This decadent Chocolate Mousse Cups recipe offers the perfect personal-sized, make-ahead dessert. The mousse is smooth and creamy, and irresistible fluffy, with a rich dark chocolate flavor. This dessert begs you to savor every single spoonful!
I find it very hard to resist a good chocolate mousse, especially when it’s made with a deeper, darker chocolate. This recipe for Chocolate Mousse Cups has been a favorite in our family for more than a decade. It’s absolutely perfect for special occasions such as Valentine’s Day or a wedding shower – everyone adores having their own little special cup of dessert! For more personal-portioned sweet treats, try this Mini Cream Puffs with Vanilla Pastry Cream recipe, these Oreo Cheesecake Bites, and Cookie Dough Truffles.
Why These Chocolate Mousse Cups Are Completely Swoon-Worthy
This recipe was inspired by an Alaskan cruise that Blake and I enjoyed in 2015. Aboard the Ruby Princess, sponsored guests of Princess Cruises, this was a wonderful experience that we’ll never forget. Chocolate mousse is one of my favorite sweet treats, and Norman Love created several different GORGEOUS variations for Princess; my favorite was the heart-shaped chocolate mousse dessert called the Love Boat Dream, with fresh berry sauce and whipped cream (see the photo below). So this is my homemade version that captures all those flavors, in an easy-to-make-at-home form. I just love recreating delicious vacation memories to enjoy for years to come!
- Flexible serving options. If you don’t have dessert cups or ramekins, dig out some short canning jars. Even tea cups will do!
- Perfect for a party. This chocolate mousse recipe is great for entertaining, as it needs to be made ahead of time. It’s also so fun to treat guests to their very own individually portioned dessert!
- Deep, rich chocolate flavor. I always use 60% bittersweet chocolate in this recipe, and think it’s absolutely perfect. My recipe also includes a little brewed espresso (or strong coffee), which adds some oomph to the chocolate. If you’re not a fan of darker chocolate, I offer variations in the section “Tips For Perfect Chocolate Mousse + A Variation”.
A little more fun info on this dessert! If you watched TV in the 70’s and 80’s, you know that the popular Love Boat series was filmed aboard Princess cruise ships, sailing to beautiful, exotic destinations around the globe. Remember Captain Stubing and his daughter Vicki, Julie (my favorite character), Gopher, Isaac, and Doc? They made for a very entertaining crew. And it was always fun to watch the celebrity guest appearances in each week’s new show. Do you also remember Charo?!
Enjoy!
What You’ll Need
The ingredients list for these chocolate mousse cups is simple! Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions.
- Heavy cream – Make sure it’s cold. Do not substitute a lighter option like half-and-half or milk; the fat in heavy cream is what allows it to hold its creamy, whipped structure.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the very best flavor.
- Eggs – Separate the yolks from the whites; you’ll use both at different points in the recipe.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter, at room temperature.
- Espresso – Or strong coffee. Brew it and then let it cool. This amps up the chocolate flavor and does not make the dessert taste like coffee.
- Sugar – A small amount of granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the darker chocolate.
- Salt – A bit of sea salt balances and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Chocolate – Use a good quality bittersweet. I like Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate.
- Garnishes – Sweetened whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and fresh strawberries or raspberries.
How to Make Chocolate Mousse Cups
Here’s a visual guide to making these chocolate mousse cups.
- Beat the cream. Add the cream and vanilla extract to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.
- Warm the yolk mixture. Combine the yolks, butter, espresso, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt in a large metal bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly while the mixture warms to 160ºF; it should be lighter in color and nearly doubled in volume.
- Add the chocolate. Remove the bowl from the pan and whisk in the chopped chocolate until it melts. Let stand until the mixture is at room temperature, whisking occasionally.
- Beat the egg whites. Add the egg whites to a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat until the whites are foamy, then slowly beat in the remaining sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat to form stiff peaks.
- Combine the egg whites with chocolate. Fold the egg whites into the bowl with the chocolate mixture in 2 additions, then fold in the chilled whipped cream.
- Chill. Divide the chocolate mousse into ramekins or dessert cups, then refrigerate until the mousse is chilled and firm.
- Serve. Let the chocolate mousse cups stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, then serve with additional whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and berries.
Tips for Perfect Chocolate Mousse + A Variation
I promise, it’s easy to make chocolate mousse! Here are some additional pointers, plus a chocolate variation for those who prefer sweeter chocolate.
- Chill the bowl and beaters. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it does help when beating the whipped cream at the beginning of the recipe.
- Don’t over-mix. When folding together the egg whites and chocolate, and then the whipped cream into the egg white and chocolate mixture, you want to fold gently, just until combined. Mixing too much will deflate your mousse and it won’t be as airy and light.
- Get a head start. These chocolate mousse cups need to chill at least 2 hours to set, but you can also prepare them up to a day in advance. (They’ll last longer than this, but for optimal freshness, one day in advance is ideal!)
- Don’t like dark chocolate? Then use a good quality semi-sweet chocolate. If you’d like it even sweeter, use half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate.
How to Store Chocolate Mousse
- Refrigerator: Store these chocolate mousse cups in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Gently press plastic wrap directly onto the chilled mousse in the cups. This will help protect against freezer burn. Then place the mousse cups in a zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
More Recipes for Chocolate Lovers
- Fudgy Brownies – our family’s favorite brownies; my mom’s recipe!
- Chocolate Truffles
- Fudgy Chocolate Cake Cups
- Hot Chocolate
Chocolate Mousse Cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup brewed espresso or strong coffee, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 8 ounces good quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate)
- 4 large egg whites
- sweetened whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and fresh strawberries or raspberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.
- In a large metal bowl, combine egg yolks, butter, cooled espresso, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt. Set bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. Cook gently, whisking constantly, until mixture is lighter in color and almost doubled in volume. The mixture will be very frothy. When an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, it is done. This should take 1-5 minutes to achieve, depending on your heat, pan type, pan size, etc.
- Remove bowl from saucepan. Add chopped chocolate to the warm mixture and whisk until chocolate is melted and smoothly incorporated. Let stand, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes down to room temperature.
- Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a separate medium bowl on medium speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually beat in remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until firm peaks form.
- Fold egg whites gently into chocolate in 2 additions. Then fold whipped cream into mixture, until just evenly blended. Take care to do this gently and for as little time as possible, to keep the mixture airy.
- Divide chocolate mousse among six 6 to 8-ounce ramekins. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. This dessert can easily be prepared one day in advance. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
- Right before serving, add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, some chocolate shavings, and fresh berries.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2015, then updated in 2025. Blake and I were honored to be guests of Princess Cruises on a 7-day Alaska cruise in 2015 – that’s where the inspiration for this recipe came from.
Hello brenda..thanks for sharing my all time fav dessert recipe..I have a question regarding sugar division..the recipe says a T goes into yolks mixture another goes into whites..what abt the third one. .does it go into the heavy cream n vanilla?
Hello – thanks for catching that, and letting me know! There should be 2 tablespoons into the yolks, and 1 tablespoon into the egg whites. I just updated the recipe. I hope you like this! :)
Perfect! And no avocado. :-)
I can’t resist anything with chocolate. So creamy and smooth! An Alaskan cruise sounds fun :)
Oh man I totally want to go another cruise. The food is always soooooooo good! These little chocolate mousse cups are delicious too…yum!
I love these mousse cups, pretty and delicious, my favourite combination.
Ahhh, I’m still thinking about some of those desserts from Princess! I love that you came home and made a dessert that is accessible to the home cook. This looks amazing!!