Chocolate Avocado Mousse (vegan)
Chocolate Avocado Mousse is an easy, healthy dessert recipe that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! Whipped up in minutes with just a handful of ingredients in your blender, this rich pudding is vegan, Paleo and lovely!
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
This recipe was originally made in my kitchen when my then-little daughter noticed those snack pack pudding thingies in some of her classmates’ lunches.
Making pudding out of avocados what something I had tried in the past, but I decided to really see if I could make a magical chocolate avocado mousse that was easy to make, would dazzle my little chocolate-loving kiddo, and that was (of course) delicious!
Why make pudding out of avocado?
It is amazing for creating a rich, creamy mousse without dairy…perfect for people who are vegan or who just can’t do dairy but still want a rich creamy sweet treat. The healthy fat from avos creates a lovely richness and combined with a little cocoa power, some sweetener and a little blending action, a deliciously easy no-cook dessert can be made in minutes!
Bonus: Since you can sweeten it with just a little maple syrup, it’s perfect treat for those who are trying to reduce the sugar in their lives.
What makes this vegan chocolate mousse so good?
- This dairy-free, Paleo, vegan treat is rich, not too sweet and decadent. It is perfect for those special occasions, yet easy enough to whip up when you just want a chocolate fix.
- It’s super creamy, all while being dairy-free and getting the healthy fat of avocados and coconut in.
- Easy to make in your blender in minutes. I like it chilled for an hour or so, but you can enjoy it right out of your blender if you want.
- You can make it ahead. Store your mousse in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, and enjoy the chocolatey-goodness whenever you wish.
Did you halve the recipe and now you want to know how to store your leftover avocado? Check out How to Store Avocados (Ripe, Unripe & Already Cut)!
Suggested adaptations
Use a different plant-based milk. If you don’t want to use coconut cream, almond milk or any non-dairy or dairy milk will work. However, the mousse will not be quite as thick and creamy.
Dairy-free not needed? But still love the idea of making mousse with avocados? Replace the coconut cream with heavy whipping cream in this chocolate avocado mousse recipe.
Adjust the sweetness to fit YOUR preference. Feel free to add more or less maple syrup to your mousse depending on how sweet you’d like it. You can also substitute honey for maple syrup if you’d like but the flavor will be a little different.
Want a more decadent chocolate treat? Melt a 1/3 cup chocolate chips and add the melted chocolate to the blender as well. As the chocolate is pretty sweet, you may want to add only 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup at first then taste to see if you want more. Here is a dairy-free brand of chocolate that I like
Skip the cinnamon or add more. A little bit of ground cinnamon enhances the chocolate flavor of the mousse. You can definitely leave it out if you prefer or add a pinch then taste and add more as desired.
Use previously frozen avocados. Many grocery stores have frozen avocados these days and they would work great in this chocolate mousse recipe! Simply defrost before blending
FAQ
Why is there salt in the recipe?
The salt is essential for balancing the flavors in this mousse and it really brings out the chocolate flavor of the cocoa powder. I don’t recommend leaving it out.
My mousse came out bitter! Why?
There could be a few different reasons. One could simply be your cocoa powder. The bitterness can vary greatly from brand to brand and/or how old your powder is. Be sure to taste the mousse after blending to see if the sweetness is to your liking. You can easily add more if you like and reblend.
Another reason is personal taste preference. We all like different levels of sweetness. Some people enjoy a more bitter chocolate mousse while others really like it one the sweet side. Again, feel free to adjust the level of maple syrup in this recipe to fit your personal preference.
More amazing avocado recipes
- Easy Avocado Spinach Pesto
- How To Store Avocado
- Paleo Avocado Chocolate Bread
- Chocolate Avocado Strawberry Muffins
- No-Bake Chocolate Avocado Bites
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Chocolate Avocado Mousse (vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 medium ripe avocados
- 1/2 cup coconut cream, (from the top of a can of coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, or cacao powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon , optional
Instructions
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits with a spoon. Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender.
- Add remaining ingredients to the blender. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times to ensure that everything is evenly blended into the mousse.
- Taste the mousse and add more maple syrup if need to reach your desired taste preference. Blend again if more sweetener is added.
- Divide avocado mousse into 4 small jars, cups, or containers. You can enjoy immediately but I find it best if chilled in fridge for at least an hour. Or save it for up to 2 days in your fridge. When ready to enjoy, top with whipped coconut cream, berries or chocolate chips.
The bananas is there for sweetness. So you are leaving it out, I would add 3 more dates to the recipe or add a couple of tablespoons of honey/maple syrup (if not trying to make it Paleo)
These look perfect! Every ingredient makes me more excited than the last. 🙂
Mission accomplished!
I need this in my life! NOW!! 🙂
😊
Chia seeds are so wonderful! I love how versatile they are!
Oh good idea!
The recipe looks great! What do you think about using Nutiva raw cocoa powder in it? I bought some thinking it would be a great substitute for other processed cocoa but then read very mixed reviews…
Is it ok to substitute cacao powder for the cocoa powder? Do you know what is the real difference between the two? Do they taste the same, or close enough that you wouldn’t notice the difference? What do you think? thank you.
I think substituting cacao should be fine. I know that there are many health benefits to cacao, so I would even say go for it! I know sometimes the flavor of cacao (in my experience) can be a tad bit bitterer (is that a word? Probably not but I’m going to go with it) than cocoa, so you may need to hair more sweetener to balance out the flavors.
I’m sorry, I do not. There are several websites that you can plug in the ingredients of a recipe to produce the the nutritional information, though
You absolutely could, though you may want to taste the mixture for sweetness prior to letting it set. The banana added a sweetening agent to the recipe, so you might need to add a bit more date if it’s not sweet enough for you
Bea – delicious 😊
Made this and it was so good! I couldn’t finish it fast enough since it was only me eating it, so I made some popsicles to give it a little extra shelf life. The popsicle version was even better!!!
Oh I love the idea of making it into pops! My whole family would love that little treat. Thanks for the inspiration.
Ohhhh, just what I want for breakfast in the morning! I am gonna make it right now :).
Can’t wait to try this!
Enjoy!
Wow! I wasn’t expecting my family to enjoy this pudding because they have never liked avocado mousses before. And when I saw coconut cream, I thought for sure my coconut-hating son would be out. But they loved this mousse! I’m shocked and a little sad I need to share now 😂
That is quite a win! Glad you can add another veggie-loaded recipe to the list for your family, but sorry you can’t have this sweet treat all to yourself!
Can I just use coconut milk instead of cream
You can but it might not be as thick, since milk is thinner.
Just made this last night – delicious!
However, in terms of my blender, it works best when you start with liquids and work your way up. So I put the coconut cream, maple syrup, and vanilla in first, then the powders (cinnamon and cacao) and blended, then slowly added somewhat mashed avocado, a half at a time, blending, then moving on. I have a Vitamix, and it’s pretty powerful, but it always blends better when you start with liquids and don’t overwhelm it with the solids all at once.
I like this tip. I also use a Vitamix and often use the “liquid first” method in smoothies with awesome success.
I love this recipe. I made it with almond milk and honey as substitutes. It came out delicious!!!
I am so glad! Thanks for taking the time to share, Lindy!
This turned out lovely! What is the white cream you have as the topping? I’m looking for dairy free whipped cream without using canned coconut milk as it contains so many preservatives and thickeners.
Thanks so much! It was homemade whipped coconut cream made from canned coconut milk. I think the preservatives and thickeners can vary from brand to brand. I’ve seen some without anything other than coconut milk listed on the ingredient list.