Healthy Blueberry Lemon Mousse

This blueberry lemon mousse feels like an indulgence, but it’s only 150 calories per serving! Made with yogurt, it’s tangy and sweet, with bright citrus flavor.

Sometimes you want a sweet treat that doesn’t make you feel weighed down and uncomfortably full afterwards. Well, this Blueberry Lemon Mousse has you covered. It’s light and healthy, fluffy and airy, tart and creamy—and you get all that with a mere 150 calories per serving. 

What kind of wizardry is this!? Well, it’s not magic: it’s yogurt!

Since this mousse is made with tangy lemon juice, you can use yogurt here without it tasting like WHOA YOGURT as it would if you were using another fruit. Combining the yogurt with gelatin and whipped egg whites gives it an ethereal, cloud-like texture that’s impossible to resist. 

At the bottom of each lemon mousse parfait is a sweetened blueberry sauce, which complements the bright lemon flavor perfectly! You can stir everything together before you dig in, or save it until the very end and enjoy all that concentrated blueberry goodness on its own. If you’re in a time crunch, grab a jar of fruit preserves from your pantry and use that instead—I love pairing my Blueberry Nectarine Ginger Jam with this mousse!

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to pick up to make fresh, light, and bright lemon mousse!

For the blueberry sauce:

• Fresh or frozen blueberries
• Sugar
• Water

For the lemon mousse:

• Water
• Plain gelatin – Be sure to use unflavored gelatin, not Jello.
• Whole milk yogurt – Again, a plain variety is what you’ll need here.
• Heavy cream
• Lemons – You’ll need both zest and freshly squeezed juice.
• Vanilla extract
• Egg whites
• Sugar
• Cream of tartar

How to Separate Egg Whites From Yolks

You can buy specialized kitchen gadgets to help you separate egg whites and yolks, or maybe you’ve learned to do it by passing the egg yolk back-and-forth between the broken shells until all the yolk drips out, which risks piercing the yolk with broken egg shell and getting yolk into the whites. Not ideal!

Here’s Martha Stewart’s tip for separating egg whites from yolks: start with chilled eggs (they separate more easily!) and clean hands. Crack the egg into one of your hands and let the egg white slip through your fingers into a bowl set underneath it. Discard the yolk or save it for another purpose.

How to Make Blueberry Lemon Mousse

When planning for this recipe, keep in mind that the mousse needs to chill for 6 to 8 hours before serving!

Simmer the blueberry mixture. Combine the berries, water, and sugar in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Stir, then remove from heat once the sugar has dissolved.

Puree. Transfer the blueberry mixture to a mini food processor and process until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then divide the sauce into serving dishes and place them in the refrigerator.

Bloom the gelatin. Pour 3 tablespoons of water in a small dish and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Set aside.

Start the mousse. Whisk the yogurt, cream, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Prepare the egg whites. In a double-boiler, or a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan with boiling water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Continue to whisk until the mixture reaches 160ºF and the egg whites are bubbly. 

Whip the egg whites. Pour the gelatin mixture into the egg whites, then immediately transfer this mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the eggs for 5 to 7 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.

Finish the mousse. As the mixer is running, pour in the yogurt mixture and beat for another minute, or until the yogurt is incorporated into the egg white mixture. Divide the lemon mousse into the dishes with the blueberry sauce.

Chill. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional lemon zest before serving.

Tips for Success

Here are a few pointers to help you make perfect lemon mousse!

• Use a kitchen thermometer. While the egg whites will expand and become foamy when they’re ready, these visual cues are no match for a thermometer, which tells you with certainty when you can remove the egg whites from the heat.
• Blooming the gelatin. If you’ve never worked with unflavored gelatin before, it’s bloomed when it absorbs the water and swells. This ensures it dissolves evenly when you add it to the rest of the recipe.
• About the lemon zest. Large bits of lemon zest aren’t pleasant in lemon mousse or similar desserts, so I recommend using a very fine microplane grater here.

How to Store

Because gelatin stabilizes this lemon mousse, it can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Can This Lemon Mousse Be Frozen?

You can freeze this lemon mousse, but the texture will change. If you do choose to freeze it, I recommend eating it as a frozen treat, rather than letting it thaw first!

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