Our Pumpkin Mug Cake is made with real food ingredients and ready in just 3 minutes. Packed with protein! A paleo mug cake that is gluten-free and with a tested dairy-free option and nut-free option.
PUMPKIN MUG CAKE
This Pumpkin Mug Cake is based on my super popular Chocolate Mug Cake recipe, which means the base is blanched almond flour. I did test it with cassava flour for those of you looking for a Nut-Free option. Details below in the TIPS section.
It is the perfect single serving dessert to satisfy your Pumpkins Spice Latte craving year-round. All you need to do is make sure you have pumpkin puree in the pantry!
The rest of the ingredients are pretty straight-forward. Nothing crazy or hard to find! When it comes to healthy mug cake, this Pumpkin version takes the cake 😉
PUMPKIN MUG CAKE INGREDIENTS
- Egg
- Blanched Almond Flour
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Gluten-Free Baking Powder (this one is also corn free!)
- Sea Salt
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Ghee or Virgin Coconut Oil
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Pumpkin Puree
- Toasted Pecans (optional)
I have discovered that while paleo mug cake recipes are not that hard to make, there are a few little things that REALLY make a difference. Let’s dig into some tips and tricks to make a perfect mug cake every time!
PUMPKIN MUG CAKE TIPS:
- 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!
- I like to mix the batter in a larger bowl and then pour into the mug 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. A larger mixing area can ensure that there are no clumps or “flour pockets”.
- I tested this with cassava flour for those of you looking for a grain-free AND nut-free mug cake option. Make sure to leave off the toasted pecan topping as well for nut-free. Granola makes a great sub if you want to add some crunch!
- To make a dairy-free version, use organic virgin coconut oil in place of the Ghee.
- I used canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix with other added ingredients). The only ingredient should be pumpkin!
- While I prefer this with blanched almond flour (no skins on the almonds and it’s much lighter!), it still works really well with almond meal (ground up almonds with the skins on), the final texture is just a bit more gritty.
- The nutritional information provided DOES NOT include the optional pecan topping. One tablespoon of pecans will add: Calories: 69.1 | Carbohydrates: 1.39g | Fat: 7.2g | Protein: 0.92g
Love Mug Cakes? Here are more drool-worthy paleo mug cake ideas for you!
PALEO MUG CAKE RECIPES:
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Our Pumpkin Mug Cake is made with real food ingredients and ready in just 3 minutes! Packed with protein! Gluten-free and with a dairy-free and nut-free options.
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 Tablespoons blanched almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder gluten free
- 1 pinch finely ground sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee (or virgin coconut oil)
- 1.5 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1 Tablespoon roasted pecans for topping (optional)
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Crack an egg into the mug. Use a fork or whisk to beat the egg well. You want to aerate the egg a bit to add some lightness.
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Add all remaining ingredients into mug with beaten egg. Use a fork or whisk to mix well.
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Microwave for 3 minutes (see NOTES for more info on cooking times and mugs). Allow to cool for 2 minutes, top with pecans and Enjoy!
- 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!
- I like to mix the batter in a larger bowl and then pour into the mug 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. A larger mixing area can ensure that there are no clumps or "flour pockets".
- I tested this with cassava flour for those of you looking for a grain-free AND nut-free mug cake option. Make sure to leave off the toasted pecan topping as well for nut-free. Granola makes a great sub if you want to add some crunch!
- To make a dairy-free version, use organic virgin coconut oil in place of the Ghee.
- I used canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix with other added ingredients). The only ingredient should be pumpkin!
- While I prefer this with blanched almond flour (no skins on the almonds and it's much lighter!), it still works really well with almond meal (ground up almonds with the skins on), the final texture is just a bit more gritty.
- The nutritional information provided DOES NOT include the optional pecan topping. One tablespoon of pecans will add:
Calories: 69.1 | Carbohydrates: 1.39g | Fat: 7.2g | Protein: 0.92g
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 November 2015, but was updated in May 2019 with updated photos, nutritional information, recipe tips, and more helpful information.
This is such a great recipe! Granted I made several changes when I made it, but I still loved it. For those of you interested in an egg-free version, I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and it worked well. I also omitted the maple syrup because I’m trying to avoid all sweeteners, and I thought it still tasted great without it. With both of those changes, it came out a little dense, although without having made the recipe as written I don’t know how much it differs. My first one I microwaved for 4 minutes but stopped a few times to check it, which made it deflate a bit. I still loved it so much that I immediately made a second one, and that time I let it microwave all 4 minutes straight and the result was even better. So yummy! I haven’t had a muffin in ages since I haven’t done much baking since going grain-free, so this was an amazing treat for me!
Hi Lindsay! So glad to hear that Bob’s egg replacer worked well and the recipe worked with the changes!! 🙂
So yummy. Came home with a sweet tooth after work and this was the perfect quick treat. I will be making this again!
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know Nicole Marie!
My daughter and I have Celiac’s. We love mug cakes and this one in particular! Thank you so much for your recipe. I added carrots and pecans. I used a teaspoon of cinnamon used 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar. Awesome! I cut it in half and eat for breakfast.
Thank you so much Lynn!! Love your additions and what a yummy breakfast 🙂
Hi Alyssa, would you pls post the calorie count? Saw 315kc posted for the chocolate mug but don’t see the kcals here. Thank you!
Coming soon! We are working on updating every single recipe to have the nutrition info 🙂
I made this tonight using 1 1/2 tbsp Swerve for the sweetener and 1 Tbsp butter instead of ghee since that’s what I had on hand. It turned out great, I microwaved it on high for 2 minutes in my 1500 watt microwave, using one of the little individual size corningware casserole dishes. It made a cute little square cake that I frosted with cream cheese frosting just to make it look nicer. Not too eggy and a great texture, I love these mug cakes, thanks for the recipe!
Bet it was great with that frosting JJ – so glad you loved it!
OMG, just made this and it is so good! I strongly suggest toasting your pecans for the topping. It’s the epitome of fall in a cup. BTW was so filling, I couldn’t even finish it!
Thanks
Yay Sarah!! So glad you loved it. I totally agree on the toasted pecans – I have done that and it’s nothing short of amazing!!!
I am confused. Does this recipe actually contain pumpkin? I read the ingredients list several times looking for the amount of pumpkin and I just don’t see it listed. There is pumpkin in the pictures so I’m assuming there is supposed to be some in the recipe. I may be wrong. lol
Hi Jamie! It does. It wasn’t displaying properly due to an update over the weekend. I just fixed it. Sorry about that – I hope you love it!
We guessed and made it anyway with a tbsp and it turned out good. Thank you
Glad it worked out Jamie!
I made this with a few changes, first change was just eyeballing the maple as I know how sweet I like stuff. Tge second change was I used mochiko(glutinous rice flour, doesn’t have gluten) because I didn’t know somebody had used the almond flour, so if you can handle white rice and run out of paleo flours but have mochiko it works with the same amount as almond flour.
Great to know about the Mochiko!
Great recipe! I just made it and is great! The only thing I made different was that I used 2 1/2 Tablespoons of almond flour and 1tsp coconut flour. I also used stevia liquid drops. It came out great! Next time, I’ll do it exactly as it it posted here… thanks for posting!
Hi Melissa! Love that it worked with the changes. So glad you liked it 🙂
Made this recipe exactly as written and it was fantastic. Thank you!
Awesome Linda! So glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I don’t use a microwave as it changes the molecular structure of food…can I bake this in the oven? If so…temp and time?
Hi Brinda,
I have only tested and made this for the microwave so I am not much help with a version for the oven.
I can’t wait to try this! I have a question……is it possible to make a mug cake using the oven instead of the microwave? If so, what adjustments to the recipe would I need to make, if any? Thank you!
Hi Kathy! It is definitely possible to make a cake for one in the oven if you have a small ramekin or souffle type of vessel. For this specific recipe, I developed it for the microwave and have never tested it in the oven so I couldn’t tell you.