This vegan chocolate mousse pie has rich chocolate flavor sparked with cherry. Perfect for holidays or for anytime you need a special yet easy dessert!
E had a wonderful birthday yesterday and appreciated all of your comments. She spent the afternoon playing with her new basketball goal, the present that she asked for and got early because it took D and me two weekends to put it together. After eating the dinner she requested (Mac and Cheese), she opened her other presents and ate a slice of her birthday pie.
Why pie? Well, I guess we’re just non-traditional like that. E will have a cake at her official birthday party, but just for the family, I wanted something simple and easy to throw together on a week night. I really hadn’t planned to post the recipe here, but after so many people wrote to ask about it, here goes:
The basic pie, which definitely fits into the Ridiculously Easy category, is impossible to mess up; I’ve thrown everything from almonds to oranges to peanut butter in it, and it always comes out delicious. It’s a variation on the chocolate mousse that every vegan knows, the first vegan dessert that many of us learned, the one that’s printed on the back of your Card Carrying Vegan Card. (Just kidding–I think it’s the wacky cake recipe on the card.)
This time, I had some dried cherries that I wanted to use, and I have to say, I think I like this variation best of all. It reminded me, in a good way, of the chocolate cordial cherries my parents used to buy every Christmas.
Warning: This vegan chocolate mousse pie is nowhere close to fat-free. Though I’ve heard of people making a lower-fat version by using cocoa powder instead of chocolate chips, I’ve never been brave enough to try. My philosophy is that certain occasions, such as your only child’s birthday, call for real chocolate chips.
Cherry-Chocolate Mousse Pie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 12-ounce package light silken tofu or extra-firm silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar --more if you want it sweeter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Oatmeal Cookie Crust or any prepared Graham cracker crust
Instructions
- Cover the dried cherries with 1/2 cup of boiling water and soak them until soft. Drain (and reserve) the water, and put the cherries into the food processor. Pulse to chop. Drain the tofu and add it to the food processor along with the agave nectar and vanilla. Process until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour it into the food processor and puree, scraping down the sides as needed to make sure it’s well blended. Pour into a prepared crust and chill for several hours.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
(See, I told you it wasn’t fat-free!)
Clean Teen Kelsey
I know you said any kind of cherries would work, but do you think that would include frozen cherries? I have a whole bunch and would love to use them in the mousse for my birthday on Friday.
SusanV
I think frozen will work fine.
Mary
Can you use other fruit if you don’t have cherries (like blue berries etc)?
SusanV
Sure, use any fruit you think will go well with chocolate.
sandrajayne
OMG that looks good. I was going to make the lemon pie today. Now I’m torn. Do you think this would work with the oatmeal crust for the lemon pie? (I need gluten free.)
SusanV
Yes, the oatmeal crust works great for this recipe as well as the lemon pie. I hope you enjoy whichever one you make!
AmyLu
In case anyone is interested, I experimented with doing this without the chocolate chips and got a couple of recipes out of the experimentation. The mousse is not overly sweet; the pudding version is very sweet. Thanks, Susan, for inspiring… these ideas!
Slenderized Mousse
1 12-oz. box firm Silken Tofu
…1/2 cup dried cherries
4 medjool dates, pitted
1 TBSP date sugar
1/4 c. organic unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. soymilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Soak dried cherries in 1/2 cup boiling water until soft. Process cherries and dates in food processor until smooth. Add other ingredients and process until smooth. Put into small serving dishes and refrigerate 2 hours. Garnish with fresh cherries (not maraschino) if desired.
Note: Next time I will probably use 6 dates and no date sugar, and will probably soak the dates in boiling water for 20 minutes first, just to get them to blend even more smoothly.
Chocolate Cherry Pudding
1 12-oz. box firm Silken Tofu
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup water
4 medjool dates, pitted
3 TBSP date sugar
1/4 c. organic unsweetened cocoa powder
5 TBSP + 2 tsp. soymilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 fresh cherries, pitted
1/2 c. water leftover from soaking the dried cherries
Soak dried cherries in 1/2 cup boiling water until soft. Drain and reserve the water. Process cherries and dates in food processor until smooth. Add other ingredients and process until smooth. Put into small serving dishes and refrigerate 2 hours. Garnish with fresh cherries if desired. (This would also make a great dip for fresh fruit.)
Ali
I made this for my family for Christmas. It was the best dessert we have ever had! I used frozen tart cherries, because it was all I had, and it turned out just like the picture. Super rich and creamy, but slightly tangy from the fruit. You’re recipe is amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Vera
I will love to try this. But I have few questions:
What can I use instead of tofu and agave nectar?
And what is the size of the crust?
Thx in advance!
SusanV
Vera, you can use any other sugar or syrup instead of the agave nectar, but I can’t think of anything that would adequately replace the tofu. The pie crust is an 8-inch crust.
Baxley
I made this recipe, using dried apricots instead of cherries. It came out quite tart, and had a really unique flavor. I enjoyed it, crustless, and so did my friends. Thanks for the versatile recipe!
Imy
Tried cc mouse pie this weekend. Amazing. I can never find vegan graham crackers, so I found a chocolate cookie/cracker that I used for the crust instead. I think next time I will omit half of the agave, it was a bit sweet for most of my friends that tried it. I tripled the recipe (large crowd) and it made way more than I needed, but I am sure enjoying the leftovers.
Kaytee
I love this recipe!! I’ve made one before like it with peanut butter (which is one of my favorite combinations), but I have to say, I may like this cherry version even better! Also, since I am gluten-free, I used a prepared frozen gluten free crust that I baked for 10 minutes before putting the mousse mixture in. It came out perfectly!
For the simple syrup recipe, how much sugar did you use?
AussieAmanda
This looks LOVELY! I’m not a big fan of cherries, but I have some raspberries in the freezer that I think will be perfect!
I’ll let you know how I go! 😀
AussieAmanda
OMG Vegan chocolate mousse is the BEST! If I hadn’t of already gone to the effort of making a crust I would’ve just eaten the mousse then and there!
As I said I’m not much of a cherry fan, but I made mine with a little dash of Cointreau (for adults only my mousse!) and the zest of an orange.
Now I can’t wait fot it to set in the fridge 🙂
Noelle {Baby in Broad}
I’ve made this twice now—once with a chocolate cookie crust, and once with a regular baked pie crust—and it is beyond delicious! It has become my go-to “I need a fancy dessert to share” recipe. Everyone loves it!
Kait's Inside Dish
Yum this looks so delicious, perfect for a holiday get together!
Nancy
I made this tonight and it is delicious!! Thank you for posting. Any idea if it can be frozen? I know that firm tofu changes texture when frozen, but I don’t know much about silken tofu.
Susan Voisin
I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it will be okay. I think you could probably even eat it slightly frozen as an icebox pie.
Nancy
Thanks Susan! As there were only 2 of us, I froze the leftovers and it is just as good frozen! It is like an ice cream pie! I will definitely be making this again. I love your blog – your recipes are always great.
Christina
Hi Susan! I want to make this using my vitamix …..will that affect the texture at all? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
It shouldn’t affect the texture, but you probably won’t need to use the highest speed. The only thing more difficult about using the Vitamix will be getting it out. 🙂
Christina
Oh yea! I forgot about that! Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Stephen
You mentioned reserving the water from the cherries, but I didn’t see anything mentioning what to do with it. Did I miss something? Thanks!
Stephen
Oops! I just noticed your directions for the reserved cherry water. Thanks and sorry!
norman hargreaves
similar to alton brown mooless chocolate pie, we modified it by using 7oz nutella. nutella isnt the most healthy thing around but it’s better than chocolate chips, even adds something nice to the overall taste. as far as vegan, prepared crust’s usually contain milk products, as does nutella and chocolate chips.
cheers
Lori
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner, and it was SO good! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
jean charette
I have made this twice so far. FREAKIN AMAZING!
Pat
I make a version of this recipe all the time. The filling can be used for a mousse if you don’t want a pie. When I make the pie, I usually make a raspberry sauce with frozen raspberries – then fresh ones on the top are nice too. Also, if you find the filling a little soft, it will be firmer with another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Non-vegans will never know it’s vegan unless you tell them! It’s dessert but it’s dessert with protein!
nancy sterken
OMG, i want to dive right in to this! ty for sharing your recipe’s! hope your daughter had a great b’day
Kristin
Susan (or anyone who’s tried this recipe that may be reading), do you think Craisins would work for this or would they be too tart?
Susan Voisin
Craisins would probably work because they are sweetened. You may have to soak them a little longer, though.
Nancy
When you say 10 ounces of chocolate chips, do you mean 1 1/4 cups, or do you mean 10 ounces when weighed on a scale?
Susan Voisin
10 ounces by weight. Sometimes I can find 10-ounce bags of chocolate chips, but often they contain 12 and I weigh them.
Nancy
Thanks. I can’t wait to make it. 🙂
Sandi
Susan, I made this for Valentine’s Day, and it fantastic. For the cherries, I used half dried and half frozen, and for the crust, I used equal parts of almonds and dates with some cinnamon and vanilla mixed in. My only problem is trying not to eat the entire pie myself. Thank you for the recipe!
Noreen
This is 5 star! I made it with a couple little changes to accommodate our families eating, and everyone absolutely loved it. The changes also made it much lower in fat. I used maple syrup for the agave, and instead of chocolate chips, I used 1/3 cup (rounded) of cocoa powder. To balance out the bitterness of the cocoa, I added a pinch of salt, and some liquid stevia (about 16 drops). I used your Fat-Free Oatmeal Cookie Pie Crust (subbing date sugar for the brown and natural sugars). (This pie crust is also a fabulous recipe!) Thanks so much for another great recipe.
suzan adams
Thank you Susan for your sense of humor! I have become so discouraged by other WFPB groups because they seem to be so judgmental regarding Vegans or Vegetarians. I was “attacked” on one site for asking if I could use Tofu cream cheese in a cheesecake! The “attacker” decided I needed a lesson in the horrors of Tofu and continued sending me all her references regarding how horrid tofu is for the body!! The another site compared Vegans to WFPB people, referring to Vegans as “fat..oily with bad skin, thin hair…. who do not eat meat or use leather… but eat tofu based meat and potato chips!! There seems to be some kind of hierarchy in these sites based on how little fat, sugar, salt, flour, etc. we eat than on how much we enjoy our lives. Again, thank you for being non-judgmental and FUNNY!
DJ
5 star taste (used defrosted frozen cherries) but 3 star texture. Immediately after making the mouse, it was silky, luscious, smooth, phenomenal. Should have eaten it right then. After being in the fridge a few hours, texture became grainy. Googled and saw suggestions not to add all of the chocolate at once. Or maybe my chocolate was too hot? Not sure what happened, but was disappointing. The cookie crust was really tasty, though.