Coffee Mousse (3-Ingredient Recipe)

This rich and indulgent coffee mousse is perfect for dinner parties and only requires three ingredients. It is made by mixing instant espresso (or instant coffee) and condensed milk, then folding the mixture with whipped heavy cream. From there, you simply transfer the mousse to serving glasses and refrigerate it.

Serve it with optional toppings like toasted almond flakes or chocolate sprinkles, and treat yourself and dinner guests to a dessert with a lusciously creamy texture and a rich coffee flavor. While preparing this, you could also make this easy strawberry mousse, this chocolate mousse, or this lemon posset, all of which use only three ingredients, and give your guests an impossible choice!

side view of coffee mousse topped with flaked almonds in a cocktail glass against a dark background

Ingredients You Will Need

To make this coffee mousse, you’ll only need the following three ingredients (for 6 servings):

overhead view of wooden ingredients showing condensed milk, instant coffee, and heavy or double cream needed for coffee mousse
  • Heavy Cream – 16 fl oz (2 cups, 470 ml) heavy whipping cream (or double cream)
  • Condensed Milk – 1/2 cup (120 ml) condensed milk
  • Instant Espresso (or instant coffee*) – 3 tbsp instant espresso (or see notes below for instant coffee)

Optional toppings: toasted almond flakes (or other nuts), chocolate sprinkles or shaved chocolate.

top down view of ingredients board showing three ingredients needed for coffee mousse in addition to a container of nescafe espresso showing the brand of coffee used

Note: I used the Nescafé Instant Espresso (pictured above for reference only; not sponsored). You can see the texture of the instant espresso is quite fine so it’s very concentrated. If you’re using instant coffee instead (which has larger granules so less concentration when measured by tablespoons), double the amount (for this recipe, if using instant coffee with large granules, use 6 tbsp (for six servings noted above) or 1 tbsp per serving.

Note per mousse serving (if you only want to make one mousse instead of six): 1/2 tbsp instant espresso (or 1 tbsp of instant coffee), 4 tsp of condensed milk, 1/3 cup of heavy (whipping) cream/double cream.

Mousse Instructions

Step 1. Combine the instant espresso powder with the condensed milk. Set it aside for now so that the instant espresso dissolves in the condensed milk.

view of espresso coffee and condensed milk added to a white mixing bowl on a dark wooden surface
Instant espresso and condensed milk (after a few seconds; before the espresso has dissolved)
overhead view of condensed milk and instant coffee in a mixing bowl after the mixture has been left to sit and the espresso dissolved in the milk
Instant espresso and condensed milk (after 5 minutes once the espresso has dissolved in the condensed milk). Notice the smooth texture.

Step 2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks.

view of heavy cream whipped into stiff peaks with an electric whisk in a metal mixing bowl

Step 3. Beat the condensed milk and espresso powder for about a minute with the hand mixer to make sure the espresso is dissolved and there are no lumps.

close up view of espresso and condensed milk mixture being whisked in the white mixing bowl showing the thicker texture

Step 4. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the espresso-condensed milk mixture with a silicone spatula. Then, fold another 1/3 carefully. Finally, fold the last third, gently folding with the spatula so as not to knock the air out of the whipped cream.

view of 1/3 of whipped heavy cream being folded into the espresso condensed milk mixture and the two colors mixing together in a marble-like pattern with a spatula
close up view of 2nd 1/3 of whipped cream being folded into espresso condensed milk mixture showing a lighter brown color with a spatula
overhead view of all of whipped heavy cream folded into the espresso condensed milk mixture with a spatula in a white circular mixing bowl against a dark wooden background

Step 5. Transfer into serving glasses or containers and refrigerate overnight until the mousse is set. You can go for cocktail glasses, dessert glasses, or ramekins, depending on what you have at home and what you’d prefer. I’ve used all three for reference so you can choose which serving container you’d prefer.

angled overhead view of two cocktail glasses, two dessert glasses, and two white ramekins with coffee mousse added into all six on a dark wooden surface ready to be refrigerated

Finally, for an optional finishing touch, serve the mousse with toasted almond flakes and/or chocolate sprinkles. The nuts add a bit of texture to the soft mousse and the chocolate pairs well with coffee.

overhead close up view of a spoonful of coffee mousse hovering over the dessert in a cocktail glass with flaked almonds topping against a dark background
The coffee mousse in a cocktail glass pictured after about 4 hours in the refrigerator; the texture is even better when set overnight.

Did you make this and love it? Let me know in a review below and let me know what the occasion was in the comments.

More Easy Desserts

In addition to the mousses, if you love coffee-flavored desserts try this easy tiramisu with no eggs in the cream, or this affogato with a chocolate twist. You could also serve these chocolate truffles.

Recipe Card

Coffee Mousse (3-Ingredients)

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Refrigerating Time: 4 hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 16 fl oz heavy whipping cream 2 cups, 470 ml (or double cream)
  • 1/2 cup condensed milk 120 ml
  • 3 tbsp instant espresso or see notes below for instant coffee

Instructions

  • Combine the instant espresso powder with the condensed milk. Set it aside for now so that the instant espresso dissolves in the condensed milk.
  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks.
  • Beat the condensed milk and espresso powder for about a minute with the hand mixer to make sure the espresso is dissolved and there are no lumps.
  • Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the espresso-condensed milk mixture with a silicone spatula. Then, fold another 1/3 carefully. Finally, fold the last third, gently folding with the spatula so as not to knock the air out of the whipped cream.
  • Transfer into serving glasses or containers and refrigerate until the mousse is set (preferably overnight but for at least four hours). You can go for cocktail glasses, dessert glasses, or ramekins, depending on what you have at home and what you’d prefer.
  • Finally, for an optional finishing touch, serve the mousse with toasted almond flakes and/or chocolate sprinkles. The nuts add a bit of texture to the soft mousse and the chocolate pairs well with coffee.

Notes

Note 1: For optional toppings, you can use toasted almond flakes (or other nuts), chocolate sprinkles, or shaved chocolate.
Note 2: I used the Nescafé Instant Espresso (pictured in the article for reference only; not sponsored). You can see the texture of the instant espresso is quite fine so it’s very concentrated. If you’re using instant coffee instead (which has larger granules so less concentration when measured by tablespoons), double the amount (for this recipe, if using instant coffee with large granules, use 6 tbsp (for six servings noted above) or 1 tbsp per serving.
Note 3: Recipe ratios per serving (if you only want to make one mousse instead of six): 1/2 tbsp instant espresso (or 1 tbsp of instant coffee), 4 tsp of condensed milk, 1/3 cup of heavy (whipping) cream/double cream. If making only one serving, you can also use a whisk to whip the cream and beat the coffee-condensed milk mixture as the amounts are quite small.

Looking for easy desserts for dinner parties or gatherings? Don’t forget to save this recipe to one of your party planning or dessert boards.

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