I’ve made chocolate avocado mousse too many times to count. Yet I always come back to it for a rich and creamy dessert that can be enjoyed on its own or combined into a pie or parfait.
Can you taste the avocado?
The avocado in this chocolate mousse gives texture, not flavour. So, no one will know it’s there if you don’t tell them, which is great for those that have an aversion to anything considered healthy.
Anyway, the health benefits of the monounsaturated fats and dietary fibre in avocado is not what makes this recipe so great. It’s the creaminess the avocado provides without tasting too fatty or sickly sweet.
However, it does make for an undeniably thick, rich and creamy chocolate mousse.
So much so, that you’ll want to lick the spoon and contemplate the flavour and texture between mouthfuls. For this reason, it’s a great dish to practice mindful eating. It calls for turning off distractions and tuning into the sensory eating experience. I hope you enjoy it!
How to make chocolate avocado mousse?
It’s straightforward to make.
You’ll require a food processor or blender and ensure you have ripe avocados. The avocado should be dark in colour and yield to gentle pressure when held in the palm of your hand. They shouldn’t be mushy, that’s overripe. If the avocadoes are underripe, you can end up with green lumps throughout your mousse, which isn’t desirable.
I’ve chosen to use maple syrup to make chocolate avocado mousse as it not only provides sweetness but moisture to help blend all the ingredients for a smooth mousse. You could use honey, but it can crystalise and affected the texture. However, it’s perfectly fine to use for a non-vegan version.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Ingredients
- 8 Medjool dates, pitted (~ 130 g)
- 2 ripe avocados
- ¼ cup light coconut milk 50 g
- ¼ cup cocoa or cacao powder 15 g
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup 30 - 45 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place pitted dates in a small bowl and cover with just-joiled water. Let sit for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor.
- Then add the dates, drained of water.
- Process on medium speed, until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides and process further, until evenly combined and smooth.
- Serve as is, or top with crushed nuts, cacao nibs or flaked chocolate, candied orange or fresh berries. Enjoy.
Notes
Storage
Stored in a sealed container in the fridge it will keep for 5 days. Alternatively, store in freezer and let it defrost for 10 minutes before consuming. When freshly made, the mousse will have a milk chocolate colouration. Once stored in the fridge or freezer it will change to a dark chocolate colour.Variations - Jaffa-Flavoured Mousse
Add 1/2 teaspoon orange zest and 2 tablespoons of orange juice to the mixture for jaffa flavoured mousse.Variations - Chocolate Cream Pie
Use chocolate avocado mousse as a filling for chocolate cream pie or tarts. I've previously made a base using a combined mixture of coconut (1 cup / 65 g), walnuts (1 cup / 95 g) and 6 pitted Medjool dates. You could also add some cocoa or cacao to the base. In the below picture I've placed banana slices between base and mousse.
Variations - Chocolate Strawberry Parfait
Variations - Drizzled with Berry Sauce
Drizzle chocolate avocado mousse with berry sauce:- 1 cup soaked goji berries
- 1 cup fresh strawberries/raspberries
- juice ½ lemon
- maple syrup or honey to taste
Variations - Chocolate Avocado Mousse 'Egg'
Scoop out the flesh of an avocado to create a mould. Then coat in a layer of melted chocolate. Refrigerate. Once the chocolate is hard, break away the avocado skin to reveal a chocolate 'egg'. It will be shiny as the avocado skin has a little moisture, but it holds together well. Then spoon in chocolate avocado mousse and top with half a strawberry (other berries would look great too). Enjoy!Let me know if you give it a try
I’d love to hear whether you’ve tried this recipe and enjoyed it.
