This is the creamiest, the dreamiest low carb dessert ever. Sugar-free chocolate mousse in a grain-free chocolate cookie crust. It’s no bake and so easy to make!
For a recipe developer, there are some recipes that bring with them that AHA moment. That “Aha, this method/ingredient/recipe is so perfect, so right, so easy, I need to remember this for future use”. I find that those moments stick with me, and I can call them up at will. It’s amazing, really, since I can’t remember what day it is half the time, or what I walked into that room to get. My life is busy and my brain is over-cluttered, and I lose my keys and my phone (and my mind!) constantly. But those little recipe AHA moments seemingly get filed away in some very organized brain-space and then are put on lockdown, awaiting the moment I need them. It certainly makes my job easier that I don’t have to struggle to recall those important bits and pieces.
And in this particular case, that little bit of recipe information didn’t have to wait long to be recalled. When I created my Easy Blender Chocolate Mousse, I was most eager to put that sucker to use again. It’s such a good recipe on its own, of course, but my brain instantly recognized that it would also be great as a component of other recipes. Cakes, tarts, pies, fillings for cookies maybe, oh, how about in pavlova? The possibilities are endless. I have plans for this stuff. Important, chocolate-filled plans.
Plan Numero Uno has already been executed. A super easy, no bake tart with a chocolate crust, chocolate mousse filling, and a whipped cream topping. An impressive low carb dessert that looks and tastes like you put some serious elbow grease into it, but that honestly only takes 30 minutes to whip up. It does need to set for while, but this is one dessert you can make a few hours in advance of guests arriving, all without turning on the oven. Just press that crust into place, blend the filling ingredients, pour in and let set. Then spread some lightly sweetened whipped cream, shave a little dark chocolate and you’re done. No fuss and minimal muss.
And mind-glowingly chocolate-y deliciousness ensues. This was so, SO good that I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. Plan Number One of Operation Blender Mousse is a resounding success.
No Bake Chocolate Mousse Tart
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 5 tbsp butter melted
Chocolate Mousse Filling:
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 3/4 cup unsweetened nut milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 ounces good quality unsweetened dark chocolate chopped (do not use sweetened chocolate here, as your mousse may not set properly)
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 6 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder optional, boosts chocolate flavour
- 3 large eggs*
Topping:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 ounce dark sugar-free chocolate
Instructions
Crust:
- Lightly grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture clumps together.
- Press firmly and evenly into bottom and up sides of prepared tart pan. Refrigerate until filling is ready.
Chocolate Mousse:
- In a small pan, combine cream, almond or cashew milk, and butter. Bring to a full boil and then remove from heat.
- In a blender, combine unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, sweetener, and espresso powder. Pour in scalded cream mixture and blend until smooth.
- Add eggs and blend again until smooth (*if you are concerned about the eggs, use pasteurized shell eggs such as Safest Choice). Pour into chilled crust and chill until firm, at least 1 hour. Gently press the tart pan from the bottom to remove the sides and place on a serving platter.
Topping:
- Beat whipping cream with sweetener and vanilla until it holds stiff peaks. Spread over mousse to the edges of the tart.
- Using a cheese grater, shave the dark chocolate over the whipping cream. Let set a bit in the refrigerator before serving.
Notes
Total fat: 33.46g
Calories from fat: 301
Cholesterol: 122mg
Carbohydrate: 7.95g
Total dietary fiber: 4.04g
Protein: 6.64g
KB says
How do you think this would do as a freeze-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving?
Carolyn says
I’ve never tried freezing it, to be honest. I think it should be okay.
Cheryl says
I love every recipe of your that I’ve tried so far! I’m grateful for all the hard work you put into developing all these wonderful recipes!
I would love too try this recipe but I’m allergic to egg whites. I’m wondering if I could omit them and add another yolk or two?
Carolyn says
That might work! Do keep in mind that a high powered blender is pretty important here to get it set properly. The times people have had issues with this recipe, it’s because regular blenders just don’t whip it up the way it needs to be. I would do at least 2 more yolks, and I would be ready to add a bit more xanthan gum as well. Or glucomannan, which has become my favorite thickener.
Cheryl says
Thanks! I have a Vitamix blender as well as xanthan gum and glucomannan. I’m going to give it a try this coming weekend.
Tara says
Mmmmmm. This is my very favorite low carb dessert–it has been for years and it never gets old. I also love that there is no baking involved–perfect for summer cooking.. I just made it again. This time for chocolate I used a Lindt’s 95% cocoa chocolate bar because that’s all I had here (usually I use unsweetened chocolate–I just didn’t have any on hand today). As usual it set up for me beautifully and it tastes WONDERFUL. I have made this many times and I almost never follow the recipe exactly (For example, I almost never have nut milk at my house–I usually sub water. I have no idea what size of eggs I use. I almost never buy Swerve–today I used a combination of granulated Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener [the white kind] and liquid stevia glycerite to sweeten it–I didn’t measure either of the sweeteners–I just added them to the running blender until I liked how it tasted). It always sets up for me like a charm. I always use a Vitamix blender to blend it. Thanks for the delicious recipes! Yours are my favorites!
Heather says
Would it be ok to use heavy cream in place of the nut milk? We are not fans of nut milk so I don’t really buy it much.
Carolyn says
Sure. I find it thickens even more with just cream but some people have trouble getting it to set so I think it would work.
Jordan says
Mine is not setting u and it’s been 2 hrs 🙁 I used the unsweetened chocolate and I used a certain type of trivia as it’s the exact same ingredients as swerve. It’s heavy bulk like sugar. Any ideas why it might not be setting. I did everything else exact. Could I put it in the freezer???
Carolyn says
Sorry but it’s impossible that you used Truvia with the exact same ingredients as Swerve. Truvia is made with erythritol and stevia and Swerve is made with Erythritol and oligosaccharides. Those oligosaccharides add fiber (it’s a prebiotic fiber similar to inulin) which helps this mousse set. That is why yours didn’t set.
YEs, you can freeze it and it will still be delicious.
Erin Kruger says
For the filling can you replace the nut milk for whole milk or cream? And for the unsweetened dark chocolate chopped, can you use dark chocolate that’s sweetened with stevia like Lily’s?
Carolyn says
No, you can’t use Lily’s it doesn’t set properly. Nut milk works for the milk but you really need unsweetened chocolate.
Kalie Kurutz says
I made this a couple weeks back and LOVED it!!I decided to make it again tonight for a family get together and it doesn’t seem like it is setting right. I followed the recipe and made it just as I did before. It has been in the fridge for about 4 hours and still seems very much like pudding. Any idea what could’ve went wrong??! 🙁
Carolyn says
Sorry, I really don’t know why it wouldn’t if you followed it both times. Perhaps your cream wasn’t hot enough?
Jael Adams says
I made this and used mini muffin pans to make bite size tarts, it worked out perfectly and was delicious!
Moonyean LeFevre says
Can this recipe be made with coconut cream in place of heavy whipping cream for a dairy free version?
Carolyn says
Yes it can!
Pam says
Oops I mean adding the eggs and tempering them after you’ve brought the filling to a rolling boil.
Carolyn says
Sure you could try that.
Pam says
Hi,
This dessert looks amazing! Is it possible to add the eggs when you scald the milk so that you’re not using uncooked eggs?
Lori says
I hope mine will set. I watched the mousse video after I made my tart! I should have watched it first. It said the cream, almond milk, butter mixture should be very hot or the mousse will not set. Mine was probably just warm as I removed it from the stove while I prepared everything else. I wonder if everyone else that has trouble with the mousse setting did not have the cream, almond milk, and butter mixture very hot when they added to the blender. In the video, hers was steaming hot. We will see in about an hour.
Lori says
Mine is not setting up completely. I am convinced it was because the mixture was not very hot before adding to blender. I used all the ingredients as recommended otherwise. I will know the next time!
Lori says
No fear! I froze it and it makes a wonderful chocolate ice cream pie.
Kathryn Dowis says
I made this recipe again without success. I used identical ingredients (unsweetened chocolate, Costco large Organic eggs, powdered Swerve, and the same cream and milk) to my friend and followed her steps EXACTLY. Hers always sets into a thick mousse, mine is runny and like a pudding. She owns a Vitamix and I don’t. I have a Costco Ninja, but it doesn’t seem to have the power needed to whip it into a pudding state. She has altered hers with Coconut milk, medium wild eggs, and even granulated Swerve sugar when she ran out of other ingredients and it still works beautifully in her Vitamix. I am convinced it is the blender! Thus, if you don’t have a really powerful blender, like a Vitamix, then I believe you should automatically put in the 1/4 tsp xanthum gum. I will be trying another one today with my Ninja and the xanthum gum and we will see if it sets. I have made 4 times without success but I am determined because I know how good it can be when it actually sets!
Carolyn says
Hey Kathryn, thank you so much for this feedback. Truly informative!
Danae Kirschman says
Made this for Easter yesterday and it was amazing! I love your recipes♥️
Robyn says
I made this for a work function yesterday. It was AMAZING! I didn’t think anyone would hardly touch it since I labeled it sugar free and grain free. It was devoured and I had so many compliments on how much people loved it. After reading reviews I did add just a pinch of xantham gum to the egg mixture. It setup up beautifully! I didn’t have a tart pan so I used a cheesecake pan. It still looked pretty! Thank you – will be making this again!