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My 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- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I originally made this recipe with erythritol, but once I switched to this allulose blend, my keto mug cake turned out 100X more moist.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.
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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
By
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.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]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 make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
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
254 Comments
Cinthia Meza Reyes
0So delicious!!!!
Sarah
0yummy and super easy to make. I used the Natvia brand of monk fruit sweetener and noshu chocolate baking chips. I did add some chocolate chips on top of the batter before I put it in the microwave. It’s nearly like a self sauce pudding. Mine was lite moist and had a bit of sauce in the bottom of the mug. Yum
Amiryssa Helland
0I have made this a few times now and it never fails to impress me! I am not keto but i am low carb due to pregnancy and this mug cake has been a God send! The latest that i made I added peanut butter to the middle and it is amazing! Peanut butter lava cake, Im not 100% sure if pb is keto but if you have one you can use add it! So good! I do follow the recipe exactly except i add a little more butter and coco chips because i tend to like it a little more moist and that makes cleaning the mug so much easier!
Lissa
0Terrific recipe as usual. I had to make a couple of tweaks based on what I had on-hand. I used 1tbsp cocoa powder, 1tbsp coconut flour and 2tbsp of straight-up allulose. Even with this, the cake was amazingly moist and tender. Maya’s recipes never fail to impress.
Sonja
0This mug cake was fabulous!!! (I used Earth Balance and erythritol rather than butter and monk fruit.). Thank you so much for helping me satisfy my sweet tooth. ❤️
Angie Mortimer
0Can I use cocoa powder if I don’t have unsweetened baking chocolate?
J
0Another poster said they mixed it with melted butter and it worked well. They said they used 3 Tablespoons cocoa and 1 Tablespoon of butter and mixed it into a paste before they added it. It was Cheryl’s post on August 2021, if that’s any help. 😀
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Angie, Sorry, cocoa powder would make this recipe too dry.
Kerri
0Followed the recipe and it was delicious! Used Lily baking milk chocolate chips (keto friendly) and monk fruit for the sweetener. Much better than other chocolate mug cakes that I have had that have weird aftertaste
Tony
0I tried the chocolate version (obviously) and it was amazing! Very indulgent and one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried. I used 85% Lindt chocolate (not for baking) which melted well with the butter and “cooked” it for exactly 60secs in a 800w microwave to perfection! I didn’t have any cream: which is a shame, although perhaps excessive for my breakfast muffin alternative! It was a little sweet for my (British) tastebuds, so I’ll halve the sweetener next time. I’m looking forward to trying the peanut one next! Thank you very much.
Yolanda
0Awesome. Was craving chocolate. Ideal desert share, will make this again. Hubby loved it as well
Ava
0Can you use coco powder instead of chocolate?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Ava, Sorry this recipe needs bakers chocolate to work.
Glad
0Do you think I can use unsweetened cacao powder in place of the bakers chocolate? Thanks.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Glad, Sorry, these ingredients are not interchangeable. Your mug cake would likely turn out very dry using cocoa powder.
Melissa
0Omg!!! Just made this for myself and my 11 year old diabetic son. Added a spoonful of peanut butter to the center of the batter before baking and a scoop of whip cream on top after. I’m loving it and he just yelled out “omg this is so good!!” Kid tested and mom approved:)
Vlatka
0Delicious recipe, quick and very satisfying. Love your webpage, so much useful information and great recipes! Best wishes from Croatia.
Michelle
0Really satisfying. I added a pinch more sweetener. It really satisfied desire for chocolate cake. Making one serving at a time reduces the urge to overindulge. And speed at making it was a big plus. I don’t like baking or cooking.
Payme
0This looks like a very delicious recipe, one that I definitely will try. My only “constructive criticism” is that your suggestions of equipment .. fancy cream maker and double-walled mugs .. are expensive and never will be on the shopping list of people who can’t afford them. I would appreciate seeing some affordable alternatives that have been tested to work. example .. a straight-sided wide-mouth mason jar for the “mug” and a hand blender for the whipping cream. Of course, we, your readers, can figure these things out, but I, for one, find it somewhat offensive that the assumption appears to be that everyone can afford the fancy items. It’s hard enough to put food on the table, and keto-specific ingredients are spendy. The recipes can be made without the fancies. You include alternative ingredients to change up flavours so it would be reasonable to include alternative equipment that will do the job at an affordable price. Thank you P.S. Its perfectly fine if you don’t publish this comment … I didn’t know how else to message you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I share the equipment that I personally use, and the price points vary. This is a mug cake, you can use any mug you like. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Gina
0I made this twice this week. The first time was for my birthday – I wanted chocolate cake as part of my celebration, but I didn’t want to “fall off the keto wagon” in the process. I made it late in the evening, and enjoyed it immensely, especially because it took so little time to make it. I made it again tonight and it was every bit as good – moist, tasty and just ther right amount of chocolate. Yummy!
Gina
0I absolutley loved this mug cake! I made it for my birthday, and did not even need the whipped cream! My first mug cake, and boy did it knock it out of the park!
KATHY
0Yum Yum Yum!!! Soo good! 🙂
Gloria
0Hi! Is there a way to make this less chocolate intense? Can I cut back on the chocolate to maybe 1/2 ounce? Should I then increase the butter a bit? Thanks!
P.S. I am loving all your recipes!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Gloria, Yes that would work just fine!
Kathy
0The best cake I’ve tasted so far. I used 2 tbs of hot cocoa and 1 1/2 tbs of swerve granular. I added small slices of cream cheese on the cake mix before I put them in the microwave. Super delicious! Thank you for this chocolate cake recipe!
Kathy
0I meant 2 tbs of cocoa powder not hot cocoa. Lol!
Tammy
0Perfect dessert loved it!