Champagne Mousse

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This Champagne Mousse is light, creamy and delicious with a sweet flavor that highlights the champagne used. It’s simple to make and feels special. The perfect no-bake dessert for New Year’s Eve or any other occasion!

If you can’t tell by checking out my recipes, I love making desserts with champagne. I’ve got an amazing Strawberry Champagne Tiramisu, a delicious Champagne Cheesecake and some classic Champagne Cupcakes, to name a few. This champagne mousse is one that’s actually been on my site for a while, but is getting an upgrade today with some new and step-by-step photos. I love remaking older recipes and updating them, because it gives me a chance to try them again. This recipe was originally published in 2014, so it’s been a while since I made it. And I have to say, it’s even better than I remember.

Why You’ll Love This Champagne Mousse Recipe

This recipe is a modification of my chocolate mousse. Just like the chocolate mousse, it has a lovely smooth texture and rich creaminess, which comes from the egg yolks. It’s cooked the same way as the mousse, but since there’s no melted chocolate added in to this recipe (which helps things firm up as it cools), gelatin is used. Here are a few reasons why I think you need to make it – like, now.

• Light texture. This champagne mousse is airy and light but still creamy and luscious. It’s addicting and SO good! I just love the light texture of it.
• Perfect flavor. The champagne flavor most definitely comes through but isn’t overpowering or too much. It’s genuinely so darn good. Even those who aren’t huge champagne fans will likely love these.
• Easy to make. Mousse really is a lovely little dessert because it feels fancy and special, but there’s no baking required and it’s not hard to make. There’s just a little cooking over the stove and some time to let it set.
• Perfect for the holidays. This champagne mousse is great for New Year’s and celebrations. It’s festive, fun and delicious. Plus, at a busy time of year, you could easily make them a day or two ahead.

What You’ll Need

Both parts of this champagne mousse recipe require just a handful of ingredients, some of them overlapping. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Mousse

• Egg yolks – Egg yolks help to thicken the mousse and create a smooth, creamy texture.
• Sugar – Aids with moisture, texture, and sweetness.
• Champagne – Feel free to use your favorite champagne. You won’t notice a huge difference in taste in the mousse between different champagnes, since it’s combined with other things and sweetened.
• Powdered gelatin – Don’t be intimidated by it! It really is so simple. Quick rundown – you moisten it to activate it. Just sprinkle it over cool champagne and gently stir it to be sure there aren’t any dry lumps of it sitting anywhere. After about 5 minutes, it’ll be firm, like gelatin. Heat it up for about 10 seconds to melt it so that it can be incorporated. As it cools down, it’ll firm back up. That’s it! Just don’t boil it.
• Heavy whipping cream – It’s very important that the heavy whipping cream is cold. Otherwise, it won’t whip up properly.
• Powdered sugar – Helps to stabilize the whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

• Heavy whipping cream – It must be cold to whip up properly.
• Powdered sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the whipped cream so that it doesn’t ever wilt.
• Champagne – Adds a light champagne flavor. You can use vanilla extract instead, if you’d like.
• Strawberries – Optional, but adds a bright pop of color and flavor to this champagne mousse dessert.

How To Make Champagne Mousse

Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. It’s easier than you think! You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.

• Cook the egg mixture. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the champagne in a double boiler. Cook over medium, whisking constantly and occasionally lifting the bowl up to release steam. Once it reaches 160F, remove it from the heat and pour it into another bowl.

• Add the gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining champagne. Let sit for 5 minutes then microwave for 10 seconds until melted. Stir into the warm egg mixture. Cool to room temperature for about 10-20 minutes. At this stage, you want it cool enough that it won’t melt the whipped cream but not so cool that the gelatin firms up.

• Add the whipped cream. Whip the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture and gently fold in until combined, repeat with another 1/3 and then the final 1/3, gently folding each bit in before adding more.

• Chill. Divide the champagne mousse into cups. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, until firm.
• Add the topping. Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and champagne on high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe onto each mousse cup (I used Ateco tip 844) and garnish with the strawberries on top.

Tips for Success

When it comes to making this champagne mousse, or any mousse recipe, the details are important. Here are a few things to pay extra attention to when making this recipe.

• What if I don’t have a double boiler? You can use a metal bowl (like a mixing bowl) over a pot of simmering water. You’ll just want to be sure to lift the bowl a few times to release the steam.
• Do not scramble the eggs. In the first step, it’s important to whisk constantly and to keep the water at a gentle simmer. If you stop whisking or let the water boil, the eggs will cook too quickly and you may end up with a scrambled egg texture.
• Use cool champagne. When you add the gelatin to the champagne, it’s important that the champagne is cool or cold. Do not use warm or hot champagne.
• Cool the egg mixture. After you mix in the gelatin, you want the mixture to cool to about room temperature. If you add the whipped cream while the mixture is still warm, it will melt and you won’t get the right consistency. However, you don’t want the gelatin to begin setting either.
• Be gentle. When adding the whipped cream to the egg mixture, you want to take care and avoid deflating the whipped cream. Add 1/3 of the mixture at a time and gently fold it in.
• Use a stand mixer for the topping. I added champagne to my whipped cream topping. Sometimes that can make it a little tougher for the cream to whip. I find that if you’re using a stand mixer, it whips fine, but if using a hand mixer, it may not whip stiff enough. In that case, you can replace the champagne with ½ tsp vanilla extract.

Proper Storage

Champagne mousse needs to be refrigerated until serving. Just cover the cups with plastic wrap or store in an air-tight container. It will stay good for up to 5 days but I find the texture is best for the first 3 days.

More Recipes With Champagne

• Strawberry Champagne Tiramisu
• Champagne Cheesecake
• No Bake Champagne Cookie Pops
• Champagne Pound Cake
• Champagne Cupcakes
• Strawberry Champagne Layer Cake

Watch How To Make It

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