Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Mousse
This Clean Eating Vegan Lemon Mousse recipe is probably one of the easiest desserts you will ever make and it's so light and perfect for spring.
And if you love this recipe, make sure you check out my upgraded version, Vegan Lemon Mousse Tarts, that are made with this lemon mousse recipe and a raw pecan and date crust.
To make this recipe, all you have to do is keep a can of full-fat coconut milk in the back of your refrigerator (at all times!) because you never know when the moment will strike and you will be craving a quick, healthy dessert or need a healthy topping for something else.
Once you have your canned coconut milk waiting patiently in the refrigerator, it only takes about 5 minutes to make and needs just 3 clean ingredients!
The recipe will make enough for 1 - 2 servings, so it's the kind of dessert to make when you need a special treat or something to perk up your day.
It's based on my How To Make Whipped Coconut Cream Topping recipe, but I decided to add some fresh lemon juice to it for flavoring.
Here's the ingredient list for traditional lemon mousse:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Traditional Lemon Mousse Ingredients: 8 eggs, 1 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, lemon, salt, vanilla extract
My healthier version is plant-based, raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, no-cook, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and is Medical Medium compliant.
Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions For Vegan Lemon Mousse
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Coconut Milk. Always keep a can (or two!) of full-fat coconut milk in the back of your refrigerator so you can make this recipe at a moment's notice.
If you don't have a can ready, you will need to leave it in the refrigerator ~at least ~ 24 hours so the fat in the coconut milk can harden, but the longer the better.
Once you open your can, the top half will be solid (coconut fat) and the bottom half will be liquid (coconut water).
You will be using ONLY the solid part for this recipe (save the liquid part to add to a smoothie!).
Sweetener. I like to use organic raw coconut crystals to make mine, but feel free to use your favorite granular sweetener.
If you use an organic, natural sweetener like raw coconut crystals, it might give the mousse a slighter darker color because the crystals aren't white, but if you want it a pure white color, you might want to try using a white sweetener like non-GMO xylitol.
Lemons. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor and nutrients since it hasn't been pasteurized, but you can substitute with store-bought organic lemon juice. In addition, if you find you want a more intense lemon flavor, add 2-3 drops of organic lemon essential oil which will give you more lemon flavor without adding additional liquid to the recipe.
Want More Healthy Plant-Based No-Bake Dessert Recipes?
Check out these:
- No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream
- Chocolate Crunch Bars
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake desserts made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Mousse
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 can organic full-fat coconut milk (13.5-ounce can)
- 2 tablespoons organic lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 tablespoons organic granular sweetener
Instructions
Advanced Preparation:
- Add a can of full-fat coconut milk to the back of the refrigerator ~at least~ 24 hours before making this recipe.
Prepare the mousse:
- Remove the coconut milk from refrigerator and scoop out the hardened "fat" part of the coconut milk. The bottom half of the can will be liquid (save this coconut water to add to a smoothie!)
- Add the hardened coconut fat, lemon juice and sweetener of your choice to a mixer and mix on high speed until it turns into a fluffy mousse.
- Adjust the sweetener and/or lemon juice to your preference.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Matt says
when putting ingredients into mixer, do you beat it or whip it. i assume you whip it.
Karielyn says
Hi there Matt! I use a Kitchen Aid mixer and use the wire "whip" attachment. I "whip" it at the highest speed until it forms a peak...it usually takes a few minutes.
Thanks for the question and I hope that helps! 🙂
Corbinanimous says
How is lemon juice alkaline??? It's full of citric acid... which is literally the opposite of alkaline!
Karielyn says
Hi there...lemon juice is acidic outside the body and very alkalizing once it's been metabolized inside the body...Google it 🙂
Mary says
I am grateful for this recipe! Just reading a novel (Drowning Season by Alice Hoffman) in which a character prepares uncooked lemon mousse and so I searched for a recipe...luckily found this vegan version I can tolerate.
Karielyn says
Hi there Mary! I'm so glad to hear the story behind how you came to find my website...thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Beccy says
This looks great! Question: if I were to make it to bring in to work, how well or how long does it keep in the fridge after it's prepared? Thanks!
Karielyn says
Hi there Beccy! Of all the times I've made this, I've only had leftovers one time! It did well in the refrigerator for a couple of days covered. But, I'm not sure how it would do transporting it to work. If it sits out at room temperature, it will get soft and runny...just like a regular whipped cream topping would.
If you wanted to try to take it to work, I would freeze it the night before and then transport it in something cool so it doesn't thaw out before you get a chance to eat it.
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Samantha says
This looks wonderful, but with the eggs this is not a vegan recipe.
Karielyn says
Hi there Samantha! I'm not sure where you are seeing "eggs" as an ingredient in this recipe, because it doesn't contain any. In fact, there are only 3 ingredients...coconut milk, sweetener and lemon juice so it's definitely 100% vegan 🙂
Jessica says
I think they got confused because at the very top is the S.A.D. which shows eggs in the ingredients. That is not the recipe Samantha just scroll down a bit! =)
Karielyn says
Hi there Jessica! Thank you so much for pointing that out! The info at the top of the post is showing the ingredients in a similar S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) product or recipe to make people more aware of what's in the foods they are eating and to encourage them to make healthier versions from scratch 🙂
pym says
looks delicious.... i have the ingredients except for lemons. i wonder how this would taste if i could use limes?
thanks for recipe
Karielyn says
Hi there Pym! Yes...limes would work and that would be really good too! Just use the same amount of fresh lime juice as lemon juice.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Felisha says
Hi! Found this recipe last night on pinterest and couldn't wait to put the can of coconut milk in the fridge to make tonight! This is absolutely delish!
Karielyn says
Hi there Felisha! I'm glad to hear you were excited to try out the recipe, it's really easy to make and I especially love to make it during the summer months.
Hope you enjoy it and much as I do 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love how easy this lemon mousse is and how little ingredients it requires!
Karielyn says
Hi there Thalia! You can't really get much better than this, 3 ingredients and ready in about 5 minutes lol! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂