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Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowMy Keto Mug Cake Is Your Instant Chocolate Fix
What do you do when you’re low carb, but need a dessert, like right now? I make this keto mug cake! Here’s why you should, too:
- It’s a rich, moist chocolate cake – Need I say more? It’s so rich and chocolaty that you’d never guess it came out of a mug! But if you’re ever in the mood for a different flavor, try my vanilla mug cake, protein mug cake, or angel food mug cake from my Easy Keto Cookbook!
- Takes all of 2 minutes – Just stir, zap, and done.
- Portion control – I developed my keto mug cake recipe to make a single serving, so you can eat the whole thing.
- Low carb, gluten-free, no sugar – It’s hard to believe this big, satisfying treat has just 4 grams of net carbs and no sugar. It’s easy to make dairy-free, too.
This keto chocolate mug cake is definitely “dessert craving” territory, but with its clean ingredients and pretty good macros, I’ve even had it for breakfast on busy mornings. Whatever your reason for a chocolate fix, make it with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto mug cake recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Unsweetened Baking Chocolate – This makes the mug cake extra moist compared to cocoa powder. Just be sure it’s 100% unsweetened baker’s chocolate — not the sweetened kind.
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – This is the main flour I use in almost all my keto baking, and for good reason — it has a super fine texture that gives baked goods a light, delicate crumb. I don’t recommend using almond meal (too gritty) or coconut flour (too dry). You can substitute sunflower seed flour if you need a nut-free alternative.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I originally made this recipe with erythritol, but once I switched to this allulose blend, my keto mug cake turned out 100X more moist. Most other sugar substitutes (including most brands of monk fruit and stevia) actually contain erythritol, and so they’ll dry out the cake. Besti also shines in full-size cakes — try it in my keto chocolate cake, sugar free dessert, or keto birthday cake!
- Egg – Feel free to swap in a flax egg or your favorite egg substitute if needed.
- Salted Butter – Or you can use unsalted with a pinch of salt. If you’re dairy-sensitive, coconut oil or ghee work great.
- Baking Powder & Vanilla Extract
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 keep it ultra moist. In fact, it’s probably the moistest keto mug cake I’ve ever had.
How To Make This Keto Mug Cake
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Melt the butter and chocolate. You can do this in the same mug or ramekin you’ll use for the cake. Fewer dishes = always a win.
- Mix up the batter. Stir in the almond flour, Besti, baking powder, egg, and vanilla. A spoon or fork works just fine — no need to get fancy.
- Microwave the keto mug cake. I’ve got topping ideas in my tips below!
My Recipe Tips
- Mix really well. I usually just stir everything right in the mug to keep it simple, but if you want to be extra thorough, you can whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl first, then add them in.
- Make sure your ramekin or mug has plenty of space. This keto mug cake rises quite a lot, so you’ll want about double the space. I usually go with either a 12-ounce mug, a large 12-oz ramekin, or two smaller 6-oz ramekins.
- The flour and sweetener make a big difference in moisture. I can’t emphasize this enough! The combination of Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour and Besti sweetener gets you moist cake. I get dry results with other brands.
- Be careful not to overcook. This cake should turn out moist and almost fudgy. You can check that an inserted toothpick to come out clean, but sometimes I even stop cooking a bit early when a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, similar to a keto brownie. Just don’t let it dry out!
- Want to bake it instead? Just melt the butter and chocolate (I use a double boiler), mix in the rest of the ingredients, pour into ramekins, and bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes.
- Take it to the next level with toppings. My favorite combination is keto whipped cream and either melted sugar-free chocolate chips or sugar free chocolate syrup (pictured here). This keto mug cake is also amazing with a scoop of keto ice cream, a drizzle of peanut butter or sugar-free caramel sauce, a sprinkle of chopped nuts, a swipe of sugar-free chocolate frosting, or simply fresh berries.
Keto Mug Cake
Make my keto mug cake recipe in 2 minutes — just 6 ingredients + 4g net carbs! It’s a rich, moist, sweet, and instant chocolate craving fix.
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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.
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Microwave for 50-75 seconds, until just firm. (Don't overcook, or it will be dry.)
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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).
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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.
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Serve with whipped cream (or coconut whipped cream for paleo), and/or drizzle with more melted chocolate stirred with sweetener.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 mug cake (entire recipe)
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best texture, a variation to bake the cake, and prevent overflowing.
- Store or make ahead: This keto mug cake recipe tastes best fresh, but if you want to, you can meal prep or keep leftovers at room temp for a day or in the fridge for 2-3 days. Just cover the mug with plastic wrap. I don’t recommend mixing the batter without cooking, because the baking powder will stop working.
- Reheat: It tastes fine cold, but if you want it warm, a little butter on top helps keep it moist. Just microwave again for 20-30 seconds.
- Freeze: Wrap in plastic wrap, pop in a zip lock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or on the counter before serving.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Mug Cake
250 Comments
Meg
0This is so delicious!! I just discovered your site today and I’m so excited to stay making your recipes! They all look awesome, and this first try was a huge success! Thank you for all your hard work!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Meg! Thanks for stopping by and please come back again soon!
Jacqueline
0This was delicious! I only had Hershey’s sugar free chocolate chips on hand so I used that instead of unsweetened chocolate. And I added 1 Tbs unsweetened coconut as well. Yummy!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, Jacqueline!
Eric
0Hello, Can I just eliminate the sugar substitute (erythritol) and use same amount of Lily’s chocolate bar instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Eric, It would not be sweet enough from the Lily’s chocolate alone. But, if you use stevia sweetened chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate, you would need to reduce the amount of erythritol.
Peggy Seare
0I made 2 mugs of this recipe tonight. I made my husbands with 2 squares of Ghirardelli 100% cacao. I made mine with 1 heaping Tbl. of unsweetened baking cocoa and 3 TBL of sweetener (instead of 2Tbl) the remaining ingredients were added as the recipe called for. Hands down, the cake made with the baking coca had a better texture and flavor. We will definitely make it again whenever we need a chocolate fix. Thanks for sharing.
4 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of 5
Cara
0Omg!!! This hit the spot. I’ve tried 3 nights with 3 diff mug cakes and seriously this one was a keeper. Wont try anything else now. Sooo good, Thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks for stopping by and letting me know, Peggy! Have a great day!
Kelly
0My new favorite dessert. I made as written the first time and have tweaked it some to my liking. I added another Tbsp of butter and a pinch of salt with about a Tbsp of heavy cream for added moisture. So delicious.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Kelly! I’m so glad you liked it.
Tina
0I swap out the Erythritol and 100% cacao for 2 squares of 90% cacao (I’ve been using a Lindt candy bar). I use just a bit over 1/8 tsp. of baking powder. I add a touch of pink Himalayan sea salt. I microwave it for 42 seconds (1100 watts), Set a Tbsp. of peanut butter on top, make my coffee (gives the peanut butter time to soften/melt), dump the measuring spoon out and spread it around a bit. Absolutely perfect. (note: this is a VERY DARK CHOCOLATE TASTING CAKE, if you don’t usually eat dark chocolate, you will want to stick with the original recipe!)
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Sounds yummy, I’ll have to try that sometime!
Maria
0Tried it for the first time last night. It was a hit! Chocolaty goodness! I’ve Been looking for a chocolate dessert that was gluten-free and low in carbs and this is it! Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Maria!
Natalie
0I love this kinda chocolate mug cake. I have made it a couple of times and it’s a perfect dessert for a bad mood day. 🙂
But mine is without erythritol and almond flour, next time I will add them to see how different it is!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Natalie!
Donna
0This was so quick and easy and tasty! My husband loves it! Score! Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Donna!
Chandni
0I have a question. Firstly, thank you for the recipe. I really enjoyed the mug cake. But, I am a bit confused about carb content. The nutritional information for the cake says 1 mug cake has 4 net carbs. But 2 tablespoon of erythritol has 24 carbs, plus the carbs from almond flour, egg etc. Then how is it 4 net carbs? Sorry for bothering you but I am on a 20 carb Keto diet and I really need to know if I overdid it on the carbs. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chandni, I’m glad you enjoyed the cake! Erythritol does not get absorbed, so is not included in net carbs. Hope that helps!
Andy
0Can I substitute a fake sweetened chocolate (like Lily’s) for the unsweetened chocolate and erythritol?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Andy, Lily’s chocolate is actually sweetened with erythritol and stevia extract, but you can do it the other way too.
Nu
03rd day on a low carb diet. Was craving something chocolatey and came upon your recipe. This turned out so tasty and so easy to make! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
Andrea
0Hello, I can’t have any actual sugars in my diet. So when your label at the end says 1 sugar etc is that for the “fake” sweeteners in each recipe? Or real sugars? I can have ones like Splenda, truvia, etc. It’s only so specific for me because it’s to keep all sugar away and control my seizures. These desserts sound amazing and seem to fit my diet till the sugar part on the label.
Thanks
Andrea
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Andrea, There is no added sugar in the recipe. The sweetener is natural, not fake, but it is not sugar and does not contribute any sugar. The 1g on the label comes from almond flour, which has no added sugar but almonds themselves have a tiny amount of sugars. For this recipe, make sure the chocolate you get is 100% cacao without any sugar added. Hope this helps.
Gwenivere
0I am going to try this with 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder +1 T butter to replace each ounce of baking chocolate. I am tripling the recipe as well and will update with results. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Gwenivere! I hope you like it!
Debbie
0Can I use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of unsweetened chocolate? What would the measurement be?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Debbie, You can’t make an even substitution, because the result would be too dry. Unsweetened chocolate contains fat and cocoa powder does not. You may be able to do it by adding more butter in addition to cocoa powder, but I don’t have an exact measurement for you.
Marilyn Brennan
0I have made it using one Tablespoon of cocoa powder.
Carmie Alvaro
0The paleo diet does not agree with microwaving.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carmie, The recipe includes oven instructions if you prefer that.