Milk Chocolate Mousse
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This light and fluffy milk chocolate mousse is so easy to make with only three ingredients. A simple dessert recipe that is egg-free, doesn’t require gelatine, and can be made ahead of time – perfect for parties!
If you spend any time on my website you’ll soon realise that I am pretty obsessed with the fact that we can make mousse without eggs or gelatine. So much so that this milk chocolate mousse is the ninth easy mousse recipe variation that I’ve shared.
I did actually share a milk chocolate version a couple of years back for Easter, served in hollow chocolate eggs, but I wanted to share this regular version too, so I can also talk about different serving suggestions and ways to fancy it up.
Because since it is a super easy dessert recipe to make, you can always spend a few extra minutes making it a little fancier if you want to.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
Find the ingredient amounts and full printable recipe below, or keep reading for an ingredient overview and step-by-step pictures of making the milk chocolate mousse.
Ingredients
This is really a two ingredient milk chocolate mousse recipe because all you absolutely need is milk chocolate and cream, but there are also a couple of optional ingredients you can add to make it even better.
Milk Chocolate – Choose a good-quality milk chocolate for this recipe, for the best flavour. I prefer to chop up a block of eating chocolate – only use chocolate chips if they say on the packet that they are suitable for melting. Some chocolate chips have a coating to stop them from melting when baked into things like cookies – those kinds of chocolate chips will not work in this recipe as they won’t melt smoothly. I use Whittaker’s Creamy Milk Chocolate, which has 33% cocoa solids.
Cream – The cream you need for this recipe is known by different names in different countries. Here in NZ, it’s usually called standard cream or whipping cream, in other countries, it may also be known as full cream, heavy cream or heavy whipping cream Double cream is generally too thick for this recipe it contains a lot more fat (although the fat content can vary by country.) Long story short: for best results, choose a pourable cream that is around 35% fat. Make sure that it says on the bottle/carton that it is suitable for whipping.
Vanilla Extract – This is technically optional, but I enjoy vanilla and chocolate together. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Instead of vanilla, you could also use any other kind of flavoured extract.
Salt – This is also optional, but I like to add a little pinch of salt to help cut through the sweetness of the chocolate.
Can You Make Milk Chocolate Mousse Without Eggs?
You sure can. While it can make some mousse purists upset to hear it, the definition of mousse is a light and airy dessert made with whipped cream, whipped eggs, or both.
While traditional French-style chocolate mousse is made with eggs (egg whites, egg yolks, or both), this easy milk chocolate mousse is made with cream only, meaning that it is a great option for those who can’t eat eggs or those who choose not to eat uncooked eggs.
You still get all of that rich mousse flavour and a fluffy texture, without the hassle of eggs.
Equipment
Most of the things you’ll need to make this recipe are pretty basic – a large bowl, a saucepan, a spatula, a whisk, etc.
You will also need a set of electric scales to weigh the chocolate – chocolate cannot be measured accurately in cups, and this recipe requires the ratio of chocolate and cream to be correct or the mousse will not set properly. If you don’t already have a set, you can buy inexpensive kitchen scales online, or in most homewares stores and even some grocery stores.
I do recommend using an electric mixer to whip the mousse mixture. You can use either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can use an egg beater or a balloon whisk, but you’ll need a strong arm and some patience!
How to Make Milk Chocolate Mousse
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full printable instructions, or keep reading for an overview and some step-by-step pictures.
If you haven’t made one of my easy mousse recipes before, lemme just tell you that I’m not exaggerating when I call them easy.
First, chop the chocolate into small pieces and pop it into a large heatproof bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer, if you’re using one). The finer you chop it, the quicker it will melt.
Then, heat half of the cream in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat, just until the cream *starts* to bubble around the edges. You could do this in the microwave instead if you want to, but I find it easier on the stove.
Once it bubbles, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to start melting, then whisk until the chocolate is fully melted.
Whisk in the other half of the cream (this helps to cool the mixture faster) and the vanilla extract.
Then the chocolate mixture needs to chill until it is very cold. You can either cover it and leave it in the fridge overnight, or pop it into the freezer for an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes to make sure it chills evenly and doesn’t freeze at the edges.
The colder the mousse mixture is, the less likely it is to split when you whip it, so if you have extra time to let it chill more, then I do recommend that.
Once it’s chilled, whip the mousse until medium peaks form. This is a little stiffer than soft peaks, but not quite firm peaks.
It’s a good idea to whip it on medium speed until it starts to form soft peaks, and then reduce to low speed and keep beating for another minute or so. Then give it a last stir with a rubber spatula to make sure the texture is even throughout.
Be very careful not to overwhip the mixture. If you’re nervous, err on the side of under-whipping rather than risk over-whipping. Overwhipping the mousse will make it turn grainy. If this happens, see my troubleshooting tips below.
If you are using a stand mixer, don’t use the highest speed, and definitely don’t walk away while it’s whipping, make sure you keep an eye on it because it really can go from perfectly whipped to overwhipped in seconds.
You can either spoon the milk chocolate mousse into your serving glasses (or bowls) or you can transfer it to a piping bag and pipe it.
The mousse can be eaten immediately, or you can pop it into the fridge to chill and firm up more.
Serve the mousse straight from the fridge for a more fluffy texture, or allow it to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes for a more creamy texture.
Top with whipped cream just before serving, if desired.
Easy Chocolate Shavings
To make these easy chocolate shavings, simply use a vegetable peeler to shave the side of a block of milk chocolate. You could also use dark or white chocolate.
If you live in a warm climate, it can help to chill the block of chocolate in the freezer for 5-10 minutes first.
Storing the Mousse
The milk chocolate mousse mixture can be made 1-2 days in advance, and stored in an airtight container or covered bowl in the fridge before whipping.
The whipped mousse can be stored in the fridge for several days. Cover each individual glass or dish with plastic wrap, or pop all of them into a large airtight container.
Troubleshooting
Overwhipped – If you overwhip the mousse and it turns grainy, you can save it by reheating it in a saucepan over low heat, stirring with a whisk, until it melts and becomes smooth again. Then re-chill and whip (a bit less than you did last time 😉).
Mixture split when whipped – This is usually because the mousse mixture wasn’t chilled enough. Next time, make sure it’s completely chilled before whipping. To save it, remelt the mousse mixture as described above. It could also be because the fat content in your cream was too high.
Mixture too thin and won’t whip – You likely used a type of cream that was too low in fat, or not suitable for whipping. make sure the cream you use says that it is suitable to whip, and that it has at least 35% fat.
Serving Suggestions
- Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
- Add some chocolate ganache.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce, or chocolate caramel sauce.
- Sprinkle in some layers of crushed chocolate cookies for some crunch.
- Top with berries.
- Swirl through some raspberry compote (or any fruit compote or sauce!)
- Dollop into pastry cases for easy chocolate mousse tarts.
- Serve the mousse family style in one large bowl, instead of individual glasses.
FAQ
More Easy Mousse Recipes
Here are a few of my other mousse recipes.
Caramilk Mousse – Light and fluffy mousse full of Cadbury Caramilk flavour, using just two ingredients.
White Chocolate Mousse – If you’re a white chocolate fan, then you’ll love this one!
Bailey’s Mousse – With a generous nip of Bailey’s, this is the ultimate grown-up mousse dessert.
See all the mousse recipes here.
Easy Milk Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 300 g milk chocolate
- 500 g whipping cream see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- Chop the milk chocolate into small pieces, then place it into a large heatproof bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer).
- Heat half of the cream in a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form around the edges.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Add the pinch of salt, if using. Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to start to melt, then whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the remaining half of the cream and the vanilla. (Adding this cold cream helps cool the mixture down faster).
- Cover and chill the mixture until it is very cold. This can either be done in the fridge or freezer.Fridge – refrigerate for several hours or overnight.Freezer – place in the freezer for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes to make sure it doesn't freeze around the edges.Chilling overnight in the fridge is the best option, but I know sometimes we just want mousse in a hurry, so the other options are there if you need them.
- Once the mousse mix is fully chilled, whip it with an electric hand mixer or with the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, until peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip, or the mixture will separate. If using a stand mixer, only use medium speed and keep a close eye on it, it can become overwhipped very quickly.
- Pipe or spoon the mousse into serving glasses or bowls.
- Serve the mousse immediately for a softer mousse texture, or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for a fluffier texture.
Storing the Mousse
- Cover individual glasses or bowls with plastic wrap, or place them all into a large airtight container and refrigerate. The whipped mousse will keep well for several days.The unwhipped mousse mixture will keep well for 1-2 days before whipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Any nutritional information provided is a computer generated estimate and is intended as a guide only.
