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My easy coffee mousse recipe uses 5 simple ingredients and turns out fluffy and creamy. It’s buzzing with coffee flavor, and my family swears it’s better than tiramisu.
If you’re looking for more light and airy mousse recipes, try my strawberry mousse, lemon mousse, mango mousse, or peanut butter mousse next.
Table of Contents
If there’s one thing my family loves, it’s desserts…and coffee. Well, that’s two things, but you get the point.
When I want an indulgent treat to feed a crowd, or I need a little pick-me-up after a big dinner, I make this coffee mousse recipe. You don’t need fancy kitchen gadgets to make it, yet the results are a decadent treat every coffee lover will adore (and I should know–my family are coffee snobs!).
Why I love this recipe
- Convenient. There are no beating egg whites, no tempering egg yolks, and no boiling gelatine.
- Perfect for dinner parties. I make this for my friends whenever I’m hosting as a post-dinner caffeine fix–alongside espresso, of course.
- Easy to make ahead. Since it’s a no-bake recipe, I can whip it up (literally) in the morning and simply garnish it before serving.
- Flexible. I tested this recipe a dozen times to figure out how to make it dairy-free, caffeine-free, and refined sugar-free.
- Velvety smooth, fluffy, and rich. Like avocado chocolate mousse, this recipe leaves no room for wanting.
Key ingredients
- Heavy whipping cream. The cream is whipped until it’s light and fluffy. You want it to have the perfect creamy texture, so don’t skimp with low-fat substitutions.
- Milk. This tempers the strong coffee flavors.
- Strong coffee or espresso. Freshly brewed, then cooled. Don’t worry about using expensive coffee; just use any everyday brand.
- Powdered sugar. To sweeten the mousse.
- Dark chocolate. Melted chocolate balances the mousse with a more pleasantly sweet flavor. You can use milk chocolate instead, but it will make the mousse sweeter.
How to make coffee mousse
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Whip. Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. In a separate large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
Step 2- Combine. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate and coffee mixture.
Step 3- Serve. Spoon the mousse into serving containers and refrigerate briefly before serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Chill the cream AND the mixing bowl. I find the fastest and most efficient way to make whipped cream is to make sure all of the ingredients and equipment are very cold.
- Work in batches. If you stir the chocolate mixture all at once, you’ll lose air in the whipped cream, and the mousse will lose its classic fluffy texture.
- Garnish. I like to top the mousse with a dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate-covered coffee beans for an extra finishing touch.
Variations
- Enhance the coffee taste. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso powder or instant coffee granules.
- Decaf. Use decaffeinated coffee for a caffeine-free mousse.
- Sugar-free. Use powdered sugar substitute and sugar-free chocolate chips.
Frequently asked questions
I’ve only tested this recipe with heavy cream and whole milk, but it should still work with dairy free alternatives. Use a vegan whipped cream alternative and full-fat coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk instead of regular milk. Make sure the dark chocolate is dairy-free as well, or melt vegan chocolate chips instead.
Sort of. If anything, this mousse recipe tastes more like a mocha than strong black coffee! If you’re not a fan of the coffee flavor, reduce the coffee/espresso to 2 tablespoons and increase the melted chocolate by 1 or 2 ounces.
Coffee Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
- 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
- 4 ounces dark chocolate melted and cooled
Instructions
- Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, combine milk, cooled coffee, powdered sugar, and melted chocolate.
- Gently fold whipped cream into the coffee-chocolate mixture.
- Divide the mousse into serving glasses or bowls and refrigerate for at least two hours, or until set.
Notes
Nutrition
More coffee-infused recipes to try
Originally published July 2023, updated and republished January 2025
Wow! Coffee, mousse and chocolate-what can be better!
It is actually like coffee milkshake! I would love it so much.
I am addicted to coffee. That means this recipe is a must!
This is absolutely divine delicious. So light and flavorful!
Thanks, Stacey!
What’s on top? I don’t see it in the recipe. A bit of chocolate?
Melted chocolate 🙂 Will update the recipe card
Amazing ❤️
Delicious and so easy to make. I had to use up my whipping cream that was expiring so that is why I wanted to make mousse. I used Hu chocolate chips and Swerve confectioners sugar sub. When I added melded chocolate into the milk mixture, my chocolate hardened so I nucted it for a few seconds and it melted again. I gave it a few minutes to cool and then added my whipping cream. Everything turned out perfect. Next time I’ll add more coffee for stronger coffee flavor. Thank you for this great recipe! My husband said that this is the best thing I’ve made!
Love this recipe
Great recipe! I used coconut cream instead of the milk, increased the coffee to 1/2 cup, and added 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, and it was fantastic!
Fabulous. I thought the coffee and chocolate flavours were more intense the next day. I used dark chocolate and espresso coffee so it needed more icing sugar. I started out trying to make this with coconut whipping cream and coconut milk. I didn’t think the coconut whipping cream was stiff or sturdy enough for the chocolate coffee mixture. I couldn’t taste the coconut milk.
Hi, would you please let us know how you topped the mousse in your photo? Is it just melted chocolate, a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder? Thank you!
YTes! It’s a thin layer of melted chocolate 🙂
This was delicious! Since I have to avoid sugar, I used allulose instead of sugar, and Lily’s dark chocolate chips. Very easy to make!
Thank you for all of the recipes you share with us. This was delicious and it is now on my monthly rotation list. I do have one issue and that is with your nutritional information. Something has to be wrong with the program you are using. For K Calories it says Calories: 271kcal for one serving. I am in the US and as you probably know we don’t use K Cals, but the conversion from K Cal to Calories is 1000 to 1, thus if correct a serving would be 271,000 calories. Am I missing something?
Does the dark chocolate need to be cooking chocolate or just off the shelf ready to eat chocolate?
Either works, as long as it melts 🙂
I want to make one-day it yummy
I’m in Australia- Is heavy cream thickened cream, pure cream or dollop cream?
Great recipe! I definitely will be making this soon.
How would you make this as a mint version please?
Add peppermint extract.
Can you use a confectioners sugar substitute trying to cut back on the sugar intake