These rich and creamy no-bake chocolate mousse cups are made with only 4 ingredients. They're so easy to make and melt in your mouth like the most luxurious dessert!
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Notes from the baker
These chocolate mousse cups feature my favourite easy way to make mousse - by whipping lots of air into cream and combining it with chocolate so that it holds together when chilled but still has a creamy, airy, and melty texture.
They're so simple and can be garnished in so many different ways. Keep it simple for a pure chocolate experience or add fresh fruits or incorporate other elements like caramel sauce or toasted meringue.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mousse. Creamy mousse texture with the richness of dark chocolate.
- Easy to make. You only need a few simple ingredients. No gelatine or eggs needed!
- No-bake dessert. This chocolate mousse sets right up in the fridge so you can make it ahead of time and serve it the next day.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Dark or semi-sweet chocolate - I like to use a good quality dark chocolate bar since it's the main ingredient and the star of the show. You can use semi-sweet chocolate or even milk chocolate if you prefer a sweeter and lighter chocolate flavour. Make sure it's finely chopped so it melts evenly.
- Espresso powder - This enhances the chocolate flavour. I would skip it if you're using milk chocolate as it can overpower the chocolate flavour but it's recommended otherwise!
- Vanilla extract
- Whipping cream - This is the base of the mousse and also used for the optional garnish on top. You can use whipping cream for a lighter chocolate mousse or heavy cream for a thicker and richer mousse.
- Powdered sugar - This is just for the optional whipped cream topping. If you don't want to add any more sweetness, you can also just omit this.
Tips for making the best chocolate mousse cups
- Finely chop the chocolate. Smaller pieces of chocolate will melt faster and more evenly under the hot cream. If you still have any stubborn chunks of chocolate left in the mixture, gently heat the mixture in the microwave in 10-15 second increments, stirring in between each interval until it's smooth.
- Don't overwhip the cream. Whip the cream just until it reaches soft peaks (when you pull the whisk out of the cream, the cream should stand up slightly in a droopy point). You'll still need to mix it some more after adding the chocolate ganache so keep that in mind. If the cream is overmixed, the mousse will be drier and more crumbly.
Storage
These chocolate mousse cups should be stored covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serve straight from the fridge for a thicker and fudgier texture or let them sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes for a creamier pudding-like consistency.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a pharmaceutical-grade scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More chocolate recipes to try
Recipe
Chocolate Mousse Cups
Ingredients
Chocolate Mousse
- 200 g dark or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 400 g whipping cream, divided into 200g + 200g
Toppings (optional)
- 100 g whipping cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 fresh strawberries, halved
Instructions
Chocolate Mousse
- Chocolate mixture: In a small bowl, add the chopped chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract.
- Heat cream: Heat half (200g) of the whipping cream in a saucepan on medium heat or in the microwave until it just begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes. Then, stir until all the chocolate has melted. Set aside.
- Whip cream: To a medium mixing bowl, add the remaining 200g whipping cream. Whisk until it becomes soft peaks.
- Fold together: Add the melted chocolate mixture to the whipped cream and fold together with a spatula until no streaks remain.
- Fill serving glasses: Transfer the chocolate mousse mixture to your serving glasses or containers of your choice. I overfilled coupe glasses and used a bench scraper to scrape the excess off the top for a perfectly flat surface.
- Chill: Chill the mousse in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely set.
Toppings
- Whip cream: In a small mixing bowl, add the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until it becomes firm peaks.
- Garnish: Add a dollop of whipped cream on top of each chocolate mousse cup. Place half a strawberry on top of the whipped cream. Use a microplane add some chocolate shavings on top.
- Serve: When serving, serve straight from the fridge for a fudgier texture or let the mousse cups come back to room temperature for about 15 minutes for a creamier texture.
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