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Coconut Mousse. This fluffy coconut mousse comes together quick and easy and is loaded with a cold, creamy coconut flavor! Top with your favorite toppings and it’s the perfect summer dessert!
Hi there everyone! Serene from House of Yumm back with you today and I’m sharing what is possibly my all time favorite summer treat EVERRRRR.
This coconut mousse is the fluffy, creamy, smooth coconut perfection. I have a deep love affair with coconut. As we can see with other recipes on my site for Coconut Sorbet, and this Coconut Smoothie. And when I started working on this coconut mousse I already knew in my mind exactly what I wanted it to taste like. I have to say..I nailed it. It’s pure coconut. Not too sweet. Not too faint or watered down tasting. Just pure coconut flavor.
This recipe drove me slightly nuts for a few days while I worked it out. But I was determined. The coconut flavor comes from the coconut milk and cream of coconut that are used. The texture comes from both the whipped cream and the gelatin. Make sure you snag unflavored gelatin so we don’t have any other flavors messing with our coconut love we have going on.
The best part? This is such a simple recipe and it creates a beautiful, simple, and slightly elegant dessert. You can leave the coconut mousse as is in the jars and serve that way. Or top with some extra whipped cream. Or you could be like me and go all out and toss everything you have on hand on top of them. Strawberries, chocolate, some sugared lime zest?? Oh yea. I can’t stop myself. Pineapple would also be good on these little beauties.
Basically, these little jars are full of coconut heaven and all die hard coconut lovers like myself can finally rejoice at the pure perfection.
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Coconut Mousse
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 ½ tablespoons powdered gelatin
- ¾ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup cream of coconut
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Pour the ¼ cup cold water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the 1 ½ tablespoons powdered gelatin into the cold water and let it sit for about 5 minutes
- In a small saucepan heat the ¾ cup canned full-fat coconut milk, ¾ cup cream of coconut, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Heat until just warm, not bubbling.
- Add the gelatin mixture to the warmed coconut milk and stir until all the gelatin is dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl add the 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk over medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Carefully fold the cooled coconut mixture into the whipped cream until combined.
- Pour the mixture into small containers or jars. Seal and place in refrigerator. Allow to cool and set for at least 4 hours.
- Top with additional whipped cream and any other toppings desired. Pictured is chocolate, strawberries, and sugared lime zest (lime zest coated in white sugar).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hello, can you use flavored powdered gelatin? Like coconut gelatin or vanilla gelatin?
I think flavored gelatin would work!
Is it supposed to be 1.5 teaspoons of gelatin instead of tablespoons? This tastes good but I ended up with a jelly base instead of a light mousse throughout.
Hi Frank, thank you for your comment. I am sorry your mousse didn’t turn out as you were expecting. That can be so frustrating to put time and effort into something and it doesn’t turn out. I am realizing this is a coconut mousse recipe is from a contributor. My strawberry mousse recipe calls for 1 packet of gelatin, which is 2.5 teaspoons. I would guess it should be about the same for both recipes. Thanks again for pointing this out to me. I will get it fixed.
Hi, can you use canned sweetened condensed coconut milk for the canned coconut milk?
I don’t think so. It would totally change the composition of the mousse and add a lot of sugar.
Hi, can I use all coconut milk in place of the coconut cream?
Would I need to add more gelatin?
Hello Sabra, thank you for the question. I have never tried the recipe with using just coconut milk and gelatin. I would hate to tell you it will work and then you go to the effort of making it and it doesn’t turn out. I hate when that happens. If you do end up trying it let me know how it turns out! PS, I love you name!
how long will it keep in the fridge?
Hi Neelam, I would say in an airtight container in the fridge, 3-4 days.
Hi, is it possible to use a sheet gelatin for this recipe ?
Yes, you can use 6 sheets of gelatin. You have to still bloom the sheets in the cold water for 5-10 minutes, but you can bloom all of them at the same time. The sheets should be soft and gelatinous!
What can I substitute for the gelatin?
You can use potato starch or agar agar. ?
in step 5, do you fold the coconut mixture into the whipped cream, or actually stir it in? thanks…I’m planning on making this this weekend and want to make sure I do it right.
Fold to keep things light and fluffy. Thanks for pointing that out!
I had my first coconut mousse at my own birthday party in Milan in the early 80s and I never forgot it. Coconut mousse with carmel sauce in the garden of a restaurant called Don Lisander. Going to try to replicate it now that I’ve found your recipe.
How long does this last in the fridge ?
And the gelatin is just sprinkled over the water and the clump of gelatin gets whisked into the coconut?
Hello! The gelatin has to “bloom” in cold water before it’s added to a recipe. So you add the bloomed gelatin to the warmed coconut mixture until all the gelatin is dissolved.
I tried this recipe for a holiday meal and it was an instant success. I followed the recipe exactly and was wondering if it would have been softer if I had not “mixed” the gelatin and just sprinkle it on to the cold water and whether I should have used one package per 1/4 cup of water instead of the 1 1/2 packets I used to the 1/4 cup of cold water.
Hi Alyssa!
I’m planing to use this as filling in middle of a chocolate cake….approximately how many cups does this make?
Hi, wondering whether the canned coconut milk can be substituted with regular fresh coconut milk or whether it has to be high fat coconut milk.
Some of the canned coconut milk i found is just like regular and others have a high fat content (creamier). Which one is best to use?
Yes, that will work great. Enjoy!
Hi,
Just wondering, is cream of coconut the same as coconut cream?
Yes, there is a difference. I like to use Coco Lopez. It can be found by the drink mixers at your grocery store. Hope that helps! XOXO
Can we use canned coconut cream instead of coconut milk ?
I have not tried that yet. Let me know how it turns out!
Can we use low fat coconut milk in this?
I have not tried it that way. You may not have as thick of Mousse but you can always try it. Let me know how it turns out!! XOXO
Hi Serene, this dessert looked so yummy I decided to give it a try. My challenge came with the recipe directions. I must be a coconut nerd. First the coconut milk, is it sweetened or unsweetened? There are so many variations out there would you narrow it down for me? Next is the cream of coconut. What is it and where do I find it? (Told you I was a coconut nerd) If you send me the answers to make this coconut delight I am going to make it immediately. I love coconut too! Any chance to use or eat coconut and I am your girl! Thank you for the recipe. I am excited to make this dessert. Regards, Barb K.
Oh, I LOVE coconut too! I use sweetened coconut milk but if that is too strong you are welcome to use unsweetened. Cream of coconut comes in a can and usually found down the Asian isle in most grocery stores. Hope that helps!! Best of luck and happy cooking! XOXO