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Think that mousses are difficult to make? Think again! This easy white chocolate mousse is made with cream cheese and without eggs for an amazingly delicious treat that’s perfect for any day.
I love discovering that things I thought were complicated to make are actually super easy.
Remember how I taught you all how to brown butter and we discovered that just because a food is French doesn’t have to mean it’s hard to make?
The same thing applies to this white chocolate mousse!
This recipe came from my friend Erin from Texanerin Baking. We originally brought you this recipe several years back, but I decided it was time to remind everyone of how simple and delicious it is.
WHAT IS MOUSSE?
The word “mousse” comes from the French word for “foam” – which is a pretty good definition of what a mousse is!
Mousses can be sweet or savory and include a whipped element – usually cream or eggs – to give them their light and fluffy texture. Mousses can often include gelatin as an additional stabilizer.
What’s the difference between mousse and pudding?
Sweet mousses are the cousin to pudding.
Unlike homemade vanilla pudding or chocolate pudding which has a thick, creamy texture, mousses have a light and airy (almost fluffy) texture.
Both desserts can be served on their own or be used in other applications, such as cake fillings.
WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITHOUT EGGS OR GELATIN
One reason that I love today’s recipe is that it doesn’t have any eggs.
I don’t have anything against eggs but I don’t like eating them raw. And the mousse recipes that call for cooked eggs usually require a few extra steps.
So here we have a fuss-free and egg-free version! All you do is melt white chocolate, whip whipping cream, and then mix them together and add in a few other ingredients.
This recipe also does not need gelatin to stabilize it. That makes it perfectly safe for folks who can’t eat eggs or gelatin!
HOW TO MAKE THIS EASY WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
It doesn’t get much easier than this white chocolate mousse.
It requires only a handful of simple ingredients and a few easy steps to make – but it’ll impress anyone you serve it to.
Ingredients you’ll need
There are just a few ingredients you’ll need to make this simple dessert:
- 1/2 cup whipping cream: If you don’t have any whipping cream, I’m pretty sure heavy cream would be okay. It’ll just be firmer. Half-and-half would not work!
- 1/2 cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips: The white chocolate pairs so well with the cream cheese in this mousse. I also don’t recommend using semi-sweet chocolate in place of the white chocolate. It could work out, but I haven’t tried it.
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened: If you forget to set out your cream cheese ahead of time, use my tips for how to soften cream cheese quickly.
- 1-3 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided: There’s a range given for the amount of sugar because the sweetness of white chocolate seems to vary a lot. One tablespoon of sugar was enough for us but you may want another 1-2 tablespoons. You can easily add that in at the very end.
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract & a pinch of salt: Don’t skip either of these! They add flavor and help balance out the sweetness of the mousse.
Making this recipe
If you’ve made homemade whipped cream, you’re halfway to having made this white chocolate mousse.
In one bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks. Set the whipped cream aside.
Grab a microwave-safe bowl, set your microwave to 50% power, and melt the white chocolate in 30-second intervals. Set this aside as well.
In a third (and final) bowl, beat the cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. You can use the same beaters that you used for the whipped cream; no need to wash them!
Beat in the melted white chocolate along with the vanilla and salt until the mixture is smooth.
Now it’s time to ditch your mixer for a spatula. Use a spatula to fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
This might take a bit of folding to combine, but try to be patient. If it’s not combining easily, you can use the mixer on the very lowest setting to mix it in until just combined, but I’d only do this as a last resort!
Remember that being gentle with the cream will help keep those air bubbles we want in a nice fluffy white chocolate mousse.
At this point, you can taste the mousse for sweetness and fold in an additional 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar until it is just right.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
The most classic way to serve this white chocolate mousse is in a serving dish along with fresh berries.
Spoon or pipe the mousse into your favorite serving dishes. You can serve it right away or refrigerate it until serving for a firmer texture.
Top with your favorite fresh berries just before serving. I think raspberries are the perfect combination with the white chocolate and cream cheese.
(If you also love that combo, try these no-bake mini raspberry cheesecakes, which is probably one of my favorite recipes ever.)
You could also layer the mousse with sweetened whipped cream and the berries. You could even add in some crushed cookie crumbs if you’d like.
Another way to serve this white chocolate mousse is as a filling for cakes or cupcakes. It would be great paired with pumpkin spice cupcakes or the best chocolate cake.
Whether you serve this easy white chocolate mousse as-is for a date night in or a dinner party or use it as part of another recipe, it’s a simple that is sure to impress!
Easy White Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ½ cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1-3 tablespoons powdered sugar divided
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set the bowl aside.
- Gently melt the white chocolate in a small pot over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring frequently, with the microwave at half-power.
- Using the same beaters you used to beat the whipping cream, beat the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the white chocolate, vanilla extract and salt on medium speed until smooth and well combined.
- Fold in the whipped cream with a spatula. If it’s not combining easily, you can use the mixer to beat it in on the very lowest setting, just until combined. Do not over beat!
- Taste the mousse and if it’s not sweet enough, fold in a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar until the mousse is sweet enough for your liking.
- Spoon or pipe into serving dishes. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1-2 hours for a firmer version. Top with berries just before serving.
- Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 2 days.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It looks pretty easy, but where is the egg version???
I haven’t tried it as yet I was wanting the egg version
This sounds really delicious. I would like to make this for my daughter’s wedding in chocolate cups and am wondering if I could make this a week in advance by freezing them?
Dina-
I do not think this recipe would freeze well. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
This looks divine! I am wondering if this would hold up on a cake as icing? I am doing a Lemon Charlotte cake that calls for a white chocolate ganache icing, but found your recipe in hopes for a lighter consistency. Thanks!
Mia-
My friend Erin contributed this recipe to my blog. Personally, I don’t think this would hold up as icing, but maybe Eric will also chime in. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
-Jamie
Hi…can we try this with brown regular chocolate instead of white?
Looks easy to make and yummy but my kids won’t go for white chocolate ever!
Hello! I personally haven’t tested this recipe with milk or dark chocolate, but I think it will be just fine. Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie
The amount it yields says 2 servings. How big were those 2 servings? I need to make 60 dessert shooters 3 oz each consisting of white chocolate mousse and white cake layers. And if I chill it, could I then pipe it into the shooters creating layers?
Unfortunately I had the same experience as Genie, I followed the steps in the recipe exactly as stated and found that the white chocolate solidified so I was left with lots of little solid white chocolate chunks in the cream cheese/whipped cream mix :(
I’ve made a very similar recipe, you need to get the cream cheese to come to room temperature before you start working with it, also the white chocolate needs to come down as close as possible to room temperature before incorporating it.
I tried your white chocolate mousse today and it was absolutely wonderful. The texture was perfect.
I was wondering if milk chocolate can be substituted for the white chocolate. I’m trying to make a chocolate mousse without eggs and most recipes I’ve seen ask for it
Thanks
Hi, Phil! I’ve never substituted milk chocolate in this, but I think you should try it. I’m so glad you enjoyed the white chocolate version!
I made this dessert last night, and in no way could I call it mousse. Mousse by definition, “a mass of tiny bubbles”. ( I’d like to add before anything else, my stand mixer has twice the motor power of the kitchen aid). Balloon whisk fitted I whipped the cream and then the cream cheese (at room temp) then stirred them together. I melted the white chocolate and (after beating two tbls of the cream into the melted chocolate) beat it directly into the cream & creamed cheese mix. Immediately the white chocolate began to set up so didn’t full incorporate. Even then, the cream and cheese set, like creamed butter icing ( but with tiny dots of white chocolate) . I expect I was disappointed because I’d hoped it would be fluffy and light. And although it is winter, I’m wearing a t-shirt under an apron. Unsure if it was just a temperature thing ?
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you! It always comes out pretty light and fluffy for me and only firms up after sitting for a while at room temperature or after chilling. Right after mixing, it’s too soft to even pipe. I have to chill it a bit first to get it just firm enough to pipe. Do you by any chance live outside of the US? I know that some countries don’t have brick cream cheese like in the US, but the kind that comes in a tub and is meant for spreading on toast. That kind has extra water (or maybe whey) in it and I wonder if that might cause the whole thing to seize. The white chocolate could also be an issue. I’ve never had issues but I know a lot of people who had problems with even just melting white chocolate. Sorry again! Wish I had a better answer for you.
I notice that when you list out how you did the recipe, you didn’t combine it in quite the way the recipe says – you mentioned stirring together the cream cheese and whipped cream, and then adding the white chocolate etc to it, while the recipe calls for blending the cream cheese, white chocolate, etc. and then folding in the whipped cream at the end. I’m going to guess that this may be why the recipe failed for you?
Do you think you can use it as a cake filling?
I haven’t tried it but I think that’s a great idea! It’s definitely firm enough. Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Hi Erin,
This looks and sounds so good. I plan to make it Tuesday for Valentine’s Day and had 2 questions. How much white chocolate did it take to get a 1/2 cup chopped? Was it a 4 oz bar?
Second question, how did you “plate” it? From the picture it looks like you might have put it in a pastry bag with a tip, but wasn’t positive and didn’t know if that would mess up the consistency. Thank you! Stephanie
Hi Stephanie! I used 3 ounces to get 1/2 cup chopped and I did use a pastry bag. It also works to just dollop it into the serving glass. I hope you’ll enjoy it!