Passion Fruit Mousse (Mousse de Maracujá)

This easy passion fruit mousse recipe (mousse de maracujá) is so creamy and refreshing, with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s made with only 3 ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and frozen passion fruit juice. You will love every spoonful of this summer dessert as much as our chocolate mousse.

My Favorite 3-Ingredient Easy Passion Fruit Mousse

This easy recipe is for Brazilian passion fruit mousse, also known as mousse de maracujá. We make it in just 5 minutes with only 3 ingredients. Moreover, it’s eggless and naturally gluten-free, making it the perfect treat to prepare for anyone who needs to avoid eggs or gluten.

All you need to do is to blend together sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and either thawed frozen passion fruit pulp or a passion fruit juice concentrate in the blender until it is creamy and thick.

After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, it’s ready to be enjoyed.

Unlike the Hispanic version of the dessert, mousse de maracuyá, this recipe does not call for unflavored gelatin.

What is Mousse?

The word mousse is French for foam. But there are many different types of mousse, some savory such as salmon mousse, and some sweet, such as coffee, lemon, etc.

Sweet mousses, such as those the French are most known for, are usually made with whipped cream or egg whites and sugar plus flavorings. Sometimes  they are stabilized with gelatin or agar- agar. But this egg-free passion fruit mousse doesn’t contain a stabilizer because it is creamy and thick enough all by itself.

You can mold mousses into a variety of shapes for serving, such as a small dome or pyramid. You can also use them as a filling for cakes, pies, tarts, or these passion fruit mousse cupcakes. As you can see, there are many ways to make and serve mousse!

Brazilian Passion Fruit Mousse Recipe (Mousse de Maracujá)

While other mousses might be on the light and airy side, such as most of the French mousse recipes made with beaten egg whites, Brazilian-style mousse is thick and creamy in texture because it has sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream as its base.

You may eat it by itself or topped with whipped cream and fresh berries.

But we enjoy serving our passion fruit mousse topped with a passion fruit coulis made with sugar, passion fruit juice/pulp, and seeds.

It looks like sunshine in a ramekin!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the passion fruit mousse:

• Passion fruit – although I use (thawed) frozen passion fruit pulp, you can replace it with passion fruit juice concentrate or the fruit itself. If using fresh passion fruit, you would need to whisk the pulp in a bowl to release its natural juices and then pass it through a sieve to separate the juice from the seeds. Use the juice to blend with the sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream to make the mousse, and reserve the seeds to make the coulis for the topping.
• Sweetened condensed milk – this yummy sweet canned milk provides the extra sweeter needed for the passion fruit mousse and also adds to the thick and creamy texture.
• Whipped cream – heavy cream is what really makes this a mousse. It serves as the aerating ingredient in the recipe because when beaten it adds a lot of air for that perfect foamy texture.

How to Make Passion Fruit Mousse 

1. Blend together sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, and thawed frozen passion fruit pulp in a blender until creamy and thick, about 1 minute. PHOTO 1
2. Pour mixture into ramekins, then cover them, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours until the mousse is cold and set. Serve by itself or with a coulis on top.
3. Meanwhile, you can prepare the passion fruit coulis, if desired.
4. To do this, stir 1/2 cup of the thawed passion fruit pulp, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the pulp of one passion fruit in a small saucepan.
5. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 8-10 minutes or until syrupy. Let cool at room temp, cover, and place in the fridge to serve on top of the passion fruit mousse. PHOTO 2
6. But if you don’t want to make the coulis, you may serve the mousse with berries instead.

NOTE: If you prefer to make the mousse with the real pulp of the fruit, make sure to beat it with a whisk or in the mixer (low speed) just enough to extract the juice. Then strain out the seeds and use the strained juice to make the dessert in the blender. Never extract the juice in the blender or else it will become bitter from the seeds being ground up.

 

Toppings

Although our passion fruit mousse is delish all on its own, it is really nice with a few toppings, both for eye appeal and added flavor and texture. Here are some great topping ideas:

• Passion fruit coulis – the bright yellow syrup containing the fruit seeds adds both extra flavor and a contrasting texture.
• Whipped cream – a dollop of freshly whipped, lightly sweetened cream is a nice addition to a serving of mousse de maracujá. It tamps down the sweetness, too!
• Chocolate shavings or curls – grate a dark or white chocolate bar and sprinkle the shavings on top of the mousse, or use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls to place on top for an extra nice touch. In Brazil, it is very common to combine passion fruit and chocolate in the same dessert – much the same as the combination of peanut butter and chocolate in America.
• Fresh berries – top your mousse with fresh berries. Some good options are sliced strawberries or raspberries.
• Mint – add a fresh mint leaf to the top of your dessert for a pop of color.

Make-Ahead and How to Store

This is one of the best make-ahead desserts because the mousse chills very well. Just be sure to cover the ramekins well with plastic wrap to prevent food contamination and also to keep the mousse from drying out. Hold off on any toppings until right before you’re about to serve the mousse.

Store any leftover mousse in the fridge for up to 5 days, either covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

If you freeze the mousse, it will become like ice cream.

Other mousse recipes:

• Guava mousse (eggless)
• Avocado mousse (eggless)
• Peanut butter mousse (3 ingredients)
• Nutella mousse (2 ingredients)
• Vanilla Bean Mousse (low carb/sugar-free)
• No bake mango mousse cake (Hawaiian-style) 
• Almond Mousse

 

 

PIN & ENJOY!