I’m often asked what my favourite vegan dessert is, the dessert that is a dazzler, crowd pleaser, and would fool even the toughest vegan dessert skeptic.
I don’t know about you, but double chocolate pretty much always wins in my books, so my Chilled Double Chocolate Torte is at the top of the list. It’s also Eric’s favourite dessert.
I made this torte back in December, after visiting The Coup and being unsatisfied with the texture and taste of their tofu-based chocolate torte. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not a big fan of tofu. Instead, I used avocado to create a creamy mousse on top of a wholesome chocolaty spelt crust. And don’t worry, you can’t taste the avocado at all. I’ve served this to many skeptics and no one can believe the ingredient list!
I’ve always secretly called this the PMS torte because Eric likes to mention it whenever I start feeling moody and hormonal. And he’s still alive. Now if I could just get him to make it for me, then I’d be set!
PMS aside, it’s chilled in the freezer so it makes a great warm weather dessert. The avocado mousse remains firm in the freezer, but not frozen solid, making this a great treat to pop out of the freezer whenever the craving strikes…which is pretty much the entire time it’s calling your name from the freezer.
Earlier this week when I saw Jenna make it, I realized there was just one thing missing: this recipe still requires that you turn on the oven! I pictured that California girl sweating over a piping hot stove and guilt set in. Turning the oven on during hot weather sometimes feels like turning on a space heater at your desk because your office cranks the A/C too much. It just doesn’t make sense. But I’ll save Eric’s office plights for another time. :)
Given our warm weather this week, I decided to make a nutty no-bake crust to really bring this torte into full Summer mode. No oven required.
And let’s be real, I really don’t want an oven getting in the way of my chocolate fix. It’s time to cut out the middle man.
Chilled Double Chocolate Torte: The No-Bake Version
Crust from Healthy Hoggin. Chocolate avocado mousse from my Chilled Double Chocolate Torte.
No Bake Chocolate Crust:
- 2 cups pecans
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (other light taste oil may work)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Chocolate Avocado Mousse:
- 2 cups avocado flesh (approx 3 small avocados), pitted and scooped out
- 1/3 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (or other nut or sunflower seed butter)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp chocolate chips, melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
Directions:
1. Crust: Oil a 7-10 inch springform pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until crumbly. Be careful not to over process them as you still want them a bit chunky. Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and pulse until just mixed. Scoop mixture onto prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly with slightly wet fingers or a spatula. Pop into freezer to set while making the mousse.
2. Chocolate mousse: Place all mousse ingredients (except chocolate chips) into food processor. Process until smooth. In a small bowl, melt your chocolate chips in the microwave and scoop melted chocolate into food processor mixture. Process until smooth.
3. Remove crust from freezer and scoop this mousse on top of crust. Smooth out as much as possible and then place in the freezer for 2 hours to firm.
4. Once firm, remove from freezer and allow to sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before serving chilled. Place leftover torte in the freezer wrapped and placed in a seal container.
Note that this torte should be served chilled as it gets soft at room temperature.
Thanks to Healthy Hoggin’s chocolate crust this worked out beautifully. No flops, no trial #2, 3, or 4. Just perfection.
The chocolate pecan crust adds an irresistible nutty and slightly salty flavour which is a perfect contrast to the rich chocolaty mousse. The crust is quite thin when made in a 10-inch pan, so next time I might make this in a 7 or 8 inch cake pan for more height.
It might also be fun to make this in a muffin tin (with muffin liners) for single servings treats! Or in a square pan and cut into bite-sized squares. It probably goes without saying, but when you make individual servings you get to eat one without your guests being the wiser. It’s a bit more difficult to hide the fact that you already enjoyed a slice of the pie before they came over. Or two. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…
Have yourself a sweet Friday!
I have to comment on this one! I made a half recipe tonight, put it into a 5 inch springform pan. It was just my 4-year old and I, because I admit, I was a bit afraid… I tried previous “avocado chocolate pudding” recipes that I really didn’t like. This tart, however, benefits from the freezing part. I think it really cuts the avocado flavor, and you end up with a rich, chocolaty, velevty mousse. In short, it’s A-MA-ZING. The crust is perfect, just as Angela wrote. Honestly, I just can’t wait t have friends over so that I can make this recipe! I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. MERCI!
Aww thank you! :)
This looks wonderful! What brand of chocolate chips do you use?
they are from my bulk supplier- ONFC organic dark chcolate chips
Bahaha, my family always teases me for bringing over pans of squares or cake with pieces missing. Hey… you gotta test the goods before you serve it!
This is chilling in my freezer as we speak. Only 1h50m until I can pull er out and sample it! But I made sure to wipe the food processor clean.. I love the filling!
Angela! I made the no bake version for my family this weekend and it was ah-mazing. so decadent. so delicious!! thanks :)
I made this on Sunday night but we didn’t try it until last night. OMG! Amazing! Definitely making this again.
I made this for my mom’s birthday this week. It was the first vegan dessert I have ever made for my family. They were all shocked to hear that there was avocado in their dessert but they all LOVED it nonetheless! Thanks for another AWESOME recipe!!
I have this in the freezer as I type. YUMM!
This was delicious and totally lived up to your praise. In addition to being gluten-free and dairy-free, it should also be labelled guilt-free. Love. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Angela!
I’m literally drooling over this recipe, but I’m so sad that I can’t make it exactly the same because I’m allergic to pecans! Do you think another nut could sub well? I also can’t have walnuts, pistachios, or cashews unfortunately. :(
hmm im not sure but maybe almonds?
Ange, I have to comment on this recipe because I made it on Sunday and it is to die for – but I made one addition, which was a bit of grated orange zest. It happened entirely by accident because I was roasting a pan of rhubarb at the same time and adding orange zest to that, and somehow some of it got on my spoon I was tasting the chocolate topping with. It was incredible! If you like the combination of chocolate and orange, then I recommend adding some next time and see how you like it! I will definitely add it next time I make it – there WILL be a next time! Thanks for developing such a fantastic recipe, it’s a keeper! xx
wow that sounds great, thanks!
Just made this on Sunday and OH MY GOODNESS (!!!!!!!) it’s a keeper! The texture is perfect. My family was skeptical that it would taste like veggies (oh, the horror!) yet they all attacked this dessert like the end of the world is coming. I literally got out of bed at 2am to sneak some from the fridge. No shame ;)
haha nice! Glad you all liked it!
I love, love, LOVE chocolate and anything creamy. I love that there are avocados instead of cream in this recipe. I can’t wait to give this a try!
Love it! Adding this one to the book. I like that you used the maple syrup instead of sugar. Maple syrup is the best… especially if it’s Canadian.
This is amazing! I substituted the maple syrup with honey (that is all I had on hand) and it turned out fantastic! Even my husband loved it :) And he is a total skeptic when it comes to anything vegan. I loved this and can’t wait to share this recipe with my girlfriends :) Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know, Im glad it worked for you!
I made this for a dinner party that required a gluten free and vegan dessert last night, and it was a huge hit! The baked crust is good, but the no bake crust is AMAZING!! I heard my husband go to the kitchen for another slice at 3am. Always a good sign.
agree we loved the no bake version the best too!
Hi there,
I stumbled across your website through a friend’s blog & had to try this recipe.
I am not vegan but often cook for people with intolerances, my husband is lactose intolerant (and a huge fan of chocolate mousse!) and my mother in law is gluten and lactose intolerant and its really hard to find gluten free, dairy free desserts that actually taste delicious.
This is one of the tastiest desserts I have ever made, and hubby and his grandmother (who were my guinea pigs) were given the torte and not told the ingredients until afterwards, it was a huge hit.
I replaced the pecan’s with Almonds as Pecans are rather expensive here in New Zealand and it was delicious – I can’t wait to try more of recipes – especially as there seems to be quite a few choc and peanut butter ones :)
Im glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it!
Hi Angela! I’m getting ready to make this, but have no arrowroot on hand. I only have flour and cornstarch–would either of those work? Or oats maybe?
Thank you!!!
You might also try cream of tartar… I just used it in this recipe and the mousse came out very light and fluffy.
Hey angela,
First of all- I LOVE THIS RECIPE! Secondly, I am going to be setting up a blog within the next month and would love to post this recipe-I will give you all credit and link back to your blog. I just wanted to let you know and make sure you were cool with it :) Thanks again for all the great recipes!!
sure np!
I’m doing weight watchers and would really like the nutrition content so I can convert it into my points value. Would you be able to send it to me please??
Just made this for my grandma’s 82nd birthday. I subbed the avocado for tofu ( decided to make this last minute and couldn’t find ripe avocados), pecans for almonds, and maple syrup for agave. Everyone LOVED it. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Glad to hear this Courtney!
This is gluten free and vegan! It would be nice if you had mention it in the title because I have skipped this so many times whenever I go through your recipe list. Your website is awesome. I love it. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the tip, I will try to note these things more apparently!
Hi there,
I am going to make this recipe and am wondering if it’s best to make it the day of an event (tomorrow) or make it tonight and put it in the freezer… Also I plan to substitute coconut oil for grapeseed oil, would that work well?
the coconut oil helps harden things, so im really not sure!
I just made it and the crust was nice and hard before and after the freezer. Thanks for your reply and great recipe. :)
thats great!
I just made this the other day and ooooooh lordy! It is DELICIOUS!!!! I left out the peanut butter and arrowroot and it set perfectly. I keep it in the freezer, and when I’m craving a piece I slice it up and eat it right away, it’s kind of like an ice cream pie. I love the saltiness of the crust and the creaminess of the topping, it’s my new favourite treat. THANK YOU!!!
Thanks for letting me know, Im happy to hear that!
We are making this now and the mousse is so amazing. My fiancé is licking the bowl and he HATES avocado! Now we have a large bag of arrowroot powder. Do you have any other recipes including this ingredient?
Thanks for the chocolate torte recipe!
Wow, so many comments…
Question for you: Do you have a recommendation as to what type of chocolate chips to use? Thanks!
I tend to buy organic bulk dark chocolate chips….usually they are quite tasty! Camino brand is also good, but fairly expensive.
Perfect, thanks! I plan to make this tomorrow.
This sounds delicious! I want to make this for our 4th of July BBQ. Do you think I could substitute Agave for the Maple Syrup in the crust? My Brother & his wife really dislike the flavor of maple.
Thanks!
I cant see why that sub wouldn’t work! Agave is a bit sweeter per tbsp so you might need a touch less of it?
You really can’t taste the maple at all…there is SO much chocolate that the maple is covered up.
Ok…. I don’t understand what was different about my torte from everyone else’s, other than I used agave syrup instead of maple since we didn’t have maple, and I also am not a big maple fan, but mine tasted overwhelmingly like avocado. It was really, really bad, and no one would eat it. I had to scrape off the top layer and just eat the bottom layer as really thin brownies. I think I will be sticking to tofu from now on since it has no taste of it’s own.
Hey Caitlin, I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it. Was the torte served cold from the freezer and did you include the melted chocolate? I do find the avocado taste comes out more when it’s not served chilled from the freezer. Also, it’s possible that the flavours are different when using another sweetener. I find maple syrup really helps mask other flavours in the dish.
I made this for a friend’s birthday this week…I got rave reviews. Thanks for the great recipe! I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but the birthday girl was and she loved it! Very important note…make sure avocados are plenty ripe! One of mine was still a bit firm and I had to pick out the chunks that didn’t get blended up enough…but hey…you can’t go wrong with chocolate covered anything in my book! :)
I’m glad you enjoyed it Beth! Great tip about using ripe avocados :)
I just made this for my 11 year old brother who has been battling cystic fibrosis and lymphoma. It’s been the first thing that has brought a smile to his face and has made him want to eat again! THANK YOU.
Aw im so happy to hear he enjoyed it Grace. Wishing him lots of strength & recovery.
I made this and it turned out great! Unfortunatelt I dropped it as I was trying to take it out of the freezer so my family and I didn’t get to have very much of it, but I still have a few more avocados so I’m going to make it again.
Thanks so much for the recipe
Making this awesome dessert recipe for like the eighth time today, I have restrain myself from licking the mousse batter off the blender blades and cup, it’s obscene hahaha [no self-control whatsoever]
In the freezer now, trying to be patient and wait for it to freeze properly, challenging task to wait till it’s actually ready:D
I made two of them this weekend. One to try and the second to take to a gathering of friends. I started with putting the nuts through a Chopper and I did not need a blender to mix the crust, I just used a mixing spoon. On the second I used both almonds in the crust and almond butter in the mouse. I did make the first on in a 6 inch pan and the second in a 8 inch pan to serve more people. I think it is going to be a Wow. I recently went vegan and have enjoyed trolling your site. There are so many things I want to try. Thank you for sharing.
Chris
I made this dessert last night and can’t believe how incredibly rich and delicious it is. I even used some avocados that were at the end of their usefulness and it is still wonderful. Also made the lentil loaf which wowed everyone. Our kids are vegetarian and having trouble giving up dairy – but these recipes show you can have delicious dairy-free desserts, main courses, and well, everything. It also got us out of our “new things to do with tofu” rut. Thanks to Angela for her diligence in making each recipe the very best it can be. Being someone who is very attune to the texture, taste and looks of food, I feel so fortunate to be the beneficiary of Angela’s hard work!!
I just made this tonight and was leery about how the flavor would turn out being healthy :) But Yes! It is delicious!!! I’m really excited to share it with our guests tomorrow. And…better yet it came out looking beautiful as well!
Do you think I can use raw cacao powder instead of cocoa powder?
Thank you!!
Hi there can you use cacao powder instead of cocoa???
I can’t see why not :) you might have to use less or more, so add to taste
Making this for like the twentieth time today (hehe) and it’s definitely my favourite vegan dessert recipe so far
For the few people who seem to be able to taste a very slight bit of avocado after freezing, I wanted to mention that adding a tiny bit of dark molasses and a tiny bit of coffee can cover that up marvelously
I’m also always on a diet and I’ve been experimenting leaving out the chocolate chips to cut calories a little bit, and this dessert tastes just fine even without those:D
Great tips, I’ll have to try the coffee….yum!
I would like to know what type of chocolate chips did you use? it was bittersweet, dark chocolate chip or what?
I believe I used dark chocolate chips, but im sure anything would be fine!
Amazing recipe!! I made it for a party, it made quite an impression (even with my non-vegan friends)!!!
The texture is rich and creamy but doesn’t make you feel heavy (or guilty!!) after, like a version with heavy cream would!
This sounds amazing, I’m going to make it for Thanksgiving! I can’t find arrowroot here in Mexico… any alternatives? Thanks!
Yes cornstarch will work in it’s place. Enjoy!
Dear god this torte is incredible. Thank you thank you!!
I made it and… wow! the no-bake was better than ANY non-vegan dessert! I’m gonna try a carob version next. It’s so easy and so delicious! (I’m only 12 yearrs old)
Hi Angela
I absolutely love this torte. I served it at a dinner party and it was very well received! Several of my guests were not vegan (or vegetarian either) and couldn’t believe it was made without dairy or butter. I use your site a lot for inspiration. Thank you!
Thank you for letting me know Melissa!
So excited to make this … going to try to make it a festive version with candy cane bit is it or on top … and put in coconut instead of pecans – other suggestions for those allergic to nuts? I also am having a horrendous time trying to find a seed butter that doesn’t say may contain nuts/tree nuts … suggestions/recipes?
Thanks, Angela! Your blog is amazing and a life saver!
Hi Joanna! Just a suggestion, but maybe you could make your own seed butter? If you can secure some certified nut-free seeds, you could grind them in a food processor (or Vitamix if you’re fortunate enough to have one). I just made this, and I think coconut in the crust instead of pecans would be delicious, maybe even thrown in some sunflower seeds or pepitas too for a little texture. Or even a tablespoon of chia seeds which would help it all stick together. Whatever you try I hope it’s successful!
I made this tonight! Lately I’ve been on a raw kick as far as desserts go, and man it’s awesome :) Almost guilt-free!! Of course technically this dessert isn’t completely raw, but close enough for me. Thanks for sharing this recipe, it turned out great and was a big hit at our family’s bonfire get-together. (By the way, I did follow the recipe exactly, no substitutions and it was devine)
I’m so happy to hear that Rachel! Thanks for letting me know :)
Looks amazing..and LOVE that it’s non-dairy. Can you tell me about the arrowroot powder? Never worked with it, and not sure I can get it around here. Is it essential? Is there something I could substitute? Thanks!
You can probably sub cornstarch. goodluck!
This was amazing! Everyone loved it at my dinner party- vegans & non vegans alike!
Hi Angela,
This is the recipe I was talking about…sorry for the confusion! Can I use seeds in place of the pecans to get the same effect for the crust? We have nut allergies so I have to steer clear.
Thanks,
Laura
I’m new to your page and I love it! It’s so full of amazing recipes and it’s just so easy to follow.
I have a question, I was wondering if instead of chocolate chips, you’ve ever tried raw cacao nibs in any of your chocolatey recipes.
Thanks and keep up the awesome work!
Christine
You can, but I find them very bitter so I don’t use them often. Sometimes I put them in smoothies though!
Thank you for the reply.
Keep up the awesome job!! :o)