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Raspberry Vanilla Mousse is the tastiest way to enjoy fresh or frozen raspberries! Light, airy, creamy and smooth, this egg-free mousse requires just a handful of ingredients to make. Perfect for serving in glass dessert cups or as cake or pie filling.
I don't see too many mousse recipes around - it's definitely underrated! Mousse is one of those things that sounds pretty fancy and hard to make but we should be making mousse all the time!
Eating a cup of mousse feels so indulgent but doesn't way you down. Fruit based mousses like this one, give you a bright and tangy flavor that truly highlights the ripeness and purity of the fruit you're using.
The fluffy, light, ultra creamy texture makes this dessert a mouthful of pure joy!
This is a great dessert idea for entertaining. It's impressive, easy, no-bake and can be made ahead of time.
What is mousse?
The word 'mousse' translates to 'foam' in French, which definitely describes what mousse is!
There are a bunch of different ways to make mousse. Some methods use raw eggs or just whipped cream. Flavors can include chocolate, mango, strawberry, caramel - even savory mousse is a thing!
I have to say, raspberry vanilla mousse might be my favorite. The bright, tart raspberry flavor paired with creamy, smooth vanilla feels so indulgent, but the airy light texture kind of pops around on your tongue - it's seriously a delight to eat!
How to make raspberry vanilla mousse
I'm not really into raw egg recipes (although, you can always pasteurize eggs at home for safety, which is a good idea) so this recipe uses gelatin to achieve that same airy structure that you would normally get from eggs.
Gelatin is VERY easy to work with. Just be sure to use unflavored, plain gelatin.
You'll need just a handful of simple ingredients:
- Fresh or frozen raspberries (thaw first)
- Granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract works too)
- Unflavored, plain gelatin powder
- Water
- Heavy cream
Here is a quick run down of making raspberry vanilla mousse. Be sure to watch the video to watch all the steps play out!
First, the raspberries need to be puréed. You can do this in a food processor or blender. I used the smoothie cup attachment for my Vitamix and it worked great!
This next step may take the most effort out of the entire recipe. The raspberries need to be strained.
Straining took a few minutes to do because if you've ever worked with a lot of raspberries, you know that they contain A TON of seeds!
After straining the berries, add the sugar and pinch of salt. Set aside for a moment.
In a small bowl, add the water and powdered gelatin. Allow the gelatin to set for 5 minutes. The gelatin is going to firm up completely in the bowl.
Next, we need to heat up the berry mixture and get it hot. We do this for two reasons:
- The sugar needs to completely dissolve in the puréed raspberries.
- The mixture needs to be hot so that the gelatin dissolves.
Once heated through, add the firm gelatin. This will need to be mixed in well and the gelatin needs to dissolve completely.
At this point, we're just about finished!
I let the mixture rest for about 20 minutes, then I add the vanilla bean paste to the warm raspberry purée; I feel like the gentle heat of the purée opens up the flavor of the vanilla, but it can also be added while chilled too.
Now that the mixture has cooled, the last step is folding in the whipped cream.
To make the whipped cream, I simply added plain ol' heavy cream to a large bowl and used the whisk attachment on my hand mixer. I like to make a very stiff whipped cream for this recipe so that there's no chance of losing any of that airy touch as it's mixed into the the raspberry part.
Ideally it's best to only fold the two ingredients together, but I kept noticing at the last stage of folding, there would always be a bunch of small clumps of whipped cream in the mousse. I found it was best to grab a whisk to get those pesky pockets out.
Lastly, divide the mousse among your cups and chill for at LEAST 4-6 hours, but this raspberry vanilla mousse can be made 24 hours in advance!
Raspberry Vanilla Mousse
Raspberry Vanilla Mousse is the tastiest way to enjoy fresh or frozen raspberries! Light, airy, creamy and smooth, this egg-free mousse requires just a handful of ingredients to make. Perfect for serving in glass dessert cups or as cake or pie filling.
- Total Time: 5+ hours
- Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 c of fresh or frozen raspberries (thaw first)
- ½ c granulated sugar (raw sugar can also be used)
- pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp cold water
- 1 ½ tsp plain, unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract can be used)
- 1 c heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Purée the raspberries in a food processor or blender.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl and strain the purée.
- Once finished, stir in the sugar and salt to the bowl.
- Next, in a small bowl, stir together the cold water and gelatin. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- In a small pot, heat the berry mixture on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. It's OK if the mixture simmers on the sides of the pot, but no need to bring to a full simmer or boil.
- Once the berry mixture is hot and the 5 minutes are up for the gelatin (it should be firm), add the gelatin to the pot.
- Stir and allow the gelatin to dissolve while the pot is on medium low heat. Do not allow the mixture to boil or simmer. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Once dissolved. pour the berry gelatin in a bowl. Set aside to cool.
- After about 20 minutes, add the vanilla bean paste to the gelatin mixture (it should be warm). Stir and allow the bowl to fully cool. This will take another 20-25 minutes.
- Next, make the whipped cream. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large bowl and whisk/beat the cream until stiff peaks form. I like to use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cooled raspberry gelatin until everything is combined. Use a whisk at the end to get rid of any small pockets of whipped cream.
- Pour the mixture into small dessert cups.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4-6 hours, up to 24 hours before serving.
Notes
Recipe by Owlbbaking
- Prep Time: 15min + 5+ hrs chill time
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Mousse
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 229
- Sugar: 28g
Keywords: raspberry mousse, frozen raspberries, no bake dessert, gelatin
DeAnna Leigh Laramie says
Will this hold up as a cake fillling? I'm looking to add this to the top layer of a wedding cake. I am assuming I would chill it first before adding
Liz says
Hi DeAnna! Yes, it should work just fine as a cake filling! And you are correct, it would need to be chilled and set before adding. 🙂