• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Brownie Bites Blog
  • Home
  • Food
    • Recipes ->
      • Low Carb and Keto
      • Bars & Barks
      • Beverages
      • Cakes & Pies
      • Candy
      • Cookies & Cupcakes
      • Copycat & Pop Culture
      • Dog Treats
      • Main Dishes
      • Ice Cream & Frozen
      • Muffins & Breads
      • Starters & Sides
    • Restaurant Tours
    • Party Ideas
    • Tips and Tricks
  • Travel
    • View All
    • California
    • Camping & RV Life
    • Disney ->
      • Bahama Cruise
      • Disney World
      • East Caribbean Cruise
      • West Caribbean Cruise
    • Hawaii
    • Hiking
    • Hotel Tours
    • Japan
    • Seaside Florida
    • Smoky Mountains
    • Washington DC
  • Reviews & Unboxings
    • View All
    • Candy & Sweets
    • Nut Butters
    • Nutrition Bars
    • Snacks
    • Specialty Food
    • Subscription Boxes
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
  • Contact Erin
  • About Erin
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Main Dishes
  • Appetizers and Sides
  • Drinks
  • Dessert
  • Pop Culture Copycat
  • About Erin
  • Contact Erin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Main Dishes
    • Appetizers and Sides
    • Drinks
    • Dessert
    • Pop Culture Copycat
    • About Erin
    • Contact Erin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Food » Cream Cheese Mousse

    Cream Cheese Mousse

    Posted: 01/24/2022 | Last updated: 01/24/2022 by Erin K. Browne 4 Comments
    Post may contain affiliate links via Amazon Associates or other programs. (Disclosure)

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This super creamy, light, and fluffy cream cheese mousse needs only five basic ingredients. It's not too sweet and is delicious as a stand alone dessert or layered into parfaits or trifles.

    Two glass dishes swirled with cream cheese mousse and garnished with a strawberry.
    Ready in minutes, beautiful to display.

    What Is Mousse?

    Mousse is pudding's lighter, fluffier sibling. Mousse recipes incorporate air into the mixture through the addition of whipped cream or whipped egg whites. I have also used gelatin to stabilize mousse, like in my German Chocolate Cake Trifle recipe.

    You can make a vast array of flavors of sweet mousses such as vanilla, chocolate, caramel, citrus, and other fruit.

    Mousse flavors can also be savory! Fish, meat, and vegetables seasoned with herbs and spices are mixed into a fluffy base similar to sweet mousses using gelatin, whipped egg whites, or whipped cream (unsweetened).

    This recipe will show you how to make a sweet cream cheese mousse that is no-cook, very little fuss, and ready in just a few minutes.

    Tips For Whipped Cream

    This cream cheese mousse gets its light, pillowy texture by folding in some homemade whipped cream. If you've never whipped your own cream before, I understand that it might seem a little intimidating. I promise it's quite a simple process with a few things kept in mind. Here are some tips that will help:

    • Everything Should Be COLD! The heavy cream, bowl, and whisk attachment for your mixer should, ideally, be cold before whipping your cream. I like to place the bowl and whisk into the freezer while preparing the other steps of the recipe to give it a bit of chill. Cold cream and equipment will help your whipped cream reach its maximum volume.
    • Start Low. Start whipping the cream by setting your mixer to a low speed. Keep mixing until the cream starts to look foamy and frothy. When this happens, increase the speed to high and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
    • Stiff Peaks. You will know your cream has reached the stiff peaks face when you lift the whisk out of the mixture and turn it upside down. If you have a peak or spike of whipped cream that continues to stand straight up - doesn't flop over - then you've reached stiff peaks.
    • Don't over-whip. Once you have reached stiff peaks, stop whipping! Continuing to whip the cream at this point will backfire and cause it to collapse, resulting in a dense mess instead of light, fluffy cream. Check for stiff peaks frequently and stop as soon as you see them.
    An old-fashioned ice cream dish filled with pillows of cream cheese mousse, garnished with a fresh strawberry.
    A dessert that's not too heavy.

    How To Serve

    This cream cheese mousse is a versatile recipe that can stand alone as a dessert, or it can be used as an addition to other sweet dishes. Here are some ideas:

    • Parfaits and Trifles: I have personally used this mousse as a layer in a trifle and it was amazing! You can make individual trifles or parfaits and layer with cookie crumbles, brownie pieces, cubed cake, and fruit.
    • Fresh Fruit: Dollop some mousse alongside a plate of fresh seasonal fruit, drizzle with homemade fruit syrups, or layer with cooked fruit compotes - yum yum!
    • By Itself: You don't actually need to do anything special to serve this mousse, just spoon or pipe it into a pretty glass dish and grab a spoon.
    • Toppings: Finish off the mousse - and make it pretty - by adding sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or graham cracker crumbs.

    Pretty Glassware

    Just chiming in here to let you guys in on one of my favorite hobbies - shopping thrift stores for fun glassware! I absolutely love browsing through thrift stores in my town looking for interesting dishes and glassware to use in my photos or to use when serving certain special dishes. I found the old-fashioned ice cream dishes at a local Goodwill. Try it out, but heed my warning: you may become addicted to dish thrifting!

    If you'd rather order some dishes online, here are some similar ice cream dishes that I found on Amazon.

    a spoon lifting a bite of cream cheese mousse out of a dish that is garnished with a strawberry.
    This mousse is so airy and smooth.

    Can You Make The Mousse In Advance?

    Yes, you can make cream cheese mousse in advance, but not too far in advance. Making a batch the day before you intend to serve it is fine, and it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, though it will start to lose some of its fluffiness the more time passes.


    A Kitchenaid stand mixer makes creating whipped cream and mousse so easy! (click to shop)

    Can You Freeze Cream Cheese Mousse?

    Yes, you can! To Freeze: spoon the mousse into an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for up to 8 weeks. To Thaw: transfer the container to the refrigerator and let it thaw until it can easily be spooned out and served.

    Print
    clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon

    Cream Cheese Mousse

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 2 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    A creamy, pillowy, and light cream cheese mousse with just a few basic ingredients.  Easy to make and perfect for eating as is or for layering in trifles and parfaits.

    • Total Time: 10 mins
    • Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 8-ounce block cream cheese, room temperature
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • Small pinch of salt
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • 1 cup heavy cream

    Instructions

    1. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the sour cream and cream cheese together until fully combined.  Toss in the salt and then add powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing on low speed, until smooth.
    2. In a second, clean bowl using the whisk attachment for your mixer, add the heavy cream and mix on medium speed until foamy, then switch to high speed and whip just until stiff peaks form.
    3. Use a nonstick spatula gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Notes

    Recommended Equipment:  Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, Nonstick Spatula Set, Old fashioned ice cream dishes

    Putting the bowl and whisk attachment into the freezer prior to whipping the heavy cream will help with achieving the maximum volume.

    Serve mousse plain or with fresh fruit.  You can also use it to layer into your trifles or parfaits.  Top with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, or buttered graham cracker crumbs for some extra flavor.

    • Author: Erin
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: No Bake/No Cook

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @ebrowniebites on Facebook or Instagram

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    Not making this recipe yet? Make sure you can find it when you need it! Use the photo below to Pin to your Pinterest boards. If you want to share this post with your friends and family on social media, use the buttons at the top or bottom of this post. Thanks for visiting!

    An old fashioned ice cream dish filled with cream cheese mousse and garnished with a strawberry, with text for Pinterest
    Pin for Later!

    You Might Like These Recipes

    1. Italian Cream Cake Trifle
    2. Cream Cheese Pumpkin Dip
    3. Red Velvet Cream Cheese Ice Cream Cake
    4. Honey Vanilla Ice Cream (no eggs)
    « Keto Chicken Enchilada Casserole
    Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    About Erin K. Browne

    Erin K. Browne is an author of a cookbook (The Unofficial Dollywood Cookbook, Simon & Schuster/Adams Media) and Dollywood guide (The Ultimate Guide to Dollywood, Simon & Schuster/Adams Media) She has over two decades experience with recipe development. Erin is a mom of two human babies and a sweet kitty named Biscuit Fingers ("Ketto"). She loves comfy clothes, sarcastic t-shirts, and reading thrillers. Make her day and toss her a like on Facebook or follow her on Instagram. Post may contain affiliate links including those via the Amazon Associates program

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Say Something About This Post: Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. Hannah

      July 01, 2025 at 8:26 am

      This mousse is amazing! I do add extra sugar, since my husband prefers it sweeter.

      Reply
    2. Sam

      November 14, 2023 at 3:32 am

      Would this work as a cake filling?

      Reply
      • Erin

        November 14, 2023 at 3:55 pm

        It could, though the mousse itself is pretty light so I would avoid heavy or dense cake layers.

        Reply
    3. Jane R.

      January 24, 2022 at 3:25 pm

      This was amazing - used up some extra cream cheese I had in the fridge. Thank you.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Erin K. Browne biography photo.

    Erin K. Browne, Cookbook author  (Simon & Schuster/Adams Media) and recipe developer, shares simple approachable dishes and treats.

    My Books

    cover for The Ultimate Guide to Dollywood

    Apps and Sides

    Stuffed Mushrooms With Bacon

    Roasted Sweet Potato Banana Roll-Ups | Nasoya Review

    Stick of Butter Rice

    Cheeseburger Pinwheels

    Classic French Onion Soup

    Fall Harvest Bean Salad

    Drinks!

    Blueberry Simple Syrup

    Brown Sugar Old Fashioned

    Cheese Tea Recipe

    Strawberry Basil Martini

    Peanut Butter and Jelly Shot

    Star Wars Blue Milk Recipe

    Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

    Blood Orange Cosmo

    Footer

    ? back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure & Terms
    • Sweepstakes Terms

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2024 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme