This 2-ingredient aquafaba chocolate mousse ticks all the boxes: it's airy, easy to make, melts in your mouth and highly addicting. It's healthier than regular chocolate mousse, vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free and made without eggs. All you need are 2 simple ingredients: melted dark chocolate and chickpea brine, also known as aquafaba! It's the perfect vegan dessert for any occasion.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- This vegan chocolate mousse dessert is allergen-friendly: it's dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free.
- Aquafaba chocolate mousse is healthier than regular chocolate mousse. One little ramekin of vegan chocolate mousse contains about 2 squares of dark chocolate and some chickpea juice. This chocolate mousse contains 150 calories per serving while regular chocolate mousse contain about 450 kcal per serving.I think we can call that a healthy dessert! It satisfies chocolate cravings and lets you enjoy a sweet treat without guilt.
- This no-bake dessert that is super simple to make.
- It's a recipe to impress! Make this chocolate mousse during the holidays or for your next family gathering. Let them try the mousse first before revelaing what it is made from. Everyone while be speechless!
- It allows you to make zero-waste recipes by using every part of canned chickpeas. The next time you open a can or jar of chickpeas, do not throw away the liquid but save it to make some chocolate mousse!
Aquafaba questions answered
Aquafaba is the water in which chickpeas (or other legumes) have been cooked. It's a translucent, viscous liquid known as chickpea water, chickpea brine, chickpea juice or chickpea liquid. You can retrieve by draining a can of chickpeas or draining home-cooked legumes.
Aquafaba has become quite popular in vegan baking and cooking over the last few years as it's a wonderful egg white replacer. With the help of an electric mixer, the chickpea brine can easily be transformed into foam (similar to whipped egg whites). This magic ingredient has thickening and binding properties, as well as emulsifying properties (it can be used to make vegan mayonnaise for instance).
Before whipping, aquafaba has a slightly beany smell and taste. However, as soon as it's whipped, the taste decreases drastically. When mixed with other ingredients (such as chocolate) you can't taste it anymore. In baked goods, aquafaba is flavorless.
Start by draining a can of chickpeas and collecting the brine you would normally discard. Add the liquid to a large mixing bowl and whip it up with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. It should look just like whipped egg whites. The longer you beat the aquafaba, the more stable it gets. We recommend mixing at least 7 minutes for stiff foam.
Many recipes recommend adding ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar to the chickpea brine to reach stiff peaks faster and obtain a more stable foam that deflates less quickly. It is the acidity of the cream of tartar that helps the chickpea brine foam. You could also replace the cream of tartar with the same amount of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. However, you can easily make the aquafaba without an acidic ingredient and simply mix it a little longer.
Zoom on the ingredients
- Dark chocolate: how sweet or bitter your chocolate mousse will be depends on the chocolate you use and the percentage of cocoa it contains. Since this recipe doesn’t call for any type of sweetener, we recommend a milder dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage of 70%. If you want it a little sweeter use vegan semi-sweet chocolate with 50-60% cocoa. The sweetness/bitterness also varies among different brands so make sure to use one you enjoy eating.
- Aquafaba: if you don't know what aquafaba is, make sure to read the previous paragraphs. With regard to this recipe, it is crucial to weigh the aquafaba to get the desired consistency. Adding too much aquafaba will make the mousse too fluffy and liquidy, while adding too little will make it very dense.
5 mistakes to avoid
This 2-ingredient chocolate mousse is really easy to make, but please follow the instructions below carefully!
- Let the melted chocolate cool down: if you incorporate the foamed aquafaba to your hot chocolate, the proteins contained in the aquafaba will "cook" and you will end up with a dense mass of chocolate. I always recommend to remove the chocolate from the heat source when half of it is melted and stir to melt the remaining chocolate without burning it.
- WEIGH the aquafaba with a kitchen scale: adding too much aquafaba will make the mousse too fluffy and liquidy, while adding too little will make it very dense.
- Do not stop beating as soon as it becomes fluffy: use an electric mixer to beat the aquafaba for at least 7 minutes. I know this is quite long, especially if (like me), you’re very impatient. However, beating the aquafaba long enough will give it hold and make your mousse fluffy. So don’t stop after 4 minutes even if foam has already formed. Set a timer for yourself to make sure you don't stop early.
- Let it rest long enough: for the chocolate mousse to firm up it is necessary to let it rest long enough. We recommend putting it in the fridge overnight, but 4 to 6 hours should already be sufficient.
- Transfer it to individual ramekins: by experience, we can say that the mousse does not firm up as well if left in a large bowl, while I never encountered the problem using single portion ramekins.
Step-by-step with pictures
For a successful recipe, please start by ready our 5 mistakes to avoid in the paragraph above.
Melt the chocolate. First thing first: melt the dark chocolate and let it cool while you make aquafaba foam. You can use a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave, melt the chocolate at 30-second intervals.
Drain the chickpeas and collect the juice. Simply place a fine-mesh sieve or colander on top of a bowl. We personally had more success with the aquafaba of chickpeas sold in jars, rather than canned chickpeas.
Prepare the aquafaba foam. Weigh the indicated amount of aquafaba and add it to a large mixing bowl. Set yourself a timer and whip it with an electric hand mixer for at least 7 minutes. It should look like stiff foamed egg whites.
Optionally, you can add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to the chickpea brine before you mix it. It is however not necessary as you will still get stiff peaks if you whip the aquafaba long enough. Do not use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar instead of the cream of tartar as it will impact the taste of the chocolate mousse.
Incorporate the aquafaba foam. Gently add the aquafaba foam to the melted chocolate with a spoon or spatula.
Make the chocolate mousse. Continue adding the foam until you reach a chocolate mousse consistency. Fill the mousse into single-serving ramekins and place them in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Notes
The composition of the aquafaba can vary among brands, which is why you might not always get the exact same results. If the chickpea brine doesn't foam well, try adding ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar or try using another brand next time. As mentioned above, we had more success with jarred chickpeas compared to canned chickpeas.
Notes on cooking chickpeas yourself: we personally never cooked chickpeas ourselves and never used that aquafaba to test this recipe. Therefore, we cannot recommend the right proportions or the time needed to obtain the desired aquafaba composition. Keep in mind that the amount of water you add and the time you soak/cook the chickpeas will influence the composition of your aquafaba and therefore also its ability to foam.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if you're not vegan! Chose the chocolate you prefer, it doesn't matter if it had 50% cocoa or 80%. Since the recipe is made without sugar, the mousse will taste exactly like the chocolate and will be more or less sweet according to that.
I personally had more success with the aquafaba of chickpeas sold in jars, rather than canned chickpeas. I find the liquid to be more viscous. I use the brand Caçarola, which I find at Cactus Luxembourg. A reader was successful with the canned chickpeas from the Albert Heijn private brand in the Netherlands.
We assume that aquafaba chocolate mousse gets grainy when the aquafaba foam is added to the melted chocolate while it is still too hot. Make sure to let it cool down for at least 10 minutes to prevent this from happening.
If you have a look at the nutrition facts provided at the bottom of the recipe card, you'll see that one serving only has 150 calories, which is much less than a regular chocolate mousse with approximately 450 kcal. The difference is mainly due to the absence of heavy cream.
If you want to make your appetizer and your dessert with only 1 can of chickpeas, you can try this vegan hummus trio. Choose your favorite hummus recipe: the intense lemon & garlic hummus, mild beetroot hummus or the fresh basil hummus.
You can store the vegan chocolate mousse in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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The recipe
2-Ingredient Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces (100 g) dark chocolate (70%) choose a vegan semi-sweet chocolate (50-60%) for a sweeter chocolate mousse
- 120 g aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) it is crucial to weigh the aquafaba with a kitchen scale to get the desired contsistency
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional, not necessary if you mix long enough
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave at 30-second intervals (read notes below).
- Transfer the chocolate to a mixing bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Make sure to wait the recommended amount of time.
- In the meantime, drain the chickpeas and collect the juice by placing a fine-mesh sieve on top of a mixing bowl. Weigh 120 grams of aquafaba. Whip it with an electric hand mixer for AT LEAST 7 minutes (see notes).
- Gently fold the aquafaba foam into the melted chocolate (see step-by-step pictures in post above).
- Transfer the mixture to small single-portion ramekins and put them in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
- Serve with coconut cream, fresh fruit, more chocolate or any topping you love.
Notes
- Let the melted chocolate cool down: if you incorporate the foamed aquafaba to your hot chocolate, the proteins contained in the aquafaba will "cook" and you will end up with a dense mass of chocolate.
- WEIGH the aquafaba with a kitchen scale: adding too much aquafaba will make the mousse too fluffy and liquidy while adding too little will make it very dense.
- Optionally, you can add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to the chickpea brine to stabilize the foam but it is not necessary. We do not recommend substituting it with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as it can impact the taste of the chocolate mousse.
- Do not stop beating as soon as it becomes fluffy: we know that 7 minutes is quite long, especially if (like me), you’re very impatient. However, beating the aquafaba long enough will give it hold and make your mousse fluffy. So don’t stop after 4 minutes even if foam has already formed.
- Let it rest long enough: for the chocolate mousse to firm up, it is necessary to let it rest long enough. I recommend putting the chocolate mousse in the fridge overnight, but 4 to 6 hours should already be sufficient.
- Transfer it to individual ramekins: by experience, we can say that the mousse does not firm up as well if left in a large bowl, while we never encountered the problem using single portion ramekins.
- Storage tips: you can store the chocolate mousse in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- What to do with left-over chickpeas? Try this hummus trio!
Nutrition
More vegan chocolate mousse recipes
If you have some leftover chocolate mousse, make these vegan chocolate mousse pralines or this no-bake chocolate mousse pie. They both use this exact aquafaba chocolate mousse recipe.
If you fancy another chocolate dessert recipe, you can try our delicious olive oil chocolate cake (contains eggs), our molten chocolate cake (contains eggs) or our upside down chocolate pear cake (contains eggs)
Loved it? Please rate it!
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Ultimate favorite (and easy hehehe) chocolate mousse recipe ever! My whole family loved it. Foamy, sweet and delicious. X
Wow! What a well-written and helpful post! I love the step-by-step images and will make sure to avoid the 5 mistakes you mentioned when making the recipe! I'll report back 😊
Thank you so much! I always make sure to include helpful information and your comment means the world! I can't wait to hear your feedback!
Such an easy recipe and so delicious! Normally I'm not really into mousse, but this one... yummy!! Looking forward for the next time preparing this heaven...
Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that this recipe won you over 😊
Hi Eloïse,
I finally had the chance to try the recipe and the result absolutely thrilled me. Incredibly good!!!
I adjusted the recipe a little bit by adding self-made arancello (Italian orange liquor) and orange zest because I love this combination.
Thanks again - I don't think I'll ever make traditional chocolate mousse again.
Hi Liana, I love hearing this! Chocolate mousse with arancello sounds incredible! I'm a huge fan of the combination of orange and chocolate, as well!