This Strawberry Mousse is a creamy, billowy and fluffy dessert, that’s a refreshing and luscious treat. It's so easy to make, can be made in advance and would be the perfect end to a romantic meal.
Each spoonful of this Strawberry Mousse is so luxurious and refreshing. It's really easy to prepare, and looks so stunning and elegant too. The fresh strawberry flavor is accentuated in several ways - blended into the mousse as well as garnished on top and on the bottom of the mousse.
We love serving this dessert in the summer, since it's cold and refreshing. Not having to turn on the oven during the hot summer days is a big plus too.
In Florida, strawberry season is in the winter as well, so we take full advantage of that and make sure to make it in February too, so it's perfect timing to make for Valentine's day too.
Ingredients:
Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe with measurements.
- unflavored gelatin - I use a small amount of gelatin for this dessert. It is enough to help the dessert set up and be really velvety and fluffy, but you can barely detect that it has any gelatin in it, because it's still very soft. If you want it to have a firmer texture, you can add more gelatin.
- water - it's important to dissolve the gelatin in water and let it get soft or "bloom" for a few minutes before it can be melted and used in the mousse.
- strawberries - of course, we need lots of fresh strawberries. I have never used frozen strawberries, although I imagine it would work too.
- sugar, divided - I use both granulated and powdered sugar in this recipe. I sprinkle some sugar over the strawberries before blending them up, which will not only intensify the strawberry flavor but will also sweetened the mousse. Powdered sugar worked better when whipping up heavy cream and won't leave any grainy sugar particles.
- heavy cream - heavy cream has more fat content and is richer than whipping cream, but you can use either for this recipe. Heavy cream will have more stability and be more velvety and smooth, Whipping cream will be lighter in texture.
- vanilla extract - to add flavor to the mousse
Strawberry Mousse Video
How to Make Strawberry Mousse:
- In a small or medium bowl, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water, mix it quickly to combine, so that all the gelatin is mixed in with the water. Set is aside to hydrate for about 5 minutes. This process is called "blooming". The gelatin will soften and the mixture will thicken.
- Meanwhile, hull (remove the top and leaves of the strawberries) and cut up 1 lb of strawberries and sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries. The amount of sugar depends on how sweet or tart upon berries are. Set aside for a few minutes as well.
- The berries will macerate - release liquid and soak in their own juices, intensifying the flavor. Pulse a few times in a food processor or mash the berries together finely.
- Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- 5. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in a small saucepan on low heat. Do NOT boil, otherwise the gelatin will not work.
- Pour the gelatin into the pureed berries and fold carefully into the whipped cream.
Homemade Whipped Cream
I like placing my bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer before I start preparing the dessert. By the time I am ready to whip the cream, the bowl and the whisk attachment have chilled and the cream whips up much better. When you whip cream, you are whipping air, water and fat. If the fat begins to melt, the whipped cream will collapse, which is why it's so important to use chilled utensils and very cold cream.
Chilling the Mousse/Individual Servings:
If you will be serving the mousse the same day, chop the remaining pound of strawberries and sprinkle the other 1 ½ - 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the berries. (If your berries are sweet, use less sugar. )
Place some of the strawberries into the bottom of each cup, leaving out the strawberry liquid.
If you're going to make individual portions, it's much easier and neater to transfer the strawberry mousse mixture into a large ziplock bag, cut off one corner and pipe out the mousse mixture into your serving cups.
Chill for about 4 hours, until the mousse is set. Garnish with more berries and more whipped cream (optional).
For Best Results - Using Fresh Berries
For best results, don't make this more than a day in advance if you will be adding the chopped fresh strawberries to the bottom of the mousse cups. The mousse itself will stay fresh for at least 3 days in the refrigerator, so if you are making it more than a day in advance, only add fresh berries right before serving them.
Instead of making individual servings of mousse, you can pour the whole mixture into a pretty serving dish and chill it in one piece and then cut into portions before serving. If you want to make a large dessert, like in a 9x13 inch dish, I would recommend doubling the mousse recipe.
Strawberry Mousse
Strawberries and cream mousse - a creamy, billowy and fluffy dessert, that's a refreshing and luscious summer treat. It would also be the perfect end to a romantic meal.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 4 hours (chilling) 20 min
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon unflavored gelatin
- ¼ cup water
- 2 pounds strawberries, divided
- 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (plus 1 - 1 ½ cups more, to garnish, optional with powdered sugar)
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the water into a small or medium bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top of it. Mix until all the gelatin is saturated in the water. Set aside for about 5 minutes for the gelatin to bloom.
- Meanwhile, hull and chop 1 pound of strawberries. Sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries and allow to stand for about 5 minutes as well.
- Pulse a few times in a food processor or mash the berries together finely.
- Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Melt the gelatin in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in a small saucepan on the stovetop on low heat just until the gelatin dissolves. Do NOT boil.
- Pour the gelatin into the pureed berries and fold carefully into the whipped cream.
- If you're serving the mousse within 12-18 hours, chop the remaining pound of strawberries and sprinkle with 1 ½ -3 Tablespoons of sugar. Mix.
- Place some of the strawberries (about half) into the bottom of each individual serving container. Top with the mousse mixture. Transfer the mousse mixture into a large ziplock bag, cut off one of the corners and pour the mousse mixture into individual serving containers. (You can also use a spoon or pour it from the bowl, but it will be a bit messier.)
- Chill for about 4 hours in the refrigerator until the mousse is set.
- Garnish with the remaining chopped berries and more whipped cream.
Notes
The mousse will stay fresh for at least 3 days in the refrigerator if you don't use the fresh chopped berries in the bottom of the serving containers. If you want the mousse to stay fresh longer, don't add fresh berries to the bottom or top of the mousse until you are serving it.
This recipe was originally published here at Olga’s Flavor Factory on February 13, 2012. I have updated the pictures, clarified the instructions and added a video, but the recipe is still the same. This has been our family favorite and many readers’ favorite for years. Enjoy!
Hey Olga,
Is it ok to use both strawberries as well as kiwis for the mousse? Pls suggest.
Don't use kiwi, because the mousse will not set. Kiwi has a substance that makes the gelatin not work.
Hi I wanted to use this as a piping mousse for a number cake is this mousse firm enough for this ? If not can I make it firm enough for this ? Thanks appreciate it!
I wouldn't recommend it for piping. Since it uses gelatin, the mousse is much thinner in the beginning to pipe out neatly. It could possibly work if you wait for it to set first before piping, but I'm not sure if it will pipe out neatly since I have never used it this way.
A favorite it is! Made it once for a bridal party and ever since everyone’s been asking to bring this to any family parties! Haha
I did want to know how would this turn out if instead of strawberries I used pineapple? What’s your opinion on it?
I'm so happy that you enjoyed the Strawberry Mousse. That's awesome!
I don't recommend using pineapple. Pineapple has an enzyme that breaks apart gelatin, so it will not set.
A favorite it is! Made it once for a bridal party and now everyone keeps asking me to make em for any party gatherings! Lol I did want to ask how would his turn out if instead of strawberries I made them with pineapple? Do you think it would work?
The moment i first saw this recipe i knew this would easily become a favorite at our house. Amazing recipe! Will be sharing this on air with our listeners this week. It's strawberry season here in OR. Tune in pdxrr.com every Wednesday 2:30pm PST. Thanks again!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Roxanne, and thank you so much for sharing the recipe with others.
Hey can I make this days in advance?
Absolutely! Most desserts can be made ahead of time.
This sounds wonderful! I was wondering approximately how many individual servings this would be? Seems more elegant to serve that way. Thanks.
That would depend not he size of the individual serving containers that you use. I would say anywhere from 8-12.
Hi Olya, I wonder if I could add jello on top of the mousse? Or is the mousse too soft to handle jello?
Hi Oksana,
Yep, definitely strong enough to put jello on top. Make sure to let the mousse set firmly first and also cool down the jello to room temperature and then in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, before pouring it on top of the mousse. Let me know how it turns out. Great idea!
Is the mousse supposed to be firm when set? When I made this it was creamy and slightly puffy.
Mary, No, it won't be firm. This is a mousse, not a jello. It will be creamy and fluffy, since it has whipped heavy cream folded in with the strawberries.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it for my daughter's 5th birthday. It was one of her favorites (she loves pink and strawberries). My whole family was asking for the recipe by the end of the day.
Thank you Lilia! I'm so glad you could all enjoy this for your daughter's birthday:). This is one of our family favorites too. Strawberries are so yummy, especially with cream.
really good w cake layer
I am so glad I made this dessert last week! It is perfect for hot spring/summer days. My family absolutely enjoyed eating this delicate and rich strawberry mousse after my son's soccer game. Definitely will be making it again and again all summer long 🙂
Completly fell in love with this! its SO good. i did it like inna above did i make it as a filling for a sponge cake its absolutly yummy! my new favorite!
I'll have to make it like this next time too:)
I combined this with the sponge cake recipes you have posted for cannoli cake to make sort of like a mousse cake. It turned out really good. Very light, fruity and not too sweet. It's now my favorite sponge cake recipe. Never dry and turned out perfect the two times I made it.
What a great idea! I'll have to try it myself.
This looks wonderful. My sweet tooth is talkin'!! Looking forward to trying this. Thanks Olga!