Keto Chocolate Mousse

For me, the hardest part of committing to a ketogenic diet (before the choice was made for me!) is just getting past my sweet tooth.

My sugar-loving taste buds always made it hard to take the plunge, and a rogue chocolate craving can threaten my progress once I do start!

While I can get any manner of sweet treat I could ever want in a full sugar version, indulging a sweet craving while on a keto diet... takes a bit more planning/effort!

Also, IMHO - fat bombs only go so far!

Recently, chocolate cravings managed to coincide with a special occasion, and I decided to make keto-up my usual fluffy chocolate mousse recipe, into a new low carb chocolate mousse recipe.

This low carb mousse recipe is the real deal!

Not only is it a great low carb dessert for anyone working on weight loss, it’s a delicious recipe, totally suitable to serve to mixed company on special occasions - those on special diets, or not!

This low-carb dessert is based on my classic recipe for chocolate mousse, with the main difference being the sweeteners used - both in terms of the chocolate, and the added natural sweetener used.

Traditional Chocolate Mousse vs Easy Chocolate Mousse

When it comes to dessert mousse, there are two main styles of making this no bake dessert - “Easy” and “Traditional”.

The names are a bit misleading, though - they take about the same amount of effort, IMHO.

One involves whipping egg whites, the other involves dealing with gelatin. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, if you ask me.

Anyway...

Making a keto mousse recipe in the “Easy” style would be melting chocolate into whipped cream and chilling it.

Then you’d beat the chocolate whipped cream, bloom some gelatin in water, melt that, add it to the whipped cream, and chill it, creating a simple keto chocolate mousse.

Today’s recipe is easy keto chocolate mousse recipe in terms of effort, but not in terms of title.

This creamy keto chocolate mousse only takes a few minutes of effort, but it’s made in the tradional style - with whipped egg whites incorporated into the whipped cream.

Which Mousse is Better?

If you don’t have any health considerations that rule out the use of the egg whites - and are willing to invest the extra ~ 5 minutes?

Honestly, the traditional mousse is 100% worth the effort.

Easy mousse is like flavoured whipped cream. It’s a tasty flavoured whipped cream, but the texture isn’t the same as the real thing.

The whipped egg whites produce tiny bubbles, and give the whole thing a fine ... foam... airy texture. It’s lighter and fluffier than easy mousse, and way more fun to eat IMHO.

In addition to the texture, I find the flavour better. The rich flavour and fat from the egg yolks really boost the chocolate flavor, IMHO.

It gives it a silkiness that just isn't present in the flavoured whipped cream style.

An easy recipe that’s fancy enough to serve at a dinner party, will impress everyone - even those NOT on a low carb diet - full of chocolate goodness, and only 2 grams of net carbs per serving? Iit’s basically the perfect dessert!

It’s definitely become a new favorite keto dessert recipe around here, and I’m sure it’ll be one of yours, too!

Let’s get to it...

Chocolate Low Carb Mousse Notes

Raw Eggs

While traditional mousse is perfectly safe for the vast majority of the population, pregnant women, the elderly, and immune compromised individuals may want to skip this recipe, or use pasteurized eggs.

A Note on the Nutritional Data

Our recipe software doesn't account for sugar alcohol when calculating the nutrition facts.

Once you subtract the sugar alcohols, you're left with approximately 2 net grams of carbs per serving.

Chocolate Sugar Free Mousse Ingredients

Now while I’ve covered traditional vs each chocolate mouse recipes, I haven’t even touched on keto versions.

Most of the keto mousse recipes out there aren’t anything that would resemble mousse in the non-keto world. Cream cheese, heavy textures - a lot seem more like fluffy fat bomb recipes, than mousse.

This recipe requires only 5 simple ingredients, and they should be easy to find it almost any local grocery store

Sugar Free Chocolate

I developed this recipe using a keto-friendly chocolate rather than unsweetened cocoa powder, as I prefer the finished texture and flavour this way.

I tend to use sugar free chocolate chips when making this, as I’m not a fan of dark chocolate, and I like the ease of use.

If you are, using a really dark chocolate bar or bittersweet chocolate can be a good alternative, without the extra cost of a “sugar free” speciality product.

Sugar Substitute

I use an erythritol / monk fruit blend sweetener (a granular sweetener, not one of the powdered keto sweeteners) but you can use whatever type of sweetener you like best.

... just pick a sweetener that’s low on the glycemic index. Monk fruit, erythritol, etc are much better than something like maltitol.

For best results, you can run the measured granulated sweetener through a mini food processor to turn it into powdered sweetener, if you have any concerns about it dissolving.

Note: The reason I don’t use an already powdered monk fruit sweetener is twofold: expense, and because I measure, rather than weighing.

1 cup of powdered sweetener is not the same as 1 cup of granular sweetener, even if it’s literally the same product to start with!

The Other Ingredients

Heavy Whipping Cream / Heavy Cream
Large eggs
Butter

In general, I recommend using full-fat dairy products for keto stuff, as they tend to be lower in carbs than lower fat alternatives.

When it comes to homemade chocolate mousse recipes like this, there’s also the matter of whipping it up - you need that fat content to produce a fluffy whipped cream.

2 % dairy milk, or something like coconut milk just won’t whip up like that!

Note: You can add 1-2 teaspoon of Vanilla extract when beating the egg yolks and sweetener together, if you want. I usually don’t bother, though!

Equipment

This recipe involves whipping both egg whites and whipped cream (separately!) to stiff peaks, so it’s not the kind of thing you want to do manually!

I use my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer for this - set up with the whisk attachment - and love it.

No stand mixer? No problem - you can use a handheld electric mixer for this as well.

I haven’t owned a hand mixer in over a decade, but it’s what I used to use to make mousse before I got my Kitchenaid.

A friend recently posted about a mixer she bought herself, it was super cute and had an attached storage case - kinda got me thinking of buying one!

How to Make The Best Keto Chocolate Mousse

The actual recipe is in a recipe card at the end of this post. Here is a pictorial walk through with more details and tips added.

First step: Make the chocolate cream base.

This can be done in two different ways: Using a double boiler, or in the microwave.

Double Boiler:

Combine chocolate, heavy cream, and butter in the top of a double boiler.

Melt together over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Be very careful to not let any water splash into the melted chocolate mixture.

Microwave

In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate, heavy cream, and butter.

Heat in 20-30 second bursts - stirring well between each - until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and uniform.

Separate the eggs into yolks in one bowl, and whites into the bowl of a stand mixer - or a large mixing bowl. A metal bowl works best for the egg whites.

For best results: eggs are easiest to separate when they’re really cold, and easiest to whip when they’ve warmed up to room temperature.

Be very careful to not get any yolk into the egg whites bowl. Any yolk - or grease - will prevent the egg whites from whipping up. Be sure your bowl and whisk attachment are VERY clean!

Combine egg yolks together with the sugar substitute, beat until pale yellow and fluffy.

Stream the warm chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Transfer to fridge, chill completely.

Once the chocolate cream is completely chilled:

In a stand mixer - or in a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer - whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Transfer beaten egg whites to a separate bowl.

Pour into 4 serving glasses, chill until set, about 2 hours. Serve as-is, with fresh berries, or topped with whipped cream.

Note: If you’re not planning to serve it soon after it has set for 2 hours, cover with plastic wrap or keep in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve it, so they don’t develop a weird skin on the surface.

More Easy Keto Dessert Recipes

Looking to indulge your sweet tooth in a way that won’t spike your blood sugar? Here are some keto-friendly desserts to try!

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Keto Chewy Lemon Bars
Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Truffles
Keto Cheesecake
Fudgy Keto Brownies
Keto Raspberry Coconut Bars
Keto Tiramisu
Gluten-Free Keto Rum Cake
Keto Ladyfingers
Keto Creme Brulee
Low Carb Bananas Foster Truffles
Keto Biscotti
Low Carb Holiday Desserts
Keto Carrot Cake
Keto Chocolate Cookies

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @LowCarbHoser - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

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... and hey, if you love the recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and comment! (Sharing the post on social media is always appreciated, too!)