Coffee Mousse

This simple Coffee Mousse blends whipped egg whites with whipped cream and espresso into a light cloud-like dessert. Easy to prepare with no cooking required, its rich coffee flavor and elegant texture make it a standout make-ahead treat for coffee lovers.

Jump to:

• 🗒 Ingredients
• ☕️ How to make coffee mousse
• ⏲️ How to store
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🧁 More coffee dessert recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Give me all the homemade coffee drinks and all the homemade coffee-flavored desserts and I'll be happy.

These coffee cookies are probably my all-time favorite cookie recipe. But you can add coffee flavor to everything from cupcakes to donuts to ice cream (you can even add it to steak, but that's a story for a different day).

Though I absolutely love a good chocolate mousse, I've been dreaming about a coffee mousse for some time now. And this one is silky smooth and light as a cloud. And packed with sweet coffee flavor.

🗒 Ingredients

While a traditional French mousse is made with egg yolks, I opted for egg whites-only in my coffee mousse to achieve an airy, cloud-like texture that lets the coffee flavor truly shine.

Here's everything you need to make the mousse (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Espresso powder
• Hot water
• Egg whites: you can use the whites from large eggs or use pasteurized liquid egg whites
• Cream of tartar
• Granulated sugar
• Heavy cream
• Confectioners' sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

☕️ How to make coffee mousse

I had a few different goals in mind when making this coffee mousse. I wanted it to be very easy to make and I wanted it to involve minimal eggs (but I didn't want an egg-free mousse as I didn't want to use gelatin). Oh, and I wanted it to have maximum coffee flavor.

I get that maximum coffee flavor with espresso powder. To start this recipe, whisk espresso powder the into 1 tablespoon hot water in a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Note that since we don't cook this mousse, the egg white will be raw in the final mousse. If this worries you, you can use pasteurized liquid egg whites instead of whole eggs.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer or whisk, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.

And slowly add in granulated sugar, a spoonful at a time, beating until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

This image shows soft egg yolks on the left and stiff egg yolks on the right.

Place meringue in the fridge while whipping cream.

And in a second bowl of a stand mixer (I highly recommend having two stand mixer bowls!) or in a large bowl with a hand mixer or whisk, beat heavy cream with confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.

Gently stir cooled espresso mixture into whipped cream until streaks disappear.

Now, fold about ⅓ of the meringue into the whipped cream to loosen it a bit.

In two more batches, gently fold in the remaining meringue, keeping as much air in the mixture as possible.

Divide the mixture between 4 small glasses or ramekins, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Before serving, I like to sprinkle coffee mousse with cocoa powder and, of course, top it with whipped cream.

Look at that light and fluffy cloud-like goodness!

Though I'll always be a fan of traditional French chocolate mousse and all the richness it brings, I want my coffee mousse to be on the lighter side.

The mousse is packed with sweet coffee flavor, perfect for anyone who is a fan of coffee ice cream.

⏲️ How to store

This coffee mousse should be stored in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until ready to enjoy. But note that you really should eat it within 1-2 days of making it, otherwise it will likely get weepy and wet.

If you're making this for a party dessert, I recommend making it the night before.

🎉 Variations on recipe

I love the simplicity of this coffee mousse, but there's lots you can do to give it some extra pizazz.

Here are some ideas:

• For a "mocha" mousse, when you fold the espresso mixture into the whipped cream, also fold in 1-2 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder.

• Add the spices of your choosing to the mousse. I recommend ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, or pumpkin spice.

• Mix a little Kahlúa or Baileys Irish Cream into the espresso mixture before folding it into the whipped cream.

• Once you're done combining your whipped cream and egg whites, gently fold mini chocolate chips or toffee bits into the mousse for a little crunch and fun flavor. You can also fold in ground nuts if you prefer some added nuttiness.

• Grate some orange or lemon zest into the mousse for some citrus brightness.

• Swirl a little salted caramel into the finished mousse.

The key is to incorporate add-ins while still ensuring you're being gentle with the mousse and keeping it light and fluffy. If you stir the mousse too much or add ingredients that are too heavy or too wet, the consistency of the mousse will change.

That said, with a light touch, there are so many ways you can take this dessert to the next level!

🧁 More coffee dessert recipes

I can't think of many desserts coffee doesn't make even better! Here are some of my favorite recipes:

I'm always game for coffee cake, but of course, they don't generally have actual coffee or espresso in them. But this coffee cake involves actual coffee!

If you are a coffee ice cream lover, this cloud-like coffee mousse is going to be right up your alley!

Make it for your next dinner party or even for a special weeknight treat.

📖 Recipe