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    Home » Desserts

    Vegan Mousse (with Aquafaba)

    Published: Mar 12, 2020 Updated: Jul 10, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Vegan Mousse

    This vegan mousse is made with aquafaba for the most fabulous chocolate mousse texture ever! It’s light and airy and simply perfect.

    Vegan mousse topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

    This vegan mousse has the most realistic mousse texture of any vegan mousse out there. You wanna know why?

    Well…it’s because of the geniuses who discovered aquafaba. I certainly had nothing to do with it, but I sure am grateful!

    What they discovered is that if you take the brine (liquid) from a can of chickpeas and whip it up, adding some cream of tartar for stabilization, it looks and acts like egg whites.

    As you can imagine, this created big excitement in vegan land. 

    I mean now you can make vegan meringues that look and taste exactly like egg white meringues.

    And if chickpea water in your chocolate mousse sounds too weird, suspend your judgement for a minute, at least until you taste it, because the end result tastes nothing at all like chickpea water. And let’s just call it aquafaba as that sounds much better anyway.

    This mousse is light as air! It melts in your mouth with the most delicate and wonderful mousse texture ever. 

    And if you love chocolate mousse then also check out our other mousse recipes, we have a vegan chocolate mousse made with dates and coconut cream that has a much more dense consistency, but is nevertheless divine. And then we have a vegan chocolate avocado mousse made with, you guessed it, avocado that is also next level delicious.

    Vegan mousse in glass serving dishes.

    How To Make Vegan Mousse

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Open a can of chickpeas and drain the water from the can into the bowl of your electric mixer. Add cream of tartar. 
    • Start mixing at low speed until the mix becomes foamy.
    Chickpea water and cream of tartar added to stand mixer and mixed until foamy.
    • Gradually increase the speed to high speed and let the mixer run until your mixture has reached the stiff peak stage. This can take varying amounts of time from a few minutes up to 10 minutes or more. 
    Chickpea water and cream of tartar whisked into stiff peaks like egg whites.
    • Add powdered sugar and whisk again until it’s well mixed and there are stiff peaks again.
    Powdered sugar added to stand mixer and mixed in.
    • Melt your vegan chocolate by breaking it up into pieces and placing it into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, bringing it out to stir every 30-seconds until it’s melted. 
    • Add some peppermint extract (optional) to the melted chocolate and mix it in. Let it cool down to room temperature (while still being melted).
    • Fold the melted chocolate into the whipped aquafaba mix being careful to incorporate it slowly, folding it in gently.
    • You will notice that the aquafaba mix collapses a little once the chocolate is mixed in, that’s totally fine. As long as you fold the chocolate in and don’t mix it too much, it will still be fine. 
    Melted vegan chocolate and peppermint extract added to aquafaba and folded in.
    • Pour equal amounts of the mousse into serving glasses and place them into the coldest part of your refrigerator to set for an hour or two and then your mousse is ready to serve!
    Vegan mousse in glasses before and after setting.

    Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

    Chickpea Water: You should get around ¾ cup (180ml) from draining a 15 ounce (425g) can of chickpeas. If you get a little more or a little less it won’t have an impact on this recipe. 

    Cream of Tartar: This helps to stabilize the mix and is the same as you would use if you were whipping up egg whites. 

    Powdered Sugar: We use a little powdered sugar to sweeten the mix as well as the chocolate. If you are not a sweet tooth you can omit it. You can also use regular granulated sugar but if you do, then add it in slowly while the mixer is running. If you’re using powdered sugar then there is no need to do this, you can just add it in all at once and then mix again. 

    Vegan Chocolate: We used a high quality vegan chocolate to melt down for this recipe. Something like Lindt (they do have some dark chocolate that is vegan by ingredient) works great. Vegan chocolate chips would also work.

    Peppermint Extract: This is completely optional and you can leave it out if you prefer.  

    Vegan mousse in glass serving dishes with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

    How To Serve Aquafaba Mousse

    You can serve it just as it is, or you can decorate it with a little vegan whipped cream and some vegan chocolate shavings. 

    Vegan mousse in a glass serving dish.

    Storing and Freezing

    This keeps very well in the fridge for up to a week.

    It’s actually divine after freezing though the texture does change completely and it becomes more like a delicious chocolate ice cream than a mousse. So if you want it to stay a mousse then it’s not ideal for freezing. But if you don’t mind that it will change into something else equally delicious, then you can also freeze any leftovers you have. 

    Spoonful of vegan mousse.

    More Vegan Chocolate Recipes

    1. Vegan Chocolate Cookies
    2. Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
    3. Vegan Chocolate Brownies
    4. Vegan Chocolate Sauce
    5. Homemade Vegan Chocolate
    6. Vegan Chocolate Muffins
    Spoonful of vegan mousse.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan mousse topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

    Vegan Mousse

    This vegan mousse is made with aquafaba for the most fabulous chocolate mousse texture ever! It’s light and airy and simply perfect.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 266kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup Aquafaba (180ml) Liquid from a can of chickpeas
    • ¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
    • 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
    • 7 ounces Vegan Chocolate (200g)
    • ¼ teaspoon Peppermint Extract Optional

    For Serving (Optional):

    • Vegan Whipped Cream
    • Vegan Chocolate Shavings
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Open a can of chickpeas and drain the water out of the can and into the bowl of your electric mixer. It should be around ¾ cups (180ml). Add in the cream of tartar.
    • Start mixing at low speed until the mix becomes foamy.
    • Gradually increase the speed to high speed and let the mixer run until your mixture has reached the stiff peak stage. This can take varying amounts of time from a few minutes up to 10 minutes or more. 
    • Add the powdered sugar and whisk again until well mixed and there are stiff peaks again.
    • Melt your vegan chocolate by breaking it up into pieces and placing it into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, bringing it out to stir every 30-seconds until it's melted. 
    • Add peppermint extract (optional) to the melted chocolate and mix it in. Let the chocolate cool down to room temperature (while still being melted).
    • Fold the melted chocolate into the whipped aquafaba mix being careful to incorporate it slowly, folding it in gently.
    • You will notice that the aquafaba mix collapses a little once the chocolate is mixed in, don’t worry about this, it’s fine. As long as you fold the chocolate in and don’t mix too much, it will still be fine.
    • Pour equal amounts of the mousse into serving glasses and place them into the coldest part of your refrigerator to set for an hour or two.
    • Serve with vegan whipped cream and vegan chocolate shavings (optional).

    Video

    Notes

    1. The amount of chickpea water (aquafaba) is what you’ll get from one 15-ounce (425g) can of chickpeas. If there is a tiny bit more or less (a teaspoon or two either way) this won’t have an impact.
    2. This keeps very well in the fridge for up to a week.
    3. Nutrition information is for the mousse only and does not include whipped cream topping or chocolate shavings.
    4. This recipe was first published in September 2015 and has now been updated with new photos and text.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Petra says

      January 28, 2022 at 3:00 am

      Can the sugar be left out or is it crucial to firm up the aquafaba?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 28, 2022 at 8:40 am

        Hi Petra, you can absolutely leave it out, but I find it works very well for masking any remnants of chickpea flavor. But the chocolate may be enough for that anyway. All the best! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Tahira Akhtar says

      November 28, 2021 at 11:14 am

      Would this work in between cake layers or will the cake flatten the air pockets in the mousse?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 29, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        I think the cake may flatten out the mousse aspects of it, it may also make the cake soggy, so I’m not sure how well it would work at all.

        Reply
    3. Dawn Goveia says

      September 11, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      So good I was actually trying to make a chocolate mousse cake so I used your chocolate cake recipe for my base and this for the top then I topped that with chocolate ganache! Was a hit!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 14, 2020 at 10:18 am

        Sounds divine! Thanks for sharing Dawn!

        Reply
    4. Roslyn Irvine says

      June 23, 2020 at 12:58 am

      My chocolate kind of solidified back into chocolate bits in the mousse. Are you supposed to let it cool a bit before adding the whipped Aquafina!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 23, 2020 at 11:27 am

        Hi Roslyn, this can happen if you go a little too quickly, you just have to add the chocolate in very slowly and fold it in. If you pour too fast so you can’t fold it in fast enough then this can happen. Usually it’s not something that will ruin your chocolate mousse, it will just have some hard bits of chocolate in. Hope you still enjoyed it!

        Reply
    5. Mark Ward says

      April 09, 2020 at 1:14 pm

      Sorry to appear dense, but what is powdered sugar?
      Is it what we call ‘icing sugar’?
      Love the recipes, many thanks,
      Mark5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 11, 2020 at 11:44 am

        Hi Mark, yes it’s icing sugar! So glad you like the recipes, thank you! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Martin says

      April 09, 2020 at 6:11 am

      Loved this, so tasty!!!!! Really really lovely consistency.

      But don’t think you can make it using a Vitamix blender. I wasted 10 minutes of my life waiting for my aquafaba to be fluffy. Had almost given up when I took out the electric whisk and tried again and it was perfect in less than a minute. 🙂

      I used a mint chocolate instead of adding mint extract. Next time I’ll try an orange chocolate. 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 09, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Hi Martin, so glad you liked it! And thanks for sharing your experience with the blender, I’m sure it will help others to know that it will never work that way! Thanks for the great review.

        Reply
    7. Kathleen says

      March 12, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      Can you use any bean liquid to replace the chickpea? Just curious as just opened a can of white canellini beans.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 13, 2020 at 11:44 am

        Hi Kathleen, apparently other bean water, specifically from neutral flavored beans like white beans, can also be used, but I have to say I’ve only ever tried chickpea water, so I’m not entirely sure what differences there might be. Let us know if you try it! 🙂

        Reply
        • Sam says

          September 23, 2022 at 2:34 pm

          I’d like to add Frangelico for a chocolate hazelnut flavour. I think I’d probably need more than 1/4 teaspoon (i.e. instead of the mint extract) to be able to taste it – do you know how much I could add without it affecting the consistency or the mousse setting? Thank you!

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            September 26, 2022 at 11:08 am

            Hi Sam, it’s not something I’ve tried, but I would probably start with a couple of tablespoons and see how it goes in terms of flavor and setting.

    8. Michey says

      January 04, 2019 at 11:44 pm

      Is the peppermint extract necessary or can I leave it out?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 05, 2019 at 1:29 pm

        You can leave it out!

        Reply
    9. Lori-Beth says

      December 23, 2018 at 5:59 am

      Hi Alison
      I need to make Chocolate Mousse for our family lunch – do you know if this will hold if I make it the day before? (In case i fail and need to do a plan B!)
      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
      • Lori-Beth says

        December 23, 2018 at 6:00 am

        Christmas lunch that is 🙂

        Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 23, 2018 at 9:59 am

        Yes definitely! It lasts no problem in the fridge. And I think it’s an excellent idea to test it out first, I always do this too if I have people coming for something. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Holly says

      December 20, 2018 at 9:58 am

      How much actual liquid do you get from the can of chickpeas? I’ve got some aquafaba sitting in the fridge from cooking my own chickpeas but i don’t know how much to use to make this recipe…

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 20, 2018 at 12:01 pm

        Hi Holly, it’s about 12 Tbsp or around 2/3 of a cup (180ml). 🙂

        Reply
    11. Alice says

      July 11, 2018 at 2:43 pm

      This dessert looks delicious! I haven’t made it yet because I wanted to ask if there is a certain size or amount of grams the chickpea can should be? It doesn’t have to be exact, but a rough estimate helps a lot.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 11, 2018 at 8:30 pm

        Hi Alice, yes, it’s a standard 15oz (425g) can of chickpeas, I should have said, I will update the recipe. 🙂

        Reply
    12. Louise says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:11 pm

      What size can of chickpeas is used?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 29, 2016 at 1:47 pm

        I used a 15 oz (425g) can.

        Reply
    13. cL says

      December 06, 2015 at 4:55 am

      I followed your recipe but did not get the mousse-like result at all 🙁 I just had this really foamy dessert 🙁 I used my electric mixer for over 15 minutes too until it was kind of stiff but still no luck 🙁 Any ideas?? Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 06, 2015 at 7:55 am

        Hi! What a pity. The stiff peaks is crucial. It has to be those super stiff peaks, if it hasn’t reached that stage yet, then keep on mixing. And if it just doesn’t reach that stage even after say… 20 mins, then I would throw it out and start again with a different can of chickpeas. Could be a dud can. It happens occasionally, even when making whipped coconut cream, occasionally people report getting a dud can that just doesn’t separate. Very annoying, but it happens. The technique to beating the aquafaba is you have to start off slow and allow it to reach that foamy stage and only then increase the speed but very gradually. If you already did it like that, then I would think that it either could have gone for a bit longer or it was a dud can of chickpeas and try a different brand next time. There are a bunch of FAQ’s on the Aquafaba website which also might help.

        Reply
        • cL says

          December 06, 2015 at 2:42 pm

          Thank you!! Perhaps this means round 2. Going to finish off the hummus I made, thrn try agaim Cross fingers. Will let you know!!

          Reply
    14. Melissa says

      September 26, 2015 at 11:36 am

      This freaks my brain! I guess I got used to avocado chocolate mousse so I can get used to this! Now I’ll just have to try it and report back 🙂

      Reply
      • lovingitvegan says

        September 26, 2015 at 11:39 am

        Hahaha! Yeah you’ve just got to get your head around it, which happens surprisingly fast once you taste it! 🙂

        Reply
        • Jeff says

          March 12, 2020 at 5:27 pm

          Hello, can i use cocoa powder instead of hard chocolate?

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            March 13, 2020 at 11:34 am

            Hi Jeff, I don’t think so. I haven’t tried it that way but my feeling is that it wouldn’t work nearly so well.

      • Roma Divanji says

        March 18, 2020 at 12:12 pm

        Any alternative to cream of tartar as i dont get it in india. Any homemade alternative? Just a thought, can the aquafaba without the tartar be used as a cream filling like say substitute your lemon cake. This instead of vegan butter?

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          March 18, 2020 at 1:15 pm

          If you search online there are all sorts of suggested alternatives but I’m not sure if they would work in this recipe. You can leave it out, it may just take longer to whip it and it may not be as firm. You can make a frosting from aquafaba, this recipe from Awe Filled Homemaker looks good!

          Reply
    15. Karen says

      September 24, 2015 at 3:51 pm

      OMG this is mouthwatering! I love the awesome graphics, these pics are so good, I could stare at them all day. Please keep these gorgeous recipes coming.5 stars

      Reply
      • lovingitvegan says

        September 25, 2015 at 12:01 pm

        Thanks Karen! 🙂

        Reply

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