Strawberry Mousse

Try this amazingly light & fluffy strawberry mousse with a burst of fresh strawberry flavor. It is so airy yet can hold its shape well. The best strawberry mousse to complete authentic strawberry cakes & desserts that will surely impress your family & guests for any special occasion, such as Valentine's Day, Anniversaries, and dinner parties.

📌 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Very light & fluffy: The airy mousse melts in your mouth!
• It's made from fresh strawberries: It tastes VERY strawberries. No artificial flavors or colorings! 
• It can hold the shape well to make whole cakes.
• It's "healthier": The mousse is made with just enough amount of sugar, without oil and flour. (gluten-free!) You'll feel less guilty eating it even after a heavy meal.
• It's versatile: You can enjoy it in many shapes and sizes.
• A great make-ahead dessert: Make it ahead to serve for your guests later! 
• It's a perfect dessert to celebrate the strawberry season. 
• A great use to consume not-so-sweet B+ strawberries and turn them into a delicious fresh strawberry dessert.
• I'm also sharing how to make a simple and delicious strawberry sauce to go with the mousse. The fluffy mousse tastes even more exceptional with it!

I love homemade mousse, such as chocolate mousse, raspberry mousse, lemon mousse, caramel mousse, cassis mousse... and a lot more! And this strawberry mousse is one of my favorites. It is a must-try dessert for all strawberry lovers.

Secrets to the airy & fluffy texture

1. Less gelatin + Stiffer whipped cream

When using stiff and fluffy whipped cream like today, you will need slightly less gelatin to set your mousse. It creates a fluffier and less jello-like texture. 

On the contrary, you will need more gelatin to harden the mousse when using soft whipped cream. The difference is drastic!

2. Meringue

By adding meringue, the mousse gets a lot more light and airy. Some fresh fruit mousse recipes do not add meringue and are made with only fruit puree, gelatin, and whipped cream. 

Although this classic lemon mousse takes some extra steps to make, it totally worth the time and effort! If you don't care for mousse because you've had a bland and firm mousse before, I'd like you to try this one.

📌 Ingredients To Make Strawberry Mousse

Strawberry mousse

Here are 7 simple ingredients to make strawberry mousse.

• Gelatin: It plays an important role in setting the mousse. Whether or not you use gelatin powder or sheets, it is important to hydrate them in advance with cold water for them to do the right maximum job. Read the section below to learn more about what type of gelatin we should use.
• Strawberry, Pureed, and strained: You do not need to strain it if you want to leave the seeds.
• Lemon juice: The acid helps to bring out more strawberry flavor and brightens the color of strawberry puree.
• Heavy cream: It helps to create a fluffy texture for the mousse. Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Avoid the one with low fat to prevent the mousse from getting loose. Choose the one with higher fat content (40 - 50 %) when you want the mousse to set better. 
• Egg white: Ensure there are no liquids, oil, or dirt mixed into the egg whites or tools for the egg whites to whip well. Use dry and clean tools for the best result. 
• Granulated sugar for egg whites: Sugar helps to stabilize egg whites. It's not a must to add it, but it has a slight effect.
• Granulated sugar for hot syrup: Use white sugar such as caster sugar or granulated sugar. 
• Water: It's added to the sugar to make hot syrup.

Strawberry sauce

• Strawberry, pureed and strained
• Granulated sugar
• Lemon juice

Should I use gelatin sheets or powder to make mousse?

Ultimately, it is up to you and which one is available in your area - Living in the States, gelatin sheets are usually not available at grocery stores, so I tend to buy them online, usually on Amazon. For this recipe, I tested many times so that I could find the right amounts that worked for both of them. 

Gelatin Bloom:

Anytime you are making mousse, we need to check the "Bloom" of the gelatin, which is its strength. The higher the number is, the thicker your mousse gets. And the lower the number is, the softer your mousse gets. That is why it is so important to know the number before purchasing them. 

The gelatin powder I used today is PerfectaGel platinum gelatin sheets. And the bloom is 230. It is my all-time favorite high-quality gelatin sheet.

I also recommend Knox gelatin powder, which is widely sold at grocery stores in the United States. The bloom is 225. Although I like to use gelatin sheets more often, I find this one does a fine job of making the amazing mousse. 

When you are using gelatin sheets or powder with different blooms, you'll need to adjust the amount to get the same consistency. 

📌 Tools To Make Lemon Mousse

• Stand mixer with a whisk attachment (Or hand mixer)
• Small and medium bowl for strawberry puree
• Fine mesh strainer
• Large bowl for whipped cream
• Small saucepan
• Rubber spatula
• Whisk (optional)
• Piping bag (optional)
• Serving glasses

📌 Step-By-Step Instructions To Make Strawberry Mousse

Hydrate gelatin in cold water.

• When using gelatin powder: Mix it with about four to five times of icy cold water. Mix well and set it aside for about 10 minutes.
• When using gelatin sheets: Soak them in icy cold water. Wait for about 10 minutes.

Puree strawberries and strain them.

1. Cut strawberries into smaller chunks.
2. Puree it well with a hand blender or food processor until smooth.
3. Strain it with a fine mesh sieve to discard the seeds.

Heat about ⅓ of the strawberry puree and melt hydrated gelatin in it. 

1. Take about one-third of the whole pureed strawberries and heat it until it gets very warm or almost hot. (122 - 140ºF | 50 - 60ºC). 
2. Add the hydrated gelatin and mix until it melts completely. Cut the gelatin into smaller pieces with a rubber spatula so that it melts faster. 
3. Pour some of the cold strawberry puree into the warm puree and mix.
4. Pour it back into the bowl of the remaining cold strawberry puree and mix well.

Add lemon juice.

Add lemon juice to the puree and mix. Set it aside at room temperature.

Make whipped Cream.

1. Pour cold heavy cream into a large bowl and whip until it gets very fluffy and stiff. 
2. Set it aside in the fridge until right before using it. 

Make Italian meringue.

1. Add granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan. Ensure all the sugar is wet to prevent it from getting crystalized while heating.
2. Heat it at medium heat. Brush the sides of the pan 1 - 2 times while heating. Do not shake the pot or mix the syrup until the very end to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
3. Meanwhile, whip egg whites until very fluffy. Adjust the speed and timing to start it so that you'll get the fluffy meringue by the time the hot syrup is ready.
4. Remove the pot from the heat once the hot syrup reaches 244 - 246ºF | 118 - 119ºC. Swirl the pot toward the end to make the temperature even and get an accurate temperature. Lower the heat toward the end to prevent the temperature from going up rapidly.
5. Add the hot syrup to the fluffy meringue slowly from the side of the bowl while whipping it at high speed.
6. Continue whipping it at high speed while the bowl or meringue is hot or very warm. Turn it down to medium-low speed when it feels gently warm. Turn it off when it cools down to room temperature. The meringue should look very stiff at this point.

Combine them all.

1. Add all the meringue to the cold whipped cream and fold with a rubber spatula until about 50% is combined. 
2. Add the strawberry puree and fold with a whisk until 80 - 90 % is blended. (You can add all of the puree at once or divide it in half.) Switch to a rubber spatula and fold until everything is evenly incorporated, cleaning the sides and bottom of a bowl, 

Divide it into glass cups and chill in the fridge.

1. Quickly pipe it into the grass cups while the condition is the best. 
2. Chill them in the fridge for at least a few hours. Enjoy!

Strawberry Sauce

1. Puree fresh strawberries.
2. Heat raspberry puree, sugar, and lemon juice until it starts boiling. Set it aside in the fridge.

And it is done!! Bon-appetite. Pour the sauce on the mousse as much as you like and enjoy.🍓

📌 Uses For Strawberry Mousse

Enjoy the strawberry mousse in many shapes and sizes:

• Strawberry Mousse Cups: Divide it into small glasses or cups. There is no need to slice and divide the mousse later in this way. It makes the process much easier! 
• Strawberry Mousse Cake: You can create a mousse cake such as Charlotte cake, mirror glaze entremets, and mini cakes. Customize the look freely for your special event.
• Plated Desserts: Pour it into a silicone or stainless mold to create an elegant petit dessert.

📌 How To Store it

Wrap the surface with plastic wrap or put it in an air-tight container. And store it in the fridge.

What's the shelf-life of homemade strawberry mousse? 

In the refrigerator: Store it for up to a few days. I recommend consuming it within 24 hours for the best taste. 
In the freezer: Store it in an airtight container for up to a month. 

Can I freeze the strawberry mousse? 

Yes. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. 

📌 Tips For Making Strawberry Mousse Cake With This Mousse

Tip 1:

Cover the sides of the cake ring with the mousse before pouring it into the ring. This prevents large gaps and holes on the sides after taking out the cake ring.

Tip 2:

I recommend freezing the cakes so that you can take them out a lot more easily from cake rings or silicone molds or to remove the cake film more beautifully. Otherwise, the surface could get messy, especially when using a silicone mold or the mousse is large.

This mousse sets after a few hours, but it gets slightly firmer and more stable after longer hours. I recommend chilling it overnight to make it firmer or freeze to ensure the cake can hold its shape.

Tip 3:

The mousse could get looser when using looser whipped cream and meringue, gelatin with less bloom, etc. Follow all the tips in this post to avoid it, or you may want to increase the amount of gelatin slightly if you feel very worried about it.

📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!

Watch this video to learn how to make the fluffy strawberry mousse visually and have a deeper understanding of all.

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📌 More Strawberry Recipes

If you loved this fresh strawberry mousse recipe, also try other scrumptious dessert recipes using strawberries!

• Strawberry cream cake
• Fruit tart
• Strawberry mini cheesecakes
• Strawberry jam

📌 Printable Recipe

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