This delicious dulce de leche mousse is the perfect dessert to end a meal. It is fast to make, and with just 2-ingredients, dulce de leche and whipping cream, you can have this ready in less than 10 minutes.
Jump to:
Rich, creamy, and not too sweet, dulce de leche mousse is a dessert for any occasion. This simple condensed milk mousse takes minutes to prepare but is big on flavor.
Cost To Make
Estimated cost = $2.85 or $0.47 a serve with homemade dulce de lech, or $5.05 with store-bought dulce de leche
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- If you want the easiest caramel mousse recipe ever, make this one! Trust me, this simple dessert is not overly sweet and has the perfect amount of caramel flavor, making it so delicious.
- It is ready as soon as you have whipped the cream into soft stiff peaks. Yes, it's that quick to make.
- This mousse recipe does not use egg whites, is gluten-free, and has no gelatin.
- Serve it family-style in one big bowl for everyone to help themselves.
- Or pipe the mousse into individual glasses for special occasions like Christmas, Easter or Mother's day.
What is Dulce De Leche?
Dulce de leche is a rich, thick creamy milk sauce this is popular in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This caramel sauce is made with milk, sugar, and vanilla and is slow-cooked on the stovetop for 1-2 hours or until it reduces and becomes very thick.
Dulce de leche is delicious as is, or you can use it as a topping for desserts, a filling for pies or cakes, or for making easy whipped cream desserts like this caramel mousse recipe.
Ingredients In This Recipe
The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.
Dulce de leche - you can make your own. Or you can buy it at most big supermarkets. It is usually in the baking aisle and is available in cans and plastic squeeze bottles.
We made our own dulce de leche with a can of sweetened condensed milk in our slow cooker.
Here is our recipe if you want to make dulce de leche is very easy to do in a slow cooker.
Heavy whipping cream - this should be well chilled because it will ensure that it whips up correctly.
Equipment
Electric mixer - to make mixing easy, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. But if you don't have an electric mixer, you can use a hand whisk to make this recipe.
Serving glasses - we used 100 ml (3.4 ounces) glasses to make six small servings of mousse. If you don't have glassware this size, use ones that are a little larger, or place the mouse into one large serving bowl.
Use a piping bag with a medium-sized star nozzle to pipe the mousse into the glasses to give the mousse a nice simple decorative look.
But if you don't have a piping bag, you can carefully spoon the mousse into the glasses.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how to make dulce de leche mousse:
Step 1 and 2 - Place the dulce de leche into a large mixing bowl with about ¼ cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to mix the cream and caramel until smooth using a low speed.
Steps 3 and 4 - Pour in the remaining heavy cream and whip on high speed until the cream thickens and medium to firm peaks form.
Step 5 - Spoon or pipe the mousse into serving glasses or ramekins, decorate with strawberries and mint leaves and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
Keep It Chilled
Use chilled dulce de leche and not room temperature because cold ingredients will keep the cream cold which is better for whipping.
Don't Overbeat
Don't overbeat the mousse because if you do, it will curdle and turn to butter.
What Are Soft, Medium, And Firm Peaks
Soft, medium, and firm peaks are just various stages of the beating process.
To make peaks add the flavorings and sugar to the cream. Then beat the cream until you see it start to thicken up, stop beating, and lift the beaters out of the cream to check the peak stage.
Continue or stop whipping the cream to the desired peak stage.
Soft Peak Cream
If a peak forms and flops over immediately, it is a soft peak.
If a recipe calls for a soft peak, you can stop beating, but if it asks for medium or firm peaks, continue to beat the cream for a little longer to get the correct consistency.
Soft peak cream is the best for folding into other mixtures such as blancmange or making fruits in cream.
Medium Peak Cream
If the peak stands well, but the tip of the peak curls over, it is a medium peak.
If you whip medium-peak cream for a little longer, it turns into firm peaks.
Medium peak cream is best for sandwiching cakes together or for serving with things like our eggless scones.
Firm Peak Cream
If the peak stands well and does not curl over onto itself, it has become a firm peak, and you should stop beating the cream.
If you continue to beat the cream after the firm peak stage, it will split and won't be nice to use.
Firm peak cream is best for piping or making desserts like our strawberry fool recipe.
Serving Size
This mousse recipe makes six 75-gram (2.65 ounces) serves.
Calories Per Serve
This recipe has 170 calories per serve. A serving size is 75 grams (2.65 ounces)
Serving Suggestions
This dessert looks wonderful in individual glasses for a dinner party, but you can also serve it family-style in a large bowl.
You don't need to decorate this dessert, but if you want to make it look extra special, you could:
- Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.
- Sprinkle on some grated white, milk, or dark chocolate.
- Decorate with small pieces of fresh fruit and mint leaves.
- Pipe or spoon on extra whipped cream.
- Decorated with a few small chocolate curls.
- For a salted caramel flavor, sprinkle on some sea salt.
- Scatter the top with some toasted shredded coconut.
- Drizzle over a modest amount of chocolate or caramel syrup.
- Decorate with chocolate shapes.
- Or serve it with thin crispy ginger-flavored cookies.
How To Use
This dulce de leche mousse is not only a simple dessert in a glass. Use this dulce de leche whipped cream instead of plain whipped cream for:
- Spreading in between cake layers
- As an easy filling for pie or tart cases
- Keep it at soft peaks and use it as a sweet dip for fruit
- Or whip it into stiff peaks and pipe it onto desserts.
Storage
Refrigeration - Dulce de leche mousse is cream-based, and it is best to store it covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Consume it within three days of making it. If stored for any longer than that, it can pick up the flavors of other foods in the fridge.
Freezing - This whipped cream dessert does not freeze well.
FAQ
Caramel sauce is made by melting sugar with or without water in a saucepan over low/medium heat until it reduces and becomes a golden color.
Dulce de leche is made from milk and sugar and is also cooked over low/medium heat and reduced until it becomes thick.
More Sweet Recipes
If you like this whipped cream recipe, you might also like our flavored whipped cream recipes of these easy dessert ideas:
I do hope that you try this recipe for dulce de leche mousse. If you do, please come back and leave a comment below because I would love to know how you went.
Recipe
Dulce de Leche Mousse
EQUIPMENT
- Electric mixer or hand whisk
- 6 x 100 ml (3.4 ounces) glasses
- Piping bag and medium-sized star nozzle
INGREDIENTS
- 300 ml (1 ¼) cups whipping cream (heavy cream)
- 150 grams (½ cup) dulce de leche
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the dulce de leche into a large mixing bowl with about ¼ cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to mix the cream and caramel until smooth using a low speed.
- Pour in the remaining heavy cream and whip on high speed until the cream thickens and medium to frim peaks form.
- Spoon or pipe the mousse into serving glasses or ramekins, decorate with strawberries and mint leaves, and store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- Use chilled dulce de leche and not room temperature because cold ingredients will keep the cream cold which is better for whipping.
- Don't overbeat the mousse because, if you do, it will curdle and turn to butter.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Store it covered in the fridge in plastic food wrap or a sealable container. Consume it within three days of making. If stored for any longer than that, it can pick up the flavors of other foods in the fridge.
Gaby says
This was A HIT! Everybody at my New Year's Eve party absolutely LOVED this mousse...and what's not to like? It's easy, only requires two ingredients, and the steps and tips are clear to follow to get a delicious light dessert. Thank you very much!
Harriet says
You are welcome and I glad you enjoyed it!
Louisa says
Can you use Evaporated Milk instead of cream? I've seen other recipes with Evap Milk and Dulce de Leche. If so, would amount be the same? It would be less fat. Thanks.
Harriet says
I have never tried the recipe with evaporated milk instead of cream.
I think it might work if you mix in small amounts of evaporated milk at a time to get the consistency you desire.
However, if you add to much it won't thicken like cream would and the mousse could end up being to runny.
Paula says
Was looking for a quick dessert a few nights ago after some unexpected guests arrived. I'm glad I found this! It was so easy to make and was a hit with my guests.
Phyllis says
I made this for our family dinner party, and everyone loved it. I will be making this again!
Helen says
This was so easy to make. Thanks for this easy recipe.