Easy Peanut Butter Mousse Recipe with Whipped Cream

Jump to Recipe

Indulge in the creamy decadence of this Easy Peanut Butter Mousse Recipe, a dream come true for peanut butter lovers.

This simple no-bake recipe is about to become your new favorite dessert and features dreamy, creamy peanut butter mousse garnished with heavenly whipped cream and crushed Oreo cookies.

Peanut butter mousse in a clear glass dessert dish garnished with whipped cream and crushed Oreos.

It would make a perfect dessert for a Valentine’s Day dinner, dinner party, special occasion, holiday meal, or a sweet treat for a weeknight dinner.

Jump to:

Reasons you will love this recipe
Ingredient notes and substitutions:
How to make Peanut Butter Mousse:
Serving suggestions:
Recipe variations:
How to store leftovers:
Recipe FAQs:
Expert tips and tricks:
More decadent dessert recipes:
Recipe:

Reasons you will love this recipe

This Peanut Butter Mousse recipe offers a silky, luscious texture that melts in your mouth. The combination of whipped cream and peanut butter creates a heavenly creaminess that’s simply irresistible.
For peanut butter lovers, this easy dessert is a true delight. This great recipe, like my recipe for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie, showcases its rich and nutty flavor in every bite, delivering an indulgent experience that’s hard to beat.
If you’re looking for a delicious peanut butter dessert that’s quick and easy to make, this recipe is perfect. With simple ingredients and straightforward instructions, it’s a go-to choice for anyone who wants to whip up a delightful treat without spending hours in the kitchen.

Ingredient notes and substitutions:

A wood board with bowls of peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, and Oreo cookies.

Chocolate sandwich cookies – adding crushed Oreos to the bottom of the dish is a fantastic way to take your Peanut Butter Mousse recipe to the next level.
Cream cheese – contributes to the mousse’s luxurious and creamy texture and adds a mild tangy flavor, which can balance the sweetness of other ingredients.
Creamy peanut butter – is the star of the show in this dessert. It brings a rich, nutty, and unmistakably peanut butter flavor to the mousse. I don’t recommend using homemade or natural butter because they can separate.
Confectioners’ sugar and granulated sugar – primarily contribute sweetness to the mousse while also playing a role in texture, stability, and the overall consistency of the fluffy dessert. Granulated sugar sweetens the whipped cream topping. Confectioners’ sugar is also known as powdered sugar.
Vanilla extract – adds a delightful, subtle vanilla flavor to the mousse and whipped topping. While not the dominant flavor, it complements and enhances the overall taste.
Heavy cream – is essential for achieving the desired creaminess, stability, and light and airy texture in the fluffy mousse and the whipped cream topping.

You will also need an electric mixer. Either a hand mixer or a stand mixer is fine. Complete measurements can be found in the printable recipe card below.

How to make Peanut Butter Mousse:

Place the cookies in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush the cookies until fine. You can also place the cookies into a food processor on medium speed until you have fine crumbs.

Oreos in a plastic bag next to a rolling pin.

Reserve 3 tablespoons of crumbs for the topping and transfer the remaining cookie crumbs to six individual parfait glasses or dessert cups.

Dessert glasses with crushed Oreos in the bottom.

In a medium-size bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Peanut butter, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar in a white mixing bowl.

To make the mousse, in another large bowl, add one cup of heavy cream. Beat with an electric mixer, starting at a lower speed and gradually increasing to high speed as it thickens until stiff peaks form. This should take around 3 minutes.

A bowl of whipped cream that has been whipped to stiff peaks.

Add the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture. Use a rubber spatula or spoon and fold it in gently and slowly to maintain the mousse’s light and airy texture.

Whipped cream blended with peanut butter, cream cheese and confectioners' sugar.

Transfer the mousse to the serving dishes. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Peanut butter mousse in clear glass serving dishes.

To make the whipped cream topping, add the heavy cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer, starting at a lower speed and gradually increasing to high speed as it thickens until stiff peaks form. This should take around 3 minutes. Set aside.
Remove the mousse from the fridge. Top the mousse with a dollop of whipped cream.

Peanut butter mousse topped with dollops of whipped cream.

Top the whipped cream with a sprinkle of the reserved crushed cookie crumbs. Serve immediately.

Peanut butter mousse in several clear glass dessert dishs garnished with whipped cream and crushed Oreos.

Serving suggestions:

Peanut Butter Mousse is a rich and indulgent dessert with a nutty and creamy flavor. It pairs well with a variety of meals and can be served after different types of main courses. Here are some suggestions:
After a hearty Grilled Chicken or a Blackened Steak dinner, this creamy dessert provides a sweet and satisfying contrast.
It might sound unconventional, but serving it after a meal of Homemade Shrimp Burgers or Fried Chicken Burgers and Air Fryer French Fries would be a nice contrast.
Pairing the mousse’s creamy texture and sweet notes will complement comfort foods such as Southern Baked Mac and Cheese, Marry Me Chicken Pasta, Southern Potato Salad, or Southern Fried Chicken.
For a lighter option, it would be a perfect treat after my Classic House Salad or Lemon Pepper Salmon.
It would be a unique and delicious choice to serve after a seafood dinner, especially with a creamy sauce such as Shrimp Pasta with Blue Cheese.

Recipe variations:

Serve the fluffy peanut butter mousse alone without the whipped topping and crushed Oreo cookies.
Garnish with a sprinkle of crushed peanuts, chocolate chips, or chocolate shavings for an elegant presentation.
Drizzle a luscious chocolate sauce or ganache over each serving.
Toasted chopped peanuts or almonds can add a delightful crunch to the dessert.
Cashew butter or almond butter can be substituted.

How to store leftovers:

This recipe makes six servings. If you are not serving that many folks, wait to assemble the extra desserts until you need them and store the mousse, whipped cream topping, and crushed Oreos separately in an airtight container in the fridge.
Leftover mousse should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and consumed within 2-3 days. While it will remain safe to eat for longer, the texture will degrade over time.
For the best results, do not freeze this dessert.

Recipe FAQs:

Can I make this dessert ahead of time?

You can make the components one day before you serve it, but do not assemble it until just before serving. The mousse, whipped cream topping, and crushed Oreos should be stored and refrigerated separately.

What’s the difference between heavy cream and whipping cream, and which should I use in this recipe?

It’s confusing because the names are so similar. Heavy cream, also known as heavy whipping cream, has a higher fat content, typically around 36% to 40%. It is the richest and thickest type available.

Whipping cream, on the other hand, has a slightly lower fat content, generally around 30% to 35%. While it is still rich, it has a slightly lighter consistency.

I recommend that you use heavy cream in this recipe. Whipping cream can be whipped, but it may not hold its shape quite as well.

What does “stiff peaks” mean in the instructions for making whipped cream?

It means that you should whip the cream until it reaches a stage where, when you lift the beaters or whisk from the mixture, it holds its shape firmly, forming peaks that stand up straight and do not collapse or fold over.

Expert tips and tricks:

If you want to be fancy, instead of spooning the creamy mousse into serving dishes, you can put it in an icing piping bag and pipe it in. You can also use a large ziploc bag and snip off the corner tip if you don't have an icing piping bag.
Use high-quality creamy peanut butter, fresh heavy cream, full-fat cream cheese, and pure vanilla extract for the best flavor and texture.
Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before using. If your cream cheese is cold when you try to blend it, your mousse will have lumps.
When whipping the heavy cream, ensure it reaches stiff peaks, but don’t over-whip. Over-whipping can result in a grainy texture, so stop as soon as it’s stiff.

More decadent dessert recipes:

If you like this peanut butter recipe, you might also like my recipe for Peanut Butter and Chocolate Rice Krispie Bars. If you need more recipes or menu ideas, here is a link to all of my dessert recipes

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones; I hope you come back soon!