My Vegan Lemon Mousse recipe is probably one of the easiest desserts you will ever make and it's so light and perfect for spring! It's a no-cook, plant-based recipe made with only 3 clean, real food ingredients and can be prepared in about 5 minutes!
Estimated reading time: 17 minutes
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- Can Be Prepared in About 5 Minutes: after prepping the coconut milk overnight, it only takes 5 minutes to whip up this indulgent treat!
- No Cooking Needed: this is the perfect no-cook dessert for the summer because all you need to do is mix it together with a stand mixer without heating up the oven or stove top!
- Made with Only 3 Ingredients: what could be easier than a 3-ingredient recipe using only coconut milk, lemon juice and your favorite unrefined granular sweetener!
Karielyn
Jump to RecipeTo 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.
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.
You can feel good about making my Vegan Lemon Mousse recipe because it's plant-based, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, no-cook, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and is Medical Medium® Compliant.
"Feel good about what you eat..."
- Karielyn Tillman
Ingredients
Here are the clean, real food ingredients I used to make this recipe. Try to buy organic if possible:
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk
- Lemon Juice
- Unrefined Granular Sweetener
That's it! My Vegan No-Cook Lemon Mousse is super easy to make!
Pro tip
Advance Prep Step
You will need to place a can of full-fat coconut milk in the back of the refrigerator at least overnight before making this recipe. When you are ready to make the recipe, you will take out the hardened coconut fat (at the top half of the can) and save the coconut water (at the bottom half of the can) to use later, such as a smoothie.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this particular recipe, you must use canned full-fat coconut milk.
Boxed coconut milk, homemade coconut milk, or low-fat coconut milk will not work.
Once the fat in the coconut milk has hardened by being refrigerated overnight and is mixed in a stand-up mixer, it turns into a fluffy whipped topping consistency, and the fat is what makes this happen.
Alternatively, taking a can of full-fat coconut milk out of your pantry and immediately making this recipe will not work either.
The coconut fat has to harden in the refrigerator at least overnight.
Of course, freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor.
But you could also intensify the lemon flavor by adding:
1. Lemon Zest
2. 1-2 drops of organic lemon essential oil
Also, if you don't have fresh lemons on hand, you could substitute with bottled lemon juice.
Just be careful about adding too much or additional liquid because the mousse will not have "peaks" like a whipped topping.
Yes!
Here are some ideas:
1. Lime Mousse: with lime juice
2. Orange Mousse: with orange juice
Just use the same amount (2 tablespoons) as in the recipe.
In my opinion, yes!
Here's the ingredient list for traditional lemon mousse:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Traditional Lemon Mousse Ingredients: 8 eggs, 1 ¼ cup sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, lemon, salt, vanilla extract
My healthier version is plant-based, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, no-cook, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and is Medical Medium® Compliant.
Karielyn's Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions
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!).
Try to buy a brand that is organic, in a BPA-free can, and doesn't contain guar gum, such as this one.
Coconut milk in a box or low-fat coconut milk will not work.
Sweetener. I occasionally stray from my go-to natural sweetener, raw coconut sugar, but when I do, I use organic unrefined cane sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners because it is 100% vegan and is not whitened with animal bone char.
However, you can also use organic raw coconut crystals but keep in mind if you do, it might change the appearance of the mousse and give it a slighter darker color because the crystals aren't white but will still taste delicious.
If you want it a pure white color, you could also use a white sweetener like non-GMO xylitol (not Medical Medium® Compliant).
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.
Order Recipe Ingredients
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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 unrefined 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.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
More Healthy Vegan Lemon Recipes
- Raspberry Lemon Mini Cheesecakes
- Lemon Meltaway Balls
- Flourless Lemon Chia Seed Cookies
- or my Real Food Vegan™ 14-Day Meal Plan Program with 42 plant-based vegan + gluten-free recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
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 🙂