Healthy Chocolate Mousse

This Healthy Chocolate Mousse is rich, chocolaty, sweet, and indulgent. It’s also easy, healthy, and nutritious. Made with just a few whole food ingredients, this dessert is naturally sweetened and perfect for your next sugar craving!

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Have you ever eaten something and thought “I can’t believe this is actually vegan”? Or maybe, “how can this be healthy and still taste so good”? Enter, this recipe. 😀

This mousse is a thick and luscious dessert that will satisfy all the chocolate lovers in your life. This creamy mousse does NOT skimp on flavor. It doesn’t taste like a “health food” and will fool your friends and family. Seriously!

This vegan mousse recipe is versatile and customizable. Eat it plain (delicious) or top it with a variety of toppings (extra delicious).

You need only a few healthy ingredients to get this faux-fancy dessert on your table tonight! 🍫

What’s Special About this Healthy Chocolate Mousse?

In short, it’s creamy, rich, and super healthy. Bonus: it requires only a few ingredients. Look at this texture!

Here’s what you need to know about this recipe.

It’s…

• HEALTHY!
• Naturally sweetened (using sweet potatoes & dates)
• Low in fat
• Chocolaty & delicious
• Thick & creamy
• Customizable

This easy vegan dessert recipe doesn’t require:

• Tofu
• Avocado
• Coconut milk
• Aquafaba
• A double boiler to melt the chocolate

This mousse doesn’t contain any fancy ingredients! In fact, it contains just 6 wholesome ingredients you probably have at home already. It’s also an inexpensive recipe since it relies on (spoiler alert) sweet potatoes, rather than 2 or 3 avocados… 😀

About the Ingredients

As the recipe suggests, this is healthy chocolate mousse! We’re relying on a few super healthy ingredients to make this mousse creamy and dreamy.

• Sweet Potatoes: The not-so-secret ingredient that forms the base of this recipe. They’re extremely high in antioxidants and are super cheap.
• Medjool Dates: The all-natural sweetener in this recipe. Dates are super sweet and caramelly. You won’t miss the white sugar or maple syrup at all! I am obsessed with these dates.
  • Having trouble finding Medjool dates? Trader Joe’s usually carries them in the produce section (for some reason). I typically buy my dates online through Amazon (Terrasoul dates) or Thrive Market (Joolies dates).
• Cacao Powder: A less processed form of chocolate that’s unsweetened. By using cacao powder, rather than a chocolate bar, we are reducing the fat content in this recipe. We are also able to use our preferred healthy sweetener (dates) AND skip the need for a double boiler.
• Nut Butter: This is really the difference-maker. It adds fat and body and makes this mousse feel like a “real”, indulgent dessert. I tested with both peanut butter and almond butter. Both work well, though the almond butter is less discernible in the final product.
  • Looking for a lower fat option? Try my chocolate pudding recipe instead!
• Extract of Choice: Such as Almond, Peppermint, or Vanilla. This helps add delicious flavor to the mousse. See the “Variations” section below for more information and ideas.
• Pinch of Salt: This helps cut through the sweetness to balance things out a bit.
• Ground Flax: Flax is so healthy and provides a gelling effect. It is optional in this recipe. If you don’t have a strong blender and need to add additional liquid to get a smooth blend, though, the flax will ensure a thick final product.

How to Prepare Sweet Potatoes for Chocolate Mousse

This recipe relies on a base of healthy sweet potatoes! Cooking your sweet potatoes in advance and then cooling them is highly recommended. Once cooked and refrigerated, the sweet potato taste is extremely mild and the texture becomes velvety when blended.

To cook your potatoes, pressure cook them or bake them for best results. I personally like to pressure cook my potatoes for the week on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 🙂 See below for both cooking options.

Pressure cook in an Instant Pot:

1. Scrub your sweet potatoes well under running water. (Leave the skin on.) Set aside.
2. Locate the trivet that came with your Instant Pot or use your preferred steamer basket.
3. To the bottom of your Instant Pot insert, add a few tablespoons of water to cover the bottom. Place your trivet or steamer basket on top of the water.
4. Place your scrubbed sweet potatoes on the trivet (or in the basket). Do your best to spread your potatoes into an even layer.
5. Cover your Instant Pot with the lid. Set your steam release valve to “Sealing”, then cook at High Pressure for 15 minutes.
6. Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally once the cooking time is up. Once the float valve has dropped, open the Instant Pot and allow your sweet potatoes to cool slightly.
7. After cooling, store your sweet potatoes in the fridge until you’re ready to blend up this healthy chocolate mouse!

Bake in the oven:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Then scrub your sweet potatoes well under running water. (Leave the skin on.)
3. Carefully poke holes in each sweet potato using a fork.
4. Place your scrubbed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. (They will ooze a bit thanks to their natural sugars, so this ensures easier cleanup.)
5. The cooking time will vary based on the size of your sweet potatoes. Begin checking them after 45 minutes and continue baking until very soft all the way through.
6. Once soft, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
7. After cooling, store your sweet potatoes in the fridge until you’re ready to blend up this healthy chocolate mouse!

Healthy Chocolate Mousse Variations

This healthy chocolate mousse is perfect for any time of year. In fact, with a few quick changes, you can customize this recipe to make a delicious seasonal treat! Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Chocolate Lover’s Edition: Include Vanilla Extract when blending. Then top with chocolate chips, cacao nibs, or chopped dark chocolate.

Christmas Edition: Include Peppermint Extract when blending. Then top with whipped topping and crushed candy canes.

Valentine’s Edition: Include Almond Extract when blending. Then top with whipped topping, slivered almonds, and raspberries.

Important Tips for Success

During the weeks that I tested this recipe, we tried a lot of variations! Though this recipe can be easily customized, please follow these guidelines for best results.

• Be sure to cook your sweet potatoes until they’re soft all the way through. You’ll need about 3 small-medium sweet potatoes.
• Use cooked and cooled sweet potatoes.
  • Cook your sweet potatoes in advance and refrigerate overnight for best results. Unfortunately, when blended warm, the sweet potato taste comes through strongly. They also don’t blend as smoothly.
• Cook your sweet potatoes with the skin on. The peel will come off easily after cooking and cooling.
• Cut off the ends of your sweet potatoes. The ends of sweet potatoes are typically stringy and a bit hard, so we don’t want them in our mousse!
• Choose soft Medjool dates for this recipe.
• If you don’t have a strong food processor or high-speed blender, soak your dates in boiling water for at least 10 minutes to soften them. Drain, then continue with the rest of the recipe.
• If your food processor is struggling with such a thick blend, add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time to help it along.
• Refrigerate after blending and serve this mousse cold. This recipe lasts for at least 5 days in the fridge, so you’ll be set with dessert for a few days.

That’s everything you could possibly need to know about this healthy chocolate mousse recipe! It’s truly a very easy recipe to make, especially if you have some cooked sweet potatoes on hand already. I just wanted you to be very prepared. 🙂

I hope you love this delicious, healthy treat!

Helpful Tools for This Recipe

• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Food Processor or Vitamix
• Instant Pot (optional-to cook sweet potatoes)
• Small Glass Bowls

The Background & Science Behind These Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes are extremely healthy, cheap, and nutritious. In fact, they have “one of the highest nutrient-rich food scores per dollar”. (source)
• Nuts are extremely healthy. Though they are high in fat and should be enjoyed in moderation, we should absolutely not fear nuts.
  • “Numerous epidemiological and clinical studies show that nuts are not associated with weight gain.” (source)
• An overview of the health benefits of dates, with many additional links to explore.

What do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you make this recipe, then please leave a comment and rating. I would love to hear what you think and how it worked out for you!

Don’t forget to check out my other dessert recipes as well!