Say hello to your new favourite dessert.
If you read ‘chocolate avocado mousse’ and did a double take, let me explain. Avocados are creamy and rich and have a neutral taste, which means it forms an excellent base for a healthy dessert like this one. The trick is to use really ripe avocados, and mask the avocado taste with cacao powder, sweetener, and spices. The resulting mousse that you get is decadent, rich, creamy, and satisfying — but without any of the cream, eggs, or sugar.
Yes, this dessert is gluten-free, refined sugar free, eggless, and dairy-free — it’s compliant with a lot of dietary requirements! Beyond that, avocados are really healthy fats that will keep you feeling satisfied for longer, cacao is magnesium and antioxidant-rich, the cayenne will help fire up your metabolism. All in all, this is good to have in the fridge when you feel the dessert cravings creeping in, or when you’re looking for a sweet midnight snack.
You can make this chocolate avocado mousse without the spices for kids (or adults), but the cinnamon, cayenne, chilli, and nutmeg will wonderfully complement the chocolate flavours. Think of it as a spiced chocolate bar, or a Mexican Hot Chocolate, but in pudding form! Using a good quality cacao powder is an absolute must here. I like using raw, unsweetened, organic and non-alkalised cacao powder like this one or this one; and it gives the mousse a deep chocolatey flavour that will satisfy any craving.
The recipe comes together in minutes — just blend everything together and use chilled avocados, you could eat it instantly in pudding form if you can’t wait. I find that setting it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours really allows it to firm up, and when you dig your spoon into it, it’ll give you that perfect mousse texture. This recipe makes generous serving sizes, and you can just as easily double it up for a larger crowd, or store in the refrigerator. It keeps for a week in sealed containers.
Serve the spiced chocolate avocado mousse with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, some caramelised and toasted nuts, or chocolate chips. A spoon of fluffy coconut whipped cream would also be delicious.
- 3 ripe avocados
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup sweetener of choice (jaggery liquid, agave, maple syrup or honey)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- A pinch of nutmeg
- A tiny pinch of cayenne
- ¼ cup milk of choice (or more)
- To serve: flaky sea salt (optional)
- Combine all the ingredients except the milk in a food processor or blender and blend.
- Add a splash of milk to make it easier to blend, scraping down the sides with a spatula in the middle. Continue until a very smooth mousse like consistency is achieved.
- Transfer to individual mousse pots or a large dish and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to set.
- Top with flaky sea salt if desired before serving.
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