Indulgent yet surprisingly healthy, chefs on their take on chocolate mousse

Looking for healthy yet indulgent chocolate desserts that can act as a pick-me-up on a hot summer afternoon? We’ve got you covered. Social media has been going loco with finding ways to make creamy chocolate mousse using some unlikely ingredients. These recipes come together in a jiffy and use two to three items that can be easily found in your kitchen. Chefs, who have tried their hands at this viral vegan, gluten and guilt-free recipes, share how they have given it their own unique twist.
For Chef Shivesh Bhatia (@shivesh17), the idea was to create something slightly healthier than a usual dessert with easily accessible simple ingredients. “Chocolate mousse cake is usually made with whipped cream but I decided to use hung curd instead because it’s creamy and pairs very well with chocolate,” he shares, adding that the key is to make sure the hang the curd looses all its excess water. You can also use good quality Greek yoghurt.

Bhatia goes on to say, “I made it without any sweetener and it’s perfect this way for anyone who prefers their dessert to be less sweet. You could decorate it with berries and make it super pretty or simply dust it with cocoa powder like I did!”

Nutritionist and content creator Emily English (@emthenutritionist) posted about a chocolate mousse that went viral on TikTok and Instagram. A silky smooth consistency and perfect to meal prep as a pick-me-up during the week, this tofu dessert is healthy and vegan as it is dairy-free.

In her caption, English wrote, “Always sceptical about these healthy takes on desserts, this one is worth the hype. High in protein, rich and satisfying, and definitely worth a try.” To make it, blend silken tofu with melted dark chocolate, cocoa powder, honey or agave and salt. Store in individual airtight containers in the fridge and serve with fresh fruits.

A chocolate mousse cake made with apples? It may sound incredulous but food content creator Parth Bajaj (@parthbajaj) says, “It was so good. You could barely taste the apples. It is dairy-free and gluten-free as well. It is not uncommon to use applesauce as an egg substitute as it is often used in vegan desserts. This mousse cake is full of fibre as I didn’t strain the apples after I blended them.”

Apples have a natural sweetness to them and they lend it well to this dessert. It also has pectin, which is a carbohydrate and helps the dessert set well. Peel and boil the apples and then blend them. To this, add the melted high-quality chocolate along with vanilla extract. Pout it in a container and set it in the fridge. Take it out, sprinkle it with cocoa powder and top it with hazelnuts.

Chef Sneha Singhi Upadhaya, a content creator, recreated a viral chocolate dessert made by blending rice. “I was extremely sceptical about trying this recipe out, but I’m so glad that I did,” she tells us.

Likening it to chocolate kheer, she goes on to add, “The chocolate rice cake is to start with one of the easiest recipes to make, and it is very different from anything that you tasted before it’s smooth while having a slight chew to it, it sets beautifully in any shape you’d want it to and if I had to compare it to something, it kind of tastes like chocolate kheer, but mashed.”