Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse

This Cashew Chocolate Mousse tastes just like a really good Mousse au Chocolate from France but is made with Cashews instead of cream and eggs. Using just 5 ingredients and a high speed blender, this makes a super indulgent, yet healthy and high protein chocolate mousse in 5 minutes.

Why You Will Love This

Lactose Free

Using cashews and protein powder instead of cream and eggs makes this vegan (if you are using vegan protein powder and chocolate that is), lactose free and utterly delicious.

Secretly Healthy

I bet if you serve this to your guests, they will have absolutely no idea they are eating something that is actually good for them. The Cashews add healthy fats, magnesium and a good dose of protein on their own. Then we add protein powder for even more nutrition.

Deeply Chocolatey

While you could just use raw cacao powder to keep this in the realm of whole foods, I wanted a really indulgent Mousse au Chocolate experience, which I feel you only get by using melted chocolate. I used 70% cocoa content, which keeps this still in the “good for you realm” if enjoyed with reason. But then, sometimes too much of a good thing can be wonderful.

Super Quick

While you’d ideally soak the cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes, unless you have a Vitamix or similar high speed blender, the actual process couldn’t be quicker. 1-2 minutes of blending and your Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse is ready to enjoy.
Leave it in the fridge for a while and it will get even thicker and closer to “real” Mousse au Chocolate.

Adaptable

Add flavourings – You can take this into lots of different directions flavour wise. I love to add some amaretto, giving it a hint of almond flavour, really bringing out the nutty notes of chocolate. A teaspoon of instant espresso, to emphasize it even more is welcome too.
Or you might go into the After Eight direction, by adding just a drop or two of mint oil or mint liqueur.
Grate some orange zest into it, to get the dark chocolate-orange flavour, or add fresh raspberries for a fruity kick.

Use different nuts – I’ve made this with different ratios of cashews and almonds, but find it comes out smoothest with just cashews. Though the almonds do add a lovely flavour component, so I encourage you to experiment with it if you like.

Use different liquid to nut ratio – If you like your Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse on the even richer side, add less plant milk, which will result in an incredibly dense and indulgent consistency. Less mousse like, more like a chocolate pie filling, which it can be used for as well.

Use different Chocolate – You can absolutely make this with milk or white chocolate if you prefer. Just be mindful that this will add more sugar and fat content.

The Ingredients

Cashews – When you soak and blend cashews with some liquid, they make an incredible cream you can use for all sorts of things. Either go the savoury route with dressings or aioli or the sweet one, with this like this Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse.
All you need for the magic to happen is a high speed blender. The one I have is a simple Nutribullet, which you can easily get for about 100€ on Amazon.

Dark Chocolate – You can use any chocolate here, but I love 70% cocoa content dark chocolate. Vegan works well, so does the classic version.

Plant milk – To get cashews to blend really smooth and of course add volume and lightness to your Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse you’ll need some sort of liquid. You could probably use even water, but I love plant milks for their creaminess. This time I used coconut milk (the drinking version), but any plant milk will work and add its own characteristics. Use an unsweetened one you enjoy.

Dates – To sweeten the Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse I’m adding dates. This also keeps it refined sugar free (if using unsweetened plant milk) and adds some more fibre.

Protein Powder – Use any protein powder you enjoy. Obviously chocolate flavour works best as it enhances the characteristics. But vanilla or, say coffee would work nicely too. You can use vegan protein powder here, though personally I love MyProtein Whey, even though I’m lactose intolerant. I don’t feel any adverse effects from it at all.

Optional additions – A pinch of salt is a good idea in any dessert, more so in this Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse. It lifts the flavour and adds that little something.
Instant espresso powder is another one doing a very similar thing. It’s not strictly necessary, but really deepens the dark chocolate flavour. You won’t taste coffee (unless you add a lot).

Amaretto is a piece I took from the first Mousse au Chocolate I ever made, which was this one from Jamie Oliver.
Until I made this Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse, it was the best I ever had. And that’s saying a lot, considering I lived in France for a year and tasted my way through lots of different ones.

The Process

Soak the Cashews (and, if using, almonds) for about 30min in freshly boiled water. You could probably skip this step if you have a Vitamix, but I feel it adds creaminess.

Melt the chocolate gently in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between.

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.

Transfer to pretty jars or a lidded container and keep in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Serve with topped with fresh raspberries or cashew cream.

How to Store

Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please rate, share and/or comment. It helps me a lot!

Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse

This Cashew Chocolate Mousse tastes just like a really good Mousse au Chocolate from France but is made with Cashews instead of cream and eggs. Using just 5 ingredients and a high speed blender, this makes a super indulgent tasting, yet healthy and high protein chocolate mousse in 5 minutes.

5 from 18 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Nut Soaking time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Fusion

Servings 6

Calories 253 kcal

Equipment

• High Speed Blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup cashews or a mix of cashews and almonds
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk or plant milk of your choice
• 5 dates pitted
• 3.5 oz (100g) 70% chocolate melted
• 2 scoops protein powder I used MyProtein Whey. Ideally chocolate flavoured.
• 1 Pinch of salt optional but recommended
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder optional
• 1 tbsp Amaretto optional

Instructions

 

• Soak the Cashews (and Almonds if using): Place the cashews (and almonds, if using) in a bowl and cover them with freshly boiled water. Let them soak for about 30 minutes. This step adds creaminess to the mousse.
• Melt the Chocolate: Gently melt the 70% chocolate in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between each burst until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.
• Prepare the Blender: Drain the soaked cashews (and almonds) and discard the soaking water. Add them to the blender.
• Add Ingredients to Blender: To the blender with the soaked cashews, add the unsweetened almond milk, dates, melted chocolate, protein powder, pinch of salt (if using), instant espresso powder (if using), and Amaretto (if using).
• Blend Until Smooth: Blend all the ingredients together until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency. This might take a few minutes, depending on the power of your blender. Scrape down the sides of the blender if necessary to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
• Transfer and Chill: Once the mixture is smooth, transfer the chocolate mousse into pretty jars or a lidded container. Cover with a lid or wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to enjoy. Chilling the mousse will help it set and develop its flavor.
• Serve: When ready to serve, top the protein cashew chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries or a dollop of cashew cream for an extra touch of decadence.

Notes

Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 94mgPotassium: 306mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition Facts

Protein Cashew Chocolate Mousse

Amount per Serving

Calories

253

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

17

g

26

%

Saturated Fat

 

6

g

38

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

8

g

Cholesterol

 

1

mg

0

%

Sodium

 

94

mg

4

%

Potassium

 

306

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

20

g

7

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

10

g

11

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

8

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

0.1

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

99

mg

10

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Easy, For Guests, Healthy, High Protein, meal prep, vegan, Vegetarian

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