One of the BEST Chocolate Mug Cake Recipes out there. Made with a handful of ingredients in just 3 minutes and 100% gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free! This is a single-serving mug cake recipe will blow your mind!
Are you making “mug cakes” yet? I first saw this idea on Pinterest (of course right?) a couple of years ago and have tried my hand at it a bunch of times. Most of the recipes I’ve seen are based on regular flour so I set out to make a couple of grain-free versions and today I am going to share my chocolate mug cake recipe with you.
It’s gluten-free, grain-free, paleo-friendly and made with just a handful of real-food ingredients!
GET EXCITED (and be sure to read the comments – this is a reader fav!)
WHAT IS A MUG CAKE?
Mug cakes, also called microwave cake, are a single-serving dessert made with a few ingredients. You mix it up and pour into a mug, pop it in the microwave and a few minutes later, you have dessert!
CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE INGREDIENTS
- Blanched Almond Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Sea Salt
- pure Maple Syrup
- Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Ghee or Virgin Coconut Oil
- Egg
Unfortunately, if you don’t have a microwave, you are probably out of luck on this one. You could bake the ingredients as a single serving muffin but it kind of takes away from the whole “Made in 3 Minutes” promise.
Even though this chocolate mug cake is beyond easy, I added a bunch of notes below to help you perfect this single serv treat for your taste and microwave power! Enjoy 🙂
CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE TIPS:
- Use whatever kind of non-dairy milk you have in the house. I have made this with coconut milk, almond milk, and hemp milk and didn’t notice any difference
- I like to mix the batter in a larger bowl and then pour into the mug as cocoa powder tends to be messy but you don’t have to. Yes, this does add an extra (and probably unnecessary) step but I just toss the bowl into the dishwasher.
- Microwave ovens vary and can significantly impact the cooking time. For reference, ours is 1000 Watts and 2 min 30 sec is perfect. Start slow and keep adding time to figure out the perfect formula for your microwave.
- Believe it or not, the type of mug you use can also impact the cooking time as material and thickness impact the transfer of heat. So once you find a perfect mug/cooking time formula, stick with it so you can ensure consistent results!
- You can substitute raw cacao powder for the unsweetened cocoa powder but you may need to increase the maple syrup a bit (or add a bit of liquid stevia) to counterbalance the bitterness.
MORE MUG CAKE RECIPES:
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
One of the BEST Chocolate Mug Cake Recipes out there. Made with a handful of ingredients in just 3 minutes and 100% gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free! This is a single-serving mug cake recipe will blow your mind!
- 3 Tablespoons blanched almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon pure Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Ghee (or Virgin Coconut Oil)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 large egg beaten
-
Combine all ingredients except egg in a bowl or mug. Use a fork or whisk to mix ingredients together until well mixed and there are no clumps.
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Beat egg until foamy and add to chocolate mixture. Mix or whisk until well combined.
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Microwave for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes (depending on microwave wattage).
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Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes and Enjoy!
Recipe Video
- Microwave ovens vary and can significantly impact the cooking time. For reference, ours is 1000 Watts and 2 min 30 sec is perfect. Start slow and keep adding time to figure out the perfect formula for your microwave.
- Believe it or not, the type of mug you use can also impact the cooking time as material and thickness impact the transfer of heat. So once you find a perfect mug/cooking time formula, stick with it so you can ensure consistent results!
- You can substitute raw cacao powder for the unsweetened cocoa powder but you may need to increase the maple syrup a bit (or add a bit of liquid stevia) to counterbalance the bitterness.
- Use whatever kind of non-dairy milk you have in the house. I have made this with coconut milk, almond milk, and hemp milk and didn't notice any difference
- I like to mix the batter in a larger bowl and then pour into the mug as cocoa powder tends to be messy but you don't have to. Yes, this does add an extra (and probably unnecessary) step but I just toss the bowl into the dishwasher.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
UPDATE NOTES: Please note that this recipe was originally published in September 2013, but was updated in May 2019 with updated photos, nutritional information, recipe tips, and more helpful information.
Trisha says
Best recipe ever
EverydayMaven says
Thanks Trisha!! So glad you love it and thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Kelsey says
I can’t wait to try this. I just made an egg-free recipe I found off google and it was SO SO disappointing. Note to self: ALWAYS have eggs! This sounds like it will be perfect!
EverydayMaven says
Hope you love it Kelsey!
Della says
Have you tried using a flax meal and water mix to make an egg substitute? Works great for people who can’t eat eggs or when you run out of eggs. This comes from an egg farmer…lol…
EverydayMaven says
Hi Della – I haven’t tried it but I have had readers tell me that it worked for them. I just checked out your site and your farm looks amazing!!! Wish you were local to me, I would be a customer 🙂
Allie says
I made a stupid mistake. I wanted my mother to try it too, so I divided it into two mugs and microwaved each one for 2 minutes 30 seconds. They came out hard as a rock and basically inedible.
I guess the microwave time was dependent on the entire recipe amount in one mug? Any thoughts?
Maybe I should try it in the toaster oven next time.
EverydayMaven says
Hi Allie,
Yes, this recipe is meant to be one serving. Why not try making 2 separate mugs – one for each of you? I don’t think this will work in the toaster.
Laura says
Perfect midnight snack, the moistest mug cake I’ve tasted !
Thankyou 🙂
EverydayMaven says
It is a good late night snack Laura! So glad you liked it 🙂
Megan says
Have made this recipe a few times – perfect for when I’m craving something sweet. Today I had no eggs so made a chia egg and used that instead. Worked well but the end result was a little more dry than normal so next time I’d cook it for less time.
Thanks!!
EverydayMaven says
Good to know about the chia egg. Thanks Megan!
danielle says
It was very yummy. Just wish I could figure out a way to use coconut flour instead. Quick, easy and gave me my chocolate cake fix.
EverydayMaven says
Hi Danielle – I have played around a bit with coconut flour mug cakes and so far, just haven’t loved the texture as much as the this one. If I make one I love, I’ll definitely post it!
Julie says
me and my daughter just made these it’s so hard to find something quick to make something gluten and dairy free with store cupboard ingredients. Such a yummy success we’ll definitely be making them again and again.
EverydayMaven says
So glad to hear it Julie and thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Annika Myllari says
I added some shredded coconut, great flavour!
EverydayMaven says
Great idea Annika!