In my fantasy food world, I'd have a personal raw vegan chef whipping me up magical, healthy food to make me feel like super woman. In reality, I eat like a normal, hurried, working person, always on the look out for quick and healthy recipes.
Could it be that my dream and waking world intersected here with this sublime, avocado confection? Indeed.
It's pretty incredible that such simple, humble ingredients can be whipped into a raw, chocolate frenzy, so decadent it tastes like something spun from Willy Wonka's factory. Seriously, this mousse is velvety, luxurious, nutty and rich — basically a more dimensional chocolate ganache, but strangely with more chocolatey flavor! How this is possible, I'm not sure. This is miraculous stuff I'm talking about, people. I had caught wind of this dessert years ago, the raw vegans have been raving about it for years, but it wasn't until I tried an avocado smoothie at a neighborhood restaurant that it occurred to me to actually try this delight. Now, I curse myself for all the parties and celebrations when I could have been the gal to bring that crazy–tasty raw vegan delight, think of the accolades! The only choice I have is to make up for lost time, by making avocado mousse ever more.
The application for such a mousse is endless. Alone, garnished with almonds and blueberries, it was heavenly. Spread on toast a-la Nutella, yes please! Smeared onto a batch of brownies (raw or baked), now you're talking. It has a ganache texture and a super mouth-feel, so it's very versatile. It's amazing!

4 ripe avocados
1/3 cup raw coconut nectar
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
fresh fruit and nuts for garnish
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, blend avocado until smooth. Add all other ingredients, blending until mixture is uniform. Chill for about 2 hours in the fridge or half an hour in the freezer. Garnish with fresh fruit or chopped nuts.
Note on the recipe:
If you want to try this recipe, but don't have the raw coconut sweetener or cacao powder on hand (they are specialty type of items I wanted to try), agave, honey and unsweetened cocoa powder are fine-tasting substitutes. The mousse will no longer be strictly raw, but it is still delicious! And it retains the spirit of the dish.
Related: Avocado Toast from Andrew of Making Sunday Sauce
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (28)
Oooh I will totally be trying this (with the substitutions)! One of my favorite restos in Boston, Myers + Chang, does a chocolate mousse with tofu & cacao, so I guess I'm a fan of "weird" things in my dessert!
I was at a party at an anarchist vegan house a few years back and had a similar dessert. The party hosts called it vegan chocolate pudding and when I asked for the recipe I learned that it only had three ingredients: avocado, good cocoa powder, and maple syrup.
The pudding was fantastic, and I made it myself later, but once I knew the fluffy base was avocado, my brain wanted to latch onto it as the dominant flavor. I think I liked it best when I wasn't sure what was in it!
I love mine with frozen cherries. Something along the lines of this:
1 avocado, pitted; 3/4 cup frozen cherries; 2 T. cocoa powder; 3 T. almond milk (or water– just to facilitate blending); splash of vanilla extract; 2 T. maple syrup; *splash of pure almond extract (optional, but really good)
Throw it all into a food processor and blend, occasionally scraping down the sides, until smooth and creamy. Really can't taste the avocado at all.
people are so grossed out when i tell them about avocado pudding but it's so terrific! i use dates to sweeten mine and carob if you don't want to deal with cocoa
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/lynn-christy-early-birthday/
i'm not vegan or a raw dieter, but i will be making this (with honey)!
Ditto everything @jess13 said! :)
Can I be the only one that thought what I thought when I first saw that photo :)
that photo of the spoon is stunning. i would frame that and hang it in my house.
Amazing! I wonder though if it could be made with stevia and a semi-viscous liquid though for those of us who want to save a few calories?
www.unprofessionalcookery.tumblr.com
I've made these twice now (omitting the lime, using coffee instead) and everyone who's tried them has said they're the best brownies they've tried. Next time, I'm adding chili and cinnamon to the mix!
Great combination and a great excuse to use avocado an take adventage of the Anti Aging Properties of the avocados and antioxidant.
ooh boy, I've had a version of this with silken tofu that's just incredible. Can't wait to try this one!
Made this last night - SO glad I did!
I moved to Brazil last year and was living with friends for the first couple of months, one morning for breakfast the house keeper had prepared this for me (no chocolate). As had become my usual response to anything she made (and not being very comfortable with someone making me breakfast every morning) I, without hesitation thanked her and started drinking it fast, convinced I wasn't going to like it. Wow, avocado as a sweet treat! Loved it!! Learned how to make it, and now make it with all sorts of combinations :)
Darwin 33, I've heard about the avocado smoothie of Brazil -- sounds so flippin good! I had something similar in Vietnam last year. miraculous!
Can't wait to try this! Will be using unpasteurized honey from my co-op to keep it raw!
Love this recipe! Huge fan of raw cocoa - am even going to take your lead and garnish with almonds and blueberries.
Delicious.. thanks for sharing!
I just made this, with agave and cocoa powder, and it tastes like chocolate guacamole. What happened?
maybe up the agave, definitely add a little salt and vanilla extract? it's way better chilled! that might help.
yeah uh YUM! I want to make this right now... but I'll hold back until tomorrow! :)
I made this substituting honey and normal unsweetened cocoa powder and I also thought it tasted like chocolate quac. I've made a sweet preparation of avocado before with 1 avocado, 1/2 grapefruit, 1/2 lime and honey to taste, and now that stuff was amazing.
Revolting! I love chocolate mousse, but perhaps this only works for people who have done without the real thing for so long that they've forgotten what it tastes like! I was so disappointed. I prepared it for me & my hubby (I didn't tell him how it was made) and he thought I'd messed up as it tasted so bad. I'm sure it's great for people who are on strict diets... no doubt they may be able to convince themselves that it's delicious, but not for me, thanks!
If it tastes too avocado-y, up the other ingredients, and make sure it's blended really, really well. If there are still little flakes of green in it, you'll taste the avocado. I made mine with maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder and vanilla extract, and it was super chocolatey and rich, but I did have to tinker with it a bit.
I just made this, and tried so hard to like it but it definitely tastes like avocado, and doesn't have that "lightness" that whipped egg whites give to a mousse. I had a tiny bit but had to bin it and now I feel a little ill. Blugh..
sounds divine.
I've made this with a good dose of coconut cream (not the artificial stuff in the little package, the fat from the top of the can of coconut milk before you shake it) and it helps the flavor a lot. As for texture, whipping it in your stand mixer or with beaters helps a lot, but its still more of a pudding. Use it as a filling in an almond tart crust!!
The version of this I know and love has a much higher ration of cocoa powder to avocado...maybe that's what's not working for some previous posters. Here's how I make it (and no one will guess its avocado, trust me): 1 avo, 1/2 cup unsweetned cocoa powder, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Blend to pudding consistency, chill. It's super rich - one avo makes enough for 2-3 I've learned. Sometimes I add cinnamon in it. It's truly incredible.
A problem here might be that avocado size is not specified. There are large and small/medium. I think this is an important detail. Maybe the author should specify amount of avocado by weight. That would be helpful!