Mousse Au Chocolat (Easy French Chocolate Mousse)
If you love creamy, rich, dark chocolate, then Mousse Au Chocolat is for you. This classic French Chocolate Mousse is incredibly easy to make and requires only a few ingredients!
What Is A Mousse?
I feel like I should insert some witty comment about the large, antlered animal that lives in northern regions.
However, I'll save you the eye rolling and get right to the point.
Mousse is the French word for "foam." So a culinary mousse is a preparation of food that results in a light and airy, creamy, foam-like texture.
Notice I didn't say mousse is a French dessert.
Technically speaking, you can have sweet OR savory mousse.
Think of a light and creamy salmon mousse or goat cheese mousse atop sliced vegetables or toasted bread to make a fancy canape appetizer.
A savory mousse!
But, today we're talking about probably the best known kind of mousse. (And, arguably, the most tasty.)
CHOCOLATE mousse!
But first...
What Is The Difference Between Pudding And Mousse?
Both pudding and mousse are creamy, no-bake preparations (that often involve chocolate). This puts them in contrast to the French Pots De Creme, which are creamy custards that are baked.
The difference between pudding and mousse really comes down to the ingredients.
Traditionally, pudding is made with a milk and sugar base that is cooked with cornstarch to thicken it. Since pudding has cornstarch as a thickener, it tends to be a bit on the denser side.
Mousse, on the other hand, is traditionally not cooked at all. It is made by mixing your flavor base into whipped egg whites. This makes mousse lighter and fluffier, with nice air bubbles throughout.
How To Make Mousse Au Chocolat (French Chocolate Mousse)
There are a couple of ways to make chocolate mousse, and each will give you a bit of a different result.
All mousse should start out with your flavor base (in this case, melted chocolate) and eggs.
This is a must.
However, a common, American, adaptation is to add some whipped cream to the mixture, giving the chocolate mousse a VERY light and airy consistency.
Traditional French chocolate mousse, on the other hand, omits the whipped cream. This means that your true French mousse au chocolat is airy, but it is also rich and dense.
Using Eggs In Mousse Au Chocolat
Since the eggs used in this dessert are not cooked, we recommend using extremely fresh or even pasteurized eggs.
Whichever type of eggs you choose, they MUST be at room temperature before you start making your mousse.
If the egg yolks are the slightest bit cold, when you mix them with the melted chocolate, your chocolate will seize!
Ask me how I know...
The good news is that if your chocolate seizes, there is an easy fix. Simply mixing a little boiling water into your seized chocolate, 1 teaspoon at a time, will bring it back to a smooth consistency.
Crisis averted.
But, do yourself a favor and avoid the extra steps by using room temperature eggs.
Our French Chocolate Mousse Recipe
We've followed the traditional French method of making mousse au chocolat, using just a few ingredients to make this decadent dessert.
While this recipe is incredibly simple, there are a few important things to note.
First is the temperature of the eggs, which we mentioned above, but is so important it bears repeating.
Second, when you stir your chocolate/egg yolk mixture into your beaten egg whites they will deflate quite a bit.
Don't panic!
Your mousse mixture should be pour-able as you're putting it into your serving dishes. That's why we let it chill for 4 hours to set.
All will be good after some time in the refrigerator.
Ready?
Let's make some mousse!!!
Mousse Au Chocolat (Easy French Chocolate Mousse)
If you love creamy, rich, dark chocolate, then Mousse Au Chocolat is for you. This classic French Chocolate Mousse is incredibly easy to make and requires only a few ingredients!
Ingredients
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate
- 4 eggs, divided, at room temp*
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave on low heat. Set it aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Lightly beat the room temperature egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla, and salt to mix.
- Slowly add the egg yolk mixture to the melted chocolate.*
- Gently stir the chocolate mixture into the stiff egg whites, using ⅓ of the chocolate at a time.
- Pour or spoon the mixture into serving bowls.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours before servings.
- (Finished mousse au chocolate will keep nicely in the refrigerator for 4 days.)
Notes
*If the egg yolks are too cool, they will cause the chocolate to seize. If this happens DON’T PANIC. Stop adding the egg yolks to the chocolate. Then, simply mix some boiling water into your seized chocolate, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the chocolate loosens back to a good, thin consistency. After your chocolate is back to a good consistency, you can continue adding the egg yolks (once they’re warm enough).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
¼ of recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 360Total Fat: 27g
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Hi there!
I am doing this for a school project
And I was wondering when I need to refrigerate it for 4 hours, should I put it in the freezer?
Hi Karen. 4 hours in the refrigerator (not the freezer) should be just fine. If you need it set faster than 4 hours, you could try the freezer. While we haven't tried it this way, it probably won't need more than an hour, and I would check it often so it doesn't freeze solid. Enjoy!
bonne recette je vais prendre plaisir à faire ça
Merci Chris!
HI this looks yummy
Thanks! We hope you enjoy it!
I’m making this recipe for a school project so I was wondering if you can mix the egg whites into the chocolate instead of the other way around a lot of other recipes do it that way
You can spoon the beaten egg whites into the chocolate and tempered egg yolk. Either way will work. Whenever you are mixing something with beaten egg whites, you just want to be sure not to over mix because it will cause the egg whites to deflate. This is why we choose to spoon the chocolate mixture into the beaten whites, that way you're not spooning the beaten whites and then mixing them, meaning there is less of a chance of overworking them. Enjoy!
Hi, Sarah,
First of all, thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Also, I appreciate all the great detail, in what to do, not do and how to fix it, if it happens!
It's nice to see a real chocolate mousse recipe here; without the whip cream and instant pudding.
I just have one question: I have organic cacao powder, which I do use for baking. Is there any way I could use my cacao powder, in lieu of the chocolate chips?
Thank you so much! I can't wait to try this. I'll make sure my eggs are 100% room temperature! 🙂
Beth
Thank you Beth! Most of the time, you can effectively make bittersweet chocolate using cocoa powder with the following ratio: 1 oz of bittersweet chocolate = 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder + 1 Tbsp of sugar + 2 Tbsp of butter.
So, for this recipe, you would melt 6 Tbsp of cocoa powder, 6 Tbsp sugar, and 12 Tbsp butter together in place of the Step 1 in the recipe. While we haven't tried this method for our mousse au chocolat, it should work. If you give it a try, please stop back by and let us know how it turned out for you!
Do I need cream of tarter or lemon juice if I use pasteurized eggs?
Vicki
Hi Vicki, You should be fine to beat the egg whites even of pasteurized eggs. However, if you prefer using a bit of cream of tartar to help stabilize your egg whites as you beat them, then go ahead.
Can i substitute white chocolate for the bittersweet chocolate to make a white chocolate mousse?
Hi Catherine. We've never tried that, but it sounds like a wonderful idea! I don't see any reason that white chocolate wouldn't work quite well.
What about whipped cream? What will happen if I add it in/on the mousse? Thanks in advance!
We've never made this mousse with whipped cream, but I would assume that if you gently folded whipped cream into the finished mousse, it would just give it a lighter, more airy consistency. And, it wouldn't be quite as deep/rich of a chocolate flavor. If you want to add whipped cream to top your mousse, I would do so after it has cooled and set up in the refrigerator, just before serving.
Hi, I am french and I was looking for an original chocolate dessert, but when I saw your mousse au chocolat recipe, I couldn't resist trying this french classic that I hadn't enjoy for a while.
Well you got my respect! This recipe is absolutely delicious (and is really close to the french one!),
Congratulations !
Thank you so much Elsa! We're so glad you enjoyed the mousse au chocolat. It definitely is a favorite!
Can I put the mousse in a piping bag and pipe into chocolate siliers when ready to serve?
Hi June, This mousse is a bit thin when it is made. It sets up nicely after refrigerating, but I'm not sure if it would work the best in piping bags. I'd suggest doing a trial run to see its consistency. Do let us know what you think if you try it!
This is the Best Mousse I've ever made!
I used fresh jumbo eggs. My family loved it.
Thank you so much.
We're so glad you and your family enjoyed it Tami!
I can't wait to make it! Thanks for sharing!
Hope you enjoy it!
What do you mean by "eggs divided"? Not good to assume I can cook! 😉
Hi Enrique, You'll need the egg yolks and egg whites separated for this recipe. Enjoy!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I just made this and it's in the fridge waiting to be garnished with raspberries!
Yum! We hope you enjoy it!
I love your new site! So clean and it really makes your gorgeous photos and recipe stand out.
Thank you!