 20-second intervals, stirring between each bout of heat, until the chocolate is about 75% melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the chocolate completely. (Alternatively, place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan containing about 1 in (2.5-cm) of barely simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.) Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form (the peaks should be just starting to hold, and will melt back into themselves after a second). Gradually beat in ¼ cup (50 g) of the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the peaks will stand straight up when the beaters are lifted from the mixture). Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture until uniform. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 g) of sugar and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream holds medium peaks (when you lift the beaters or whisk out of the bowl, the peaks will slightly droop down, but they won't lose their shape entirely). Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Be sure it is fully incorporated but don't mix any more than necessary. Divide the mousse between 6 individual glasses, cover, and chill until set, at least 2 hours.
- Up to a few hours before serving, whip the cream until it begins to thicken up. Add the sugar and whip to medium peaks. Dollop the whipped cream over the mousse and top with chocolate shavings.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hello Jenn. Love all your recipes and have been making quite a few from both your book and blog as we are all at home. (Made your fresh strawberry cake last week and it was so good that my teenage boys devoured it before my husband could even get a piece!) On this recipe, as I am not wanting to venture out to the store these days, I wonder if I can use chocolate chips instead? They are good quality if that helps…but I have only those and unsweetened chocolate at the moment! Thank you so much.
So glad you and your boys are enjoying the recipes! 🙂
While it might work with chocolate chips, I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure whether it would have an impact on the consistency of the mousse. One reader did mention that she tried it with good quality chocolate chips and was happy with the result, so it may be worth a try. Please report back if you try it!
Freaking out a little because I didn’t realize the eggs were uncooked until I had completed the recipe and spread it over prepared brownies for my husband’s birthday. Any chance you could reassure me that raw eggs are ok before I feed this to my family? I licked the spoon and it was delicious 😊
Hi Katie, While there are raw eggs in this, I’ve not gotten feedback from anyone that they’ve gotten sick from eating it. If you used fresh, properly refrigerated and clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoided contact between the yolks or whites and the shell, you should be okay. That said, there are certain risks associated with eating raw eggs and it’s not advisable for pregnant women, babies, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.
Thanks, Jenn. I wound up making it with the chocolate chips and it turned out great. I had to add a bit of heavy cream to the chocolate/butter mixture as it was not as silky as you would get with baking chocolate. Delicious and deceptively light tasting.
So glad it worked out!
This is a lovely recipe. I used 70% Lindt chocolate because that’s all I had on hand, but I added an additional 2 tbsp of sugar to compensate – it worked out perfectly. The texture is authentic – spongy yet melts in your mouth. I tried heating the chocolate in the microwave, however, I found that the Bain Marie gave a smoother result. This recipe is a keeper and I will make it whenever my family has a craving for chocolate mousse. Thank you!
Enjoyed it, I didn’t have an electric heater but whisked the egg as much as possible, turned out good but very much like a chocolate fudge instead, still delicious!
Hi Jenn. I love all your recipes and never had a problem with making them. Until now. I followed the recipe exactly but the mousse ended up being “sandy”. What could have happened?
Hi Eliana, Sorry you had a problem wtih this. What type of chocolate did you use? Did you beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks formed?
Not great
Very easy to make and yummy!
Great easy recipe. I’d just suggest using confectionary sugar for the whipped cream though. The regular sugary made it very grainy.
Perfect..I have found my go to chocolate mousse..however I did make changes. I used Lindt “a touch of sea salt” dark chocolate. Used no sugar at all in the egg whites or the heavy cream. The resulting mousse was more than sweet enough. I topped it with some berries as well as the whipped cream topping (also unsweetened). Quick and easy..Loved it.
Could you add less chocolate for a more mild chocolate flavor?
I wouldn’t recommend it — sorry!
This is a good recipe! I actually wanted to make a chocolate pie, so I just kinda doubled up on this recipe to make a pie filling. I would buy a lot of extra chocolate bars because once you add in the butter, whipped cream, etc the chocolate will become lighter so if you want to darken it up a bit you’ll have to have more chocolate on hand to add in
Made this tonight and thought I followed the recipe correctly. I noticed when mixing the creams into the chocolate mix that I have little chocolate speckles in it. Assuming my chocolate must not have melted all the way? It has a good taste, but a weird almost salty aftertaste. 🙁
Yes, Ines, it sounds like maybe the chocolate was not fully melted. Sorry you had a problem with it!