Homemade chocolate mousse is proof that simple ingredients can turn into something truly special. With the pure flavor of real chocolate and its smooth, velvety texture, this mousse strikes the perfect balance between rich and light. You need just 6 ingredients and there’s no baking required. This is a wonderful make-ahead dessert recipe!
Like crème brûlée, tiramisu, or chocolate soufflé, chocolate mousse sounds like something only a restaurant pastry chef could make, but it’s surprisingly approachable in your home kitchen.
Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, it delivers big chocolate flavor and a cloud-like texture that melts on your tongue. It’s decadent but not heavy, and deeply chocolatey without being overly rich or sweet.
And while it’s elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, it’s also easy enough for a beginner to manage.
Serve it plain, topped with whipped cream, or finished with fresh berries and chocolate shavings. However you dress it up, this is one of those desserts that makes people pause mid-bite and say, wow—you made this?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Ultra-smooth and velvety texture
- Pure chocolate flavor from real chocolate
- Only 6 ingredients
- No baking required
- Naturally gluten-free recipe (but always check ingredient labels)
- Perfect make-ahead dessert for entertaining
You Only Need 6 Ingredients
- High-Quality Chocolate: Use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate bars. Look for them in the baking aisle of the grocery store, near the chocolate chips. Baking chocolate is typically sold in 4-ounce bars (you’ll need 2). I like Ghirardelli and Baker’s brands.
- Heavy Cream: This is combined with the chocolate to make chocolate ganache first. Have some heavy cream left over? Make some whipped cream for topping the mousse when you’re ready to serve dessert!
- Egg Whites: A main component of the meringue. You’ll cook these on the stove so you don’t have to worry about consuming raw eggs.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is cooked with the egg whites to sweeten the meringue. You don’t need much; this mousse isn’t overly sweet.
- Cream of Tartar: Key for getting the meringue to whip into those glossy peaks.
- Salt: Just a pinch, to make the chocolate flavor pop.
In Photos: How to Make Chocolate Mousse
There are many ways to make chocolate mousse, from traditional French pastry-kitchen methods to streamlined approaches designed for home cooks. Today’s version uses approachable steps, and a process that works beautifully in home kitchens. It still delivers that signature airy texture and rich chocolate flavor—just with a simpler method.
If you’ve ever made this sky-high chocolate mousse pie, which I also included in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101, this process will seem familiar, but today’s homemade chocolate mousse is even simpler. 🙂
First, melt the chocolate with the cream. You are essentially making chocolate ganache, though the ratio of chocolate to cream is a bit different for the mousse.
Prepare the meringue base. Whisk (constantly!) the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the top pot of a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of boiling water. Cooking the egg whites to a temperature of 160°F (71°C) kills any bacteria so you don’t have to worry about raw eggs.
Whip the meringue. You want to reach the point of stiff, glossy peaks—just like when we make marshmallow creme, Swiss meringue buttercream, or pavlova. If you turn the mixer’s whisk attachment upside down, the peaks shouldn’t droop at all.
Fold the chocolate ganache and meringue together. This will take quite a few turns of your spatula. Take your time here and fold gently—it will come together, I promise!
Pipe or spoon into dessert cups. For the pictured mousse, I used Ateco 808 large round piping tip. This recipe makes enough mousse for 4–6 servings, depending on the size of your dessert glasses (or ramekins or jars).
Then, you’ll simply refrigerate until the mousse has set and is luxuriously spoonable, at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Garnish and serve. Whipped cream, chocolate curls or shavings, raspberries, fresh mint… all simple garnishes that make for an elegant presentation!
Success Tips for Perfect Chocolate Mousse
- Use quality chocolate. This is the primary flavor so it really shines through.
- Fold gently and patiently. This keeps the texture airy and smooth.
- Chill for at least 4 hours for best consistency.
If you’re looking for a dessert that’s elegant, timeless, and guaranteed to impress, this homemade chocolate mousse is it!
Homemade Chocolate Mousse
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Description
Homemade chocolate mousse is proof that simple ingredients can turn into something truly special. With the pure flavor of real chocolate and its smooth, velvety texture, this mousse strikes the perfect balance between rich and light.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (two 4-ounce bars)
- 2/3 cup (160g/ml) heavy cream
- 4 large egg whites* (120g)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil—that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2–3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate.
- With a metal spoon or small silicone spatula, slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Set aside to slightly cool.
- Place egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. (You can use a double boiler if you have one.) Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out, about 4 minutes. The mixture will be thick and tacky at first, then thin out and appear frothy on top. To test that it’s ready, you can use your finger or an instant-read thermometer. Lightly and quickly dip your finger (it’s very hot, be careful) and rub the mixture between your thumb and finger. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. If using a thermometer, the temperature should read 160°F (71°C).
- Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof mixing bowl. (No need to let it cool down before continuing.) Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes.
- Pour the chocolate ganache into the meringue and gently fold together with a silicone spatula until completely combined.
- Spoon or pipe the mousse into dessert dishes, ramekins, or jars. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours. After about an hour in the fridge, cover the mousse.
- Top with whipped cream, chocolate curls, raspberries, and/or fresh mint to serve.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Because this mousse needs to chill for several hours or overnight, it’s perfect for making a day or two ahead of time. Freezing leftovers is a great idea—simply allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying. Or enjoy frozen!
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Saucepan | Double Boiler | Whisk | Instant-Read Thermometer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Chocolate: I recommend using pure chocolate baking bars, in either semi-sweet or bittersweet. You can find them right next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. They are sold in 4-ounce (113g) bars. I like Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands.
- Egg Whites: The egg whites are gently cooked in step 3 to 160°F (71°C), which is considered safe to eat. You can use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to determine their temperature. You can use pasteurized egg whites, though keep in mind they may never reach the volume of unpasteurized egg whites. For best success, I recommend using fresh eggs instead of carton egg whites. Here are all my recipes using leftover egg yolks. Tip: Eggs separate much easier when they’re cold.
- Cream of Tartar: This is key for stabilizing those egg whites.
- Chocolate Curls: Here’s how to make chocolate curls; for a shortcut method, run a vegetable peeler down the long side of a chocolate bar.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Has anyone made this with a sugar substitute? Some recipes work beautifully (like the cheesecake pie), others not so much.
thanks!
Hi Susan, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
The chocolate mousse was easy to make. I made a half recipe which was plenty for four smallish dishes with space for a little whip cream on top. It is very rich so a small serving is perfect.
It was delicious I ate some a little while ago SO GOOD!!!!!
Very delicious! Was intimidated at first but was surprised at how simple this was.
Hi! I made this earlier today, I haven’t eaten any so I can’t say if it’s good or not, I bet it is seeing as it has chocolate in it but that isn’t the point. The point is I have a question or two, can you think of any way that my egg whites wouldn’t stiffen? I was beating them for at least 20 minutes before they started forming peaks. I also kept adding a little more cream of tarter to it to see if that would help and it did a little but I never got completely firm peaks before I gave up and added the chocolate. Could that have been affected because I doubled it or I used fresh eggs instead of store-bought? I have beat egg whites before and though they take a little longer then heavy whipping cream to get stiff they don’t usually take that long at all. Help!? Also what is the serving size supposed to be?
Hi Hannah! Egg whites will have trouble whipping if there’s any fat contamination in the bowl or the whisk. You want to make sure you start with a very, very clean and well rinsed/dried bowl and separate the eggs carefully to ensure no yolk makes its way into the mix. The serving size is up to you! We usually get about 4-6 servings from this recipe.
sally’s baking always helps us make wonderful treats for the whole family. the recipes always are splendid and make quite wonderful foods.
It was fun to try some new techniques. And the results are spot on. So light and fluffy, there can’t possibly be any calories in the mousse. Next time I may try adding a couple tablespoons of coffee. So, so, good!
The flavor of this chocolate mousse is extremely light and it has a pleasant fluffy texture. Sally’s instructions for preparing the meringue were especially helpful.
Delicious and easy! Can I use this recipe to also make milk chocolate and white chocolate mousse?
Hi Deborah! So glad you enjoyed it, thank you! Yes, you can absolutely use this base recipe for other chocolates, with a couple small tweaks. For milk chocolate, the mousse will be sweeter and a bit softer since milk chocolate has more sugar and milk solids, so I recommend slightly reducing the sugar in the recipe and making sure the chocolate you melt is good quality. For white chocolate, it will be much sweeter and richer, so definitely cut back the sugar and keep in mind the flavor will be more vanilla-forward than cocoa. I’ve never made white chocolate mousse, so let us know how it turns out.
I did try both the milk and white chocolate mousse. Both needed an extremely low amount of sugar (less than I was expecting). I used 30g for the sugar but it was still very sweet. I think I still need to use less so I will try 15g next time. The white chocolate mousse was also pretty runny but I used it in the middle of the darker and milk chocolates as a parfait so it worked ok like that.
Delicious and so easy to make- I’ll be making it again for sure. I doubled the recipe with no problems.
Super easy and turned out great! Very filling and very chocolatey. Made them for the Super Bowl and made whipped cream to make them look like footballs.
What a cute idea, Caroline! So glad you loved this mousse recipe.
Easy to make and delicious. A little too rich for me so added fruit to serve.
Made the alternative recipe this month, the oatmeal cream cookies. They were great and were a fun treat to bring to our Super Bowl party!
This looks amazing. Is there way to sub a nondairy milk
For the heavy cream?
Hi Amy, heavy cream is imperative for this recipe. We haven’t tested it, but full fat canned coconut may work as a dairy-free option. Let us know if you do decide to try it.
An easy recipe that looks and tastes like a special occasion. I used dark chocolate, that is my prefence and it turned out great.
Easy and delicious!
This recipe was a lot of fun. Much easier than I was expecting. Family loved it.
This mouse was excellent! It was very creamy when making it, but chilled to a more dense texture. Just the right sweetness and chocolate-y flavor.
Great flavor, decedent and rich! I cut down on the sugar that the recipe called for, and added sea salt on top before serving. It was a lovely touch.
Made this and brought it to work to share with my colleagues, and it was a hit! The amount was enough for 9 little brownie paper boxes.
I wasn’t sure it would turn out alright, because it’s incredibly hard to find cream of tartar in continential europe, all I found was a starch based “whipped cream stiffener” (“Sahnesteif”). When the mixture was done it ended up very liquidy, definitely not a pipe-able consistency, but it still set nicely in the fridge overnight, and even if it didn’t, the chocolate flavor is so good, I could just drink it!
Great recipe with clear instructions for chocolate mousse with a lovely, light texture and not too sweet.
Made this today! It’s easy n delicious. I love how it’s gluten free n made with minimum ingredients. Thanks Sally for the recipe.
I was intimidated to make chocolate mousse but it was very easy and very tasty!
Very simple to make. Was quite dense but very rich and delicious. I love chocolate so it was good for me.
Easy and delicious recipe! It’s my new favorite recipe of chocolate mousse
Thanks Sally
Delicious mousse! I can’t wait to make it again.
Recipe was so easy to follow and turned out fantastic. Super rich. I didn’t find it overly sweet. Contemplated using unsweetened chocolate but happy I stayed with semisweet. I think it would be best with homemade whipped cream for just the right balance of sweet and rich (but I skipped it for this first time I made it).
This recipe is a solid winner for anyone who prioritizes , intense chocolate flavor. It’s sophisticated, looks beautiful in a glass, and definitely satisfied my sweet tooth. YUM!!!
Delicious. Easier than I thought. A perfect sweetness. Not overwhelming sweet at all. Great recipe.
FYI If you use a makeshift double boiler like I did, heating the egg whites might take longer than expected.
The recipe is great, easy to follow and readily accessible ingredients. I made them in mini dessert cups and they were a hit for dessert at my Superbowl party.