This fluffy, airy and light vegan chocolate mousse made with aquafaba is one the easiest yet impressive vegan desserts you’ll ever make. Every single mouthful of this decadent yet light chocolate mousse is a moment of total indulgence. Vegan, dairy free & gluten free.
Every time I make this chocolate mousse, I can’t stop admiring how the water from the chickpea tin (known as aquafaba), which would normally be discarded, produces such a beautiful light, airy, fluffy chocolate mousse. The French musician, who originally discovered aquafaba in 2014, was an absolute genius!
WHAT IS AQUAFABA AND WHY IS IT USED IN THE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE?
Aquafaba (from Latin ‘aqua’ water & ‘faba’ bean) is legume cooking liquid. It’s widely used in vegan recipes as an egg/egg white replacement. Because of its unique composition of carbohydrates, proteins, and other soluble plant solids, it’s well known for its foaming, binding, thickening & emulsifying properties.
In addition to the above, aquafaba works great in meringues, mousses, cakes, icing, marshmallows, macarons, mayonnaise, cocktails and the list goes on! If you haven’t tried using it in your cooking, get on board!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH AQUAFABA
- You’ll fall in love with its beautiful texture. It’s like eating chocolate from cloud 9. Really!
- You only need 5 ingredients to make it, therefore it makes it a super easy and budget-friendly vegan dessert option.
- Holding a party or a romantic candle-lit dinner? You can make this dessert ahead of time, so you can spend more time with your loved ones.
- It’s super simple to make. Just follow the tips in this blog post to whip up that aquafaba meringue to perfection.
- As far as desserts go, this vegan chocolate mousse is a much lighter and free from refined sugar option. So, it’s a perfect compromise for those of you who want to make healthier dessert choices.
WHAT IS VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE MADE OF?
We only need 5 ingredients and that’s it! Yes, you’ve heard me right!
- Water from the chickpea tin (aquafaba)
- Vegan dark chocolate – make sure you use good quality dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao solids
- Cream of tartar – this will help the aquafaba meringue hold its peaks
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla paste (or extract)
I know, I know… In other words, you definitely have to try it!
TIPS ON MAKING AQUAFABA MERINGUE
- Ensure that the bowl for whisking your meringue is super clean. Personally, I like using a fresh lemon to clean the bowl and ensure there are no traces of oil there. Just cut the lemon in half & use one half (sliced side down) to wipe the bowl clean. Wipe the bowl with a paper towel after to remove the traces of lemon juice. And that’s the job done!
- Refrigerate the chickpea tin overnight. I personally find that refrigerating the chickpea tin overnight speeds up the whipping process and makes the peaks a little stiffer.
- Add cream of tartar into the meringue before you start whipping it. It’ll holds its peaks better. I know some of my food blogger friends whip up beautiful meringues without a stabilizing agent but I personally find that using cream of tartar works best for me. And it doesn’t affect the overall flavour either.
CAN I MAKE THIS EGG-FREE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE IN ADVANCE?
You definitely can! I would recommend making it the night before, however my chocolate mousse lasted in the fridge for 3 days and still tasted great! If you’re making it ahead, make sure to keep it refrigerated and decorate it with toppings of your choice just before serving.
WHAT CAN I USE FOR TOPPINGS?
To be honest, you can top it with whatever your heart desires but if you asked me for my favourite toppings, they are:
- Thick coconut yoghurt (this is what I’m using in this recipe)
- Chocolate shavings
- Fresh berries. Raspberries would work really well.
- Pomegranate seeds
- Marshmallows
- Whipped dairy-free cream
To conclude, I really hope you’ll give this chocolate mousse with aquafaba a try. If you recreate this recipe, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them.
Looking for more vegan dessert inspiration? Check out:
- Nectarine & mango summer tart
- Healthier raspberry & rhubarb crisp
- Plum & blackberry galette
- Chocolate & blood orange tart
- Vegan strawberry mousse cake
Best wishes for the festive season.
Healthfully yours,
Tania x
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EASY FLUFFY VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH AQUAFABA
Equipment
- Electric whisk
Ingredients
- 1 400g tin of chickpeas, water only (refrigerated overnight)
- 100 g good quality dairy-free dark chocolate melted
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the bowl for whipping your meringue by ensuring it’s very clean. *Refer to the blog post for notes.
- Place a sieve over the bowl to drain the chickpea liquid. *Reserve the chickpeas for another recipe, like this easy butternut squash & chickpea stew.
- Add the cream of tartar to the chickpea water. Using an electric whisk, whip for 3-5 minutes until stiff peaks start forming. Add maple syrup and vanilla paste and whisk for a few seconds until incorporated.
- Pour the melted dark chocolate into the meringue and fold in with a spatula (not the electric whisk) until incorporated. Try not to overwork the mousse at this stage, you still want to keep as much air as you can.
- Pour the mousse into glasses or ramekins and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Garnish with coconut yoghurt & chocolate shavings just before serving.
Video
Nutrition
This was so amazing… aquafaba… who knew?!
I know, right?! Thank you Alisa x
This is mousse was so fluffy and we couldn’t believe it was vegan! Will be making this again soon!
Thank you so much Kathryn! I’m glad you enjoyed it! x
This dessert is so ahhmazing! Totally irresistible!
Thank you Toni!
WOW these are gorgeous! I love chocolate mousse, def need to try it with aquafaba
Thank you Rebecca! Aquafaba works great here indeed x
I haven’t used aquafaba yet myself but my friend raves about it. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
You should Angela! It’s like gold dust lol x
My first time using aquafaba! Amazing! This recipe is aquafab-ulous!
Hi Chrystyna. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy initiation to the aquafab-ulous world of aquafaba! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback Chrystyna. Have a great day x
Any ideas why my meringue and chocolate didn’t blend into a uniform colour? Temperature differences?
Hi Jane. Was your melted chocolate cool enough when you mixed it in with the meringue? I guess you mixed the chocolate in well enough and scraped it from the bottom to blend it?