Craving chocolate? I’ve got you covered!

This easy chocolate mousse recipe is dreamy decadence in just minutes. Rich chocolate flavor in a whipped dessert in minutes.

This is perfect for a last-minute dessert or an impressive (yet effortless) treat.

taking a spoonful of Easy Chocolate Mousse

Easy Chocolate Mousse in Minutes

This is an easy shortcut to making chocolate mousse. It’s deliciously decadent and more light and airy than chocolate pudding.

  • You’ll need just three ingredients, no fiddling with gelatin, no beating eggs required.
  • Whip this dessert up in just a minute or two – no cooking required.
  • The secret to the richness is unsweetened cocoa powder to boost dark chocolate flavor!
  • Serve it as you like, top it with whipped cream or fresh berries.

Ingredients for Chocolate Mousse

  • Chocolate pudding mix: The base of this easy mousse recipe is a box of pudding mix. Ensure you use instant pudding (not the kind that requires cooking).
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder: This deepens the chocolate flavor and elevates the dessert.
  • Heavy cream: The secret to the light and fluffy texture in this mousse recipe is the heavy whipping cream. Milk won’t create the richness needed in this recipe.

Bonus Tip: For an extra decadent experience, use half dark chocolate pudding mix and half milk chocolate pudding mix!

Chocolate Mousse ingredients in a bowl

How to Make Chocolate Mousse

  1. Mix all ingredients (according to the recipe below) with an electric mixer for 1 minute.
  2. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Top it Off!

Get fancy and have fun with toppings or fold in some cookie crumbs or chocolate chips.

  • A dollop of whipped cream
  • Fresh fruit or berries
  • Grated white or dark chocolate
  • Crumbled cookies, festive sprinkles, or a drizzle of homemade strawberry or caramel sauce for an extra touch of indulgence
Chocolate Mousse with whipped cream

Prep Ahead and Storage

  • This chocolate mousse recipe will last about 4 days in the fridge, so it’s perfect for prepping ahead.
  • If making ahead, add the toppings (like whipped cream) just before serving.
  • Freeze chocolate mousse for up to 2 months and let it thaw in the refrigerator, or freeze it into popsicle molds and enjoy it as a frozen treat!

More Chocolate Recipes

Did you make this easy Chocolate Mousse recipe? Leave us a rating and a comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Chocolate Mousse with whipped cream and a raspberry
4.92 from 97 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Easy Chocolate Mousse

A rich creamy chocolate dessert, this shortcut chocolate mousse recipe takes just a couple of minutes to make!
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings 4 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 3.4 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix 1 box, 4 serving size
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream 30-35% mf
  • 1 cup whipped topping optional

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, combine cocoa powder and instant pudding powder.
  • Add the heavy whipping cream and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute.
  • Spoon or pipe the chocolate mixture into serving dishes or small glasses immediately and serve or refrigerate.
  • Garnish with whipped topping, fresh berries, mint, or whipped cream.

Notes

This shortcut mousse sets quickly so transfer to bowls or glasses immediately.
Small wine or champagne glasses or little jars make for a pretty presentation. 
Chocolate mousse will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. 
Whipped topping is not included in nutritional calculation. 
4.92 from 97 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 602 | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 2187IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
creamy Easy Chocolate Mousse on a spoon with a title
close up of spoonful of Easy Chocolate Mousse with writing
Easy Chocolate Mousse with whipped cream and writing
glasses of Easy Chocolate Mousse and close up of some on a spoon with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. So easy and so delicious! I doubled the recipe and made this into a pie with dark chocolate shavings! Also used sugar-free pudding mix (it is all I had) with a bit of monk fruit for added sweetness. Excellent! Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes.

  2. This was fabulous and EASY for a party. We topped the mousse right before serving with canned whipping cream, sprinkled with a dusting of ground up peanuts, shaved chocolate sprinkles, and finally a piece of the chocolate bar stuck into the mousse. Looked like something out of a restaurant. Everyone was full from dinner but stuffed themselves with this!5 stars

    1. I have never tried it Nicki, but I think it should work! I would love to hear how it turns out for you!

  3. If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, you may want to come back to this site when you have more will power, lol! Simple, delicious & so much to choose from. I appreciate all the goodness you share and getting me through the jams (when it is last minute or “cook fog”) and I just can’t seem to pull a good, quick recipe out of my head. Best of all..you come through with the recipes and I get all the “kisses to the cook”.

  4. Two questions. First, can this be frozen? Two. I’m thinking of putting this in a sheet pan and making a slab pie out of it for a pie competition at work. Do you know how long this would be “table stable”, i.e. at room temp? Thanks! :)

    1. I haven’t tried freezing this recipe so I can’t say for sure, Cana. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!

  5. yum. I love desserts and chocolate. Nothing is too rich for me. I spooned this into 6 little bowls and topped each with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and some chocolate shavings on top. That was a more than ample amount per person.5 stars

  6. Hello, I did a test today and although the taste and consistency were fine, I tasted a bit of grittiness as the pudding probably doesn’t have time to dissolve fully because it gets think so quickly. Is there a way to prevent this? Am I doing something wrong? Thank you in advance for your hands on advice!!

    1. If you only have one layer on top this might work as a filling, but it depends how dense your cake layers are. Since the Mousse is light and fluffy, I don’t think it will work with too much weight. Please let us know if you do decide to try it, Den!

  7. love, love, love, ur recipes ,but iam banned from pinterest. the reason why iam unsure of. I’ve made an honest effort 2 address the matter 2 years ago and recent. no harm done, I’m just saying.lol so I’ll enjoy from here. peace!5 stars

  8. Love the so simple recipe however I put a spin on it. Used sugarless pudding low fat hippie cream semi-sweet chocolate chips melted in cream for the extra chocolate taste. Added a have cup of Bailey’s with the WC along with vanilla. Oh Boy how truly decadent. Two bowls for kids NonAlcohol.
    Adults plus kids had whipped cream and a cherry on top with tiny piece of green mint. Should have taken a picture. Thank you for the recipe gonna create create create!

    1. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Robin. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!

  9. Excellent recipe!! Quick & delicious!! I made it & had only 2 cups of heavy (whipping) cream…so, I “thinned” it out a little with coffee cream (a tablespoon @ a time) & it turned out light & fluffy!! And it’s not too sweet!! Perfect quick chocolate mousse!!

  10. I have made mousse filling with Land O Lakes heavy whipping cream and chocolate fudge pudding mix. It was good I just found your recipe. If I want it a little sweeter what can I add. What does the cocoa powder do. I have Ghirardelli cocoa powder
    Thanks Kristin

    1. You could add a little bit of powdered sugar to sweeten it further. The cocoa powder gives a richer chocolate flavor.

  11. eating as i write this review lol… I have only had this once at a restaurant and i’ve been hooked n craving it since… i thought it would be so complicated to make… this was easy and took seconds really and wow is it delicious just as if i was in a restaurant right now… thank you for sharing your recipe this is delicious!!!! def make it again n again …5 stars