Rich Blueberry Mousse Recipe |Video|

Name: Blueberry Mousse
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 18 oz fresh or frozen blueberries (500grams) (500 grams); 1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar, use less if the fruit is very sweet (100 grams); juice of one medium lemon; 3 egg whites (90 grams); 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams); 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (or 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice); 1 cup whipping cream, heavy cream (250 ml); 2 tsp granulated gelatin(225 bloom) or 3 gelatin sheets (230 to 250 bloom); 1/4 cup cold tap water or 3 cups cold water if using 3 gelatin sheets

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Let the blueberry flavor shine with delicious Blueberry Mousse. It’s smooth, light, and incredibly rich at the same time. This recipe has only a few essential ingredients, and it can be adapted to make so many different mousse flavor combinations. The sky is the limit.

Bright purple mousse in a glass, garnished with three fresh blueberries and mint leaves.

updated from 2011

WHAT IS FRUIT MOUSSE?

Mousse is a dreamy dessert, light, airy, and beautifully creamy. Its flavor and style, whether sweet or savory, depend on the base, which can be made from ingredients like fruit purée, melted chocolate, custard, fruit curd, cauliflower, cheese, or salmon.

To this base, we add aerators, which incorporate air and give the mousse its light, fluffy texture. These can include whipped cream, meringue (egg whites and sugar), or pâte à bombe (egg yolks with sugar, or a combination of yolks and whites).

Most mousse recipes also include a setting agent to help it hold its shape. This is usually gelatin or agar as a vegan alternative. Both help stabilize the mousse, and the amount used will determine whether the final texture is soft and delicate or firmer.

INGREDIENTS

Blueberries – fresh or frozen, this recipe works with other berries and fruit purees. Blueberry flavor comes out rich and decadent in this mousse recipe.
Egg Whites – I use egg whites to create a light-as-a-cloud texture without adding too much of the higher-fat whipped cream. It’s also a great way to add extra protein to a dessert.
Sugar – It adds sweetness. If you’d like, you can use honey or other sugar alternatives.
Lemon Juice – To get the best out of the blueberries, I use lemon juice, which helps create a sweet-tart balance, yielding a vibrant flavor profile without overpowering the blueberries; on the contrary, it enhances them.
Whipping cream/Heavy Cream – Well, this goes without saying, whipped cream adds a creamy, delicate texture. I have used both whipping cream and heavy cream. What is crucial is that you whip them until soft peaks are formed. Whipped cream with soft peaks is much easier to incorporate into the puree, making the mixture homogeneous, smooth, and just absolutely luscious.
Vanilla Extract (optional) – It’s optional. I use Vanilla extract to enhance the mousse flavor.
Gelatin – I use gelatin to set mousse into a perfect consistency. In this mousse recipe, I use just enough gelatin to set it softly, keeping it light and mousse-like, not like gummy bears.
- Granulated (generally about 225 bloom) to Sheet Gelatin (I used 230 bloom) – I have successfully substituted 1 envelope of granulated gelatin ( 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 teaspoons) for 3.5 to 4 gelatin sheets.
Water – I use some water to bloom gelatin.

BLUEBERRY PUREE

You can use fresh or frozen fruit. I like to simmer the fruit with sugar and lemon juice for about 10 minutes, until softened, to bring out the best flavor (steps 1-8).

Stainless steel pot with blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.

To make the puree, I use a stick blender or a small chopper to pulverize soft fruit. To remove hundreds of seeds, I strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. (steps 1–8). And, though not shown here, you can also use cheesecloth to squeeze the juice from the leftover seeds. If you have leftover puree, try my quick blueberry babka.

BLOOM GELATIN

You can use granulated or sheet gelatin in this recipe. For details on using granulated gelatin, check the recipe card for instructions. Sheet gelatin is super easy to use. I used a platinum gelatin sheet with 230 bloom – a measure of the strength and stiffness of the gelatin (steps 1-2). Soften sheet gelatin by soaking it in cold water for 5-10 minutes (steps 3-6). Then, right before adding softened, bloomed sheets into the warm liquid to dissolve, squeeze them to remove excess water (steps 7-8).

Orange bowl filled with water, hand placing gelatin sheets into the water.

DISSOLVE GELATIN

Avoid adding dissolved or softened gelatin to cold blueberry puree, as it will begin to set immediately, and you won’t have time to fold in the remaining ingredients. If the base fruit puree is cold, warm it, then add the bloomed or dissolved gelatin (if using granulated gelatin).

Into a bowl, warm puree. Then add softened gelatin sheets and stir vigorously until completely dissolved and smooth. If the gelatin is not dissolving as expected, slowly warm the fruit puree in the microwave in 5-second intervals, stirring after each interval until all the gelatin is completely dissolved (steps 1-8). Don’t boil the puree.

Stirring bloomed gelatin sheet into warm fruit puree.

SWISS MERINGUE

I prepare Swiss meringue by gently heating egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar in a grease-free bowl until they reach a safe temperature of 160–175°F (71–79°C), then I transfer the bowl to a stand mixer, or you can also use a handheld mixer – it’s a nice shoulder workout, if you’re looking for one.

To start, combine egg whites, sugar, a pinch of salt, and cream of tartar (or ½ teaspoon lemon juice) in a clean bowl (steps 1-3).
Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom.
Stir continuously until the sugar is fully dissolved. You can test this by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel smooth, not grainy (steps 4–7).
Continue heating until the mixture reaches 160°F-175°F (step 8), then remove from heat and whip until soft peaks are formed.

Stainless steel bowl with egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar, heating over a pot with simmering water.

Avoid overwhipping the meringue, as stiff peaks are harder to fold into the puree. Aim for soft peaks for the best texture.

Stainless steel bowl with whipped meringue.

WHIPPED CREAM

To fold whipped cream smoothly into the mixture, it’s important not to overwhip it, especially when using heavy cream with a higher fat content. Pour chilled cream into a bowl and whip just until soft peaks form. Soft peaks create a light, smooth mousse texture and blend easily into the mixture, while stiff peaks are much harder to incorporate (steps 1-3).

BLUBERRY MOUSSE

Now that we have slightly warm fruit puree with dissolved gelatin, meringue, and whipped cream prepared, we can combine all three to make the blueberry mousse batter (steps 1-3).

Three bowls with fruit puree, meringue and whipped cream.

To add aerators to the fruit puree, fold, don’t stir the meringue and whipping cream into it. Stirring will deflate the meringue and whipped cream
I like to start with meringue first, as it’s still slightly warm and doesn’t cool the fruit puree too much, which delays the gelatin from setting.
Gradually, in 3-4 additions, fold the meringue into the fruit puree.
Don’t add all the meringue at once (steps 1-6).

Blue bowl with fruit puree, folding meringue into puree.

After the meringue is folded into the blueberry puree, gradually add whipped cream. Since the whipped cream is cooler than the blueberry mixture, I like to “temper” it by first folding in about ½ cup of whipped cream. Once combined, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream in three additions (steps 1–3).

Spatula folding whipped cream into bright purple mousse.

PORTION INTO CUPS

Spoon blueberry mousse into a measuring cup with a spout for an easy pour. And pour about ½ to 1 cup of blueberry mousse into serving dishes, then lightly tap the dish to level the mousse (steps 1-6).

CHILL

It’s important to set the mousse in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. After 24 hours, gelatin won’t set anymore.

GARNISH AND SERVE

Before I serve blueberry mousse, I like to beautify it with pretty garnish like fresh blueberries and mint leaves.

Placing garnish blueberries and mint leaves on top of the set fruit dessert.

SUCCESS TIPS

Lumpy texture

This can happen when the meringue is too stiff and doesn’t smoothly emulsify with the puree.
This can also happen if the gelatin isn’t fully dissolved, or if it’s added to ingredients that are too cold, causing it to set too quickly and form small lumps or a grainy texture.

Soft peak meringue and whipping cream

It’s important to whip both the meringue and the cream only to soft peaks. Meringue that’s too stiff is hard to fold into the puree, and overwhipped cream can become grainy, buttery, and separate, making it difficult to incorporate smoothly.

How long does blueberry mousse last?

Covered, in the fridge, it keeps for up to 5 days.

Four glasses with bright purple mousse set on a black tray.

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Blueberry Mousse

This is a delicious recipe for tasty and airy blueberry mousse.

Makes about 5 cups.

Serving: 1 cup

Course Dessert, Frosting, Ice Cream, icing, Snack

Cuisine American, French

Keyword blueberry mousse, blueberry mousse recipe, fruit mousse, homemade fruit mousse

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Chilling 8

Servings 5 servings

Author Hani

Ingredients

Blueberry Puree

18 oz fresh or frozen blueberries (500grams) 500 grams
1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar, use less if the fruit is very sweet 100 grams
juice of one medium lemon

Meringue

3 egg whites 90 grams
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream, heavy cream 250 ml

Gelatin

2 tsp granulated gelatin(225 bloom) or 3 gelatin sheets (230 to 250 bloom)
1/4 cup cold tap water or 3 cups cold water if using 3 gelatin sheets

Instructions

Blueberry Puree

In a medium-size pot combine blueberries(18oz, 500grams) with sugar (1/2 cup, 100grams) and lemon juice (juice of one medium lemon). Bring to boil and reduce to simmer and cook until very soft and juicy.
Remove from the heat and process in a small food processor or use an immersion blender to puree fruit until smooth.
Strain blueberry puree thru a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.
Measure generous 1 cup of fruit puree into a mixing bowl.

Meringue

Into a heatproof mixing bowl (tempered glass or stainless steel bowl) pour 3 egg whites, and add granulated sugar (1/2 cup) and cream of tartar (1/4 teaspoon) or some lemon juice/vinegar (1/2 teaspoon). Whisk to combine the ingredients.
Place the bowl over the pot with simmering water. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture over 160F, about 5 minutes
Remove from the heat and beat with a handheld mixer or with a stand mixer on medium-high to medium peaks.
TIP: Don't know what to do with 3 leftover egg yolks? Try making my delicious tart cookie dough, it's perfect for cookies and tart crusts. Recipe link in the notes

Prepare Gelatin

Depending on the type of gelatin you are using here are the instructions for both, granulated and sheet gelatin.
1. Granulated Gelatin
Into a small dish pour 1/4 cup cold water, and sprinkle gelatin (2tsp) evenly over the top of the water while whisking with a fork. Set aside for 5 minutes. Gelatin will swell up (bloom). It will be spongy. Then microwave it on high in 3 seconds intervals, stirring well after each period, until dissolved. It will only take several seconds. Don't overheat it. Continue with the next step – Prepare Blueberry Mousse Mixture.
2. Sheet Gelatin
Pour 3 cups of cold water into a bowl. Add gelatin sheets (3 sheets, 230-250 bloom), and soak them, until soft, for about 5-10 minutes. Then remove the soft sheets from the water and squeeze out the excess water. Continue with the next step – Prepare Blueberry Mousse Mixture.
TIP: Don't use boiling water as it will destroy the gelatin setting agent.

Whipped Cream

Into a bowl pour whipping cream/heavy cream. Beat until medium-soft peaks are formed.

Prepare Blueberry Mousse Mixture

1. Blueberry Puree and Gelatin
Into a bowl pour blueberry puree (generous 1 cup), if the puree is cold heat it up till it's warm, but not boiling.
*with gelatin sheets: Add softened gelatin sheets and stir until they are completely dissolved. Alternatively microwave the mixture for 5 seconds, until sheets are dissolved,
*with granulatd gelatin: Add dissolved gelatin if using granulated gelatin (follow the previous step to prepare gelatin). Stir well to combine.
2. Add Meringue
Into the blueberry puree mixed with dissolved gelatin fold meringue, in 3 additions. It's okay if the meringue is slightly warm.
3. Add Whipped Cream
When adding chilled whipped cream, "temper" the blueberry mixture by adding only about 1/2 cup of whipped cream. At this point, you can fold whipped cream into the blueberry mixture more vigorously. Then continue folding medium-soft peaks into the blueberry mixture.

Portioning Blueberry Mousse

Divide blueberry mousse into serving dishes. Allow the mousse to set in the fridge, for at least 4 hours and ideally overnight. Blueberry mousse will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

What to do with 3 leftover egg yolks? – use leftover egg yolks to make the cookie dough I use to make tart shells, cut-out cookies, and Linzer cookies.
What can I use in place of gelatin? – You can use Agar Agar.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @hanielas on Instagram and hashtag it #hanielas

This recipe was originally posted on June 28th, 2011, on June 17th 2022 I updated this recipe with new step-by-step photos, written text and video.

2 Comments

m says:

November 23, 2024 at 12:16 pm

I have made blueberry mousse so many times by this recipe and it is always exquisite! It is so fancy and unexpected, perfect for a blueberry farmer and avid fancy cake artist

1. Hani says:
  
  November 27, 2024 at 6:46 am
  
  Hi M,
  I’m happy to hear you like this mousse recipe. I can neve get enough of it. Blueberry one is so special. 🙂
  Thank you so much for a rave review.