Cranberry Mousse Dessert

I absolutely love mousse desserts! They’re light and airy, and always feel super fancy without actually being difficult to make.

I’ve made a ton of mousse recipes for different occasions, but this cranberry mousse has earned a special place on my dessert list.

I love making it for Christmas and holiday parties because it has this beautiful pale pink color that looks amazing in a dessert glass, and a fluffy, airy texture that is just to die for.

I also love that this dessert is not too sweet or heavy, which makes it perfect after a rich holiday meal.

But while it’s a Christmas dessert in our house, the mousse will suit all special occasions, as it’s so easy to dress up with whipped cream and a few fresh cranberries.

What You’ll Need

This mousse is made with just 6 simple ingredients, but the result is totally restaurant-worthy! You’ll need:

• Cranberries – fresh or frozen work equally well. I used frozen cranberries to make this recipe.
• Powdered gelatine – The gelatine helps the mousse set into that perfectly fluffy texture. I prefer using powdered gelatine over gelatine sheets, but both will work.
• Egg whites – I used pasteurized egg whites because I don’t like wasting the yolks, but you can go with regular egg whites as well.
• Heavy whipping cream for the mousse and for decorating the desserts.
• Sugar or a sweetener to balance the tartness of the cranberries. I used a sweetener in my recipe to lower the calorie count.
• A handful of fresh cranberries for topping. If you don’t have fresh cranberries at hand, frozen ones will work too, but the presentation will look a little different.
• Water

How to Make This Cranberry Mousse Dessert

The first step is preparing the cranberry base.

Heat a little water in a small pot on medium heat, and add the cranberries. Cook for about 10 minutes, just until the cranberries start to soften, burst, and release their juices.

Add the powdered gelatine to a small bowl and mix with cold water. Let the gelatine rest and bloom for 5-10 minutes.

Once the cranberries are ready, press them through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl to separate the skins from the juices. Make sure to scrape the outside of the sieve when you’re done, too, as a lot of the juice will collect there. You can discard the leftover pulp since we’ll only need the smooth cranberry juice.

Now take a look at the cranberry juice you’ve collected. If it looks thick and more like a purée rather than juice (which can happen if you overcook your cranberries), add a bit of water one tablespoon at a time until you get a loose liquid.

If it already looks like juice (which will happen if you cook the cranberries only until they’re starting to burst and not longer), you can move on to the next step.

Making sure the cranberry juice is still hot, stir in the bloomed gelatine and mix vigorously until it dissolves completely. You don’t want any pieces or lumps, so make sure to mix well!

Once the gelatine is dissolved, add the sugar and mix well again until it has melted. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature, mixing every now and then to check that the gelatine is not setting yet.

Once the mixture has cooled down – and we need it to cool down enough, or it will curdle the cream later! – whip the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold them gently into the cranberry mixture.

In a separate bowl, whip your heavy cream into stiff peaks and fold that in as well, mixing until everything becomes smooth and evenly combined.

Divide the mousse between four dessert glasses and chill them in the fridge for at least three hours until they’re set

When you’re ready to serve, pour the heavy cream into a bowl and mix it with sugar until it dissolves. Then whip the cream until it’s stiff and fluffy. Spoon it over the mousse and top each glass with a few cranberries for a final touch.

If you whip the cream well and into stiff peaks, it will hold for a couple of hours in the fridge without melting, so if needed, you can decorate the desserts ahead of party time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The mousse is light and airy, so it’s perfect for serving after a rich meal or when you just want a dessert that is not too heavy.
• It looks absolutely gorgeous with its soft pink color and clouds of whipped cream on top. I love serving it for holidays, but it will look great on bridal or baby shower dessert tables as well.
• It’s the perfect balance of flavors, with the sugar or sweetener pairing perfectly with the tart cranberries.
• Because the mousse needs time to set, you can make this dessert hours ahead of party time. I usually make it the night before and then just top my glasses with whipped cream when it’s dessert time.
• It’s great for both casual parties and special occasions – you can serve the dessert in small bowls or in high glasses, like I did, when you need to impress.

Tips for Success

• Try not to overcook the cranberries – you want them to burst slightly, not turn into jam. If you do happen to overcook them, don’t worry! You can loosen the puree with a few extra tablespoons of water.
• Make sure the cranberry base is completely cooled before adding the egg whites or cream. Mixing them into a warm mixture will cause the cream to curdle and split!
• Use an electric mixer if you can for both the egg whites and cream to get the perfect volume and stiffness.
• Let the mousse chill for at least 3 hours in the fridge (overnight is even better for a perfect texture).
• Whip the cream topping right before serving so it stays fluffy. You can whip it a few hours in advance if using an electric mixer, because that will give you the right texture.

📌 Cranberry Mousse Dessert (Recipe Card)

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the mousse

• 1 1/3 cups frozen cranberries
• 5 tablespoons of water + more if needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatine + 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup sugar or sweetener
• 2 medium egg whites
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

For the topping

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener
• A handful of fresh or frozen cranberries

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Fine mesh sieve
• Mixing bowls
• Electric mixer or whisk

Instructions

1. Heat 5 tablespoons of water in a small pot over medium heat. Add cranberries and cook for about 10 minutes, until they start to soften and burst.
2. Bloom the powdered gelatine by mixing it with cold water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes.
3. Press cooked cranberries through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to extract the juice, making sure to scrape the outside of the sieve, too. Discard the pulp.
4. If the juice is too thick (more like purée), thin it with one tablespoon of water at a time until it looks like juice.
5. While the cranberry juice is still hot, stir in the bloomed gelatine until fully dissolved – make sure to mix well so there are no lumps!
6. Stir in the sugar until it melts.
7. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to make sure it’s not setting too soon.
8. Once the cranberry mixture is cooled, whip egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the cranberry mixture.
9. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold that in as well. Mix until smooth and evenly combined.
10. Divide the mousse into 4 dessert glasses and chill for at least 3 hours until set (overnight is even better).
11. When you’re ready to serve, whip the remaining heavy cream with sugar until stiff and fluffy. Spoon over the chilled mousse and top with a few cranberries for garnish.
12. If you need to prepare the whole dessert in advance, keep in mind that the whipped cream will hold in the fridge for a couple of hours if whipped into a very stiff texture.