Unsweetened Strawberry and Blueberry Mousse
Setting a mixture of yogurt and fruits with a reduced amount of gelatin was a breakthrough in the sweet part of my cooking. Such a tiny change allowed me to obtain a mousse instead of a hard jelly; I went so crazy about this easy dessert, it has replaced the majority of my rich, high-calorie homemade sweets. I’ve been making its different versions for years (see below) and like it also as an afternoon snack or even a refreshing summer breakfast. Made with a tiny amount of yogurt and no trace of any sweetener, this mousse is particularly fruity and lighter than ever. If both strawberries and blueberries are very ripe, why would one need sugar, syrup or honey? For me it was definitely sweet enough. (If you have guests who like very sweet desserts, you can of course put honey or confectioner’s sugar on the table.)
Here are some other versions of this light summer dessert:
TIPS: 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, I won’t give you the exact amounts and will only say that 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).
If you use Greek yogurt, the taste will be sweeter because it’s the least tangy natural yogurt, but I liked it with normal yogurt too.
If you use another gelling agent (such as agar) make sure you don’t put too much. Otherwise you will obtain a hard jelly and not a mousse.
Preparation: about 15 minutes + min. 2-3 hours in the fridge
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
150 g (about 5,3 oz) very ripe blueberries
600 g (about 21 oz) very ripe sweet strawberries
125 g (about 4,4 oz) yogurt or quark or Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt is the least tangy, so the taste will be sweeter)
the amount of gelatin required to set 500 ml liquid
Wash the strawberries and mix about 90% of them together with the yogurt. You shouldn’t obtain more than 600 ml, so keep on adding more strawberries and mixing until you reach it (it will depend on the juiciness of the fruits).
Dissolve the gelatin according to the package instructions.
Mix well in a blender with the strawberry mixture.
Pour the mousse into serving dishes.
Place equal amounts of blueberries into each dish, reserving 1 flat tablespoon per person to put on top just before serving.
Put the mousse into the fridge for 2 -3 hours.
Serve very cold.
It’s such a beautiful dish, Sissi, and knowing your reluctance to add excessive sugar to your desserts it sounds like a great adaptation.
Thank you so much, A_Boleyn. It’s not really a reluctance… my palate just cannot take very sweet… sweets. It’s always been like this (when I was a child I found most cakes too sweet, apart from my mum’s products).
I’m with you on these desserts Sissi – both in terms of taste and simplicity; truly can’t beat it! I like playing around with different ingredients to see what kind of texture they can create — sometimes its tofu, sometimes banana/avocado, sometimes Greek yogurt and yes, gelatin too (puddings/soft serves and mousses). I sometimes add a drizzle of sweetener – usually maple syrup – but you’re so right about ripe summer fruit — why would you need anything else? That’s precisely how I feel when I come across fruit muffin recipes that call for one, two and three (!) cups of sugar :0. Your featured combination of blueberry and strawberry is just so pretty… I enjoy perusing all the beauties you’ve come up with… quite a collection and please do keep the inspiration coming ~ I’m loving it.
Thank you so much, Kelly, for all the compliments. I must say I haven’t tested tofu in sweet desserts like this (I only did several times a chocolate and tofu cake and even though it’s not half as good as the one packed with butter, I love it because it’s actually quite good), but it sounds like a great idea too! Of course, maple syrup 😉 I should have guessed you use it regularly…
I always love your mousse recipes and appreciate your detailed description. I too prefer a mousse over a jelly and I have two containers of raspberries that I’ll likely make something like this with. Thank you for the inspiration.
Thanks a lot, Eva. I am glad you might find this idea useful. I must say I have one of these versions (several mini-portions) in the fridge practically all summer long.
I, too, stick with a recipe once I love it and make it in all possible ways. I love this berry variation and I would also love to have a bowl to try it!
Thank you so much, Katerina. I especially like these desserts because they are totally guilt-free and utterly delicious at the same time, so I make one batch after another when red fruits are in season.
This is such a delicate and elegant dessert Sissi…I like smooth texture of the mousse and the option to add more sugar…
Thanks for the inspiration…hope you are enjoying your week 🙂
Thank you so much, Juliana.
Highly sophisticate looking dessert! I remember making your yogurt strawberry mousse before…it was delicious!…one of my favorite!
Hi, Nipponnin. Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m glad you like my strawberry mousse!
This is really excellent. I will try it with bananas soon, and maybe add desiccated coconut also. I like the idea that its free from added sugar, which means I can eat more sugary stuff like cookies with less guilt:)
I’ve got Turkish yogurt at home. Bit tangy. I suppose its similar in tanginess to Greek yogurt.
Thank you, Mr. Three Cookies. Keep in mind that bananas will become really ugly looking on top (I made my mousse with kiwi coulis on too to cover the colour), but they are absolutely delicious as the main ingredient. I hope you will like it. I think that Greek yogurt is the least tangy of all the yogurts I’ve had, but I have never tasted Turkish yogurt. Any yogurt will be perfect!
Banana mousse looking nice thanks to kiwi 😉
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A dessert without sugar!!! Just what I need right now. 🙂 I love berry season for just this type of possibility. While I was reading I was asking myself if agar would work in place of gelatin since that’s what I have and there you answer my question. I will be giving this a go!! Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
Thank you so much, MJ. I am not on diet but whenever I can find a way to cut down on sugar or fat without reducing the flavours, I jump on such an occasion. Last Saturday my strawberries were rather on the tangy side, so I had to add some sweetener, but the ones used for this mousse didn’t require any of it.
Agar would certainly set this mousse, but I’m not sure if the texture would be moussy… In all of my agar experiments I have only obtained wobbly and slightly creamy desserts (when cutting on the advised agar amount, there are several posts here, check the menu on top and click at: “what to do with agar?”) never moussy… but let me know if it has worked!