Yield: 6 generous servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: 1–2 hours
Total: about 1½–2 hours
Method: No-bake
Ingredients
Chocolate mousse
1 cup (225–230 g) Good Culture 2% cottage cheese
1½ cups (about 340 g) FAGE Total 0% Greek yogurt
½ cup (120 ml) chocolate milk — Fairlife works particularly well
1 box (3.4 oz / 96 g) instant chocolate Jell-O pudding mix
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder — Ghirardelli is ideal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (about 60 g) Cool Whip or other whipped topping, thawed
Pinch of salt, optional
Cherry layer/swirl
1 cup pitted dark sweet cherries, fresh or frozen
1–2 tablespoons cherry juice, if needed
1–2 teaspoons sweetener, optional
For topping
A little extra whipped topping
Chocolate shavings or cocoa powder
A few whole cherries
Optional: mini chocolate chips
The combination of Greek yogurt and cottage cheese is particularly useful here because blending cottage cheese removes the curds and creates a smooth, cheesecake-like base.
M
Moderately Messy RD
Full Step-by-Step Recipe
1. Prepare the cherries
If using frozen cherries:
Thaw them completely.
Drain excess liquid.
Pat them dry with paper towels.
Chop about ¾ cup fairly finely.
Keep the remaining ¼ cup for decoration.
If using fresh cherries, remove all pits before chopping.
Important: Don’t add a large amount of cherry juice directly to the mousse. Too much liquid can make it loose.
2. Blend the cottage cheese
Put the cottage cheese into a blender or food processor.
Blend for 30–60 seconds, scraping down the sides once or twice.
You want it to become:
completely smooth + creamy + no visible curds
This is the secret to getting the mousse in the photograph looking smooth rather than like cottage-cheese dessert.
3. Add the Greek yogurt
Add:
1½ cups Greek yogurt
½ cup chocolate milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
Blend again for approximately 20–30 seconds.
Don’t blend unnecessarily long. Over-processing dairy mixtures can sometimes make them thinner.
4. Add the chocolate
Add:
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
Blend on low speed until incorporated.
Then increase to medium speed for about 15–20 seconds.
The pudding mix will begin absorbing the liquid and thickening the mixture.
Instant pudding is useful in this type of recipe not only for chocolate flavor but also because it helps provide structure to the finished fluff. Similar high-protein fluff recipes use instant pudding with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and milk for exactly this purpose.
S
sipthesoup.com
+1
5. Check the consistency
The mixture should be very thick, somewhere between:
chocolate pudding
cheesecake filling
mousse
If it’s too thick, add chocolate milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
If it’s too thin, don’t immediately add more pudding mix.
Instead:
Refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
Check again.
If still too loose, add 1–2 tablespoons more Greek yogurt or a small amount of pudding mix.
6. Fold in the whipped topping
Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl.
Add approximately 1 cup Cool Whip.
Use a spatula to gently fold it in.
Don’t aggressively whisk at this point.
You want to preserve some of the air from the whipped topping, which produces the lighter mousse texture.
7. Add the cherries
Fold in about ¾ cup chopped cherries.
Don’t completely mix them in.
Instead, fold only 3–5 times.
You want visible cherry streaks.
8. Create the chocolate-cherry swirl
For the appearance shown in your photograph:
Spoon the mousse into a large glass serving bowl.
Add a few small spoonfuls of chopped cherries or cherry juice on top.
Drag a spoon through the mixture in circular motions.
Make several loose swirls.
Don’t overmix.
The goal is a marbled chocolate-and-cherry appearance.
9. Chill
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
For the best texture, refrigerate 2–4 hours.
It becomes thicker and more mousse-like as it chills.
Greek-yogurt chocolate mousse recipes similarly benefit from refrigeration because the mixture firms and develops a thicker texture after chilling.
L
Lindsay Pleskot, RD
10. Portion like the photograph
Spoon the mousse into 5–6 clear dessert cups.
For each cup:
Chocolate mousse
A few chopped cherries
More mousse
Small cherry/chocolate swirl on top
Whipped topping
Chocolate shavings
One cherry
For the dramatic swirl shown in your image, use the back of a teaspoon and make a spiral from the center toward the edge.
Optional Cherry Sauce
If you want a stronger cherry flavor:
Ingredients
1 cup cherries
1 tablespoon water
1–2 teaspoons sugar or sweetener
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Method
Place everything in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mash some of the cherries while leaving some pieces intact.
Cool completely before swirling into the mousse.
Do not add hot cherry sauce to the yogurt mixture. Cool it first.
Even Richer Version
For a more decadent dessert rather than a high-protein/light version:
Replace:
½ cup chocolate milk
with:
¼ cup chocolate milk + ¼ cup heavy cream
And use 1½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt instead of 0%.
This produces a richer, more traditional mousse-like texture.
Traditional chocolate-yogurt mousse recipes also commonly combine Greek yogurt with chocolate and cream for a richer result.
W
With a Glass
Nut Information / Nutrition
If by “nut info” you mean nutrition information, here’s an approximate estimate.
For the base recipe divided into 6 servings, the exact numbers depend heavily on the brands of pudding mix, chocolate milk, whipped topping and cherries.
Approximate per serving
Nutrient Approx. amount
Calories 200–240 kcal
Protein 15–19 g
Carbohydrates 25–32 g
Fat 4–7 g
Saturated fat 2–4 g
Fiber 2–3 g
Sugar 15–22 g
Calcium 200–300 mg
As a reference point, Good Culture’s 2% cottage cheese is particularly protein-dense, with one commonly cited serving providing about 19 g protein.
P
Parkview
For exact nutrition, calculate from the nutrition labels of the specific products you use because regular and sugar-free pudding, different chocolate milks, and different whipped toppings can change the numbers considerably.
Does It Contain Nuts?
The basic recipe contains no nuts.
However, check the labels of:
chocolate pudding mix
cocoa powder
chocolate milk
whipped topping
chocolate decorations
for your specific brand’s allergen statement.
If serving someone with a serious nut allergy, use products specifically verified for their allergy rather than relying only on the ingredient list, because manufacturing cross-contact can vary.
Naturally nut-free ingredients
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Cocoa powder
Cherries
Vanilla
Chocolate milk
assuming the particular products have no nut-allergen/cross-contact warning.
Dairy Information
This recipe is not dairy-free.
It contains:
cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
milk
whipped topping may contain dairy depending on brand
Fairlife milk is lactose-free, but lactose-free does not mean dairy-free.
Is It Gluten-Free?
Potentially, but check the pudding mix and all packaged ingredients.
The basic ingredients themselves don’t require wheat, but packaged instant pudding and toppings should be checked for the manufacturer’s current allergen statement.
Sugar-Free / Lower-Sugar Version
For a lower-sugar version:
Use sugar-free chocolate pudding
Use unsweetened cocoa
Use a lower-sugar chocolate milk or suitable high-protein milk
Use unsweetened Greek yogurt
Use a reduced-sugar whipped topping
Reduce the cherries slightly
Remember that cherries naturally contain sugar, so the finished dessert isn’t automatically sugar-free.
Higher-Protein Version
For even more protein:
Increase Greek yogurt to 2 cups
Increase cottage cheese to 1¼ cups
Reduce Cool Whip to ½ cup
Use a high-protein milk
This shifts the recipe toward a protein-rich pudding rather than a traditional whipped mousse.
Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are commonly used in high-protein dessert recipes precisely because they provide substantially more protein than a cream-based mousse.
L
Lindsay Pleskot, RD
+1
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my mousse taste like cottage cheese?
You probably didn’t blend the cottage cheese sufficiently.
Blend until completely smooth before adding the other ingredients.
Vanilla, cocoa and chocolate pudding also help mask the tang.
Can I taste the Greek yogurt?
A little tang is normal.
For a sweeter, more dessert-like flavor, add 1–2 tablespoons powdered sweetener or your preferred sweetener.
Can I use regular yogurt?
You can, but Greek yogurt is much better.
Regular yogurt contains more water and can produce a thinner mousse. Greek yogurt’s thicker consistency is preferred for this type of dessert.
L
Lindsay Pleskot, RD
Can I use full-fat Greek yogurt?
Absolutely.
It will make the mousse richer and creamier.
Can I skip the Cool Whip?
Yes.
The dessert will still work, but it will be denser and more pudding-like rather than light and fluffy.
Can I use homemade whipped cream?
Yes.
Whip approximately ½ cup heavy cream with 1–2 tablespoons powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the chocolate mixture.
Can I use fresh cherries?
Yes.
They’re excellent when cherries are in season.
Remove every pit before chopping.
Can I use canned cherries?
Yes, but drain them extremely well.
Maraschino cherries will make the dessert much sweeter.
Dark sweet cherries packed in juice are preferable.
Can I use frozen cherries?
Yes. Thaw and drain first.
Excess water from frozen fruit can make a mousse/fluff mixture runny. This is also a general issue with berry-based yogurt fluff recipes.
S
sipthesoup.com
Can I use cherry pie filling?
Yes, but it will make the dessert considerably sweeter.
Use approximately ½–¾ cup, and swirl it through the mousse rather than mixing in an entire can.
Can I use chocolate pudding instead of cocoa?
Yes — and the recipe already uses chocolate pudding for thickening and flavor.
The cocoa is what gives it the deep chocolate flavor seen in the photograph.
Why use both cocoa and pudding?
They do different jobs:
Cocoa → intense chocolate flavor
Instant pudding → sweetness + chocolate flavor + thickening
Greek yogurt → protein + tang + structure
Cottage cheese → protein + creamy body
Whipped topping → airy texture
Why is my mousse too runny?
The most common causes are:
Too much milk
Too much cherry juice
Watery yogurt
Not enough chilling
Using regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt
First refrigerate it for 1–2 hours before trying to correct it.
Why is my mousse too thick?
Add chocolate milk one tablespoon at a time, folding after each addition.
Don’t pour in a large amount at once.
Can I make it the night before?
Yes — that’s actually ideal.
Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
The texture should become even thicker.
How long does it keep?
For best quality, eat it within 2–3 days, refrigerated and covered.
The cherries may gradually release liquid, so the appearance is best during the first day or two.
Can I freeze it?
You can, but I don’t recommend it for the best mousse texture.
Freezing and thawing can make yogurt and whipped topping somewhat icy or grainy.
Is this actually mousse?
Technically, it’s closer to a protein mousse/fluff than classic French mousse.
Traditional mousse generally relies on whipped cream, egg whites, chocolate, or a combination for its aerated structure. This version gets its body primarily from Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and instant pudding, with whipped topping supplying additional air.
My Best Version of the Recipe
If you’re making this for guests, I’d use:
1 cup cottage cheese
1½ cups FAGE 0%
½ cup chocolate Fairlife milk
1 box chocolate instant pudding
2 Tbsp Ghirardelli cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Cool Whip
¾–1 cup dark cherries
Blend everything except Cool Whip and cherries until completely smooth → fold in Cool Whip → gently fold in cherries → refrigerate 2 hours → swirl with a spoon → garnish with chocolate and cherries.
That should give you the thick, g
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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