Chocolate mousse with coconut milk

A vegan chocolate mousse

Published originally on my blog on 16 August 2015

In the spirit of making easy and quick dishes —it is summer after all— I made this chocolate mousse.

This is no ordinary mousse though, it is a dairy-free one, made with coconut milk. The first time I made this, it was revelatory. I have always made the traditional mousse with eggs, or the one with lots and lots of cream, or even the one with water (This, anyone?), but never vegan mousse. I am not vegan nor I plan to become vegan, and the reason for making this was simply because I love the flavor of coconut. I grab every chance I get to include it in my sweet or savory dishes.

The principle is the same as when making coconut whipped cream. You place the full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for a day, during which time the coconut milk separates into cream (fat) and water. You open the can, scoop out the solid coconut cream and keep the liquid to use in shakes, smoothies or any other drink or cakes even.

You take the coconut cream and whip it really good, together with cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, a sweetener, agave syrup in this case, and vanilla extract, and after a few minutes you have a mousse that’s light, fluffy and creamy with the intense flavor of cocoa and the subtle flavor of coconut. That simple.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go make it!

Chocolate mousse with coconut milk (Vegan)

You can substitute the agave syrup with brown rice syrup or maple syrup, if you don’t mind its flavor. I wouldn’t suggest you use honey (which is not vegan) as it is too sticky and a bit denser and it also has a more pronounced flavor. You can also substitute with coconut sugar (2 Tbsp would be enough) or sieved icing sugar (start with 3 Tbsp, taste and add more if you think it needs it).