This easy recipe for Light Peanut Butter Mousse combines creamy peanut butter, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and fluffy whipped topping for a delicious, lightened-up, recipe for classic peanut butter mousse that's ready in under 10 minutes! Great to serve during the warmer months for a quick flavorful dessert.
Traditional peanut butter mousse is typically made with a blend of cream cheese and heavy whipping cream. This lightened-up peanut butter mousse recipe is loaded with flavor and just as delicious as its decadent counterpart. You’ll take creamy no-stir peanut butter and mix with creamy and tangy mascarpone cheese, and a little powdered sugar for sweetness. Fold in some whipped topping to make it light and fluffy, then top with your favorite toppings.
It’s the perfect dessert to make during the spring and summer since there is no baking involved. Make it ahead of time and keep it chilled for when your guests arrive or enjoy it as a tasty weeknight dessert!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It comes together FAST in just 10 minutes or less making it the perfect dessert in a pinch.
- You can easily make it sugar-free with a few simple ingredient swaps. This will turn it into an easy no-bake low-carb treat.
- No baking involved meaning you won’t need to turn on the oven to make this dessert.
- It’s light and airy, so it won’t make you feel weighed down.
- There are plenty of ways to customize this dessert by adding your favorite toppings!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Creamy Peanut Butter - No-stir peanut butter is the best for this recipe.
- Mascarpone Cheese - Adds a creamy texture and slightly tangy flavor to the mousse.
- Vanilla Extract - Infuses a light vanilla flavor throughout.
- Powdered Sugar - Lightly sweetens up the mousse.
- Sugar-Free Cool Whip or TruWhip - Gives the mousse its classic light and fluffy texture.
How To Make Peanut Butter Mousse
Step 1. Mix the wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, Mascarpone cheese, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
Step 2. Fold in the sugar and whipped topping. Add the powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated, stirring down the sides until blended. Gently fold in the whipped topping until smooth.
Step 3. Assemble and serve. Spoon into parfait glasses, or use a pastry bag and a large decorating tip to swirl it into dessert glasses. Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
It’s important to make sure you’re using no-stir natural peanut butter for this recipe that does not contain sugar as it can throw off the texture and level of sweetness.
Don’t like the ingredients in Cool Whip? Try using a container of Truwhip instead.
To make sugar-free peanut butter mousse. Use sugar-free cool whip and replace the powdered sugar with Swerve Powdered Sugar or Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener. Taste as you go, as the level of sweetness is different when compared to traditional powdered sugar. These ingredient swaps make this dessert suitable for a keto or low-carb lifestyle.
If you happen to have leftovers, use this peanut butter mousse as a topping for cupcakes or as a delicious cake frosting.
If you want to lighten up the calories, even more, you can substitute reduced-fat cream cheese for the mascarpone cheese. However, I love the flavor of the mascarpone cheese in this recipe!
Topping Ideas
There are so many ways to serve peanut butter mousse. Pipe it into a dessert glass and use the following topping ideas to make it your own:
- Chocolate Sauce
- Chopped Peanuts, Pecans or Walnuts
- Whipped Cream
- Fresh Fruit
- Summer Berry Sauce
- Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Chips
- Butterscotch Sauce
- Chocolate Sprinkles
- A dusting of Cocoa Powder
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Peanut butter mousse can be stored in a pastry bag or airtight container for up to one week before serving.
Freezing: Since this dessert is whipped, it is not recommended for freezing as it may lose its texture and airy light nature.
Recipe FAQ
When building a mousse recipe, you’ll need to keep the following in mind: a flavor focus, a binder, an aerator, and seasonings. This peanut butter mousse checks all the boxes!
Truwhip is a less processed version of Cool Whip that contains less gums, preservatives and binding agents. It can be found in most specialty health food stores.
You can experiment with almond butter, cashew butter or even sunflower seed butter in this recipe, however I have not tested the proper ingredient ratios for other nut butters.
More Peanut Butter Desserts
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Cups
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Jam Thumbprint Cookies
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Light Peanut Butter Mousse
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter creamy, no-stir, peanut butter
- 8 oz Mascarpone cheese you can also use low-fat cream cheese to reduce the calories and fat content
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar you can even reduce this to ⅓ cup if you like it less sweet
- 8 oz sugar-free Cool whip or Truwhip for a healthier option
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, Mascarpone cheese, and vanilla extract.
- Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated, stirring down the sides until blended.
- Gently fold in the whipped topping until smooth.
- Spoon into parfait glasses, or use a pastry bag and a large decorating tip to swirl it into dessert glasses.
- Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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