Make The Fluffiest Coffee Mousse With Just 3 Ingredients

Making a coffee mousse can be a finicky process. You have to carefully whip up egg whites with sugar until doubled in size, fold them delicately into your base, and wait patiently for the foamy mixture to set in the fridge before you can finally dig in. Moreover, the presence of raw eggs in the recipe makes it unsuitable for young children or the elderly. An easier way to make the fluffiest coffee mousse without all of that headache is to whip together three simple ingredients: instant coffee, ice, and syrup.

The same technique for crafting a delicious Dalgona coffee can be used to make a velvety mousse. Begin by placing your instant coffee and ice in a food processor. Then top it off with a flavored syrup of your choice. Anything goes here, from a basic simple syrup (made of sugar and water) to one that's been spiked with cinnamon, vanilla, or hazelnut. This drizzle of flavored syrup will lend your mousse a dessert-like taste, making it distinct from a fluffy Dalgona coffee. Start blending the mixture and pour in a splash of water as it runs. After 10 minutes, you'll have a velvety coffee mousse.

It's possible to make a quick coffee mousse with water instead of ice cubes, but the extra cold temperature is what makes the finished product so airy and light. The chilled environment encourages the ingredients to whip together seamlessly and trap in all those precious air bubbles. That lends the mousse its fluffy mouthfeel and ethereal texture. However, using instant coffee versus fresh coffee beans is non-negotiable when making your dessert, so don't be tempted to use a fancy or expensive roast. This is because dried coffee granules contain fewer natural oils than freshly ground beans, which means they can be whipped up into a stable foam that doesn't collapse as quickly. Instant coffee has a robust, concentrated personality too, resulting in a mousse with an intense flavor. 

Serving fresh berries with your treat can cut through some of that richness, but a side of biscotti can be equally as delicious and provide some textural complexity. You can also make a chocolate mousse by simply adding a sprinkling of cocoa powder in with your instant coffee to produce a mocha-style fluffy dessert. The final result might not be as foamy, but it will still have a mousse-like consistency that you can enjoy with a spoon or pour over a glass of milk to make a quick homemade mocha.