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Blueberry Mousse

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 main 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

HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY MOUSSE

Ok, but what exactly is the mousse? Mousse is like a dream dessert, a soft, sweet cloud of scrumptious creaminess. The flavor and type of the mousse (sweet or savory) depend on the base. The base can be all sorts of things. For example, the base can be fruit puree, melted chocolate, custard, fruit curd, etc. And to this base, we add aerators. Aerators are just what they sound like, something that will aerate the base to make it lighter and smoother. It can be whipped cream, meringue (egg whites and sugar), or pâte à bombe (egg yolks and sugar or both, egg whites and egg yolks).

Most mousse recipes will also list an ingredient that helps set the mousse. This can be gelatin or agar – a vegan substitute. Both, help set the mousse.

Ingredients

  • Blueberries – fresh or frozen
  • Egg Whites
  • Sugar
  • Lemon Juice
  • Whipping cream/Heavy Cream
  • Vanilla Extract (optional)
  • Gelatin
  • Water

Blueberry Puree

You can use fresh or frozen fruit. When making fruit puree from fresh fruit you can skip the cooking part and use a blender to process the fruit and then strain it to remove skin and seed. However, I prefer to simmer fruit for several minutes for a smoother puree. Into a pot add blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat, until soft, about 10 minutes (steps 1-8).

Stainless steel pot with blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.

Pour fruit into a chopper or blender and puree until smooth. Then strain thru a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds (steps 1-8).

Cooked fruit in a food chopper.

Prepare Gelatin

You can use granulated or sheet gelatin in this recipe. For details on how to use 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 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 or it will start to set immediately and you won’t have time to fold in the remaining ingredients.

If the base fruit puree is cold, warm it up and then add prepared gelatin.

Into a bowl pour cool fruit puree, and heat it in the microwave until warm. Then add softened gelatin sheets and stir vigorously until completely dissolved and smooth. If gelatin is not dissolving as expected, slowly warm up the fruit puree in the microwave, in 5-second intervals, and stir it until all of the gelatin is completely dissolved (steps 1-8).

Stirring bloomed gelatin sheet into warm fruit puree.

Prepare Swiss Meringue

Swiss meringue is prepared by heating egg whites with sugar to a safe temperature and then beating with a wire beater, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer.

Into a clean bowl add egg whites, pour in sugar, a pinch of salt, and cream of tartar or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (steps 1-3). Place the bowl over the pot with simmering water, making sure water is not touching the bowl. Stir the egg white mixture until all of the sugar is dissolved. You can test it by rubbing the mixture between your fingers. If there is no graininess sugar is dissolved (steps 4-7). Continue heating till the mixture reaches the safe temperature of 160F (step 8).

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

Remove the bowl from the heat and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks are formed (steps 1-3).

Stainless steel bowl with whipped meringue.

Whipped Cream

Pour chilled cream into a bowl and beat it until soft peaks are formed. Stiff peaks are harder to fold into the mixture (steps 1-3).

Whipped cream in a blue bowl, hand beating whipped cream with a handheld mixer.

Mix the Blueberry Mousse

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

Three bowls with fruit puree, meringue and whipped cream.

To add aerators to fruit puree fold both meringue and whipping cream into the puree.

I like to start with meringue first as it’s still slightly warm and doesn’t cool the fruit puree too much, hence delaying 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.

And then after the meringue is folded into the blueberry puree gradually add whipped cream. Whipped cream is cooler than a blueberry mixture, and for that reason, I like to “temper” the blueberry mixture by first adding about ½ cup of whipped cream. Fold it into the blueberry mixture and then continue folding in the remaining whipped cream in 3 additions (steps 1-3).

Spatula folding whipped cream into bright purple mousse.

Portion Mouse into Cups

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

Pouring mousse into serving glasses.

Chill Mousse

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

Glasses filled with fruit filling.

Garnish and Serve Blueberry Mousse

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.

How Long Does Blueberry Mousse Last?

Leftover mousse can be kept in the refrigerator, covered for up to 5 days.

Can I use this mousse recipe to make cake filling?

If you plan on making a cake filling using this mousse recipe use 3 tsp of granulated gelatin(Knox gelatin is 250 bloom) / about 4 gelatin sheets ( about 230 bloom).

Four glasses with bright purple mousse set on a black tray.
Close up of mousse in a glass.

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 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 8 hours
Servings 5 servings
Author Hani

Ingredients

BLUEBERRY MOUSSE

Blueberry Puree

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

Meringue

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100grams)
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup whipping cream, heavy cream

Gelatin

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

Instructions

BLUEBERRY MOUSSE

    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.

    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.

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