This recipe for mascarpone chocolate mousse is decadent and creamy with a rich chocolate flavor. Using only four ingredients (!!), these chocolate treats come together in less than an hour. ⏰ And best of all? No raw eggs or gelatin here. Traditional dark chocolate mousse tends to contain egg white or yolks. This one skips those ingredients while still recreating mousse's luxuriously soft texture. This no-bake mousse sets in the fridge and works well served on its own or even as a cake filling.
Whether you're planning a romantic dinner for Valentine's Day or satisfying your sweet tooth on a regular weeknight, this decadent dessert is a chocolate lover's dream. 🍫
For more no-bake desserts like this one, try my no-bake cheesecake with mascarpone and strawberry mascarpone pie.
Jump to:
- 🤎 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- 🎥 Quick Recipe Video
- ☑️ Ingredients for this Easy Chocolate Mousse
- 💡Pro Tip
- 📖 Equipment List
- 🤔 Is This the Same as Traditional Chocolate Mousse?
- Ingredient Substitutions
- 📋 Easy Steps for Homemade Mousse
- Ways to Use Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse
- ❄️ Storage and Serving Instructions
- ❓Troubleshooting and FAQ
- Best Results: Baking in Grams
- More Desserts with Mascarpone
- Mascarpone Chocolate Mousse
🤎 Why You'll Love this Recipe
Luxurious taste and texture: Thicker than classic French mousse, lighter than ganache
Simple: No eggs or gelatin. No tempering necessary!
No-fuss ingredients: Uses mascarpone instead of whipped egg whites
A quick, no-bake dessert: No baking required and it's ready in under an hour!
🎥 Quick Recipe Video
☑️ Ingredients for this Easy Chocolate Mousse
With just four ingredients, the list of items you need to make this chocolate mousse recipe is short and easy to find.
Because this mousse relies on fat content for structure, ingredient quality and temperature matter more here than in traditional chocolate mousse
- Mascarpone cream cheese - This Italian cream cheese is high-fat, with a smooth, creamy texture. Although it's somewhat similar to American cream cheese, it's noticeably softer and less tangy.
- Dark chocolate - Because it's your main ingredient, buy a high-quality bar of baking chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. Look for a bar that has about 60% cacao to maintain a rich, deep chocolate flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream - This ingredient + chocolate and mascarpone? You've got yourself a super creamy chocolate dessert.
- Pinch of salt - Salt counterbalances some of the natural bitterness of chocolate. Salt also bring out its natural sweetness.
💡Pro Tip
Use room temperature mascarpone for this recipe.
In testing this mousse with cold mascarpone and cold cream, combining the ingredients was harder.
Why?
Mascarpone has a tendency to split when mixed with other ingredients that are different temperature. If your mascarpone is very cold and heavy cream is room temperature, or vice versa, your mixture could break.
Temperature mismatch is the most common reason mascarpone-based desserts lose their smooth texture.
📖 Equipment List
- Electric mixer and bowl OR a stand mixer's bowl and whisk attachment - Either of these tools will be key in helping you whip your mascarpone mousse into a smooth consistency.
- Rubber spatula - A spatula is important in helping you ensure all the ingredients in your mixing bowl are coming together evenly. Use this between pauses in your mixer.
- Serving dishes - You'll need four small cups, jars, glasses - whatever you plan to use for serving this dessert.
- A double boiler OR heatproof bowl and metal pot - You'll need one of these options to help you melt your chocolate and cream together.
- Whisk - For mixing your ingredients together over the stove
🤔 Is This the Same as Traditional Chocolate Mousse?
This recipe is different, and that’s a good thing.
Traditional chocolate mousse uses eggs to create its airy structure. This mascarpone-based version achieves a similar texture through whipped cream and high-fat mascarpone cheese.
The end result is creamy and decadent but easier to make and ideal for anyone who prefers an egg-free dessert.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Cream cheese - Sub this in the place of mascarpone. However, the flavor will be a bit more tangy.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - You can use chips instead of chunks. They'll take longer to melt over the stove, though.
- Vanilla extract - If you like a sweeter chocolate, add a few drops of vanilla extract to your mixing bowl. I nixed that and opted for a purely dark chocolate flavor (around 60% cacao).
📋 Easy Steps for Homemade Mousse
Step 1: Pour cream and chocolate pieces into a medium-sized heatproof bowl that you can place over a pot on the stove. You'll add enough water to the pot to fully cover the bottom (2 cups or so should do it) before placing your bowl of chocolate and cream on top of it. You've just created a double boiler!
Step 2: Once water is gently boiling in the pot, whisk every minute or so until all pieces of chocolate have melted into the mixture. This should take 4-5 minutes.
Step 3: Once mixture has a smooth consistency, carefully remove the bowl from the pot – it will be very hot.
Step 4: Cover bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Using an electric mixer and bowl or a stand mixer's bowl and whisk attachment, place room temperature mascarpone cheese and cooled melted chocolate into a bowl.
Step 6: Add salt and mix on low speed for a minute.
Step 7: Whip again for 30 seconds and then gently take the spatula around the bowl a few times to fully incorporate everything.
Step 8: Divide mascarpone mousse into your serving dishes or containers. If desired, top them with whipped cream, shaved chocolate, fresh berries, or a dusting of espresso powder!
Ways to Use Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse
This recipe is versatile and can be used a few different ways.
- 🥄 Spoon into glasses for a no-bake dessert
- 🎂 Pipe between cake layers
- 🥧 Use as a tart or pie filling
- Layer into parfaits or trifles
It would be a great alternative filling in my chocolate cake with strawberry filling.
This mousse recipe is also the inspiration behind my no-bake chocolate cream pie, which has a similar texture.
❄️ Storage and Serving Instructions
Refrigerator - Because this dessert is dairy-based, keep it in your refrigerator when you're not serving it. Cover the container so the mousse doesn't form a hard crust on top. The mousse will firm up slightly as it chills but should remain spoonable.
Freezing - You can make this recipe in advance and freeze it. You'll need to lightly re-whip the mousse once it thaws before serving, though.
For serving, this mousse tastes best when it's softer and is close to room temperature.
❓Troubleshooting and FAQ
Lumps may result from melting your chocolate too quickly. A double boiler is a safe way to minimize this possibility.
You can use the microwave to warm the chocolate in short bursts, but it's easier to overheat or burn it this way.
Lastly, work with room temperature ingredients. They combine more easily than cold ones do.
While you can melt chocolate chips, use a chopped bar of chocolate instead. That will melt much more easily.
Chips container emulsifiers that help them retain their shape, so melting them will be a slightly longer process.
In this recipe, cream cheese can be a substitution for the mascarpone. Note that cream cheese will yield a tangier flavor and slightly different texture.
These two ingredients cannot be swapped in all recipes, though, as these cheese have different fat contents and qualities. They are not totally interchangeable.
Yes. You can make this mousse up to a day in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator.
For the best texture, let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Best Results: Baking in Grams
If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking.
While I include cups and grams in my recipe cards, weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency.
I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale.
More Desserts with Mascarpone
Mascarpone Chocolate Mousse
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Make this chocolate mascarpone mousse in less than an hour with four simple ingredients. It's soft, creamy, and easy to dress up with some mixed berries, chocolate shavings, whipped cream, or all of the above!
Ingredients
- 140 grams/5 oz of chopped dark chocolate, between 50 and 60% cacao
- 8 oz (225 grams) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- ¾ cup (185 grams) heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring mascarpone from refrigerator and set onto counter so it can warm to room temperature.
- Make a double boiler over a stovetop burner using a small pot filled with a few cups of water and a heatproof bowl that can sit within the pot. Add the chopped chocolate and heavy whipping cream to the bowl in your pot. Once water is gently boiling in the pot, whisk the chocolate and heavy cream every minute or so until it’s smooth and all pieces of chocolate have melted into the mixture, 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off burner and carefully remove bowl from pot - it will be hot.
- Cover bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
- Place room temperature mascarpone cheese and cooled melted chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add salt and mix on low speed for a minute. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are properly mixing together. Whip again for 30 seconds and then swipe your spatula around your bowl a few times to fully incorporate everything.
- Divide mascarpone into separate small cups, jars, glasses - whatever you plan for serving them. Let them firm up a bit in refrigerator - about 30 minutes. If desired, top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate!
Notes
- Please note that the nutritional information is an estimate and based on one serving of this recipe, which would yield approximately 4 servings.
- Pro Tip: Use room temperature mascarpone for this recipe. In testing this mousse with cold mascarpone and cold cream, combining the ingredients was harder. Mascarpone has a tendency to split when mixed with other ingredients that are different temperature. If your mascarpone is very cold and heavy cream is room temperature, or vice versa, your mixture could break.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Refrigerator Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 472 kcal
- Sugar: 10.5 g
- Sodium: 48 mg
- Fat: 45.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 28.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.2 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 5.2 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
Samantha
Ok wow, these were a huge hit at my dinner party with friends. They all said it was super fancy and gourmet. I definitely did not tell them how easy it was to make haha - our secrete 🙂
Susan Gravatt
So glad they were such a hit! Thanks for the review!