We Asked A Pastry Chef What Are The Best Fruits For Making Mousse

We've all heard of — and probably, at some point, enjoyed — chocolate mousse. But have you tried fruit mousse? It's just as smooth and creamy as its chocolate counterpart, but with the fresh, bright taste of fruit. If you're intrigued — and want to try making a batch home — then you may be wondering one important question: What are the best fruits to use for mousse? To find out, Daily Meal spoke with a couple experts.

Chef Muhammed Ince, the executive pastry chef at Fontainebleau Miami Beach, recommends fruits such as strawberries, mangoes, or raspberries. He adds, "You'll want to avoid fruits with high water content, like watermelon, or overly fibrous fruits like bananas, as they can affect the texture." So try a recipe like strawberry-coconut mousse cups.

Another expert, Meghan Brophy, the executive pastry chef of Pastis Miami, agrees that some fruits are definitely better than others when it comes to making mousse. She says, "Fruits with naturally bolder flavors that lend a natural acidity work best to create a balanced flavor profile." She recommends any berry, citrus, or tropical fruit. With this in mind, maybe you want to try a passionfruit-mango mousse, pineapple mousse, or raspberry mousse.

Both of the pastry experts Daily Meal spoke with agree that using fresh fruit for mousse is ideal for the best flavor. Chef Meghan Brophy says that's when the fruits are "in season and [the] ripeness is at its peak." However, both Brophy and Chef Muhammed Ince agree that you can use frozen fruit or fruit puree if needed. Fruit puree would likely be the second best option because, as Brophy explains, "it is produced with fruit in peak ripeness, ensuring a consistent result every time."

With all this in mind, if you want to use fresh fruit, then it's a good idea to know when some of the best fruits — such as berries or tropical fruits — are in season. Strawberries, for example, are in season from April to June, while raspberries and mangos are both in season from May to September. To keep track of all of the best fruits for mousse, you can look through our month-to-month seasonal produce guide.