Vegan strawberry mousse. It is incredibly delicious and only has 4 ingredients. Are you kidding me? This has got to be one of the easiest (but tastiest) desserts ever created.
THE SECRET INGREDIENT: There is a secret ingredient to this mousse that makes it vegan and no-bake. Not many people know about this ingredient so I will be the spokesperson for this blog post. It is called.... Aquafaba!
Aquafaba sounds like a fancy ingredient but it is actually the leftover liquid from canned chickpeas. The next time you buy canned chickpeas, SAVE THE CHICKPEA LIQUID! You will thank me later. The aquafaba resembles egg whites in baking. Therefore, you can whip up aquafaba just as easily as if you were making a meringue with eggs! It can also be used un-whipped to act as a "binder" in baked ingredients like cookies or cakes. If you are curious about which canned chickpeas to buy, I like the Trader Joe's Organic Chickpeas.
When whipping your aquafaba: start at a slow speed with your hand or stand mixer (you can use a whisk, but it will take you a lot longer). Starting at a low speed will help build up the structure of the aquafaba so it will hold well once we bring it up to a "stiff peak".
The difference between soft peaks and stiff peaks: these are important terms to know when making a meringue with egg whites or aquafaba.
Soft peak: the mixture has a structure but is still soft and "moveable". The peaks will still flop over when beaters are lifted.
Stiff peak: the mixture has a firm structure. The mixture will hold straight up when the beaters are lifted.
*Fun Fact: A while back I made a chocolate mousse with my friend Sam. She is the inspiration for this recipe! She has a great blog with amazing recipes so go give her a follow at samanthaschwab.com
Vegan Strawberry Mousse
Serving Size: 6 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Recipes:
3/4 cup aquafaba
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 box of strawberries, rinsed and cut.
Instructions:
Using a blender, blend strawberries until you reach a liquid consistency. Set aside.
Using a stand or hand mixer, mix aquafaba on a low speed for 1 minute. Raise the speed to a medium high and mix until you reach stiff peaks.
Add in vanilla and powdered sugar and mix on a high speed for one minute.
Gently fold in strawberry mixture until evenly combined.
Chill mixture in the fridge for 1 hour. Serve.
Enjoy!