This chocolate cashew mousse recipe is easy to make, packed with amazing dark chocolate flavors and is secretly healthy. All you need are 5 wholesome ingredients and you can whip up a batch in 20 minutes! Fully vegan and dairy-free.
This easy chocolate cashew mousse is perfect for all the chocolate lovers! It is unbelievably creamy, rich and luscious, and has amazing dark chocolate flavors. We just cannot get enough of it!
I recently made this easy tahini chocolate spread to use over morning toast and immediately craved a jar of chocolate mousse I could enjoy for dessert. So here is my healthier and vegan take on chocolate mousse!
You will be amazed to see that it is made using only wholesome ingredients such as raw cashews and cacao powder (no chocolate chips, no heavy cream, no eggs and no gelatin!). It is sweetened with maple syrup and uses oat milk for a dairy-free recipe. No weird ingredients or complicated steps!
You can whip up a batch within 20 minutes, then let it chill in the fridge until ready to serve. It makes for a perfect and impressive make-ahead chocolate dessert for your guests that's vegan and surprisingly healthy.
For more very easy chocolate desserts, check out this vegan chocolate ganache and this chia protein chocolate pudding!
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy: fast and easy to prepare with simple steps
- Delicious: rich in flavor and ultra-luscious + velvety smooth texture
- Healthy: made with rich in healthy fats cashews and antioxidant-rich cacao powder, plus the vegan chocolate mousse is sweetened using maple syrup, no refined granulated sugar!
- Make ahead: the mousse needs to chill before serving, making it the perfect make-ahead chocolate dessert.
- Holiday dessert: perfect as an everyday healthier dessert for your whole family, but also amazing for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter or Mother's Day!
- No cook: this is a completely raw vegan dessert recipe.
- Specific diet friendly: this recipe is 100% vegan, dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free!
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Raw cashews: make sure to use raw cashews and not salted and/or roasted cashews.
- Cacao powder: I recommend using raw cacao powder if possible for its unprocessed nature and deep chocolate flavor. If you only have cocoa powder, then that's fine, use this instead!
- Dairy-free milk: I used oat milk from Oatly, but soy milk or almond milk works too.
- Maple syrup: I didn't test with granulated sugar, so I do not recommend swapping the maple syrup for regular sugar.
⭐️ Find the full list of ingredients down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
- High-protein chocolate mousse: include about ½ a scoop of protein powder for a protein-packed dessert.
- Chocolate mocha flavor: add about a teaspoon of instant coffee to the blender.
- Peanut butter chocolate mousse: add about 1 tablespoon to the blender for a mild peanut butter flavor.
- Spices: this mousse has delicious vanilla undertones that go perfectly with the chocolate, but you can also add some spices, such as cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix.
- Coconut chocolate mousse: swap the regular plant milk for full-fat coconut milk (from a can) for a delicious coconut-y flavor and so much creaminess.
🍽 How to make chocolate cashew mousse
Step 1: Soak the cashews.
Step 2: Transfer all the ingredients to a blender (drained cashews, cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and plant-based milk).
Step 3: Blend until smooth.
Step 4: Divide the mousse into serving containers or jars (optional) and transfer to the fridge. Chill for at least an hour before enjoying.
⭐️ Detailed recipe down below in the recipe card!
💡 Helpful tips
- It is important to soak the cashews before blending! This helps soften them so they can be blended to smooth. You can either soak them in cold water overnight (or about 12 hours) at room temperature or soak them in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
- This recipe will have better results if using a high-speed blender like Vitamix. If you have a regular blender, then you will have to blend for longer and take a few breaks to scrape the bottom and sides + blend again to ensure the mousse has a very smooth texture. Also, make sure to soak the cashews for long enough!
- For a light and airy mousse: keep blending for longer even after the mixture is smooth to encourage air to be trapped within the mix.
- Chill the mousse before enjoying! You will likely have to blend for a little while to reach the desired mousse texture, which as a consequence, also warms up the mixture. For that reason, plan ahead so you have enough time to chill the mousse in the fridge before enjoying it.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Delicious simply as is, but we love to top it off with some oat-based whipped cream and raspberries. Here are more fun chocolate mousse toppings to try:
- Fresh fruit: such as strawberries, sliced bananas, peaches or mango.
- Chocolate: add some shaved chocolate or simply a few chocolate chips.
- Cacao nibs: will add more crunch and chocolate flavor without the extra sugar.
- Nuts or seeds: for an extra layer of texture and more nutrients, try some slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds or chopped cashews.
- Sweet and salty: a pinch of coarse sea salt would be amazing to balance out the sweet flavor.
✅ This recipe can also serve as a:
- Fruit dip
- Chocolate frosting
- Thick ganache
❗️ Storage tips
Keep the chocolate mousse in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to enjoy. I like to divide the mousse into individual jars (make about 6) and store them in the fridge for a yummy ready-to-go dessert. It should keep well for about 4 days.
Do not freeze the mousse!
❓ FAQs
If your blender has trouble blending nuts or other hard ingredients, then the mousse can remain a little gritty even if blending for a while. That being said, the mousse will still be just as delicious!
Yes, you can! Simply omit the cacao powder, melt about 1 cup of dark chocolate chips using the microwave or a double broiler and pour the melted chocolate in the blender. Taste and adjust the amount of chocolate as needed.
🌱 More healthy chocolate recipes you might like
I hope you like this vegan chocolate cashew mousse as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cashew Mousse
Equipment
- Blender (high-speed blender works better for a very smooth texture)
- 6 Small jars optional
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- ¾ cup plant-based milk - I used oat milk from Oatly
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder - or cocoa powder
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Soak the cashews either in cold water overnight (on the counter at room temperature) or in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Drain well.
- To a blender, add the drained cashews, cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and plant milk. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, which can take a few minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom and walls of the blender with a spatula + blend again for a very smooth consistency.
- Divide in small jars (optional), cover and transfer in the fridge. Chill for at least an hour before enjoying. Serve as is or garnish with oat whipped cream, berries, chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
Video
Notes
- It is important to soak the cashews before blending! This helps soften them so they can be blended to smooth. You can either soak in cold water overnight (or about 12 hours) at room temperature or soak them in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
- This recipe will have better results if using a high-speed blender like Vitamix. If you have a regular blender, then you will have to blend for longer and take a few breaks to scrape the bottom and sides + blend again to ensure the mousse has a very smooth texture. Also, make sure to soak the cashews for long enough!
- For a light and airy mousse: keep blending for longer even after the mixture is smooth to encourage air to be trapped within the mix.
- Chill the mousse before enjoying! You will likely have to blend for a little while to reach the desired texture, which typically also warms up the mixture. For that reason, plan ahead so you have enough time to chill the mousse in the fridge before enjoying it.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
So so good, we make this recipe a lot!
Hi! Thanks for your feedback! 😊