Strawberry and Yogurt Mousse

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Light, refreshing, full of seasonal fruit, ridiculously easy and totally guiltless. In short, Strawberry and Yogurt Mousse is my kind of summer dessert. The funny thing is that I would have never discovered how extraordinary a yogurt mousse can be if I hadn’t run out of fresh cheese (also called quark), my old basis for strawberry mousse. For years I was convinced it was the lightest and the best strawberry mousse I could achieve and when the cooling desserts season arrived I would make sure the fresh cheese was in the fridge. I am glad I forgot to buy it last weekend and made this substitution. The yogurt version had a slightly lighter texture, the taste of strawberries was stronger, but otherwise the taste was similarly tangy and equally good. For the hundredth time since I started to cook I can confirm that necessity is the mother of invention! Moreover, thanks to this accidental modification I hope that this time I can recommend this mousse also to all my friends who don’t have access to fresh cheese, since yogurt seems to much more international.

TIP: The amounts of gelatin depend sometimes on the brand. Leaves are sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller,   powdered gelatin sometimes contains other products and doesn’t set as well as pure gelatin in powder… In short, the aim here is to use here the amount of gelatin which sets 500 ml/2 cups/about 17 oz liquid. (The whole mousse mixture has more than 500 ml, so the mousse will be firm but not hard).

Preparation: 10 minutes+ 2 – 3 hours in the fridge

Ingredients (serves 4):

250 g (about 1 cup) unsweetened natural yogurt

300 g (about 11oz) strawberries (hulled)

4 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar or sweetener (or no sugar if you prefer your mousse to be really tangy)

1 tablespoon gelatin in powder or you can use leaves, but the amount necessary to set 500 ml liquid/about 2 cups (see the TIP above)

(some strawberries for the decoration)

Mix the strawberries in a food processor or a blender. Add the sugar and the yogurt (remove the liquid floating on the surface). Mix once more.

Taste and add more sugar if needed.

Dissolve the gelatin in 4 tablespoons warm water.

Mix with the strawberry mixture.

Pour the mousse into serving dishes.

Put the mousse into the fridge for 2 -3 hours.

Serve very cold.

 

41 Replies to “Strawberry and Yogurt Mousse”

    1. Thank you, Hyosun. I also always have some yogurt and now I know I don’t need fresh cheese to prepare a delicious mousse.

  1. Your mousse is simply beautiful Sissi. I love the simplicity and achievability of this recipe. I am just packing up for the cottage (long weekend here) – and I just happen to have a couple gelatin pouches 🙂 – I am going to pop them in to our grocery box to bring to the lake. With strawberries in full season here, I expect I can pull this one together easily. It’s our wedding anniversary today (16 years!) and I can’t think of a nicer way to surprise my husband… your mousse looks so gorgeous too with the light pink, flash of green mint and the darker red of the sliced strawberry. Beautiful job Sissi!

    1. Thank you so much, Kelly. You cannot imagine how I appreciate your compliments. Happy Anniversary! 16 years sounds like a long, long time! Have a lovely weekend!

  2. Love the delicate pinkie colour and the beautiful condensation around the glass from the time spent in the refrigerator – it really makes it look so cool and refreshing.

    Such pretty presentation as well! 🙂

    1. Thank you, Charles. I’m glad men also appreciate the pink colour in desserts 😉 Somehow I have managed to make the photo quickly and it was really hot in the flat, hence the condensation. Thank you for your compliments!

  3. Your post reminds me that I’ve been meaning to make some fruit sorbet now that it’s so hot outside. The strawberry yogurt version of this is supposed to be quite tasty and the lovely colour of your mousse is very tempting.

    1. Thank you so much. If I had an ice-cream maker and a normal freezer (not the tiny one I have now) I would also make a sorbet. Yogurt has a very subtle taste so the strawberry taste is very strong here.

  4. What a lovely dessert, Sissi. My mom used to make something similar using powdered jello with a fruit flavour, but I like the idea of fresh fruit a lot better. This will make a nice summer dessert, particularly since strawberries are in season in Ontario.

    1. Thank you, Eva. We should profit from the fresh strawberries as long as they are in season.

  5. Hi Sissi, looks like you’ve had 2 very happy accidents! This type of things usually happen to me with design projects, while laying things out I might accidentally do something or press the wrong short key, and voila! The effect would be totally unexpected yet refreshing and wonderful!

    Have a great weekend, how hot is it at your part of the world?

    1. Thank you so much, Jeno. You are right, recently thanks to a mistake and an oversight I could make two great recipes. It’s funny it happens also with your design projects. It’s so hot here I almost feel like on a desert… so such a dessert is more than welcome. Have a lovely weekend too!

  6. Lol! When I started to read, I was like yes no fresh cheese! Hahaha! You knew we (or I) can’t get it. :-). I’m making this for BBQ party for the 4th of July holiday!!! I needed something light and something kids can enjoy. Lovely!!!!

    1. Thank you so much, Nami. Yes, I remember very well your difficulties with getting fresh cheese. I do hope you can make it because as I said it’s completely guilt-free for those who are afraid to indulge too much in desserts (like me) and I think those who don’t care will like it too. Just make sure to taste it before refrigeration because natural yogurt and strawberries might sometimes be too tangy for some people (or children).

      1. Besides that I change to 3 Tbsp. regular sugar, I followed your directions and it came out perfectly. It was a tiny bit loose but I’m guessing it’s probably because my yogurt amount was not 100% precisely. I use a measuring cup and did it so that could be it. But my family enjoyed it and it was so refreshing and we loved it. I bought another yogurt again to make again. I used regular kind, not non-fat, but does it matter? I thought dessert recipe should be better with full fat, but if non fat works then I’ll change it next time. 🙂

        1. Hi Nami, thank you for this exciting news. I’m so happy you have enjoyed this mousse. You know, the “loose” issue might be due to the gelatin… I’m sorry it wasn’t perfect 🙁 Some brands may differ, so maybe next time put some more gelatin to make sure it sets well. I have made it with low -fat, not 0%, so somewhere in between 😉 and it was good this way too. I am sure that regular yogurt works best! It’s creamier.

  7. Guilt or no guilt, I don’t care. I just want have a glass (or two) of this beautiful mousse. You always take pictures that look very elegant. Have a great weekend, Sissi!

    1. Haha! Thank you, Ray. I like so many things I cannot have too often that when I find something guiltless I am happy to share it and emphasize the light side. Thank you for the compliment. I know my photos are far from yours in terms of quality or composition, so I appreciate a lot compliments from such an excellent photographer.

  8. I just love how you make things SO easy! What a great mousse! I definitely would use the recommended amount of sugar because I have a crazy sweet tooth! 🙂 AND, the yogurt makes this SO much healthier in comparison. Great recipe!

    1. Thank you so much, MJ. I know many people make it with cream, so you are right: it’s much much lighter this way.

  9. Sissi, you inspired me to make this refreshing light strawberry mousse that doesn’t require heavy cream, as most of them do. I will pick up some yogurt, and will make this for myself. Lovely, and totally “hits the spot”

    Thank you for your suggestions for the mangoes. I will check them out on your blog and will attempt to make something different, other than smoothies…come to think of it, how about make a mango mousse, following your recipe, but with the mangoes…may not be too bad!

    1. Thank you so much, Elisabeth. I’m flattered to inspire you to make something new 🙂 When one has too much fruit, preserves are usually the best option (you can also make mango jam, but personally I prefer mangoes with chili, hence the savoury recipes I have linked to). The mango mousse is an excellent idea! But do check if raw mangoes do not stop gelatin from setting (if they do, you can maybe blanch them? I know cooked pineapple works while the raw one doesn’t). I am sure you will make fabulous things with your mangoes and am impatient to read about them.

  10. Ah …. now you’re talking 🙂 No quark here or if there is (haven’t seen any yet), it’ll probably be super expensive. I’m glad you ran out of quark (hehe) otherwise I’ll be missing out on another yummy recipe.

    1. Haha! I did remember our quark conversations. I’m not 100% sure if you would like this recipe (although it’s tangy and cooling…) but at least it’s feasible in your country!

    1. Hi, Sylvia. I’m sure the texture will work, but of course it depends if you like soy yogurt’s taste (I have never tasted it though I use soy milk daily).

    1. Thank you so much, Zsuzsa. You are very kind. It is ridiculously easy, so I hope you try it one day.

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