Decadent, luscious, light, airy. The Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse that everyone will love! Made extra delicious with dairy-free Cashew Cream and flaky sea salt.
I’m not vegan but I love vegan desserts. And this one has become one of my favorites!
There’s just enough bittersweet intensity to keep things interesting. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt enhances all the flavors. And a swipe of Cashew Cream makes for a light, dairy-free dessert!
The mousse base is inspired by Ful-filled’s Two Ingredient Chocolate Pots de Creme. I was intrigued by the idea of transforming a classically decadent dessert into a plant-based one.
Traditionally, Chocolate Mousse is very rich. But sometimes, I’m craving something light and sweet. That’s where Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse comes to save the day!
Ingredients:
- Coconut Cream. At room temperature, coconut cream is completely solid. Do not use Coconut Milk! The added fat of coconut cream will help the vegan mousse set.
- Coffee Powder + Vanilla. Flavor boosters that bring out the intensity of chocolate!
- Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. I like the not-too-sweet intensity of bittersweet chocolate. But if you prefer, milk chocolate is also a nice option. To keep things vegan, make sure to find completely dairy free chocolate chips!
- Cashew Cream. A vegan alternative to whipped cream. So creamy, smooth, fluffy, and light! Delicious!
What is Cashew Cream?
Cashew Cream is a non-dairy, plant-based substitute for creamy sauces and dips.
Cashew Cream can be the starting base for sweet or savory vegan adaptations of whipped cream, cheese sauce, tzatsiki, sour cream, etc.
I like the versatility of cashew cream and the fact that it’s especially good for lactose intolerant friends and family members. Make it once and you’ll see how simple and easy to make it is! And delicious! FYI, it stores a long time in the fridge, about 1-2 weeks.
For sweet preparations, the texture is very similar to whipped cream — light, fluffy, silky.
Cooking Tips:
- Melt Chocolate Chips COMPLETELY. The method requires a gentle melting of the chocolate chips. Whisk to make sure the chocolate is fully melted — with no chunks sticking to the bottom.
- Chill overnight to make sure the mousse sets. Makes for an easy, make ahead dessert this way.
- Use a good blender to make the Cashew Cream! Many recipes recommend soaking cashews 1-8 hours. But using a good blender makes the soaking time unnecessary. (For reference, my 20-year old blender is an Osterizer blitzed the unsoaked raw cashews with ease. And produced a fluffy and airy texture in 3 minutes!
- Blend Cashew Cream longer than you think. The texture should be light, fluffy, and creamy — without a hint of graininess whatsoever!
- Garnish with flaky sea salt. Adding flaky salt enhances all the flavors of this delicious dessert!
How to Make Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse:
Heat coconut cream until steaming. Do not let it come to a boil! Remove from heat and add dairy-free chocolate chips, instant coffee powder, vanilla, and salt. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
Whisk, making sure all chocolate chips are fully melted. Scrape the bottom with a spatula and whisk again. Pour into individual cups. Cool completely at room temperature. Transfer to fridge and chill overnight.
To serve, place a dollop of Cashew Cream over each cup and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. A dusting of cocoa powder is optional. Eat immediately!
PIN FOR LATER:
More Vegan Dessert inspiration:
- Coconut Sago with Mango
- Korean Strawberry Milk Popsicles
- Chinese New Year Cake [Mrs. Leong’s Nian Gao]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse + Cashew Cream
Equipment
- 6 small ramekins or teacups (at least 4 oz)
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Mousse:
- 2 400ml/13.5oz can full-fat coconut cream (completely solid at room temperature)
- 1 cup/6 oz/170g bittersweet chocolate chips *use dairy-free chips for completely dairy-free mousse (see note below)
- 2 tsp instant coffee powder
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cashew Cream:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
To serve:
- flaky sea salt (I use Maldon)
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Mousse:
- In a small saucepan, heat coconut cream until steaming. At first, the coconut cream should be completely solid. Do not let it come to a boil! Remove from heat and add chocolate chips, instant coffee powder, vanilla, and salt. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Whisk, making sure all chocolate chips are fully melted. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula and whisk again. Pour into individual cups. Cool completely at room temperature. Transfer to fridge and chill overnight.
Cashew Cream:
- Add raw cashews, water, maple syrup, and vanilla to a high powered blender. Blend on high speed until creamy and thick, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the blender from time to time. The cashew cream is done when the texture is light and fluffy with no graininess whatsoever. Store in the fridge, tightly covered. The Cashew Cream will keep for about 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
To serve:
- To serve, place a dollop of Cashew Cream over each cup and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. A dusting of cocoa powder is optional. Eat immediately!
When you chill these over night, did the mousse become hard/not spoonable? My chocolate is 66% dark chocolate. I wonder if that is affecting the texture. What chocolate(s) did you make your recipe with?
I’ve used both regular chocolate chips and 80% block chocolate. Both times it was soft and spoonable!
These pots de creme sound amazing! So happy that you were inspired by my recipe 🙂
Thank you for the inspiration 😊