This fresh raspberry mousse recipe is smooth, creamy, and bursting with real raspberry flavor. It is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients, including heavy cream, fresh raspberries, sugar, and gelatin. You can serve it for dessert in glasses or use it as a mousse cake filling. Whether you are making it for a summer party, a holiday, or to enjoy something refreshing, this raspberry mousse recipe is a great classic dessert.
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Summers get pretty hot here, and I rarely use the oven because it heats up the house more. That is why I love this no-bake dessert. It only cooks briefly, then it just needs to chill! This easy raspberry mousse recipe is my go-to summer dessert when raspberries are at their peak flavor.
If you enjoy serving mousse for dessert, try this Pumpkin Mousse or this Vanilla Mousse recipe!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Raspberries – You can use fresh or frozen raspberries in this raspberry mousse recipe. I think fresh turn out better due to the liquid that comes when you defrost frozen raspberries.
- Heavy Cream – Do not use half-and-half. I noticed So Delicious now makes a dairy-free heavy cream, but I haven’t tested it yet.
- Sugar – A little sugar sweetens without over powering the raspberry flavor.
- Gelatin – You can buy Knox gelatin or a vegan version. Both will work in this recipe.
A Note From My Kitchen
Don’t be surprised if the color of your mousse is not dark pink. You can always boost the pink hue with a drop of beet juice or pink food coloring. If you want to use this mousse in a cake, add a little more gelatin and freeze the layer before assembling. It works beautifully!
How to Make Raspberry Mousse (Step-by-Step)
Bloom the gelatin. Let the gelatin sit in cold water for 5 minutes. This gives your mousse the structure it needs to hold up, especially if you’re layering it in a cake.
How to know it’s ready: The gelatin will look thick, slightly rubbery, and no longer powdery. If it still looks dry or gritty, let it sit for another minute or two before heating.
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Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make the whipped cream.
Gently fold the cooled raspberry purée into the whipped cream. Be careful not to deflate the mixture because the folding is what makes the mousse airy and light. Always make sure the raspberry mixture is completely cooled before adding it to the whipped cream!! Hot raspberry means you get melted, thin mousse!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, all you have to do is defrost the berries and drain excess liquid first so the mousse isn’t too runny.
This mousse will keep fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container. I do not recommend freezing this mousse.
You can add the chilled raspberry mousse to a store-bought graham cracker crust to make a raspberry mousse pie, or you can add it to this almond flour and coconut no-bake crust!
More Gluten-Free Desserts:
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💬 Did you make this raspberry mousse recipe? Drop a comment below, and let me know how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Fresh Raspberry Mousse
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cold water
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 teaspoons gelatin Knox * see note
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 ¼ cup fresh raspberries
- 2 cups heavy cream * see note
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or one vanilla bean sliced and seeds removed
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup cold water. Mix in 2 teaspoons gelatin and allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. (This is called blooming the gelatin.)
- Stir in 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or one vanilla bean, 1/4 cup cane sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 1/4 cup fresh raspberries.
- Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium heat. Turn down the heat to low and boil for 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a Vitamix or food processor and blend until smooth. This will blend the raspberry seeds so there are no crunchy bits in the mousse.
- Allow the raspberry mixture to cool 15-20 minutes. You don't want it to be hot!
- Pour 2 cups heavy cream into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. This can take a few minutes.
- Gently fold in the raspberry mixture into the whipped cream and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Video
Notes
- Use heavy cream, not half and half. Half and half will not whip and create fluffy peaks.
- You can use vanilla extract if you can’t find vanilla beans.
- Feel free to use regular gelatin or a vegan substitute. I used Knox to test this recipe
- This mousse will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
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SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Hi! I want to make a cake with filling in two layers – 1 raspberry mousse and 1 chocolate mousse. I want them to be relatively the same consistency. Would I be able to just swap the raspberries for chocolate, and if so, how much chocolate?
Hi Harriet, I do not have a chocolate mousse recipe on the blog, and really haven’t made one in years, so I do not feel comfortable saying you can swap raspberries for chocolate.
I made this for an Easter dinner dessert competition. I used strawberries instead of raspberries and pectin instead of gelatin. I didn’t win the competition but almost everyone liked it. It would go great on a light vanilla cake or even angel food cake. Very good!
It is good to know that pectin worked for this recipe. Thank you for coming back to share your changes.
I have one question. Do you pout 2 cups of heavy cream into a bowl and whip that? Or do you use 2 cups of cream that is already whipped?
You whip the 2 cups; that is all the cream you need. I hope this helps.
This tastes great but I couldn’t get a little more get it to whip up for some reason. So I added a bit more gelatin and made it into jello. All I did different was strain the seeds and pulp but I can’t see that stopping the whipping cream from whipping up. I will try again. I used fresh raspberries from my garden.
Hi Lisa, That is strange. To confirm, you used heavy whipping cream and not half and half or a vegan substitute?
Sorry if I’m on the wrong track here; did you put the raspberry mixture into the cream before whipping? If so, that would have hindered your cream from whipping up. The use of “add” could be a little misleading here– the bowl is supposed to be empty before you put in the cream, then you fold the whipped cream and raspberry mixture together after.
Hi Gigi, you want to whip the cream first. I can clarify. Thank you very much.
Can this be made a day ahead? Thank you1
Hi Linda, I have not tested making it ahead. How many days ahead are you thinking?
I was thinking about making it a day ahead. Thanks, Sandi
Hi Linda, I think that should be okay. I would put it in an air-tight container so it doesn’t dry out.
This is a delicious easy mousse recipe. I used frozen raspberries (because I had them) and then folded a few fresh raspberries into the mousse. I made a parfait of this mousse with coconut mousse and it was superb. Highly recommend this recipe.
I am so glad you liked it Marguerite. I would love if you could give it a star rating so others can quickly see it is a good recipe :-). Thank you!
I can’t wait to try this! Is there anything I should consider if I’m planning on using frozen raspberries?
Hi Jessica, just make sure to thaw them out really well.
Be sure to drain them. I spooned mousse into a shortbread pie as its filling. Be sure to refrigerate at least 1 hr. A great recipe.
I am glad you liked it, thank you for the tip!