I was going through that time of the month, and I constantly felt fatigued and drained. Every day felt like I was carrying around an anvil, and all I could think about was crashing into bed after work. The worst part was the cravings, which felt amplified tenfold, probably because my body was losing so many minerals and nutrients. I kept thinking about chocolate or anything rich, indulgent, and heavenly.
Unfortunately, I’m also trying to lose the post-pregnancy weight, and I’ve noticed that every time I cave into dessert during my period, I end up losing progress. But not this time, because I found an amazing alternative to traditional chocolate mousse or pudding.
Don’t believe me? Well, I’m going to show you exactly how to make this easy and healthy avocado chocolate mousse.
What Is The Avocado Chocolate Mousse?
The avocado chocolate mousse is a healthier alternative to a regular chocolate mousse or pudding. Traditional mousse is often loaded with chocolate and sugar, but my recipe replaces a big portion of that with avocado.
Unfortunately, people often mistake this idea for guacamole. Whenever I talk about it, my friends assume I’m basically making guacamole dipped in chocolate. But that’s definitely not the case, because you can barely taste the avocado.
The whole idea is replacing all the traditional unhealthy ingredients with a healthier alternative. For example, instead of using sugar, we will use honey.
Ingredients for The Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Step By Step Instructions on How to Make The Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Step 1: Prepare Your Avocados
The number of avocados you use depends entirely on their size. I only had small ones sitting in my kitchen, so I decided to use two. If I’m lucky enough to find avocados that are larger than the palm of my hand, then I’ll usually only use one.
Start by cutting them in half and removing the pits.
Then scoop it into a cup or a bowl.
Step 2: Add the Honey
I usually use 1 to 3 tablespoons of honey, but honestly, it depends on my mood.
If I want to reduce the sweetness and keep things a little lighter, then I’ll stick to just 1 tablespoon. But if I’m having one of those intense chocolate craving days where I feel like diving headfirst into unhealthy habits, then I’ll happily use 3 tablespoons just to calm myself down.
Drizzle the honey directly into the avocado mixture.
The honey helps naturally sweeten the dessert while balancing out the bitterness from the cocoa powder, which will occur in the next step.
I like starting with a moderate amount first because you can always add more sweetness later.
Step 3: Add the Cocoa Powder
For this recipe, I use 1 to 3 tablespoons of Ghirardelli 100% Unsweetened Cocoa Powder because it’s healthier than cocoa powders that contain less cocoa and more sugar.
Plus, Ghirardelli is personally my favorite brand because it creates such a deep, rich, and luxurious chocolate flavor. You can try other brands as well, like Godiva, Hershey, etc…
The more cocoa powder you add, the richer and darker the chocolate flavor becomes.
Step 4: Mix Until Smooth
This is actually my favorite part because you get to watch the avocado completely disappear into the chocolate.
The challenging part about mixing this combination is using your fork or spoon to break the avocado down into smaller pieces, so it becomes easier to mash into the mousse.
Mix everything together until the texture becomes creamy, silky, and smooth. You want the mousse to look glossy and luxurious with no large chunks left behind.
However, that’s just a personal preference.
I actually like leaving a few tiny avocado chunks in the mousse. For some reason, I feel like it tastes even better when there’s a slight hint of avocado flavor. The combination surprisingly works so well together and gives the dessert a more homemade and comforting feel.
Step 5: Add The Cool Whip on Top
I used regular Cool Whip because I personally love how light, airy, and fluffy it tastes.
You can absolutely use low sugar or unsweetened Cool Whip if you want a healthier option. The amount you use depends on the size of your cup since it mainly plays a decorative role. I like adding enough Cool Whip to gently fill the top portion of the cup because it makes the mousse look fluffy and cloudy.
Honestly, the Cool Whip completely changes the texture of the dessert. It lightens the richness of the chocolate and gives the mousse that soft melt in your mouth feeling.
Step 6: Top It Off With Strawberries and Serve
Fresh strawberries add the perfect contrast to the mousse.
The rich chocolate paired with the tangy, citrusy strawberry flavor is honestly such an amazing combination. The strawberries help balance the sweetness while adding freshness and brightness to the dessert.
The amount of strawberries you use also depends on how large your serving cup is. Similar to the Cool Whip, the strawberries play more of a decorative role while also adding flavor contrast.
If you watched my video, you probably noticed that I used a couple of small strawberries and chopped them into tiny pieces before sprinkling them over the top. Not only does it make the dessert look prettier, but it also adds little bursts of juicy sweetness in every bite.
Recommendations for Making the Recipe Even Better
Use Very Ripe Avocados
I once tried making this recipe with a hard avocado straight from the grocery store, and let me tell you, that was the worst idea ever. I could barely smoosh it into the mousse, and my arm honestly felt like it was getting a workout.
The best way to make this recipe is to use an extremely ripe avocado. You want it to be ripe enough that if you don’t use it immediately, it might go bad the next day. However, there’s definitely a fine line here because you do not want the avocado to be so ripe that it turns brown. At that point, it’s practically rotten.
The reason why ripe avocados work so much better is because they are easier to blend and smoosh. Plus, they create a creamier and smoother texture. If the avocado is too firm, you may end up with a chunky mousse instead of that silky consistency everyone loves.
Then again, I personally don’t mind a little chunkiness. As I mentioned before, I actually enjoy having a slight hint of avocado flavor in there.
Use a Blender
You can probably tell from my video that I was way too lazy to pull out a blender.
I was in a hurry, so I ended up mixing everything together with a spoon instead.
Honestly, it still tasted amazing.
But if I were to make this recipe again and aim for absolute chocolate mousse perfection, I would definitely use a blender. It creates a smoother consistency and helps the avocado completely melt into the chocolate mixture, giving the dessert that rich café style texture.
Alternative to Strawberries
Let’s say you want to get a little creative and add something other than strawberries on top of the Cool Whip. There are actually several alternatives that can make this dessert taste 10 times better.
For example, you can slice up some bananas and place them on top, then drizzle peanut butter all over, and then add some nuts. Once you combine the avocado, honey, cocoa, Cool Whip, banana, peanut butter, and nuts together, it honestly tastes like eating a soft, silky Snickers bar.
Another delicious idea is adding a mixture of blackberries and raspberries together. The tartness of the berries balances the richness of the chocolate mousse beautifully and gives the dessert a more refreshing flavor.
What Are The Health Benefits of Avocado Chocolate Mousse?
It's obvious that this dessert tastes amazing, but the ingredients in there are what makes it healthy. And I'm more than happy to whip out the doctor side of myself to explain everything:
Avocado Benefits
In medical school, I was taught that not all fats are created equally. For example, LDL cholesterol is considered the “bad” fat because it’s associated with high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and other cardiovascular problems.
On the other hand, HDL cholesterol is considered the “good” fat, and it’s supported by foods rich in healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids. You can find these in foods like salmon, avocado, grass fed butter, and more. That’s one of the reasons why I love this avocado chocolate mousse. Avocados contain healthy monounsaturated fats that may help support higher HDL levels and lower LDL levels, which is beneficial for heart health.
These fruits also have an excellent source of magnesium and potassium, two important minerals that may help support healthy blood pressure levels. In fact, some studies have suggested that eating around 2.5 avocados per week may be associated with a 17% reduction in the risk of hypertension.
And honestly, you could even say that an avocado a day keeps the neurologist away. It contains monounsaturated fats, lutein, and other important nutrients that may help support brain health, cognitive function, and eye health.
One published study followed 40 healthy adults who ate one avocado a day for six months. Researchers found a 25% increase in lutein levels in the eyes, along with significant improvements in problem solving skills and working memory.
Honey Benefits
Whenever I want something sweet in my coffee or tea, my first instinct is usually to reach for the sugar. I know that too much refined sugar isn’t great for my health, which is why I started cutting back and replacing it with honey in my beverages instead.
Not only does it add a natural sweetness, but it also increases adiponectin levels in the body, which is a hormone that regulates blood sugar and improves insulin sensitivity. That’s one of the reasons I prefer using it in desserts whenever possible.
Cocoa Powder Benefits
Have you ever noticed that women tend to crave chocolate during their periods? There’s actually a reason for that.
Cocoa (main ingredient in chocolate) contains important nutrients like magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium, folate, and phosphorus. These nutrients may help replenish some of what the body loses during that time of the month.
That’s the reason why a piece of chocolate can be quite energizing and uplifting, especially during our periods.
Strawberry Benefits
I remember looking through a list of foods that my 11 month old could eat, and strawberries were one of them.
Apparently, these fruits are rich in vitamin C, which is excellent for supporting the immune system. Plus, they’re also beneficial for gut health.
I know for a fact that as we get older, we can become more prone to constipation. And honestly, kids can struggle with that as well. Fortunately, strawberries are an excellent source of fiber, which may help support digestion and keep things moving more smoothly.
My Thoughts About This Avocado Chocolate Mousse
This might sound weird or funny, but I honestly had much stronger feelings about this dessert during my period. At that moment, it tasted like absolute heaven. After taking a few bites, I genuinely felt more awake and productive, like I finally had enough energy to get things done instead of dragging myself around all day.
In addition, there’s also something comforting and cozy about sitting on the couch after a long stressful day with a bowl of avocado chocolate mousse topped with Cool Whip and strawberries. It’s such a good feeling knowing you can treat yourself without completely abandoning your health goals.
And honestly, those are my favorite kinds of recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does avocado chocolate mousse taste like avocado?
Not really. The cocoa powder completely takes over the flavor and makes it taste rich and chocolatey.
2. Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes, but fresh strawberries work best for texture and presentation. I tried the frozen fruit idea, but that only led to a massive brain freeze.
3. Can I use low sugar Cool Whip?
Absolutely. Low sugar or unsweetened Cool Whip is highly recommended if you want to make this dessert even healthier.
4. Is this mousse healthy?
Well that depends on what you put in the ingredients. If you want it to be extremely healthy, then use unsweetened cocoa powder and low sugar Cool Whip.
5. Can I make this ahead of time?
I recommend eating this fresh instead of saving it for later. Trust me on this!!
6. What cocoa powder works best?
That really depends on your personal goal. If you want your mousse to taste sweeter and more indulgent, then you can use a sweetened cocoa powder. You could even opt for a milk chocolate cocoa powder for an even creamier and richer flavor.
However, if you’re trying to lose weight or are looking for a healthier alternative, then unsweetened cocoa powder is the better option. It gives you that rich chocolate flavor without all the added sugar.
7. Can I make this dairy free?
You can experiment with dairy free whipped toppings if needed.
8. How long does avocado chocolate mousse last?
I highly recommend eating this immediately after making it. It tastes significantly better fresh, mainly because the avocado can start to turn brown and develop a slightly strange taste after sitting for a few hours. Trust me, I tried waiting, and it did not turn out so well🙁
9. Why are strawberries added?
They provide a tangy and citrusy contrast to the sweet rich mousse. But most importantly, it makes an awesome decoration
10. Is this good for chocolate cravings?
Absolutely yes. This recipe completely satisfies chocolate cravings while still feeling lighter and healthier than traditional desserts.
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