Vegan Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse

I feel the need to make a disclaimer before starting this post. I am not one of those people who eats raw cheesecake or vegan cheese and says, “Oh, it tastes just like the real thing!” Because even if it tastes good, it very rarely tastes like (or has the texture of) the original. And I’m not really big on tofu either. So when I say that this Vegan Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse does not taste like tofu at all, you can trust that I’m telling the truth. It has the flavor of dark chocolate with a hint of tartness from the pomegranate juice, but tofu? Nope, no tofu!

I’ve always been a big fan of chocolate mousse, but it’s a pain to make and it’s heavy on calories and saturated fat. Vegan chocolate mousse, on the other hand, is really simple to make–the hardest part is melting the chocolate. Simply combine everything in the blender and you’re done. While this isn’t exactly low calorie, it is much healthier than traditional chocolate mousse. And somehow, it manages to be even richer and creamier than the original too. If you’re not a fan of pomegranate juice, try orange juice, raspberry puree, or peanut butter (yes, peanut butter!) instead.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse

A rich vegan chocolate mousse with a hint of tart pomegranate juice.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1-3 ounce high quality dark chocolate bar (I used Scharffen Berger 62% Cacao), broken into pieces
• 1-12.3 oz package shelf-stable firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu), cut into large chunks
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. agave nectar
• Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Place chocolate bar pieces in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 20 second intervals until melted (stirring after each interval).
2. Combine tofu and pomegranate juice in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add cocoa powder, agave nectar, and melted chocolate and process until well-combined. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Put mousse in piping bag or, if you don’t have one, a zip-top plastic bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe into dessert cups and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Notes

Cook time is the time the mousse needs to chill–there’s no cooking involved!