
Dairy free chocolate mousse with just a handful of ingredients
This vegan chocolate mousse is made by whipping up coconut cream and flavoring it with cocoa, maple syrup, and vanilla. It’s that simple! For the holidays, I like to garnish the mousse with coconut flakes and pomegranate seeds. You can also reserve some of the coconut whipped cream before adding in cocoa so that you can layer the chocolate and whipped cream in a parfait glass, or top

Ingredients you’ll need
- Full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pomegranate seeds, berries, or coconut flakes (for garnish)

Best brands of coconut milk to use for coconut whipped cream
In my experience, the best brands of coconut milk to use for making mousse are Whole Foods 365, Thai Kitchen, and Native Forest. I have not had any luck with Trader Joe’s or any brands of lite coconut milk (not enough cream). Check out The Minimalist Baker’s post on coconut whipped cream for the results of their coconut milk study.
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Vegan Chocolate Mousse
- Author: Rachel Zierzow
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
3 cans full-fat coconut milk (reserve liquid portion)
4 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, berries, or coconut flakes, for garnish
Instructions
Place cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight.
Spoon the thickened coconut milk (cream) out of the can and place in a large bowl or mixer. Depending on the brand of coconut milk, you’ll end up with about 2 cups of coconut cream. Reserve liquid portion to use in smoothies or other recipes that call for milk.
Whip coconut cream with beaters or a whisk, gradually adding honey or agave. Whip until fluffy and smooth. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons before adding cocoa to use for garnishing.
Add cocoa powder and whip until smooth.
Spoon into dessert cups or glasses. Garnish with reserved whipped coconut cream and pomegranate seeds, berries, or coconut flakes.
Notes
Recommended brands of coconut milk include: Whole Foods 365, Thai Kitchen, or Native Forest. Do not use Trader Joe’s brand or any lite coconut milks, as they will not whip up properly.
You can also use canned coconut cream instead of taking the cream off the top of canned coconut milk. There is still some liquid in the bottom of the can of coconut cream, but not as much as in the coconut milk cans. Whole Foods 365 brand has a coconut cream in the 13.5 oz size which gives a little over 1 cup coconut cream per can.
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