This velvety smooth Silken Tofu Chocolate Mousse is incredibly rich and creamy yet egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan. It's also made without cream or butter and much lower in fat than regular chocolate mousse recipes. The best part is that the basic recipe for this creamy chocolate mousse consists of only 3 ingredients and is ready in 15 minutes!
For more silken tofu recipes check out 35+ Silken Tofu Recipes (Savory & Sweet).
For more vegan chocolate treats check out Oat Milk Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies or Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups.
What is silken tofu?
Unlike regular firm or extra firm tofu which is usually used in savory recipes, silken tofu is very soft and has a silky, wobbly, smooth texture. It blends very easily and once blended results in a very thick and creamy texture. That's why it's great to use as a non-dairy alternative in sweet recipes that require a rich and smooth consistency like this chocolate mousse.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This chocolate tofu mousse recipe includes caramelized cherries for some extra flavor which could also easily be omitted.
- There are no eggs, no cream, no dairy, no gelatine and no coconut included.
- It's much lighter than traditional chocolate mousse recipes and makes a great healthy (ish) treat.
- It's a vegan dessert recipe that's ready in less than 15 minutes!
- It's a great make-ahead dessert and perfect for busy holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Silken Tofu: It's the secret ingredient that makes this chocolate tofu mousse so incredibly creamy and velvety. For best results, it's important to use soft silken tofu, not regular tofu that you would use in savory recipes. Bigger grocery stores usually have it so make sure to carefully read the label. Alternatively, you could order silken tofu online.
- Chocolate: For an extra rich chocolaty taste I recommend using dark chocolate. To keep this a dairy-free chocolate mousse, choose a dairy-free or vegan chocolate of choice. Alternatively, you could use dairy-free chocolate chips or any chocolate of your choice such as vegan milk chocolate.
- Cherries: Could be omitted but I highly recommend adding them for some extra fruity flavor and texture. Chocolate and cherry make an amazing flavor combination!
- Maple Syrup: Is used to help sweeten and cook the cherries. Could be replaced by agave syrup or honey if not vegan.
- Brown Sugar: This recipe uses dark chocolate so we added some additional brown sugar to end up with a sweeter mousse. Could be replaced with coconut sugar, white sugar or other granulated sweetener of choice. If you feel that the chocolate mousse is sweet enough without any sugar because you used a pretty sweet type of chocolate, feel free to omit the sugar altogether.
How to make silken tofu chocolate mousse
With only 5 simple ingredients, this eggless chocolate mousse is super easy to make. The only equipment needed is a high-powered blender. Skip steps 1 + 4 if you don't want to include the cherries.
STEP 1: Prepare cherries (optional). Pit cherries and place them, together with the maple syrup and brown sugar into a small saucepan. Let simmer on low heat until cherries are soft.
Once soft, place them into a colander to drain any excess liquid. We want the cherries to be soft and moist but not watery.
STEP 2: Melt chocolate. Put chopped chocolate or chocolate chips into a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water (water bath) and let simmer until the chocolate is melted.
Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl
STEP 3: Whip up mousse. Place silken tofu, melted chocolate and sugar into a high-speed blender or food processor .
Blend until smooth.
STEP 4: Add cherries (optional). Transfer the chocolate tofu mixture to a large bowl using a rubber spatula.
Fold in cherries and mix until well combined. Scoop the mixture into ramekins or glasses and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight for a firmer consistency. Serve with toppings of choice.
Top tips
- Type of Tofu: It makes the creamy base of this dairy-free chocolate mousse. For the perfect texture, choosing the right type of tofu is crucial! There are different kinds of tofu but this recipe calls for silken tofu, not traditional, firm tofu. They have a very different consistency. Check out the ingredients photo to get an idea of the consistency you should be looking for.
- Blender/ Foot processor: For best results, I highly recommend using a high-speed blender or food processor. I don't recommend using a stand mixer since the consistency won't be as creamy.
- Drain Tofu: If your tofu sits in a lot of water, you'll need to drain it first. Mine didn't have much excess water so I used it right out of the package.
- Chocolate: I recommend using dark chocolate (I used 70% dark chocolate, dairy-free). It results in an ultra-chocolaty mousse. Also, the color of the mousse looks more chocolate-like.
- Texture: This mousse could be enjoyed right away or stored in the fridge. If you like a firmer consistency, put it in the fridge for a couple of hours and it will thicken up even more. It makes the perfect dessert for when you're short on time because it could be made the day before and refrigerated overnight.
- Serving: If stored in the fridge, take the tofu mousse out of the fridge about 1 hour before serving. Leave some of the cherries for garnish and top with additional toppings of choice such as chocolate chips.
Optional add-ins
- Vanilla Extract: Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract for some additional vanilla flavors.
- Nut Butter: Adding a tablespoon of Homemade Almond Butter or peanut butter adds some nice nutty flavors.
- Sea Salt: If you're into salty-sweet flavors like me, add a tiny pinch of sea salt!
- Cinnamon: When serving this mousse during the holidays as a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert, I highly recommend adding a pinch of cinnamon for some festive flavors.
- White Chocolate: Instead of regular dark chocolate you could use create a white chocolate mousse. You probably won't need the extra sugar then because white chocolate is usually much sweeter.
Topping ideas
- Fresh Fruit: The options for toppings are endless. Besides the cherries, you could add even more fruit such as fresh berries.
- Whipped Cream: I highly recommend adding a big scoop of Homemade Vegan Whipped Cream to make this delicious chocolate mousse even more decadent.
- Nuts: Nuts such as walnuts or roasted hazelnuts would make a great topping!
- Caramel Sauce: For some salty caramel flavors, drizzle with this 2-Ingredient Caramel Sauce!
Storage & freezing
- To store: Store the mousse in the fridge covered with plastic for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: This silken tofu chocolate mousse is also freezer friendly. You can store it in the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge before serving it.
FAQs
This recipe calls for silken tofu. It's important to not use regular, firm tofu- you'll end up with a much less creamy mousse and the texture won't be the same!
This depends on the recipe. For this recipe, a little bit of excess water in the tofu won't hurt the texture of the mousse. However, it you find that it's completely covered with water when opening the package, make sure to drain it first!
This mousse includes some sugar and fat from the chocolate. However, it is healthier than most traditional chocolate mousse recipes. It's made without butter or eggs so it's cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat (the fat that should be limited in a healthy diet). It's also high in protein from the soy in the tofu (which is a complete plant based protein and includes all essential amino acids).
More recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Silken Tofu Chocolate Mousse (Vegan)
Ingredients
Cherries (Optional)*see notes
- 9 oz fresh cherries *not yet pitted
- 5 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar *see notes
Tofu Chocolate Mousse
- 24.5 oz soft silken tofu ,drained
- 12.5 oz dark chocolate (or chocolate chips) ,*vegan, chopped
- 5 tablespoon brown sugar *see notes
Instructions
Cherries (optional)
- Pit the cherries. Then put them together with the maple syrup and sugar into a saucepan and let simmer for a couple of minutes until cherries are soft.9 oz fresh cherries, 5 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- Then place cherries into a colander that’s placed on top of a large bowl and let any excess water drain.
Tofu Chocolate Mousse
- In the meantime, melt the chocolate. Put chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) into a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water and let simmer until chocolate is melted. Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate in the microwave using a microwave-safe bowl.24.5 oz soft silken tofu, 12.5 oz dark chocolate (or chocolate chips), 5 tablespoon brown sugar
- Then place drained tofu, melted chocolate and brown sugar (optional) into a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth (see step-by-step photos).
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl using a rubber spatula. Fold in cherries and mix until well combined. Keep some of the cherries on the side to use for garnish.
- Spoon the mixture into glasses or ramekins.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or for a firmer texture, put in the fridge for 3+hours (even overnight).
- Serve with some Homemade Vegan Whipped Cream on top!
Video
Notes
- Cherries: This chocolate mousse recipe includes some cherries for some extra flavour. They can easily be omitted if you're only looking for a basic 3-ingredient chocolate mousse.
- Sugar: Used to sweeten the cherries and chocolate mousse. Can be replaced with white or coconut sugar or omitted altogether if you feel that the cherries are sweet enough with the maple syrup only. The same accounts for the chocolate mousse. If your chocolate is already sweet enough you don't need to add additional sugar.
- Tofu: It’s crucial to use soft silken tofu for this mousse to turn out perfectly soft and velvety. Do not use firm or extra firm tofu. If your tofu sits in a lot of water, you'll need to drain it first.
- Blender/ Foot processor: For best results, I highly recommend using a high-speed blender or food processor. I don't recommend using a stand mixer since the consistency won't be as creamy.
- Texture: This mousse could be enjoyed right away or stored in the fridge. If you like a firmer consistency, put it in the fridge for a couple of hours and it will thicken up even more.
- Serving: If stored in the fridge, take the tofu mousse out of the fridge about 1 hour before serving. Leave some of the cherries for garnish and top with additional toppings of choice such as chocolate chips.
- Storage: This mousse keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Jacqui says
What a wonderful recipe! I can't wait to make this.
Katie says
Happy to hear that, I hope you'll like it!
Adele Smith says
Hands down the BEST Chocolate Mousse ever!
Hubby loved it sooooo much that he was pretty upset when he learnt that the extra servings in the fridge were for friends lol
Honestly this recipe was exactly what Katie said it would be, incredibly rich and creamy!
Will be making this one over and over again for sure! Thanks for sharing Katie.
Katie says
So happy to hear this Adele, thanks a lot for telling me! 🙂