Impossibly cool, creamy and rich, this Grain-Free and Vegan Chocolate Breakfast Mousse comes together easily in the blender in just minutes. It’s instant pudding vibes cleverly disguised as a nutritional powerhouse of a meal. You’re welcome.
How are weekday breakfasts going in your house, gang? If they’re anything like mine, they’re a bit of a struggle.
The kiddos have been turning their noses up to all the go-to’s that once worked — eggs + toast, yogurt bowls, even my beloved egg bites.
And while I absolutely adore the life saver that is The Best Rice Cooker Of All Time for instant breakfasts of hot rice with furikake and soft eggs, sometimes even I need a little variety.
Your Weekday Breakfast Hack: This Make-Ahead Chocolate Mousse Takes 5 Minutes To Make
Enter this Protein-Packed Chocolate Breakfast Mousse. Or maybe it’s more of a Chocolate Breakfast Pudding?
Either way, it’s cold and creamy, impossibly smooth, packed with serious nutrition and solidly tastes like it’s in the dessert category when it is, in fact, worthy of meal status.
And it’s a make-ahead situation. As in, put in 5 minutes of hands-on time now and you’re looking at four to six breakfasts to enjoy all week long.
As written, this easy chocolate mousse is raw, vegan and grain-free (wait! don’t let that put you off!) — but there are loads of ways you could modify it for different tastes or dietary preferences.
- Layer it with bananas or strawberries and yogurt/whipped coconut cream for parfait vibes.
- Whirl in a little instant espresso to make it mocha.
- Add even more crunchy toppings: granola, sliced almonds, toasted coconut or your fave protein-packed cereal.
Want an even more substantial meal? Follow the variation in the recipe below to make this a rich version of overnight oats that tastes verrrry close to chocolate cake batter. And for an extra protein boost, you could swap in cow’s milk or a scoop of unflavored collagen peptides (this plant-based “collagen” option has always intrigued me, too).
How Do You Make Creamy Vegan Mousse?
The ingredient list for this mousse is blissfully simple — and it’s packed with nutrient-dense goodies that will keep you feeling full (and genuinely nourished!) until lunch.
It’s an impressive mix of healthy fats, protein, and fiber plus omega-3’s, antioxidants, polyphenols, and even iron.
It’s even, dare I say, comparable to something you’d pay $8 a serving for in a meal subscription plan (or twice that in a hip, Beverly Hills supermarket *cough*Erewhon*cough*) — and absolutely a breakfast you can feel good about feeding your kiddos.
And it couldn’t be easier.
Just add soaked cashews, your milk of choice, chia seeds, cacao, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt in a blender. Let those ingredients sit for 20 minutes so the chia seeds can plump up, then give the whole thing a good whirl in a high-speed blender, pour it into serving containers and chill it overnight. (You can also pour it into one large glass storage container and serve yourself as you go, but I love the idea of grab n’ go in the morning.)
Top the mousse as desired. As a child of the ’90s, anything chocolate mousse instantly calls to mind raspberries and a sprig of mint, but I also love a dollop of whipped coconut cream and the satisfying crunch of cacao nibs.
My girls are strong believers that most foods can be further improved with sprinkles, so those made an appearance, too. And another pinch of flaky sea salt on top makes the whole thing sing, I promise you.
It’s extremely simple, extraordinarily tasty and the kind of weekday breakfast treat that you’ll genuinely look forward to. In fact, I’m already dreaming up more flavors.
Seriously Easy Protein-Packed Chocolate Breakfast Mousse
Impossibly cool, creamy and rich, this Grain-Free and Vegan Chocolate Breakfast Mousse comes together easily in the blender in just minutes. It's instant pudding vibes cleverly disguised as a nutritional powerhouse of a meal. You're welcome.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for an hour
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (preferably ceylon)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- generous pinch of pink or sea salt
- toppings of your choice, if desired: flaky sea salt, whipped coconut cream, berries, cacao nibs, sprinkles, sliced almonds, granola, high-protein cereal -- you name it.
Instructions
- Soak cashews in hot (not boiling) water for an hour, or in room temperature water up to overnight. Drain.
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and allow to sit for 20 minutes so chia seeds can gel (they'll blend more completely this way).
- Blend until completely smooth, pulsing on high speed and tamping out any air pockets, if necessary. Mousse should be smooth and creamy, as pictured.
- Transfer mousse to individual serving dishes or a large glass container with lid and chill overnight.
- Serve mousse with toppings of your choice. I like whipped coconut cream, fresh berries and plenty of crunch from a good sprinkle of flaky sea salt and cacao nibs. Enjoy!
Notes
The beauty of this mousse is that it's as easy as it is adaptable.
- Layer it with bananas or strawberries and yogurt/whipped coconut cream for parfait vibes
- Whirl in a little instant espresso to make it mocha
- Add even more crunchy toppings: granola, sliced almonds, toasted coconut or your fave protein-packed cereal
- For an extra protein boost (and if you're not eating strictly plant-based), swap in cow’s milk or a scoop of unflavored collagen peptides (this plant-based “collagen” option has always intrigued me, too).
Want an even more substantial meal? Add 1 cup of rolled oats and increase the milk to 2 cups for a rich, creamy version of overnight oats that tastes verrrry close to chocolate cake batter.
And quickly: yes, you'll need a high-speed blender for this recipe. There are loads of great options these days, some of which are hundreds of dollars less than the high-end brands, but I always recommend the original Vitamix if you plan to use it with any regularity. (I also have and love the Wolf Gourmet Blender, used for this post, if you're looking for something with more of a luxury appearance.)
Take it for a spin and let me know your thoughts, friends.
Happy breakfasting!
Em
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Oh hey, Pinners…
This recipe is exactly what I needed to see after this morning’s breakfast rebellion at my house. Looking forward to trying this for tomorrow morning – thanks!
Woohoo, love to hear how it goes! Enjoy!
Looks delicious! Do you have a nutritional information card for it?
I don’t, but there are a few decent calculators out there you could plug the ingredients into if you’re really interested. There are so many things you could swap that would change the macros for this recipe to make it yours. 🙂
Can you share more about the cashews? Should they be raw or roasted? Unsalted?
Ooops, I can’t believe I didn’t specify. Just updated the recipe — they should be raw. 🙂
I have the Wirecutter budget pick Oster blender, which is 1400-watt — do you think this recipe would still work? I do get a little discouraged when I see that a recipe says “high-speed blender” because I’m never sure whether they mean “this will only work in a Vitamix” or just “not a super derpy old blender”.
Haha, you know, I can’t say for sure. I think it would work for the cashews so long as they’re adequately soaked. They get pretty soft. There’s a chance the chia seeds might not blend completely smooth, in which case you might end up with a little bit more grainy texture, but they’ll still thicken it adequately. When you blend strawberries or raspberries, do the seeds blend completely or is there still some fine grit? I think that would give you your answer. (But like I said, I think it’ll work – the result just might not be as smooth.)
It looks great! Is there a nut free option for kids with allergies?
Hmmm, allergic to all nuts or cashews, in particular? If cashews, I’ve been recommending macadamias or hazelnuts (though I haven’t personally tried that yet). If all nuts, I’m tempted to suggest extra firm tofu, but again, I haven’t tried it (and it would undoubtedly change the flavor profile a little).
This looks amazing!! Say, though…. I have a chocolate allergy in my brood (I know- so sad for him!); if I omit the cacao, could you recommend a replacement?
Oooof, that’s a tough one. My recommendation would be to make the recipe as written, omitting the cacao, and taste the product. It’ll be bland, but from there you can decide if you want to jazz it up with just spices (cinnamon + cardamom, mmmm!, or almond extract and a topping of toasted almonds!) or if it needs the heft of something more, like a scoop of pB or some freeze dried fruit. I also really love the idea of bananas and cinnamon but couldn’t tell you how that might go with respect to the bananas discoloring in the fridge. I’ve been toying with the idea of other flavors, though, so if I land on a winner, I’ll let ya know!
Are there any other nuts that you could use in place of cashews? My daughter is HIGHLY allergic to cashews and pistachios, but can have most other tree nuts.
Hi hi – so I think I answered this in another comment, but I would try a similarly fatty nut, like macadamias (the soaking process should work about the same) or hazelnuts, which would complement the chocolate really nicely (but I *think* you’d have to increase the soak time, since it’s a firmer nut). Good luck!
I tried this but it came out really gritty. (i have a Vitamix.) Where did I go wrong?
Darn! I’d love to help you figure this out. Did you soak the cashews beforehand and let the ingredients sit together so the chia seeds could gel prior to blending?
Yeesh that’s an awful amount of sugar though, right? For a kid’s breakfast? 1/4 cup maple sugar has close to 50 grams of sugar which makes each serving 8-12 grams of sugar. Yikes! I think we’ll have to stick to cheerios or eggs and toast!
Hi there! So, yes and no. If eggs and toast were a winner in this house, I would absolutely take that route (even though many whole grain breads have 5-6g added sugar per slice), but my kiddos have been turning up their noses at just about everything recently. For me, the tradeoff of a little unrefined sugar for a breakfast full of healthy fats, protein, omegas, iron, fiber, potassium (the list goes on…) is worth it. And as far as sweeteners goes, maple syrup has a lot going for it: antioxidants, riboflavin, magnesium, zinc. And I also should have clarified this in the servings, but this makes four adult servings — I’d guess it makes closer to 6-8 young kid servings, so 6-8 grams of sugar/serving, but it’s being metabolized early in the day and with all those other goodies. Again, for me, that’s worth it, but ultimately, this is totally a “to each their own” situation, so if Cheerios and eggs + toast are working, I say absolutely stick with it!
Do you have a substitute for the cashews? We have a cashew and pistachio allergy at our house (but all other nuts are fine).
Hi hi, so I haven’t personally tried it, but any high-fat nut can be be soaked and blended similarly to cashews. They’re pricey, but I might try macadamia nuts, which are similarly fatty. Hazelnuts would give the whole thing kind of a nutella taste (yum!), but they’re a little firmer, so I’d increase the soak time even if you’re using hot water. Would love to hear the results if you try either!
So excited to try this! How many servings does this make and what size are the servings?
Hi! Oh, I hope you do try it! So I put 4-6 servings because it varies depending on who’s eating it and whether you’re amping it up with additional toppings and whatnot. For adults, I’d say this makes four filling servings (simply topped, as pictured here) — but my young kiddos each only eat about half as much. Sorry, that’s not very technical, but hopefully it’s helpful!
Yes, I do get a little bit of grit from blending frozen raspberries. I might try it anyway with adjusted expectations, thanks!
Godspeed! Let me know how it goes!
Thank you for the suggestions!
Delicious. The boys didn’t eat it, but as my mum recently reframed, more for me.
Used a food processor and immersion blender, but saw no difference in effect. The little chia seeds remained whole but the texture was still OK to me.
Did different combos of frozen blue berries, banana, museli, yogurt, and sprinkles. The sprinkle texture add on was amazing. Found myself thinking of this as a midnight snack. That might be the ultimate sign that this recipe rocks.
Mine too. I think my chia seeds needed more time to gel before blending. Next time, I’ll let the chia seeds soak in the milk for the hour it takes to soak the cashews.