Introducing a delightful treat for apple lovers! Apple Cinnamon Mousse can be enjoyed any time of day or as an elegant, light and refreshing way to end a meal. The best part is that you can assemble this dessert in just 15 minutes!
Serve topped with granola, or garnish the mousse cups with fresh berries or crushed walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
The cinnamon mousse is lightly sweetened with maple syrup but if you prefer you could swap the maple syrup for an unsweetened apple butter. That way this dessert would be sweetened entirely by fruit. You can prepare this dessert ahead of time and let it set in the fridge, making it an ideal dessert for entertaining or for meal prep.
I have a lot of chocolate recipes on the blog. I am a huge chocolate fan and especially a huge chocolate and peanut butter fan but I am slowly adding more fruit-forward dishes to the blog. My 6-year-old son doesn't like chocolate or peanut butter so it's pushing me to expand my own taste preferences as well!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A refreshing and light dessert option.
- No bake!
- The Greek yogurt in this recipe provides approx. 15 grams of protein.
- Can be prepped in as little as 15 minutes.
- Can be easily customized by using either pure maple syrup or unsweetened apple butter as a sweetener, allowing you to adjust the level of sweetness to your preference.
- Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, making it a convenient dessert for entertaining or meal prep.
Ingredients
- Greek yogurt - you can choose any fat percentage of Greek yogurt. I go for 2%.
- Maple syrup - choose pure maple syrup or honey or swap for an unsweetened apple butter.
- Grated apple - I choose to leave the skin on but you can peel the apple prior to grating if you prefer. You can choose any apple for this recipe, red, or green, whatever you prefer, or want to try.
- Cinnamon - I recommend Ceylon cinnamon which has the most health benefits.
- Pure vanilla extract.
- Heavy cream - 35%.
- Walnuts - optional for a crunchy topping.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- swap the cinnamon for chai spice or pumpkin pie spice
- omit the cinnamon entirely for a lighter flavor
- add in a swirl of jam or fresh fruit
- try adding some lemon zest and a touch of lemon juice
- for a different texture try dicing the apple very finely instead of grating them
- experiment with using different varieties of apples to control the sweetness.
- top with crushed pecans or hazelnuts
- add a tablespoon or two of any nut or seed butter when you're mixing up the greek yogurt
- pair with other treats like granola, fresh berries, or a dollop of whipped cream.
I have not experimented with any other substitutions or alterations for this recipe. If you decide to make any changes by adding or substituting ingredients, I would love it if you could share your results with us by leaving a comment below.
How To Make Apple Mousse
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this recipe.
Step 1: Create yogurt and cinnamon mix.
In a small bowl mix together Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon and pure vanilla.
Optional first step: If you want a thicker mousse, place the Greek yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain off excess whey.
Step 2: Grate Apple
Grate apple using the coarse grating side of a box grater. Add grated apple and stir thoroughly.
Step 3: Whip the cream.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whip up heavy cream until it has soft peaks.
Step 4: Fold together.
Gently fold the Greek yogurt mixture into the whipped cream until well combined but don't overmix.
Step 5: Transfer to small bowls and chill.
Transfer the mixture into small dessert bowls. Top with crushed walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon and allow the dessert to set in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- If you want a thicker mousse, place the Greek yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain off excess whey.
- Look for cream with simple ingredients. Cream shouldn't have stabilizers and extra additives. Many brands of cream do contain extras to prolong its shelf life. For this dessert, I highly recommend splurging on pure organic cream.
- I like including the apple skin when I grate up the apple but you can remove it if you prefer. If using the skin I recommend an organic apple.
- I like using Golden Delicious or Honey Crisp apples in this dessert but if you prefer a more tart apple, I recommend choosing Granny Smith or Pink Lady.
Recipe FAQs
You can make Greek yogurt at home! Simply line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and add plain yogurt. Place in the fridge and allow it to sit for a minimum of 2 hours. The whey will drain from the yogurt and you will be left with thick Greek yogurt.
Some apple varieties are sweeter than others. Some examples of sweet apples are Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious and the ever so popular Honey Crisp.
Some apple varieties are more tart than others. Some examples of tart apples are green apples like Granny Smith or Pink Lady.
Storage
Fridge
To keep your mousse fresh, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 2-3 days.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!
Leave a review or comment below!
Recipe
Cinnamon Apple Mousse
Ingredients
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 ½ tbsp pure maple syrup (OR swap for unsweetened apple butter)
- 1 cup grated apple optional: grate with skin on
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Topping
- 2 tbsp walnuts crushed
- sprinkle of cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon and pure vanilla.
- Add grated apple and stir thoroughly.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whip up heavy cream until it reaches soft peaks.
- Gently fold the Greek yogurt mixture into the whipped cream until well combined but don't overmix.
- Transfer the mixture into small dessert bowls. Top with crushed walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon and allow the dessert to set in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
-
- If you want a thicker mousse, place the Greek yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and refrigerate overnight to drain off excess whey.
-
- Look for cream with simple ingredients. Cream shouldn't have stabilizers and extra additives. Many brands of cream do contain extras to prolong its shelf life. For this dessert, I highly recommend splurging on pure organic cream.
-
- I like including the apple skin when I grate up the apple but you can remove it if you prefer. If using the skin I recommend an organic apple.
-
- I like using Golden Delicious or Honey Crisp apples in this dessert but if you prefer a more tart apple, I recommend choosing Granny Smith or Pink Lady.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I aim to respond to every single comment. I am so grateful when you trust me and try one of my recipe creations in your own kitchen. I love to hear how it went! Let’s connect on Instagram and tag me in your food pics!
‘Til next time,
Christy
Min S says
A delicious treat! I've made this several times and everyone loved it! Do you think I can use half and half instead of heavy cream if I want it slightly healthier?
Christy Faber says
As long as it's able to be whipped up it would work! Potentially you would want to try whipped coconut cream for a swap? 🙂
Julia says
We had friends over for dinner last night and made this dessert. Everyone loved it! Really, you had me at cinnamon and walnuts. I also love that it's egg free. It's as tasty as it is pretty.
LaKita says
I was so glad when I came across your recipe and had all of the ingredients to make it on hand. The apple mousse is tasty and delicious! I will definitely be making it again!
Lisa says
This is a delicious treat and I love the warm spices in this mousse.
Elaine says
If I were to name one dessert that I love the most, it would probably be a mousse. And apple mousse would be high in that group for sure. Fantastic recipe!
Ann says
I love all apple desserts, so this recipe sounds like the perfect one to try! Thanks for the recipe share, excited to give it a try!
Pam says
I can't believe how easy this is! It's the perfect elegant dessert, everyone asks for the recipe!
Marta says
This was such a treat for me and my apple loving family. I've never though about apple mousse being a thing and now I see how much I've been missing out. This is definitely a recipe that will be added to our meal rotations.
Anna says
I made this to serve after dinner with friends this weekend and wow! We loved it so much! It is a great dessert to serve after a meal, without feeling too heavy or like you've eaten too much!
Sean says
My brother is a huge apple fan and when I made this for him he did nothing but rave about it!
Valery Brown says
So impressed with this recipe! I love that it’s an exciting treat I can feed my children and I don’t have to worry about their health! They can ask me for this anytime !
I’m making it tonight !
Delicious!