High-Protein Chocolate Mousse
⏱ 10 min + 2 hr chill💪 14g protein per serving🔥 ~250 cal🍽 4 servings
Silken tofu blends into something as smooth as a French mousse without whipping cream or raw eggs. Real melted dark chocolate does the flavor work and a scoop of protein powder pushes each serving to 14g. The only place it goes wrong is temperature, since chocolate that is too hot cooks the whey and chocolate that is too cool seizes into shards.
Ingredients
- 1 block (349g) silken tofu, drained
- 3 oz (85g) dark chocolate (70%), chopped
- 1 scoop (30g) chocolate whey or casein protein powder
- 3 tablespoons (18g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the chopped chocolate in 30 second microwave bursts, stirring between each, then set it aside for 3 minutes until it is warm rather than hot.
- Blend the drained silken tofu on its own for 45 seconds, scraping down the sides, until it is completely liquid and smooth.
- Add the cocoa, protein powder, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, salt, and espresso powder, and blend 30 seconds.
- With the blender running, stream in the warm chocolate and blend just 20 seconds more. Blending past this point warms the whey through friction and turns the mousse grainy.
- Divide among 4 glasses and chill at least 2 hours to set, or overnight for a firmer, denser texture.
- Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days. It does not freeze well, since the tofu turns spongy on thaw.
Tips
- Silken tofu only, not firm or extra-firm. Firm tofu blends into paste and no amount of extra milk fixes the chalky mouthfeel. The shelf-stable aseptic box is usually the silken one.
- Cold chocolate seizes the instant it hits cold tofu and leaves hard shards through the mousse. Melt it, wait 3 minutes so it is warm to the touch, and pour it in with the blender already spinning.
- Casein sets this almost like a pot de creme while whey stays looser. If you use whey and want it thicker, add an extra tablespoon of cocoa rather than more protein powder, which would only make it chalky.
FAQ
- Can you taste the tofu?
- No. Dark chocolate, cocoa, and salt cover it entirely, and the espresso powder sharpens the chocolate further. People generally guess it is made with cream.
- Can I make it without protein powder?
- Add 1 more ounce of dark chocolate and 2 extra tablespoons of cocoa. The texture actually improves slightly, but protein drops to about 8g per serving.
- Can I use Greek yogurt instead of tofu?
- It works but comes out tangier and looser, more like a pudding than a mousse. Use 1 1/2 cups of strained whole-milk Greek yogurt and keep the chocolate barely warm so it does not curdle.
- Why is my mousse grainy?
- Either the chocolate seized on contact with cold tofu or the blender ran long enough to heat the whey. Both are temperature problems, not ingredient problems.
