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Meet my newest chocolate obsession, 6 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Chia Mousse.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I sure am having fun with the vegan eats right now. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you guys know I love all things dairy, especially goat dairy, but it’s fun playing around with different foods.
To recap, in the last month I’ve made a total of five vegan desserts. Say hello to this Chai Cashew and Hemp Latte, these Dark Chocolate Covered Coconut Bars, these Vegan Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins, this Vegan Chocolate Custard Cake, and this Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Granola. All of these are some of my favorite vegan desserts. The coconut bars and custard cake are especially unreal…meaning so so good.
This brings me to today’s chocolate chia mousse, which was inspired by my mom’s love of chocolate mousse. The woman loves anything light and airy and chocolate mousse is one of her favorites. I wanted to see if I could recreate one of our favorite desserts into a vegan and semi-healthy..ish dessert. I did some research, taking into account chia seed’s magical thickening powers, and got to work. A couple of hours later I had chia mousse and am now obsessed with it.
It is so easy, so good, and pretty freaking healthy too. Cool. Cool.
Here’s how this works, and it’s pretty simple.
Mix everything together, letting the chia seeds soak for a bit so that they can absorb the liquid and become plump. Then blend everything until extra light, smooth, and creamy, chill the mousse for a few hours to allow it to set up, and then eat. Simple as that. One bowl, one blender, and done. It does take a little time to prepare because of all the chilling, so plan a little ahead when making this chocolate mousse.
What I love about this recipe is that even though it is vegan, you’d never guess it. The texture is a little heavier than an egg based mousse recipe, but this chia mousse is silky smooth, perfectly sweet, and extra chocolatey.
Oh, and I almost forgot, I made some optional coconut whipped cream for topping. It’s not needed, but it sure is good dolloped on top of the mousse.
If you’re new to chia seeds, they are crazy little seeds that when added to liquid, plump up and become soft and pudding like. They can even be used in place of eggs in most recipes. They’re truly one of the coolest and craziest ingredients. Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, iron, and calcium. A single serving of chia seeds contains 5.6 grams of protein, making this mousse a healthy dose of vegan protein.
I made this mousse before I left for South Korea and had every intention of sharing it before Valentine’s Day, but an Olympic Gold Medal got in the way and I had to re-work my content calendar a bit to make room for a South Korea recap post. Not mad about it all, but this is why these photos have a very pink and semi-romantic vibe.
Oh well, I still love the chocolate mousse, and I equally love the photos. I swear, roses make all dessert photos better…no matter what time of year.
Speaking of flowers, I just spent way, way, way too much money on edible flowers, so expect lots of flowers in upcoming spring recipes. I am pretty excited about using them.
And if you are still working to eat healthier this year (good for you!), soak up this chia mousse, because I have Easter brunch and desserts on my mind and they all involve butter…and sugar.
But for now, healthy…ish chocolate chia mousse is our Tuesday treat!
Also, I shared this recipe with the awesome team over at The Chriselle Factor. Be sure to check out this post to learn more about all the amazing health benefits of this chocolate chia mousse.
Watch the How To Video:
6 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Chia Mousse
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 591 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 1/4 cups nut milk
- 1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon flakey sea salt
- dried roses and cacao nibs, for serving (optional)
Coconut Cream (optional)
- 1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, whisk together the chia seeds, milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours or up to overnight. 2. Transfer the chia seed mix to a blender and blend on high power until smooth and creamy. It’s helpful to scrape down the sides once or twice while blending to incorporate everything. Taste and add more maple if a sweeter mousse is desired. Spoon the mouse into 6 servings bowls. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. 3. To make the coconut cream, tip the coconut cream upside down and pour out the coconut water. Scoop out the coconut cream and add it to a mixing bowl with the maple syrup and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until combined.4. Serve the mousse topped with coconut cream, and if desired, dried roses and cacao nibs. 5. To make the coconut cream hearts, line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Spread the coconut cream into the prepared pan. Freeze 20-30 minutes. Using a heart cookie cutter, cut out hearts.
PS. this is totally healthy enough for breakfast…just saying.
How many grams of sugar per serving?
Hi Nicole! I am actually not sure, because I do not calculate that. I would suggest putting the ingredients into an online food calculator to see all of those grams and percentages! xTieghan
Hi! I tested this recipe this morning. It’s delicious ! But it still rough … I don’t have a blender, just a food processor so… Maybe is it the problem. It tastes like chocolate but not exaclty like chocolate mousse. It’s lighter but not as creamy. I’m happy about it though.
Hi Emilie! I am glad this turned out well for you still without a blender! Let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
Will there still be some unblended chia seeds in the mousse? No matter how much I blend it, I can’t get all of the chia seeds blended.
HI! It depends on the strength of your blender. If you have a vitamix you should be able to get it completely smooth, I do! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I used my vitamix A TON and this never got smooth enough to be edible unfortunately. Wondering if the recipe is used to be eaten super grainy? Also, it definitely needs a lot more maple syrup. It’s extremely tart as the recipe is written.
Hey Dionna, I use a vitamix and have no issues getting a smooth texture. It takes 8 or so minutes total. If you like a sweeter mousse, feel free to add more maple! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan
Can I omit the chia seeds? Will I still get the same texture?
HI! I do not recommend omitting the chia seeds as they are the base of the recipe and what make this a thick and creamy mousse. The recipe will not work without the chia seeds. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
So mine didn’t get smooth, even after a LOT of vitamixing…enough that I had to take breaks because of the melting smell that was coming from the vitamix. I really wanted to like it, but the grit and earthy flavor of the seeds are not doing it for me.
Hi!
Just made this tonight and waiting for it to set and blend tomorrow morning and then taking the mousse over to a friend’s place for dinner tomorrow night.
How long will the mousse on its own keep if I am lucky enough to have any leftovers 🙂
Thanks Sam
HI! The mousse will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This was really delicious! I added a bit more maple syrup, as suggested. I loved your idea of making shapes out of frozen coconut cream! Brilliant! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Thank you Becca! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Can’t stand among chocolate tastes… :*
I hope you enjoy this!
I made this last night for dessert for girlfriends, it turned out pretty good, but I did add about 1-2 extra tablespoons of Maple Syrup because it was quite tart still. I also think it would be best with a Vitamix blinder, my NutriBullet blender wasn’t as high test and was a little bit grainy. All and all a great substitute for a healthy-ish dessert!
Hi Christina! I am glad you still enjoyed this recipe, thank you!
Can another type of milk be substituted for the nut milk? I’m not vegan. Will it taste awful if I do use another type of milk?
HI! You can use whatever milk you drink normally. Whole milk will be amazing! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
One of my favorite breakfast/desserts to make. Ive already made it 3 times and everyone absolutely loves it! Thank you for the great recipe. Love the fact that it’s vegan too!
Thank you Amanda!
This mousse is okay if you like tapioca and seeds. Suspect it might work better with a Vitamix, which I do not have. After ten hours of refrigeration neither my strong counter top blender or pretty strong immersion blender (or combination of the two) could make this mousse smooth enough to eat without small gelatinous globs and bits of chia getting caught in one’s teeth.
Hi Deborah! I am so sorry this recipe did not work for you. I hope this does not stop you from trying other recipes of mine. Thanks!
This is my new go-to dessert when I need a treat. I feel pretty guilt-free about it because of the ingredients, and then feel so decadent at the same time because it tastes amazing! Thank you for the vegan options and for overall such deliciousness on this blog! 🙂
That is so awesome to hear! Thank you so much Lisa!
thanks for sharing
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