Super light and fluffy strawberry mousse made vegan! This airy strawberry mousse is prepared from just 7 ingredients and is naturally sweetened! The perfect summer dessert!
I can't tell you how many strawberries went into the making of this recipe!
A LOT. But it was worth it because the result is a super light and fluffy strawberry mousse that tastes just like cotton candy! It's not too sweet, full of strawberry flavor, and makes the perfect summer dessert! Plus it requires only 7 ingredients and is naturally sweetened and gluten-free! You guys have to try this recipe!
🍓 How to Make Vegan Strawberry Mousse
The base is strawberries (obviously!), maple syrup to sweeten, and vanilla extract. You can use seeds from one vanilla bean if you prefer, the mousses will pack even more vanilla flavor.
Important tip: Use the best strawberries you can find, their sweetness and flavor will affect A LOT the end result. It can go from meh to delicious. I haven't tried with frozen ones so let me know if you do! I did try with (frozen) raspberries though and it was just as delicious! So if you are more a fan of raspberries, use them instead of strawberries.
You start by making a simple strawberry juice by blending the ingredients together until smooth. Then set aside while you prepare the rest.
The not-so-secret ingredient that gives the mousses their light and fluffy texture is aquafaba. You know, that yellowish liquid that comes in cans of cooked chickpeas. I told you I used a lot of strawberries while testing this recipe, well I also used a lot of aquafaba. Meaning I have enough chickpeas to make hummus for the rest of the year.
Anyway, the problem with aquafaba is that it tends to collapse very quickly if you don't add something to harden it. When you are making chocolate mousse, the chocolate helps firm up everything, but to make fruit mousse it's a different story. I had to rely on coconut cream + agar to get a light and fluffy texture that is perfectly soft yet keeps its shape well.
Do not omit the agar, it's an essential ingredient to this recipe as it hardens the mousse and prevents the strawberry juice from separating from the aquafaba. I don't have any substitute to recommend for the agar, maybe pectin would work but I haven't tried it yet.
To activate the agar, you will heat it with the coconut cream until it reaches a boil. Next, stir in the strawberry juice and mix until well combined. I don't heat the strawberry juice with the coconut cream because I found out strawberries lose some flavor when heated. Then you will have to let it cool for about 20 minutes, you don't want it to be too hot or it will make the aquafaba collapse.
While the coconut strawberry juice is cooling down, whip the aquafaba to firm peaks using an electric whisker. This step can take up to 5 minutes.
Finally, fold in half of the coconut strawberry syrup into the aquafaba and carefully mix with a spatula. Once fully combined, pour in the rest of the juice and fold again until combined. Transfer to jars and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. The mousse will firm up as it cools.
These mousses have a very light pink color. If you want them to be more colorful I guess you could stir in half a teaspoon of beetroot powder when blending the strawberries. I didn't use any as I thought it looked more natural this way. You could also use half strawberries and half raspberries, I tried it and the color was a bit pinker.
💬 FAQ
- Can I use other berries to make this recipe? Of course! I'm sure raspberries, blueberries, or even cherries would taste delicious!
- Can I omit the coconut cream? Unfortunately not, the coconut cream not only helps the mousses firm up once chilled, but it also brings some creaminess.
- How long do these strawberry mousses keep? These mousses will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
These aquafaba mousses are fluffy, light, and not too sweet. It makes the perfect summer dessert, plus it's very low in calories! Yep, it's good for your waistline!
🍫 More Vegan Mousse Recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
- Vanilla Custard, Chocolate Mousse & Caramel Parfaits
- Chocolate Mousse Praline Domes
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Aquafaba Mousse
Ingredients
- 7 ounces fresh strawberries (the sweetest you can find)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or seeds from one vanilla bean
- ⅔ cup coconut cream*
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon agar powder
- ⅓ cup aquafaba (from one 15-ounce can chickpeas)
- toppings: coconut cream, chocolate shavings, fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Place the strawberries, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. You should get a thin juice. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add the coconut cream to a medium size saucepan. In a small bowl, dissolve the agar with the water and add to the saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking regularly until it just starts to boil. Remove from heat as soon as it starts boiling.
- Pour the hot coconut cream into the bowl containing the strawberry juice and stir to combine. Let cool 20-25 minutes, or until just warm. It should not be hot.
- If you haven't already, drain the chickpeas from the can and reserve the juice (aquafaba). Place the aquafaba into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, whip the aquafaba on high speed until firm peak forms, about 5 minutes. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the aquafaba losing its shape. Don't be scared to whip for at least 5 minutes.
- Pour half of the coconut strawberry juice into the bowl and carefully fold it into the aquafaba using a spatula. Once fully combined, pour the rest of the strawberry juice and fold again until the juice is completely integrated into the aquafaba. Try not to overmix, stop as soon as it's combined and no juice remains at the bottom of the bowl. The batter should be very light and fluffy.
- Use a spoon to transfer the strawberry mousse to jars. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Before serving, top with a dollop of coconut cream and chocolate shavings! The mousses will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
This looks so light and delicious! You are a true wizard. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Thanks Tine!
I made this but only used half the aquafaba as not to dilute the strawberry flavor. It was perfect and my guests loved it! Delicious and light!
Glad you liked it Cyndee, thanks for your feedback! 🙂
hello thomas!
i tried this recipe yesterday and i was awesome. i loved it. i made extra juice of strawberries, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and added as a layer between the mousse and the whipped coconut cream before serving.
c'est trop bon!
Thanks for the feedback and rating Rebato! I'm glad you liked the recipe, and the addition of strawberry syrup between the mousse is a great idea! I'm definitely trying it next time 😉
Easy to prepare, light, and oh so yummy. You are a genius!
Thanks Ida!
Wow! I think I have found a new gem in the vegan community to follow 😉
Love your blog and the beautiful recipes!
🙂 Thanks for the kind words Huyen!
What I don't get about aqua faba.. isn't it to salty for dessert?
It's not, in fact aquafaba is mostly used in desserts and sweet recipes 🙂
Merci beaucoup pour cette délicieuse recette qui a ébloui tous les invités. Une texture très agréable, même trois jours après, parfaitement équilibrée en terme de saveurs. Je l'ai faite avec un mélange de fruits rouges décongelés préalablement et utilisé le jus de décongélation à la place de l'eau. J'ai hâte de tester d'autres recettes de votre site. Merci pour votre créativité. Estelle
Super ! Content que ce dessert ai plu à vos invités Estelle 🙂
Merci pour le retour et la note !
This looks amazing I can’t wait to try it! Where did you get your jars?
The jars are from Weck 🙂 You can probably find them on Amazon.
That looks amazing.
Looks great! Can this mousse be frozen?
I have never tried, I guess so.
Hi Thomas, another great recipe from you, thanks! I made this and while the taste was great, it came out a little too frothy/airy, without the richness I hope for in a mousse. Do you have any ideas about what I might not have done quite right? Or any suggestions for adding just a bit more creaminess? Could I increase the amount of coconut cream (and if so, would I have to add more agar?). Any suggestions welcome, as I enjoyed this and will definitely make it again!
Hi Nancy, thanks for your feedback!
If you want to make it richer, then yes I would recommend adding a bit more coconut cream (try adding 1/3 cup), or a nut butter that is not overpowering like raw cashew butter, or coconut butter. You may also increase the agar to 1 tsp. Keep us updated in you try it!
Hi Thomas-
If i were going to add this as a filling into some panna cotta molds, would i add them before the mousse has set or would i wait until it has set and try to pipe it in? I've never worked with mousse before so i didn't know what the best way to go about using mousse is put it where it needs to be before it sets or after.
Kevin,
This mousse might be too soft to use in a layered dessert I'm afraid.
Can I make it without any cream? Can I dissolve agar agar in water?
Cream is a essential here as it helps make it firmer and creamier.
I refrigerated my can of of coconut milk that had only 12-14% milk fat so it didn't get hard at all. But I used it anyway and it still came out good!
Thanks for your rating! 🙂
Used this as a reference for my special tonight! Worked very well - I used pectin instead of agar, a 1/1 ratio and it set very nicely! And I used coconut water instead of regular water to emulsify the pectin, because we've already got some from the open coconut milk cans, and might as well not waste it. I also blended some fresh basil in with the strawberry juice and garnished with micro basil. it's delicious! Well done and thank you!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks! I'm glad to hear pectin worked!
hi Thomas
What are the size of the serving jars? how many ounces?
Hi Waleed, about 7-oz jars.
Used this as a reference for my special tonight! Worked very well - I used pectin instead of agar, a 1/1 ratio and it set very nicely! And I used coconut water instead of regular water to emulsify the pectin, because we've already got some from the open coconut milk cans, and might as well not waste it. I also blended some fresh basil in with the strawberry juice and garnished with micro basil. it's delicious! Well done and thank you!
Hi Thomas,
I have all ingredients except xanthan gum or cream of tartar. Can I go ahead and make it without it or is it essential for this recipe? What does it do to the mousse? Please advise. Thank you!
Hi Kana,
Xanthan gum is optional, it just makes it quicker to whip the aquafaba.
Hi Thomas,
If I use a can of coconut cream instead of coconut milk, can I just pour 2/3 cup of it or does it still have to be the top part of it?
Hi Kanako,
It has to be the hard part, discard the liquid.
I am thinking topping a home made napolitan frozen vegan cake with this mousse. Have you tried to freeze it? Does it hold its shape and texture?
I'm afraid I have never tried freezing this mousse, sorry.
I'm going to attempt a cranberry mousse pie with this recipe as a base. I will substitute arrowroot for agar as I don't eat corn products. Any and all advice is welcome!
I'm afraid arrowroot is not a good substitute for agar, it won't help the mousse firm up the same way unfortunately.
Agar is a seaweed product NOT corn