Chocolate Avocado Mousse (Dairy-Free)

The avocado gives this its silky texture, and you should not be able to taste it at all. The secret is ripeness: use avocados that give to a gentle squeeze, with no hard patches. Underripe avocado tastes grassy; very ripe avocado just tastes of chocolate.

Snack

Serves 4, plus 30 minutes chilling

Glasses of chocolate avocado mousse topped with fresh raspberries and a sprinkle of cocoa

Ingredients

2 large ripe avocados (about 300g flesh)
30g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 small ripe banana (about 100g)
3 tbsp maple syrup (40g), more or less to taste
4 tbsp unsweetened soy milk or other plant milk (60ml)
1 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt
To serve: 100g fresh raspberries or other berries

Method

Halve the avocados, remove the stones and scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender. Leave behind any brown or stringy bits; they show in the colour and the texture.
Add the banana, cocoa, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and salt.
Blend for a full 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides, until completely smooth and glossy. Any flecks of avocado mean it needs longer.
Taste it. Add a little more maple syrup if you want it sweeter, or a pinch more cocoa for a darker flavour.
Spoon into 4 small glasses or bowls and chill for at least 30 minutes. It firms up as it cools.
Top with raspberries just before serving. It keeps for a day in the fridge, covered tightly; the surface may darken slightly, so stir before serving.

Why it works

Avocado replaces the cream and eggs of a classic mousse. Most of its fat is monounsaturated, the same kind found in olive oil, and it brings fibre too: a serving has about 5g, unusual for a dessert.

Avocado and unsweetened cocoa both contain magnesium, and cocoa contains flavanols, plant compounds studied for their effects on blood vessels. Most of them are lost when cocoa is heavily processed, so choose a natural cocoa rather than one labelled "Dutch-processed" or "alkalised" if you can.

The honest part is the calories and the sugar. Healthy fat is still fat: a serving is about 240 calories, similar to a small slice of cake. The maple syrup adds about 10g of free sugar per serving, a third of the 30g a day the NHS suggests as a limit. Riper bananas let you cut the syrup further.

Protein is low, at about 4g. For a sweet snack with more protein, try the Greek yogurt bark with berries and pistachios or the date and cacao protein balls.

For women around menopause, swapping desserts made with cream and butter for ones built on unsaturated fat is a small, easy change for heart health: see menopause and heart health.

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