Dulce De Leche Mousse
This easy Dulce de Leche Mousse is made with just a handful of ingredients, and anyone can make this no-fuss recipe! Tasty, creamy, airy, and delicious, this mousse is easy enough for everyday desserts but delicious enough for special occasions.
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Dulce de leche, with its distinctive flavor, makes excellent mousse. The sweetness is tempered with the cream in this recipe, and with a fool-proof recipe, anyone can make this amazing Dulce de Leche Mousse recipe.
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The best part is that there are just a handful of ingredients, and no eggs! Many mousses are thickened either with egg yolk or raw egg whites, but my recipe gets structure from a wee bit of gelatin powder. This way, you can skip the eggs and enjoy a light and airy mousse without cooking.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- It’s sweet and delicious!
- Easy to make and sets up great!
- Just need a few ingredients!
What is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche, also known as milk jam or caramelized milk, comes from Latin America. This is a sweet and thick caramel-like sauce traditionally made by mixing milk and sugar and cooking it low and slow for hours.
Some enterprising individuals discovered that you could make it faster and easier with sweetened condensed milk, and taking it one step further; now dulce de leche is available wherever you buy sweetened condensed milk – usually in the baking aisle.
For this recipe, grab a can (or jar) of dulce de leche, or make it yourself if you have the time and patience. You’ll only need 1/2 cup of dulce de leche for this recipe.
Dulce de Leche vs Caramel Sauce
While similar in flavor, dulce de leche is made with milk, and traditional caramel is made with just sugar. The milk gives it added richness and creaminess, and it can get darker in color than caramel without deepening the flavor.
What You Need
- Dulce de leche – store-bought or homemade
- Heavy whipping cream – keep it cold until ready to beat it
- Gelatin powder – see my notes below
- Boiling water
- Semi-sweet chocolate – for shaving on top (optional)
What is Gelatin Powder?
Gelatin powder is a secret weapon in the kitchen. With the amazing ability to “set” desserts, it is gelatin that makes Jell-O, and in this case, mousse.
Gelatin powder (you can find it in the baking aisle) comes in little packets, but you can’t just dump it into the recipe. This powder must “bloom” first – and to do that, dissolve it in some boiling water. But, don’t dissolve it in the very hot water until just before you add it, or it’ll thicken up and won’t work in this recipe.
If your gelatin liquid does thicken up, you can microwave it for 10-15 seconds to loosen it up again.
How To Make Dulce De Leche Mousse
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Start by pouring the whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip or the texture can become grainy.
In a small bowl, combine the gelatin powder with the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved and smooth.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly drizzle the gelatin mixture into the whipped cream a little at a time. Mix just until combined. You want the gelatin evenly incorporated without deflating the whipped cream.
Add the dulce de leche and gently fold it into the whipped cream using a silicone spatula. Fold only until the mixture is smooth and combined. Overmixing can flatten the mousse and make it dense instead of light and airy.
Transfer the mousse into serving glasses using either a spoon or a piping bag for a cleaner presentation.
Top with chocolate shavings if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight, until the mousse is fully chilled and set.
How to Make Chocolate Shavings
Use a bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate and a microplane grater to create fine chocolate shavings. Hold the chocolate carefully and grate directly over parchment paper or waxed paper to catch the shavings neatly.
Microplane graters are extremely sharp, so take your time and grate carefully. Keep the chocolate cool while grating for cleaner, lighter shavings.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- These days, whipping cream isn’t quite so temperamental, so your bowl, beaters, and cream don’t have to be ice cold. It does help, however, to keep the cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Make sure your gelatin is fully dissolved in the boiling water before adding it to the cream, or you’ll have hard bits in the mousse, and it won’t set up correctly.
- Keep the beaters running while adding the gelatin to make sure it is thoroughly dispersed.
- This Dulce de Leche Mousse recipe must be thoroughly chilled before serving to make sure that it is set. Allow at least 2-3 hours in the fridge.
Variations
Instead of topping your Dulce de Leche Mousse with chocolate, try some of these other fun options:
- Add a dollop of whipped cream.
- Top your mousse with crushed Oreo cookies.
- Toasted flaked coconut is pretty and pairs perfectly as a garnish.
- Serve the mousse on top of a brownie instead of in a glass.
Storage
Keep your mousse tightly covered and in the fridge for up to a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you use pre-made dulce de leche, the recipe couldn’t be any easier! There’s no cooking, just some mixing, and it’ll set up perfectly in the fridge in a few hours.
Yes! Please do freeze it and eat it as a frozen treat. It’ll be kind of like caramel ice cream – very decadent! Don’t try to thaw it and then eat it – if you freeze it, eat it frozen.
If you start with keto dulce de leche, then yes, this could be a keto recipe. You’d have to use dark chocolate shavings on top or garnish it with toasted coconut.
Step By Step Process
Dulce de Leche Mousse
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream very cold
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 teaspoons chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Whip the whipping cream with your stand or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and stir until clear.
- With the stand mixer or hand mixer running, drizzle in – very slowly – the gelatin liquid into the whipped cream. Mix until combined – don't over mix.
- Use a spatula to fold the dulce de leche into the whipped cream-gelatin mixture. Don't over mix.
- Spoon or pipe the mousse into cute jars, top with a sprinkle of chocolate shavings, and refrigerate.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- These days, whipping cream isn’t quite so temperamental, so your bowl, beaters, and cream don’t have to be ice cold. It does help, however, to keep the cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Make sure your gelatin is fully dissolved in the boiling water before adding it to the cream or you’ll have hard bits in the mousse and it won’t set up properly.
- Keep the beaters running while you add the gelatin to make sure it is fully dispersed.
- This Dulce de Leche Mousse recipe must be fully chilled before serving, to make sure that it is set. Allow at least 2-3 hours in the fridge.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
Jenn! Seriously! This blew my mind. It’s luscious and creamy and so easy to make! My husband flipped for it and I’m making it as a special treat for Easter. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Oh my! This was utterly creamy and delicious. I am making this again.
Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make dulce de leche mouse recipe! It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Holy cow!!! This was so simple but, wowzers!!, so good!!
This was really easy to make and OMG! So good!