These Spicy Chocolate Avocado Mousse Cups are a creamy, healthier version of chocolate mousse minus all the calories. This no-bake dessert is refined sugar free, dairy free and reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate.
I like to think of this recipe as the grown up version of the chocolate pudding cups kids used to wolf down growing up. I was more of a rice pudding girl myself but nonetheless, I loved thick creamy pudding. The issue of course for me with traditional chocolate pudding or chocolate mousse was all the dairy. Traditional chocolate mousse is made with tons of heavy cream and plenty of sugar. To healthy up this indulgent dessert classic, I used nature’s versions of heavy cream: avocado and coconut milk!
I know healthy chocolate mousse sounds like an oxymoron, but it can be done! And maybe you’re thinking “Ok, it’s healthy, but does it taste good?”. I’m here to tell you that healthy and tasty can be best friends…I pinky promise. If you’re skeptical of avocado in dessert, just try it. All you taste is creaminess and chocolate.
So what makes this chocolate avocado mousse SOOO creamy and indulgent?
- Avocado: Of course! It’s truly nature’s answer to cream, mayo, butter or any thick dairy product you can think of.
- Coconut Milk: It adds that fluffy, airy, whipped cream texture that chocolate mousse is famous for
- Coconut Oil: For a smooth and glossy finish, you’re gonna need coconut oil in here
- P.S. coconut oil has great anti-bacterial properties so it’s great for both cooking and healing boo boos
- Honey: Granulated white sugar will leave your chocolate mousse grainy. Instead of searching around for superfine sugar, a liquid sweetener like honey will make this sweet and smooth
- Vegan Tip: If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can swap honey for maple syrup or agave nectar. Honey is naturally sweeter than maple syrup or agave so you might need to add an additional 1/2 tbs to 1 tbs for this swap.
So now you know what makes this healthy chocolate mousse so creamy, but what makes it decadent? Layers on layers on layers of goodness of course. You could definitely eat a cup full of chocolate avocado mousse on it’s own, but doesn’t it sound even better as a 3 layer chocolate dessert?
Layers of DELICIOUS-NESS:
When making layered desserts I think you need 3 essentials: a crunchy crust like layer, a creamy filling (spicy chocolate mousse in this case), and a whipped topping to wrap it all up. Here’s what you can expect from every layer:
- Walnut Coconut Crust: There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting to the bottom of the jar and striking gold. This “gold” of course is a sweet and salty crust packed with coconut, almond butter and walnuts.
- Fun Fact: This crust is gluten free, dairy free, no-bake and 100% yummy!
- Spicy Chocolate Avocado Mousse: The mousse is creamy, chocolate-y (that’s a word right?) and SPICY
- If you prefer dark chocolate mousse, I recommend using Hershey’s special dark cacao powder
- Nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne give the mousse heat and flavor similar to Mexican hot chocolate. Feel free to use more or less spices depending on your preferences
- Whipped Coconut Cream: You can definitely skip this layer, but I just like the added cream and coconut flavor! Plus the colorful layers look so cute in the jar (↑Look how cute those layers are in the pic↑)!
- Check out the sweet peaks of whipped coconut cream on my Apple Cobbler with Oat Crust too
This chocolate avocado mousse is a great make ahead dessert and perfect for parties. If you’re trying to impress guests and make it look like you’re super fancy, make a bunch of these in mini mason jars and freeze them until you’re ready to serve.
I’ve always thought chocolate mousse was pretty classy and your guests will too. It can be our little secret that it’s just whipped avocados with chocolate!
Best Kitchen Tools for Making these Mousse Cups:
To make these in a flash, make sure you have all the right kitchen tools on hand! Here are some of my faves…
Hand Mixer : Great for whipping the avocado mousse!
Silicone Spatula : Don’t leave any chocolate mousse behind in the bowl, use a spatula to get every last drop!
9 Piece Nesting Bowl Set : You can never have enough mixing bowls. You’ll need a couple bowls to make each layer, so a set like this one is great.
Ready to start using your avocados for more than toast and guacamole? Try out this chocolate mousse and let me know what you think!
Spicy Chocolate Avocado Mousse Cups
Rate this Recipe:Ingredients
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- 1 1/2 ripe hass avocados, mashed
- 4 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbs coconut oil
- 4 tbs whipped coconut cream (recipe below)
- 4 tbs maple syrup or honey For a sweeter dessert, add 1 additional tsp at a time
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg I recommend freshly ground rather than pre-ground
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper You can use more or less depending on your spice tolerance
Coconut Cream
- 1 cup coconut milk (full fat) freeze the can for 2 hours or overnight
- 2 tbsp maple syrup You can use 1 1/2 tbs honey
- pinch of salt
Walnut Coconut Crust
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 3 tbs almond butter
- 1 tbs honey
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Coconut Cream: Place a can of coconut milk in the freezer for at least 2 hours. When you open the can, the liquid will be separated from the cream. Scoop out the white cream into a bowl and leave the liquid behind. Add maple syrup and salt. Use a hand mixer or standing mixer to whip the cream into a fluffy consistency.
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse: Whisk cocoa powder and coconut oil together in a bowl to form a thin chocolate sauce. Add honey and coconut cream to cocoa and whisk until uniformly combined. Add avocado, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne to bowl. Whip with hand mixer or whisk until a creamy mousse is formed.
- Walnut Coconut Crust: Add coconut flakes, walnuts, almond butter, honey and salt to a bowl. Mix together with your hands to form a sticky dough.
- To assemble: Press the walnut coconut crust into the bottom of a glass jar. Top with a layer of mousse and then a layer of coconut cream. The recipe should fill roughly 4 small jars but it will depend on what size jar you use. Freeze mousse cups until you are ready to serve it.
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