Berry mousse with the Thermomix® is not ice cream in the traditional sense. We make it with almost no fat and no cream, yet it turns out creamy. That works because we whip egg whites together with frozen berries, not chilled ones. The cold of the frozen berries stabilises the foam immediately as the ice crystals dissolve.
We serve berry mousse in summer at least once a week. It is low in fat, requires no ice cream machine, and is on the table in 5 minutes. The recipe works with any berries available frozen: raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or a mixture.
Berry Mousse with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 3 ✓
- 200 g sugar
- 700 g mixed berries frozen
- 2 egg whites
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Pulverise the sugar.
Add the sugar to the mixing bowl and pulverise for 10 seconds / speed 10.
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2
Chop the berries.
Add 600 g berries and the egg whites, chop for 30 seconds / speed 8 and push down with the spatula.
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3
Whip the berry mousse.
Insert the butterfly whisk and whip for 2 minutes / speed 3.
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4
Serve.
Spoon into small bowls and serve garnished with the remaining berries.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why frozen berries and not fresh
Fresh berries bring too much liquid with them. The mousse turns watery and collapses. Frozen berries contain ice crystals that cool the mixing bowl. This stabilises the whipped egg white immediately. At the same time, the ice crystals break down the cell walls of the berries during chopping. That releases pectin, which binds the mousse.
We always use mixed berries from the freezer. The combination of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries gives more flavour than a single variety. Important: the berries stay frozen until they go into the mixing bowl. Do not thaw them beforehand.
Pulverise the sugar first, do not add it coarsely
We grind the sugar to icing sugar at speed 10. That takes 10 seconds. Coarse sugar does not dissolve in the cold mousse. You end up biting on crystals. Icing sugar distributes evenly and binds to the egg white straight away.
After pulverising, add 600 g of berries and 2 egg whites. We chop for 30 seconds at speed 8. That breaks the berries into small pieces. Blending for longer does not make the mousse creamier, it makes it thinner. The berries thaw too quickly.
Butterfly whisk for lightness, not the blade
The butterfly whisk beats air into the mixture. The blade would only chop it further. We insert the whisk and run it for 2 minutes at speed 3. No shorter, otherwise the texture stays grainy. No longer, otherwise the mixture warms up and the mousse collapses.
After 2 minutes the texture is light and creamy. The mousse has roughly doubled in volume. Now spoon it into bowls immediately and garnish with the remaining 100 g of berries. The berries stay raw and add freshness.
Serve immediately or pop it in the freezer for a moment
Berry mousse is best straight after whipping. You can also place it in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. It will firm up but stay creamy. Do not leave it longer than 30 minutes, otherwise it freezes solid and turns to ice.
Berry mousse does not keep in the fridge. It collapses within an hour. That is down to the egg white, which cannot hold its shape for long without a stabiliser. If you have leftovers, you can freeze them. They turn into a fruit ice without cream.
Berry variations: raspberries for tang, strawberries for sweetness
Pure raspberries make the mousse more tart. If you like that, use 700 g raspberries and reduce the sugar to 150 g. Pure strawberries are sweeter and milder. Blueberries alone give a dark colour and a slightly bitter flavour. We usually stick to the mixed variety because it is well balanced.
You can also use frozen mango or peach. That gives a more exotic result. The key rule remains: the fruit must be frozen, not just chilled.
More desserts with the Thermomix®
If you enjoy berry mousse, also try strawberries with chocolate coating, vanilla pudding or semolina blancmange. All three are just as quick to make and work in the Thermomix® without any extra equipment.
What to do if the mousse does not stiffen
Goes well with: vanilla ice cream and waffles.
Our tip: baked doughnuts with 3 fillings in the Thermomix®.
We see three causes come up again and again. First: the berries had partially thawed. The cold is then missing and the mousse stays liquid. Put everything back in the freezer, wait 20 minutes and whip again. Second: too little egg white. With 600 g of berries we need 2 whole egg whites, not one as many standard recipes suggest. Third: the mixing bowl was warm from the previous recipe. We rinse it with cold water beforehand. Anyone who cannot eat eggs can replace the egg whites with 60 g of aquafaba (chickpea liquid from a tin). That works equally well, tastes neutral and makes the berry mousse vegan.
