Keto Peanut Butter Mousse
Published April 24, 2022 • Updated February 26, 2026
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I make this creamy peanut butter mousse with five ingredients in about five minutes. No baking, just a cold, rich low carb dessert that reminds me of a Reese's cup.
The Reese’s cup craving is what started this recipe for me. I wanted something cold and creamy that scratched that exact itch without going off track. What I ended up with is something a reader blind-tested against a Dairy Queen Reese’s Blizzard, and most of her friends couldn’t tell which one was the sugar-free version.
The secret is cream cheese. Without it, you get a floppy texture that deflates within an hour. I’ve made this dozens of times now, and cream cheese gives the whole thing structure so it stays thick and scoopable even the next day. The sweetener ratio took me a few rounds to dial in too. I started with 1/4 cup of powdered sweetener, but the base absorbs more than you’d expect. I’ve settled on 1/3 cup, and that’s the ratio I come back to every time.
The folding technique is the other piece that makes or breaks this. You add 1/3 of the whipped cream first to thin the base out, then gently fold in the rest so you keep all that air intact. Dump everything in at once and you end up with a dense paste. That staged fold is the single biggest difference between something airy and something that just tastes like the filling mixed with cream.
If you love no-bake keto desserts, I’ve got more. My peanut butter pie uses a similar base with a crunchy cookie crust. Cheesecake fluff comes together even faster. My vanilla ice cream is another house favorite, and this fudge hits the same creamy-sweet spot with a completely different texture.
How to make peanut butter mousse
- Combine creamy peanut butter with softened cream cheese, powdered sweetener, and vanilla until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form using an electric mixer.
- Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the base to lighten it up. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream, keeping as much air as possible.
Key ingredients
- Peanut butter – Use creamy, not chunky, unless you want nut pieces in the final texture. I look for jars where the label just says peanuts (or peanuts and palm oil). Anything with added sugar will throw off the macros. You can swap in almond butter or cashew butter, but the flavor and consistency will shift.
- Cream cheese – This is what gives the mousse body so it doesn’t collapse after an hour in the fridge. Make sure yours is fully softened before you start mixing, or you’ll fight lumps the whole time.
- Powdered sweetener – Use a confectioner’s style sugar-free sweetener (powdered erythritol, monk fruit, or allulose). Do not use granulated. It won’t dissolve properly and leaves a gritty texture. I tried it once and the whole batch felt sandy.
- Heavy cream – Whipped to stiff peaks. This creates the light, airy texture. Cold cream from the back of the fridge whips faster and holds peaks better.
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Ingredients
1/3 cup no sugar creamy peanut butter -
1 oz cream cheese, softened
-
1/4 cup powdered sugar-free sweetener
-
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
3/4 cup heavy cream
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Cream peanut butter mixture
In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sweetener and vanilla.
- Peanut butter (creamy)
- Cream cheese (softened)
- Powdered sugar free sweetener
- Vanilla
Make whipped cream
In a medium bowl, add heavy cream. Using an electric mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Heavy whipping cream
Combine mixtures
Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture and mix to combine. Then add in remaining whipped cream and gently fold until combined.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use granulated sweetener instead of powdered?
I tried this exactly once and won't do it again. Granulated sweetener doesn't dissolve into the cream cheese base, so you end up with a sandy, gritty texture in every bite. Powdered erythritol or powdered monk fruit blends right in. If you only have granulated on hand, run it through a blender or spice grinder for about 30 seconds to turn it into a powder. That fix works perfectly.
Can I freeze this mousse?
I freeze it all the time. Spoon the mousse into silicone molds or ice cube trays and freeze until solid, about 2-3 hours. I transfer the pieces to a freezer bag and they keep for up to 3 months. They taste like frozen candy straight from the freezer, or let them sit out 5 minutes for a softer, creamier bite. My family prefers them frozen.
Can I use this as frosting for a keto cake?
I've done this and it works better than I expected. The cream cheese gives it enough body to hold on top of a cake or cupcakes without sliding off. I pipe it cold and keep the cake refrigerated so it stays set. It's softer than a traditional buttercream, so don't expect stiff decorating peaks, but for a simple swirl on top of chocolate cupcakes it's great.
Why is my mousse dense instead of airy?
Two things usually cause this. First, you might be mixing instead of folding. Once the whipped cream goes in, I use gentle folding motions, not stirring or beating. Second, the staged approach matters. I fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream first to thin the base, then add the rest gently. One reader told me she'd tried four other recipes that all came out dense, and switching to this staged technique was the fix.
Can I make this dairy free?
I've tested this with coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and it works. Use full-fat coconut cream (the thick part from a chilled can). The coconut flavor does come through, which I actually like, but if you want a neutral taste, look for refined coconut cream. For the cream cheese, I've used dairy-free cream cheese from Kite Hill with good results.
How many net carbs per serving?
About 3-4 grams of net carbs per serving, depending on my sweetener and which brand I use for the nut butter. I count this as a low carb treat that fits my daily macros without any real planning. If you're strict about tracking, measure your nut butter by weight rather than by volume since it compresses in measuring cups.
Can I mix everything in one bowl?
Technically yes, but the texture changes. When I mix everything together in one bowl, the mousse comes out creamy and smooth but denser, more like a pudding than an actual mousse. The two-bowl method (whipping the cream separately, then folding it in stages) is what creates that light, airy texture. If you don't mind a denser result, my one-bowl version still tastes just as good.
Brought this to a spring dinner two weekends ago. Made it ninety minutes ahead and refrigerated it. By the time it came out, the texture had this almost cloud-like density that looked like it took real effort. A friend who never touches dessert grabbed a cup before I set out spoons. The peanut butter and cream cheese base keeps it from getting dense or sticky-sweet. When I said five ingredients, no baking, people were skeptical. Four servings disappears fast at a dinner party. Should have doubled it.
I've made this probably a dozen times and this week I tried using chunky peanut butter instead of creamy and those little peanut bits scattered through the mousse are kind of freaking perfect (way more Reese's than the original, which I did not think was possible).
Made this twice and I think I've got it dialed in. The Reese's comparison is accurate (kind of annoyingly so). Only thing I'd watch: the sweetener. At 1/4 cup it's restrained, which I get, but my first batch felt like it needed more. Went up to 1/3 cup the second time and it hit right where I wanted.
Ha, 'annoyingly so' is exactly right. And yeah, 1/3 cup is where I usually end up too. The 1/4 is more of a floor.
Quick tip for anyone who skims past the 'softened cream cheese' step like I did: you'll end up with white lumps and have to decide if you're mad enough to start over. I wasn't. Fifteen seconds in the microwave rescued it. The version where I actually let it sit out a full hour was noticeably smoother though. And I started adding a tiny drizzle of Lily's dark chocolate on top after that first batch. That part is not optional anymore.
The Lily's drizzle takes it somewhere else. I keep a bag in the freezer just for this. And the full hour on the cream cheese, you really do feel it.
My daughter is the family dessert critic, so she was hovering the whole time I whipped the cream. She tasted it and kept saying 'it actually tastes like a peanut butter cup' and going back for more. Four stars from me. I want to try a tiny bit more sweetener next time. She'd have given it a five, no question.
The dessert critic approved - that's the real test. Add another tablespoon of sweetener and taste before you fold the whipped cream in. Easy to adjust at that stage.
My grandmother made peanut butter pie every Easter, and I'd stopped letting myself think about it after going keto. The cream cheese and peanut butter together in this mousse got close enough that I had to sit with it for a minute.
The cream cheese and peanut butter together really do land closer to pie filling than mousse. Glad it brought that back.
I've tried maybe four keto peanut butter desserts this year and most of them taste like they're trying too hard to be something they're not. This one doesn't. The whipped cream folded in makes it feel genuinely light, not dense or grainy like some of the others I've made. Five ingredients I already had, five minutes, and it actually reminds me of a Reese's cup the way it's supposed to.
The Reese's cup thing is literally why I made it. Chill the bowl you're eating out of and it gets even closer.
Brought this to a spring dinner and nobody clocked it as keto until I said something, though I'd add just a bit more cream cheese next time for extra tang.
I've made this five times in the past month and it still surprises me. I'm pretty new to keto and barely cook, so when that whipped cream went stiff in under two minutes I didn't know that was even possible. Mixed it into the peanut butter and cream cheese and the whole thing was done before I had time to overthink it. It tastes like the filling of a Reese's cup, which at 3.8g net carbs feels a little unreal.
The whipped cream speed gets everyone the first time. Five times in a month though, you've basically made this your own.
If your cream cheese isn't fully softened, the peanut butter mixture gets these little lumps that won't beat out no matter how long you go (learned that the hard way twice). Pull it out at least an hour before, not just 20 minutes. Also been throwing my bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping the heavy cream and it gets to stiff peaks noticeably faster. Little things, but they make the texture actually smooth instead of just mostly smooth.
Cold bowl for the cream is one I still do every time. And the cream cheese thing gets people because 20 minutes sounds like enough until you're staring at lumps that won't beat out. Hour minimum, always.
The texture is right where I want it, almost exactly like the inside of a Reese's cup, but I'd throw in a pinch of salt if you're using unsalted peanut butter (mine needed it). Made it twice this week so clearly I'm not complaining.
Good catch on the salt. I use salted peanut butter so it never came up for me, but yeah, unsalted needs it.
I brought this to a dinner party last weekend, and a friend asked which dessert shop I'd ordered from. I told her it was five ingredients and no baking, and she didn't believe me. She's not keto, so I'll take that.
The non-keto friend approval means something. They have zero incentive to fake it.
I've made probably four or five different keto peanut butter mousse recipes over the past two years, and most of them land somewhere between grainy and dense in a way I never fully enjoy. This one is different, and I think it comes down to the cream cheese. It gives the peanut butter mixture something to hold onto before you fold in the whipped cream in stages, so the final texture is actually airy and smooth. Mine came together in under five minutes on a cold Sunday night when I needed something fast, and it held that light texture even after a couple hours in the fridge. The sweetener ratio is a touch mild for my taste, so I'd probably add a bit more next time, but that's minor. Compared to every other version I've made, this is the one I'd actually point someone to when they're just getting into keto desserts.
You nailed it on the cream cheese. That's the whole reason the texture holds. For sweetener, try bumping to 1/3 cup. Peanut butter absorbs sweetness more than you'd expect.
I think this is my favorite Keto dessert! I am a huge peanut butter lover: reeses pieces, reeses cup, peanut butter, you name it. I am new to Keto and this dessert is perfect to make my peanut butter craving dissappear! Before Keto my go to ice cream when I went to Dairy Queen was the Reeses Blizzard and this taste just like it! Sometimes I do it as a mousse and sometimes if I'm impatient I mix it all together and freeze it to make peanut butter ice cream. I even got my friends to try it next to the Reese blizzard and most of them couldn't guess which one was Keto.
Ha, the friend test gets me every time. Freezing in ice cube trays is how I store mine, usually have a dozen in there ready.