I’m so excited to bring this simple yet indulgent vegan chocolate mousse with aquafaba recipe to you, guys. As I’ve already mentioned in my previous posts, ever since I’ve read about the brilliant invention of aquafaba ‘egg whites’, I’ve been massively obsessed with it.
I’m part of an inspiring Facebook group solely dedicated to making things with aquafaba and I can tell you that every single person who tries to whip chickpea water like egg whites has the same reaction – that of amazement mixed in with excitement.
It’s because it’s a blooming genius invention. It opens up so many possibilities, not only for vegans, but also for people with egg allergies.
Who would have thought that something as basic as whipped chickpeas (most beans, in fact) cooking water can yield such amazing results. To make sure I have not gone mad and this thing doesn’t, in fact, taste vile, I made this mousse twice while a couple of our omnivorous friends were staying with us. Not only did they LOVE the dessert, but when I was making it the second time, they watched me whip up the chickpea water into stiff peaks as they could’t quite believe that it is as simple as it sounds. They were so impressed and vowed to make this dessert once they get home. It’s the best compliment I could have wished for.
For the sceptics amongst you, let me re-assure you, this dessert DOES NOT taste of chickpeas at all. If I hadn’t just told you what’s in it, you would have thought that it’s an indulgent chocolate mousse, just like your grandma used to make. Go on, try it for yourself – you’ll want to shout from the rooftops about it.
PS: If you make this vegan chocolate mousse, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @lazycatkitchen and use the #lazycatkitchen hashtag. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!
- makes: 4 portions
Ingredients
- 1 cup /240 ml aquafaba (from a tin of low-sodium chickpeas OR home cooked chickpeas)
- 1 tsp apple cider/while vinegar or lemon/lime juice
- 140 g dark (70% cacao) vegan chocolate
- 20 g / 1 heaped tbsp white caster sugar (optional, SEE NOTES)*
- a pinch of hot chilli powder (optional)
GARNISH (optional)
- 1 tbsp chocolate shavings
- a handful of pomegranate seeds
- a handful of chopped pistachios
Method
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This recipe contains a step-by-step VIDEO (see above).
- Break the chocolate into smaller chunks and place it in a glass or metal bowl. Place the bowl over the water bath and allow the chocolate to heat up very SLOWLY and make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl (that’s important as chocolate is very sensitive to high temperatures). Once the chocolate has melted, take the bowl off the heat and allow it to cool down a little.
- Open your tin of chickpeas and drain the chickpea water into large glass bowl. Aquafaba should not be fridge-cold as it will make chocolate seize when added. The bowl and the utensils you’ll use to whip aquafaba need to be completely grease-free as even the tiniest grease residue can prevent aquafaba from reaching stiff peaks.
- Add a teaspoon of acid (neutral vinegar, lemon or lime juice) to the chickpea water to stablise the aquafaba.
- Using an electric egg whisk, whip the chickpea water into stiff peaks – this is SUPER important as otherwise your mousse will deflate completely once the chocolate has been added. The best way to check if you have achieved stiff peaks is to invert the bowl with whipped aquafaba. If aquafaba slides down even a tiny bit, you are not there yet – keep on whipping until it does not move at all. I used an old, hand-held whisk and it took me about 15 minutes to get stiff peaks. If you are a lucky owner of a stand mixer, it will happen quicker. The good news is that (as opposed to egg whites) aquafaba cannot be overwhipped.
- OPTIONAL STEP (depends on your plate and on how sweet your chocolate is): Once you reach stiff peaks, start adding sugar, bit by bit, whipping the whole time. If sugar has caused the stiff peaks to perish, whip the mixture until you get stiff peaks again. I have not tested with other types of sugar and it does tend to ruin aquafaba meringues, for example, so experiment at your peril.
- Check that the chocolate has cooled down sufficiently – it should not be warm to the touch or else chocolate may seize and you will end up with grainy mousse.
- Gently and gradually fold melted chocolate into whipped aquafaba using a silicone spatula and a gentle folding motion. Do not worry if your fluffy mixture deflates a bit once the chocolate has been added – that’s perfectly normal – but it should not turn soupy. By the time you’ve added all of your melted chocolate, the mousse MAY have more of a pourable than spoonable consistency.
- Add chilli powder if using and mix well. Divide the mixture between 4 glasses. Gently stir the mixture between putting it into individual glasses as a bit of melted chocolate tends to drop to the bottom sometimes.
- Put glasses into the fridge overnight for the mousse to set.
Notes
*The exact amount of sugar depends on your taste and how sweet your chocolate is. Sugar isn’t necessary though, I make my mousse without sugar as per video above.If you wish to make your own aquafaba (chickpea water) from dry beans, here is how.