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Get It NowWhat do you do when you need a healthy dessert, like NOW? Make this low carb keto chocolate mug cake recipe! This easy keto mug cake (seriously, it takes 2 minutes!) will save the day to satisfy all of your chocolate cravings. It’s rich and chocolaty and moist… and it’s made with nutritious ingredients, so you can even start your day off with it as a chocolate keto breakfast. Plus, I love that it’s a single serving – great for portion control!
Of course, if a chocolate mug cake isn’t your thing, I hope you’ll at least try my other keto mug cake recipes. Protein mug cake and vanilla mug cake are popular alternatives, and there’s also an angel food mug cake in The Easy Keto Cookbook.
If you’re a chocolate lover like me, though, you have to try this version. It’s one of my favorite keto recipes and will really hit the spot for that chocolate fix.
Why You’ll Love This Keto Mug Cake Recipe
- Sweet, chocolaty taste
- Rich and moist cake texture
- Quick and easy to make
- Sugar-free, gluten-free, and grain-free, with dairy-free and paleo options
- Just 4 grams net carbs in a large serving
- Healthy treat ready in less than 5 minutes
What Is Mug Cake?
Mug cake is a single-serve cake made in a mug. It’s traditionally cooked in the microwave for a healthy dessert that’s ready in minutes, but you can also bake it in the oven if you like.
When making a keto mug cake, the keys to the best texture and moisture are the right flour and sweetener. I use Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour because it has a super fine consistency, for a delicate crumb, and Besti Monk Fruit Sweetener because the allulose in this blend makes for super moist cakes.
(Besti also works the same way in larger cakes and other keto desserts— try it in my keto chocolate cake, sugar free dessert, or keto birthday cake!)
Get Besti For This Recipe Get Almond Flour For This Recipe
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for low carb chocolate mug cake, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Salted Butter – Personally, I prefer grass-fed butter for the best flavor, if that works for you, but dairy-free options are listed below. If all you have is unsalted butter, you can use that and just add a pinch of salt.
- Unsweetened Baking Chocolate – This makes for a more moist keto mug cake than using cocoa powder. We are adding sweetener separately, so make sure this is 100% unsweetened baker’s chocolate, not a sweetened sugar-free chocolate.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – The main flour I use in almost all my keto baked goods, because it produces such a great texture. Don’t use almond meal or coconut flour, it won’t turn out. If you need substitution options, see below.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Besti is my favorite natural sugar substitute! The original version of this recipe used erythritol, but the monk fruit allulose blend makes a far superior, super moist mug cake. Paleo followers may prefer to use coconut sugar for the sweetener.
- Baking Powder – Make sure it’s fresh so that your cake rises well, and if it’s important to you, double check that it’s gluten-free.
- Egg – You’ll need one whole, large egg.
- Vanilla extract – Optional, but highly recommended for the best flavor.
Unlike many other chocolate mug cake recipes, this one has no milk. Don’t worry — it’s not dry at all! The butter and chocolate in there keep it ultra moist. In fact, it’s probably the moistest keto mug cake I’ve ever had.
Substitution Options
If you have dietary restrictions beyond just keto, you can make these substitutions as needed:
- Dairy Free – If you need the keto chocolate mug cake to be completely dairy-free, you can replace the butter with ghee or coconut oil. When you substitute one of these, just add a pinch of salt to compensate for the salted butter.
- Egg Free – Replace the egg with a flax egg or other egg substitute.
- Nut Free – Don’t replace the almond flour with coconut flour, as the batter would be way too dry. If you need a nut-free option, you can substitute sunflower seed flour for the almond flour, though almond flour does produce a better flavor and texture.
How To Make Keto Mug Cake
This section shows how to make keto chocolate mug cake, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
The original recipe for keto mug cake uses the microwave, making it ultra fast to prepare. If you prefer the oven, no problem! We’ll cover both ways, and you can decide:
Microwave Method:
- Melt the butter and chocolate. You can make your keto chocolate cake in a mug or in a ramekin, and melt the butter and chocolate right in there.
- Mix up the batter. Stir in almond flour, Besti, baking powder, egg, and vanilla with a spoon or fork.
TIP: Be sure to mix well.
I mix in the same mug for convenience, but if you want to be extra sure, you could whisk the dry ingredients separately first in a small bowl, and then add to the mug.
- Cook. Microwave the mug cake for 60-75 seconds, until just firm. See below for topping ideas!
TIP: This last step is really the only “trick” to the recipe.
As long as you don’t overcook your low carb chocolate mug cake, it won’t be dry! You want it to be spring-y, but not dry.
Oven Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Melt the butter and chocolate. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler.
- Mix up the batter. Stir in the almond flour, Besti, baking powder, egg, and vanilla.
- Bake mug cakes. Transfer batter into ramekins and bake for about 15 minutes.
TIP: Make sure your ramekins are a lot bigger than the volume of the batter (about double the size), because the cake will rise as it’s baking.
You’ll need either a large 12-oz ramekin or two small 6-oz ramekins.
Toppings For The Best Keto Mug Cake
It’s delicious on its own, but even better with toppings! For the ultimate keto mug cake, top it with:
- Keto Whipped Cream – Make it with or without sweetener.
- Melted Chocolate – The batter for the keto mug cake uses unsweetened baking chocolate, but for topping I recommend sugar-free chocolate chips, which are sweetened.
- Chopped Nuts – Any kind of keto nuts will work, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds. You can also stir them into the batter.
- Keto Vanilla Ice Cream – My favorite topping!
- Peanut Butter Drizzle – Microwave some peanut butter with a bit of coconut oil, then drizzle over the cake.
- Berries – Chopped strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries are all keto friendly.
Storage Instructions
- Store: If you find yourself with some extra low carb chocolate mug cake (I don’t know how this would happen!), you can store it at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can store these keto mug cakes right in the mugs if you like, by just covering with plastic wrap. It’s really best fresh, though.
- Reheat: It’s fine to eat the mug cake cold or at room temperature, but if you want to heat it, you can microwave it again. It can help to spread a thin layer of butter on top before reheating, to prevent drying out.
- Freeze: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Let it thaw in the fridge and then re-heat in the microwave or oven until just warm.
I don’t recommend making the mug cake batter ahead of time. The melted butter and chocolate will solidify as they cool, and the baking powder will lose its effectiveness if it sits with the wet ingredients for too long without cooking.
More Keto Mug Cake Recipes
If you like this chocolate keto mug cake, try these variations of other mug cakes:
- Keto Vanilla Mug Cake
- Keto Lava Cake – Not an actual mug cake, but still a quick single-serve dessert.
- Mug Flax Seed Muffin
- Angel Food Cake Mug Cake – Find it in The Easy Keto Cookbook!
Tools I Use For This Recipe
- Double Walled Insulated Mug Set – I love using clear mugs for my keto mug cake!
- Measuring Spoons – One of my favorite sets! These fit into spice jars, too.
- Easy Whipped Cream Dispenser – If you want a faster way to make keto whipped cream to top your mug cake (one that will actually keep well in the fridge!), this dispenser will make it and store it in the same vessel, without chemicals.
Low Carb Keto Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe
Keto Mug Cake (Chocolate, Sweet & Moist!)
Make an easy keto mug cake recipe in just 2 minutes, with 6 ingredients + 4g net carbs! It's rich, moist, chocolaty, sweet, and gluten-free.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Microwave Instructions
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Melt the butter and chocolate together in a mug or large 12 oz (355 mL) ramekin in the microwave (about 45-60 seconds, stirring halfway through). Be careful not to burn it. Make sure the ramekin is at least double the volume of the ingredients, because the mug cake will rise.
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Add the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, egg, and vanilla (if using). Stir everything well until completely mixed together.
- Microwave for about 60-75 seconds, until just firm. (Don’t overcook, or it will be dry.)
- Serve with whipped cream (or coconut whipped cream for paleo), and/or drizzle with more melted chocolate stirred with sweetener.
Oven Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler on the stove. Be careful not to burn it. Remove from heat.
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Add the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, egg, and vanilla (if using). Stir everything well until completely mixed together.
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Transfer the batter to a large 12 oz (355 mL) oven-safe ramekin (or two smaller 6 oz (178 mL) ones). Make sure the ramekins are at least double the volume of the ingredients, because the cake will rise. Bake for about 15 minutes, until just firm.
- Serve with whipped cream (or coconut whipped cream for paleo), and/or drizzle with more melted chocolate stirred with sweetener.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 mug cake (entire recipe)
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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236 Comments
Patti Patterson
1This was absolutely delicious. I drizzled a little bit of peanut butter on it while it was cooling off then topped with whipped cream. Amazing. My first try at a keto mug cake and my husband and I are definitely fans now.
Faith
0YES YES YES, SO perfect, I would never have guessed it to be Keto! In fact, I made it for me and my little brother to share, I didn’t tell him it was keto, and he said he liked it!! (he had no idea it was keto!) Moist, chocolatey, no grainy texture, flavorful, and tastes just like real chocolate cake. So YES definitely a winner! I am so making this again. Thank you!!!
Aidan
0Oh my, my, my… just what I was looking for to ease my wife’s and I chocolate craving. We had it with some keto chocolate caramel sauce and it was heaven in a bowl. This is definitely going to be our go to crave busting favourite from now on. Thank you.
Naomi
0Pretty good for my first Keto mug cake! Just have to adjust the sweetener—I used powdered Wholesome Yum Allulose as I don’t have the Besti monk fruit Allulose blend. I did add a bit more Allulose than this recipe called for, and then added a few drops of monk fruit sweetener, but it still wasn’t quite as sweet as I would have liked—just personal preference. I used 3/4 oz of Cocoa Liquor Wafers, as I don’t have unsweetened baking chocolate, and it turned out pretty good! Paired with some keto ice cream, this was delish! Thanks Maya!
Susan
0Delicious! Thank you! Just the thing for a keto-friendly PMS fix! 🙂
Chrissy
0Super easy & delicious 😋
Val
0So quick and easy to make and really delicious. Great chocolate cake in a mug.
Karen
0Can I sub unsweetened cocoa powder for the unsweetened baking chocolate?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Karen, I don’t recommend doing that in this recipe.