Hold on tight because this pudding is about to blow your mind! It's thick and rich, full of deep, dark chocolate flavor—and it's good for you! Like, you can eat this every day and not feel the least bit guilty about it. This kind-of-good-for-you vegan avocado chocolate mousse has gained popularity over the last few years.
So if you haven't tried it, now is the time, my friend! Read on to learn how to make your own.
Vegan Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Let's talk about avocados for a second. They just so happen to be the star of this recipe and one of the healthiest foods you can add to your diet. They're known to be rich in monounsaturated fats and are said to help lower bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels [source], which may help improve heart health. Researchers are not entirely sure how avocados do this.
A study looking at the effect of adding one avocado a day to one group of subjects on a moderate-fat diet showed bad fat levels went down most in the avocado-eating group, even more than the folks placed on a diet lower in fat than they were on. This led the investigators to conclude that there is something beyond just the healthy fats in this fruit that lowers cholesterol [source].
Avocados are high in fiber as well as vitamins C, E, B6, folate, and potassium—all of that in a tasty package rich in fats with absolutely zero cholesterol [source]! (Um, can your chocolate cake do that?)
To transform avocados into a mousse-like consistency, all you really need is cocoa powder, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and almond milk.
Look for an almond milk that's free from dairy, gluten, carrageenan, cholesterol, and artificial colors & flavors, so your mousse actually tastes like mousse and not some chemical-laden processed snack.
Next comes cocoa powder, which is naturally rich in antioxidants and flavonoids and has been shown to have positive effects on cardiovascular health [source]. I think cocoa powder is perfect for giving this a rich, chocolate-y flavor, but I've known other food bloggers who add melted chocolate to theirs, and they say it's to die for.
So feel free to experiment with that if you like to play with your recipes—just be sure to let me know how it is!
But even without all the healthy stuff, the creamy texture and rich taste of this pudding are absolutely dreamy. You truly can have your pudding and eat it too!
To make your mousse, all you need is a blender, to which you'll add a few avocados, a splash of almond milk, a touch of maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend it all up for 60 seconds, and you'll end up with the smoothest, richest chocolate mousse you've ever had.
Oh, and the raspberries on top are optional, but they taste amazing!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1–2 teaspoons pure maple syrup to taste
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- fresh fruits, chocolate flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Place avocados, cocoa powder, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in the jar of a blender.
- Puree until smooth, stopping when needed to scrape down the sides. The mixture will be very thick and mousse-like. Add a little more almond milk if needed to thin out a bit.
- Spoon the pudding into dessert cups and top with fresh raspberries, chocolate flakes, or other fun toppings.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow's medical review board here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Photos by Ana-Maria Stanciu
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Elizabeth A Margolis says
How many calories? Fat grams?
Anita Richards says
Yes! I am not actually vegan myself but totally down for THIS recipe. I’ve made it a number of times and found that the softer the avocados the better. Also using cacao nibs added an extra depth to the chocolates goodness if you like dark chocolate.
Thank you for the recipe reminder it’s been a while and I’m eagerly anticipating making a batch again soon.
Anita xxx
Kaelen says
I am definitely going to try this - I have made vegan chocolate cupcakes before and people go crazy for them, not even knowing that it has avocado in it - they just taste really moist and chocolatey.
xoKaelen | <a href="https://darlingmarcelle.com"> Darling Marcelle</a>
Lynsey says
Are you able to confirm the nutritional values of this? Thanks
Jaimee W says
Not sure if this helps, but I have read in a lot of places that the riper the avocado, the stronger the "avocado" flavor is. This might be why some people are experiencing that flavor and others are not.
Kristin says
Do you use unsweetened almond milk or sweetened in this recipe?
Heather says
Love it! I have been refined sugar free for 5 years so my opinion of "sweet" is much different from someone who eats "normal" sweets. This is so much like how I remember pudding! I actually used honey and it was really good. Thank you for sharing!
K says
Tasted bitter and too strongly of avocado. Added some frozen bananas, honey and extra maple syrup but still didn't really work out.
Ami says
I added honey, extra vanilla and a pinch of salt. I also used 2%milk as I am not a vegan. It was so rich , creamy and delicious. This recipe should be a vegan chocolate pudding rather than mousse because it tasted exactly like chocolate pudding and had the exact texture of pudding as well. It's even better if you refrigerate it for an hour before eating. So good!
Shannon says
I used dark chocolate almond milk and added about 1/4 of a very ripe banana. Absolutely decadent!
Maria says
I I put some honey and decorated with a banana. It was very good.
Gary says
Ick. Tastes like bitter avocados. Better if sugar added, but still not up to par. Sorry...give me unhealthy mousse.
Stasiana says
Followed recipe to a T, but this recipe may not satisfy those who know how a traditional chocolate mousse should taste, much less any chocolate dessert. It tasted like Avocado blended with cocoa powder. Even after improvising with more and different sweetener, it just wasn't the smooth chocolate flavour I was after.
Christianna says
This is a heavenly dessert, especially with one more teaspoon of cocoa powder and a little more maple syrup. Since this is touted as "healthy", it seems logical that you would publish the nutrition information (not just calories and fat). Where can I find that information? Thanks.
Bethany says
This recipe looks great! How does it keep? Have you ever made enough to keep some for the next day? Do you think I can make it a day ahead and keep it in the fridge overnight for a party the next day?
Ami says
I kept mine in a covered dish and it lasted in the fridge a couple of days.
Ramona says
I will try this tonight. I eat a ton of avocado and just made a chocolate cake with olive oil and maple syrup that is outstanding; light and fluffy. I want to make a "frosting" but haven't found anything healthy yet. I need to replace the whipping cream and butter that I currently use to make "frosting." Otherwise the ingredients are exactly the same.
Ramona says
Ok, did it! Love it! Didn't taste any avocado. Now, I added a bit more cacao powder because I love chocolate. I did fat-free organic milk bc I'm vegetarian. If you think you like it sweeter add more maple syrup. Also try semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of powder for a sweeter taste. Maybe a banana? Anyway this is my new go to "frosting." Thank you Lindsey!
Liss says
Hi Ramona! I've been looking for a good chocolate cake recipe, do you mind sharing the one you used?
Diane says
Hi there, I made this yesterday and was really excited to taste the final product but I didn't love it. I'm not vegan and not sure if I eat too many dairy-based desserts to appreciate this, but this tasted like I was eating an avocado with a slight chocolate flavor -- definitely not dessert. It makes sense since it's an avocado base but it didn't really taste like an appetizing dessert to me. It was creamy but definitely not a chocolate mousse taste. Was the avocado taste really heavy in yours too?
Lindsey Johnson says
Not really...it had a very dark chocolate flavor. I don't eat a lot of sugar, so sweet to me is probably less sweet to other people. If you were to make it again, I would suggest adding more cocoa powder and more sweetener to offset the flavor of the avocado. I also think some avos are more strongly flavored than others. (Full disclosure: at our house avocado is most often eaten in a sweet way - my husband is Brazilian.)