Raspberry Mousse

These delicious, creamy raspberry mousse cups will brighten your dessert table this summer! The raspberry mousse is made with fresh, juicy raspberries, a layer of fresh raspberry compote, and delicious vanilla chantilly cream to decorate. It is a simple yet elegant dessert perfect for a birthday party, baby shower, or Valentine’s Day!

Jump to:

• 📖 What are the different types of mousse?
• 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make Raspberry Mousse
• ❄️ Storage and Freezing
• 📚 Flavor variations
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment Notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🍓 More Raspberry Desserts
• ✨ More Mousse Desserts
• Raspberry Mousse

📖 What are the different types of mousse?

Mousse can come in several different flavors, including sweet and savory. The more popular flavors include vanilla and chocolate mousse and fruity flavors such as mango, strawberry, raspberry, and lemon. You may also find combinations of the above flavors and unique flavors such as coffee, caramel, peanut butter, and key lime. For the adults, there is even a delicious wine mousse!

There are also several ways to make mousse. Some are egg-free and use heavy cream and gelatin, cream only, or a combination of yogurt, cream, and gelatin. Others use egg white, egg yolk, and heavy cream. There is no right or wrong way to make mousse.

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. It is easy to make - It only takes 15 minutes to prepare and requires little effort. 
2. It does not require fancy ingredients or equipment - This easy raspberry mousse recipe requires a few simple ingredients to make, all of which you can find in your kitchen or local grocery store. You also likely already have all of the equipment you need at home!
3. It is the most delicious - It is 100% made from scratch using the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. It also has the perfect balance of sweetness and raspberry flavor!
4. It is versatile - You can easily customize this recipe with different flavors and toppings to create new recipes. See the Flavor Variations and Substitutions section for a few examples!

📝 Ingredient notes

For the Raspberry Mousse:

Raspberries - Fresh raspberries work best for making the raspberry puree. I was however using frozen raspberries. If frozen fruit is used, let it come to room temperature, puree it, remove the seeds, then reduce the puree by cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture slightly thickens. Measure it after the reduction process. This is called raspberry reduction, which intensifies the mousse's taste and color.

Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar adds sweetness to the mousse without a grainy texture. Depending on the sweetness of the raspberries, you may need to use more or less. Before using it, use a sifter to eliminate lumps. To learn more about the different types of sugar and their role in baking, see my sugar guide.

Lemon Juice—Freshly squeezed lemon helps balance the flavors, stabilize the mousse, and bring out the taste of the raspberries. Do not skip it! If you do not have fresh lemons, you can try one of these lemon juice substitutes.

Gelatin - The gelatin serves as a thickening agent. I use powder in this recipe, but you can also use sheets or one of these gelatin substitutes.

Heavy Cream - Also known as heavy whipping cream, heavy cream makes the mousse smooth and creamy. It needs to be very cold and have at least 36% fat. If you do not have heavy cream, you can try one of these heavy cream substitutes. However, for the best mousse texture you want to avoid using substitutes.

For the raspberry compote:

Raspberries - You can use fresh or frozen raspberries.

Granulated sugar - Plain granulated sugar gives the compote its sweetness.

Lemon juice - For the best flavor, use fresh lemon juice.

For the decoration:

Raspberries - Fresh raspberries work best.

Fresh Herbs - Fresh basil, mint, thyme, or oregano pair wonderfully with raspberries and make a beautiful garnish.

Chantilly Cream - My creamy vanilla chantilly cream adds a beautiful and tasty finishing touch.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.

👩‍🍳 How to make Raspberry Mousse

1. Start with the raspberry compote: In a saucepan, cook the raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the texture thickens slightly.
2. Divide the compote equally into four serving cups and place them in the refrigerator to chill.
3. For the raspberry mousse: rinse the raspberries and puree them in a blender or food processor. Sieve out the seeds to remove them, then measure the puree to ensure you have the correct amount. Transfer the puree to a large bowl.
4. Add the fresh lemon juice and sifted powdered sugar to the puree and mix well. If necessary, add more powdered sugar to reach the desired sweetness.
5. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over two tablespoons of cold water. Allow it to sit and bloom for approximately three minutes. During this time, the texture will become thick and jiggly.
6. Use a microwave to gently heat the mixture, not letting it reach a boil. Mix the gelatin mixture into the raspberry mixture when it becomes liquid but not hot. It is important to make sure that the raspberry mixture is neither cold nor hot when adding the gelatin.
7. Next, immediately whip up the cold heavy cream using an electric hand mixer. Once the cream reaches early stiff peaks, stop whipping, as overwhipping can result in the cream becoming too hard or breaking and curdling. 
8. Gently fold the whipped heavy cream with the raspberry mixture to create the mousse.
9. Use a spoon or piping bag to add the raspberry mousse to the compote in the four refrigerated cups. Then, place the cups back in the refrigerator for at least six hours to set.
10. As decoration, prepare the whipped chantilly cream as instructed in my delicious chantilly cream recipe.
11. The finished raspberry mousse should be topped with chantilly cream, fresh raspberries, and the herb of your choice. Serve and enjoy!

💡 Top Tip: Use a rubber spatula when folding the heavy cream into the raspberry mixture, making sure that the whipped heavy cream is thoroughly incorporated into the raspberry part while keeping its light, airy texture. Do not use the hand mixer at this point.

❄️ Storage and Freezing

To store your raspberry mousse, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for up to two days.

I do not recommend freezing mousse, as it will change the texture once thawed.

📚 Flavor variations

With different fruits - Swap out the raspberries for other fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mangoes, or cherries. Or, you can try a combination of the above! See my mango mousse and strawberry mousse recipes for inspiration!

With different toppings - Sprinkle on shaved coconut, crushed graham crackers, white chocolate chips, or chopped nuts to add additional texture and flavor. You can also swap out the raspberries with other fruits.

With different compote - To make your mousse raspberry with a hint of other fruit flavors, try mixing and matching it with other flavored compote, such as my easy strawberry compote.

With added flavors - Enhance the flavor by adding a few drops of vanilla, almond, or lemon extract to the puree or blending in fresh mint or basil.

With chocolate - Raspberry and chocolate are a match made in heaven! Make a chocolate mousse raspberry treat by splitting each cup with a layer of my easy chocolate mousse. Or, you can use it as a raspberry mousse cake filling between chocolate cake layers for a mouthwatering chocolate raspberry mousse cake!

You can also use this recipe to make a raspberry mousse pie or raspberry mousse cookies, or to fill my no-bake raspberry cheesecake!

🎓 Expert tips

1. If using frozen raspberries, you should first reduce the puree by cooking it over medium heat for 10 minutes to evaporate some water. This will intensify the flavor and color of your mousse.
2. If the raspberries are sweet enough, you can eliminate the sugar altogether to make a sugar-free raspberry mousse.
3. Never skip or shorten the waiting time to speed up the process. A thick and creamy mousse requires at least six hours to set properly.
4. You can also add the compote layer to the top versus the bottom. However, you must first wait until the first layer is set before applying the next.
5. For the freshest and best-tasting mousse, always keep it refrigerated and serve it cold.

🥣 Equipment Notes

A digital scale is an essential piece of baking equipment. By measuring the ingredients by weight rather than volume, you get the most accurate and consistent results.

An electric hand mixer helps whip the cream without the effort of doing so by hand.

A rubber spatula is handy when folding ingredients together, preventing overmixing and breaking the cream.

❓Recipe FAQs

🍓 More Raspberry Desserts

✨ More Mousse Desserts