Fluffy vegan chocolate mousse with aquafaba
Fluffy vegan chocolate mousse with aquafaba
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 couldn’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: you may also like one of these aquafaba-based mousses instead:
Vegan hazelnut mousse
Vegan raspberry mousse – 4 WAYS
Peanut butter caramel chocolate mousse
Vegan peanut butter mousse
Healthy vegan chocolate mousse
Vegan black forest chocolate mousse
- ¾ cup / 180 ml (room temp) aquafaba (from low-sodium canned chickpeas OR home cooked)
- 1 tsp lemon/lime juice or scant ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 140 g / 5 oz dark 70% cacao vegan chocolate
- 10 g / 2 tsp coconut oil (to help with chocolate seizing)
- 25 g / 2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar (optional, adjust to taste)
GARNISH (optional)
- 1 tbsp chocolate shavings
- a handful of pomegranate seeds
- a handful of chopped pistachios
-
This recipe contains a step-by-step VIDEO (see above).
- Place broken up chocolate and coconut oil in a glass or metal bowl suspended over a water bath. Make sure the bowl with chocolate does not touch the water underneath. The key to success is not to overheat the chocolate and to be gentle with it – it’s a temperamental ingredient.
- Allow the water to come to a simmer slowly. Once it does, turn the heat off and allow the chocolate to melt in the residual heat.
- Once chocolate looks melted, give it a slow and gentle stir. Take the bowl with chocolate off the heat and allow it to cool down – you want it as cool as possible but still liquid.
- Once chocolate is almost cool, drain room temperature chickpea water (aquafaba) into large glass bowl. 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 acid (lemon/ lime juice or cream of tartar) to the chickpea water to stablise the aquafaba – it helps to reach stiff peaks.
- Using an electric egg whisk, whip 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 use an old, hand-held whisk and it takes me about 8 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.
- 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. Caster (also known as superfine) sugar or icing sugar work well, other sugars are known to make aquafaba deflate.
- Check that the chocolate has cooled down sufficiently – it should not be warm to the touch or else chocolate is likely to seize and you will end up with grainy mousse.
- Gently and gradually fold a portion (approx. a third) of melted chocolate into whipped aquafaba – using a silicone spatula and a gentle folding motion. Continue adding the chocolate to the aquafaba in two-three more batches until all of it has been incorporated. Do not worry if your fluffy mixture deflates a bit once all of the chocolate has been added – that’s perfectly normal – but you should still see plenty small bubbles in the mixture. By the time you’ve added all of your melted chocolate, the mousse MAY have more of a pourable than spoonable consistency – that’s ok.
- 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. Once in glass, give the mousses a gentle stir with a toothpick to ensure the mixture sets evenly.
- Put glasses into the fridge overnight for the mousse to set.
Here are some common reasons WHY CHOCOLATE TENDS TO SEIZE:
– being exposed to heat for too long
– being exposed to too intense heat (I therefore do not recommend using microwave to melt it)
– stirring too much or too quickly
– due to coming into contact with even a drop of water
– due to a thermic shock between ingredients (aquafaba needs to be as close in temperature to the chocolate as possible)
– sometimes it seizes for to apparent no reason at all…
To minimise the risk of CHOCOLATE SEIZING:
– melt the chocolate slowly and using as little heat as possible (switch the heat off once the water barely starts to simmer)
– stir gently and as little as you can get away with
– make sure aquafaba and melted chocolate are at similar temperatures
– you could add a splash of plant milk or plant creamer (like Oatly or full fat coconut milk) to the bowl with unmelted chocolate and allow them to come to temperature together, then mix gently to create a ganache prior to incorporating into whipped aquafaba. This will ensure that the chocolate does not seize when it comes into contact with aquafaba, BUT it does sometimes seize when plant milk/creamer is being stirred into the chocolate and the only way to rescue a mixture like that is to stir in some boiling water, which will make the mousse less stiff and more watery.
PS: you may also like one of these aquafaba-based mousses instead:
im looking to make this tonight and was wondering if the chocolate has to be 70% cocoa? as I’m not keen on dark chocolate and don’t need the mousse to be vegan.
Thanks,
Sophia
I am pretty sure (although I've only tested with vegan dark chocolate) than any solid (as opposed to cacao powder) chocolate bar will work. It's the fat in chocolate is what stabilises the mousse. Hope that helps! Ania
Any chocolate bar (or chocolate chips) should work just fine - the only difference is the amount of sweetness, I think so as long as you don't mind the mousse being less sweet then that's not a problem. Ania
I'll give it a try!
Noticed in comments that someone added a splash of milk to the choc?
It always goes soupy like you say it shouldn't and yeah super grainy.
Any ideas?
I've made stack of your stuff and it's always amazing and we'll thought out so I'm sure it's me that's doing something
I'm sorry you have had this issue, it is frustrating when it happens. I assure you that it is to do with the chocolate - as it's such a commonly used ingredient people assume that it is an easy ingredient to use too, it's not. It's terribly fussy and overheating it even a little can cause it to seize later. My suggestion is to use this recipe (skip the extras if you wish) as it's easier. The mousse here is made with chocolate ganache (instead of chocolate) and therefore there is no chance the chocolate will seize. Also, you may want to try adding whipped aquafaba to the melted chocolate (in batches) and not the other way round. I have not found it to make any difference but perhaps that will make the chocolate less prone to seizing. Good luck! Ania
The ingredients look all the same, and of course the aquafaba is the key for sure. I do have a question, and that's can I use refrigerated aquafaba do you know? I happened to be using my chickpeas pretty often recently and saved all the aquafaba. I know they are good egg subs in general, but should I let it sit at room temp for awhile before trying?
Love your recipes by the way, I often find myself here when I look for fun recipes like these!
My kids won’t eat it so more for me. I hate waste, so I will eat it regardless. Every cloud....
I'm sorry to hear that but your issues is not really anything specific to this dessert, your chocolate has simply seized, which is something that takes practice to avoid. It could have happened due to it getting overly hot, for example. Hope this helps! Ania
Thanks for sharing..!
You must have been more generous than what the recipe calls for. Having made this dessert countless times, I am certain that 5 ml / 1 tsp of vinegar isn't detectable once 140 g of chocolate has been added in. Ania
I made chocolate mousse with aquafaba but unfortunately is it grainy. It seems that maybe the chocolate was too warm ?
Is there anything I can do now to salvage it as the texture and overall taste is really good.
Thanks.
I'm glad that it generally worked well and that you enjoy the taste, as for the texture, there isn't anything you can do once the chocolate has seized (you could if it was ganache but not with a mousse, especially once it sets), unfortunately but I'm sure it will be perfect on your next attempt. Ania
I'm delighted to hear that the mousse turned out well and that you enjoyed the texture. The best thing to do is to cook your own chickpeas and not use any salt, of course. Otherwise, just find a low or ideally no sodium brand that you like although I personally think that a touch of salt enhances the flavour of chocolate so I tend to add it anyway. Hope this helps! Ania
I tried this recipe using dried chickpeas. Around 125 of dried chickpeas made around 200ml of aquafaba. Whipped it up in about 10mins. It was room temperature.
Added 2 tables spoons of sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. I did not bother with the lemon juice. Whipped again until I could turn bowl upside down.
I used 85% chocolate melted and cooled for about 5 mins.
Folded in the chocolate to whipped aquafaba.
Thanks again for your work developing these amazing vegan desserts and dishes. I'm going to make your peanut mousse and raspberry no-bake brownies soon!
I see in some of the comments that people added milk? But that is not in the recipe. Should I have added milk?
This happens due to the chocolate going into a temperature shock and seizing. Either your aquafaba was too cold (straight out of the fridge for example) or your chocolate still too warm. It can also happen if your chocolate overheated during the melting process (using a microwave can do that or too intense heat). Also, combining the two requires slow and gentle folding movement. Please don't get discouraged, chocolate is known to be a very temperamental ingredient and even the most experienced cooks can mess this up when under pressure. I did have adding a splash of milk to the chocolate in the instructions initially as when combined correctly it redistributes chocolate particles and stops the chocolate from seizing, but too many people had issues so I decided to change the instructions in a bid to simplify the process. Hope this helps and you are willing to try again! Ania
I'm really glad that you found it easy enough to make and that you enjoyed the end result. Thank you for your suggestions regarding melting the chocolate in the microwave - I don't own one so could not include - as I am pretty sure that many people will find your directions helpful. Ania
Also it deflated when added to aquafaba. When refrigerated it still came out liquids with only foam at top.
What else could I be doing wrong?!!
I'm so sorry to hear that you aren't having a good time with this. I know how frustrating it is - my first few tries with aquafaba weren't resounding successes either, tbh. It's an ingredient that can be tricky to master. Deflation to the level you describe has only ever happened to me due to two things: aquafaba wasn't stiff enough (the upside down bowl test is crucial in making sure it is at stiff peaks and even the tiniest movement means a fail) or I incorporated the chocolate in too vigorously and quickly, which meant that all the air was knocked out. These are the only two ideas I have, I'm afraid. Ania
I'm glad you enjoyed the taste. In terms of the texture, it's due to the fact that your chocolate seizes when it comes in contact with aquafaba. It tends to happen when there is a temperature discrepancy between the two ingredients: the chocolate is too warm while the aquafaba is fridge-cold. It takes a bit of practice to get right and please don't get discouraged - chocolate is a fussy ingredient to work with. Hope that helps. Ania
First of all, I love your blog and all your recipes. I only discovered it yesterday, but we did try the corn miso soup and now this amazing chocolate mousse. It's so simple to make (I only used melted chocolate with a splash of milk and the aquafaba) - it's unbelievable. And the result - outstanding! I just wanted to share a troubleshooting tip that I encountered when making it (in case it might be useful to you or to others). When I whisked my 240ml of aquafaba, I ended up with a lot, a lot of foam (I think the chickpea water I used from the can was just very concentrated?). That, in combination with 20g shortage of vegan chocolate (I only had 120g), resulted in quite a fluffy and not very thick mousse as I was mixing it and compared to what you had on the video in your mixing bowl (This is the first time I am making it so will learn for the next time). However, I used 3/4 of a teaspoon of xanthan gum - I added the powder to a glass and mixed it thoroughly with 4-5 tablespoons of the mousse mixture. I then added that mixture to the mousse and folded it some more. The result - super airy, light, beautifully formed and truly delicious chocolate mousse! So, thank you for this gorgeous recipe. I will certainly try it again with a little less aquafaba and a little more chocolate.
1-2 days for sure, but after that they will start to shrink / get dry. Hope that helps! Ania
It will not work in this recipe, I'm afraid as the mousse needs fat. I do have an alternative recipe here. Hope that helps! Ania
The 20g of sugar isn't enough to get your aquafaba to bind properly. We went with 300g of sugar to bind the aquafaba properly. Sweet? Yes it became sweet..but luckily it is a dessert.
We added the 140g of molten chocolate which gave a nice lightbrown mixture. Refridgerated it gave a delicious result, but it was already delicious when I tasted it right after production!
I know this can be frustrating as I've been here myself when I was learning how to use aquafaba, but you'll get there. Sounds like your chocolate went into thermal shock when mixed in with the aquafaba - was your aquafaba fridge cold by any chance? Chocolate is a very temperature sensitive ingredient (and aquafaba can be temperamental too - those air bubbles can be fragile) so it's just a matter of practice before you get to the point that you'll nail this every time. x Ania
Thank you!
I have never experience the taste of chickpeas coming through and had, in fact, many many non-vegans tell me how they would have never been able to tell what the key ingredient is had I not told them. Perhaps it's down to the particular brand of chickpeas you are using - maybe the liquid is too concentrated (can also be the case if you make it yourself). If that's the case water it down a little. Or it could be that because your chocolate seized it has not be distributed evenly so you are getting bits of chocolate immersed in whopped aquafaba - that's my guess. Chocolate is a tricky ingredient (I guess that's why being a chocolatier is a full time job) so please don't be discouraged. Better luck next time! Ania
Glad to hear, I hope you'll enjoy it. I am unable to calculate this information on the website, I'm afraid. Ania
Thanks for your comments. The amount of aquafaba per tin seems to depend on the brand used. I tend to make my own, but the brand I used for this did contain enough liquid in one tin. As for the chocolate amount, it's very much down to taste. For me 140 g is enough but I did also make similar desserts later on (see this recipe) where I wanted to chocolate flavour to be more pronounced. It's easy to adjust to your own taste. Ania
I'm sorry you have been having trouble with the chocolate. Aquafaba does not need warming up unless it's chilled, from the fridge. As for your second attempt, I am a bit confused as you say that it seized immediately after you've added the milk, but my instructions say to add the milk to the chocolate before the chocolate has been placed on the pot with simmering water and to let them heat up gently together! Unfortunately, chocolate is one of these ingredients that is extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and it can derail things sometimes. If you find that it has seized despite the milk being added at the beginning, rescue it by whisking in a small amount of boiling water (it doesn't make sense but it does work). This will form a ganache, which will not seize once added to the aquafaba. Hope that helps! Ania
Thank you
It didn't work because adding cocoa powder to aquafaba tends to deflate it immediately, which is why the recipe calls for a solid chocolate bar. If you really want to use cocoa instead, try this recipe instead - it does work in this context. Hope that helps! Ania
Thank you!
I have not tried myself but I have heard that it works just as well as chickpea water. Hope it does the job. Ania
You nee to give it a stir before you pour the mixture in and maybe once more just after - I would refrain from stirring after that as you do not want to deflate the bubbles that you've worked so hard to keep. Good luck! Ania
The homemade aqauafaba turned out so well though!! Too bad chocolate didn't work out.
I will have to try again...
I am not sure - I've never come across a bar of chocolate that would not melt...Glad to hear that your aquafaba turned out well as that's the trickiest part of this recipe. Better luck next time! x Ania
What have I done wrong?
Well, I've used powder chocolate that I mixed with sugar and melted with the help of some water...
This mousse relies on a chocolate bar for stability due to its fat content so I am pretty sure that not using the correct ingredient is what derailed your dessert. Hope that helps! Ania
It's not quite an equivalent replacement as such, but it should work! Good luck! Ania