Shop
My
Custom
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- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – I originally made this recipe with erythritol, but once I switched to this allulose blend, my keto mug cake turned out 100X more moist.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.
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It Now
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
-
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.
-
Add the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, egg, and vanilla (if using). Stir everything well until completely mixed together.
-
Microwave for 50-75 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
-
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.
-
Add the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, egg, and vanilla (if using). Stir everything well until completely mixed together.
-
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.
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.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Keto Mug Cake
254 Comments
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.
Margo
0National Fruit Compote Day. Husband wanted fruit compote. Did he plan what to use it on, nope. Dinner is done so I ask him what’s this supposed to go with? Keto Chocolate Mug Cake [again, first time I have made mug cake]. Turned out wonderfully [and now I know what size my mugs are!] and was a perfect complement to the mixed berries fruit compote.
karin
0I really appreciate that you offer alternatives to microwaving for those of us who don’t like to use one. That is super helpful and considerate.
Collene
0I was so delighted to make this for my sister who has sworn off bread and sugar- and she loved it! (I did too!) She was pleased that it wasn’t grainy and the texture was light, as well as being filling.
I used Whole Earth Allulose Baking Blend and Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour. Oh, and I used 2 squares of 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate because it seemed a hassle to break a square in half evenly and thought…having a bit more of chocolate would only be a good thing, right?!
Stephanie
0How many squares of chocolate do u use for 3/4 oz?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Stephanie, I recommend weighing your chocolate to get the correct amount.
Sharla Lamken
0Loved it! And fast and easy!
Win
0I live in Australia and Besti products are not available here.
Allulose is also not approved for sale in Australia.
I read somewhere that the Coles Supermarket has a sweetener that is 99.5% Erythritol and 0.5% Monk Fruit Extract. How does that compare with the breakdown for Besti Monk Fruit and Allulose? Would that be suitable to use in your recipes as a replacement?
Apparently Woolworths has Lakanto Monk Fruit and Erythritol but I can’t find out online, the break down.
I have Natvia, which is powdered Stevia, could I use that… or maybe a mix of Erythritol and Stevia?
I would really appreciate your advice.
Thanks
Win
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Win, Besti is not available in Australia yet — you can sign up here to be notified when it’s available in your country. In the meantime, check the keto sweeteners guide for alternatives.
Cynthia Needham
0I had a serious craving for some chocolate last night. Remembered seeing Maya’s recipe for Chocolate Mug Cake and scooted into the kitchen, followed the recipe, put a dollop of Cool Whip on it and the craving was more than satisfied. Very decadent and easy to make. Thank you, Maya. Kept me from rummaging through the frig. and pantry and finding nothing that I wanted.
Geri Reti
0This was so good! I made one recipe, divided in 2 smaller ramekins. It was plenty for a dessert with whipped cream! My husband liked it too!
Whitney
0This was so yummy and filling! I couldn’t even eat the whole thing. Absolutely delish with whipped cream on top ?
Wendy
0This was delicious! I think the unsweetened chocolate gives it an edge over other mug cake recipes.
April
0This was so good! I added a handful of chocolate chips to the batter, it was amazing.
Courtney
0Loved it! The consistency and flavor was SO good! Making again for sure!
Jenny
0This is the best mug cake I’ve tasted so far. It is extremely filling!
Ronni
0So easy, and tasty. I used a couple of squares of really good extra dark chocolate instead of the unsweetened, then cut out the sweetener. Not sweet, but just right for me, put a dollop of homemade pumpkin butter on top, yum. Great recipe!!
Christal
0This is an awesome recipe I added extra sugar free chocolate chips and cocoa instead of unsweetened baking chocolate and cut back on sweetener to 3/4 Tbsp making it again for sure. Yummo!!!
Elizabeth
0This recipe is very easy and good.
Kathy Barnhill
0Just fixed this recipe. It was amazing. Got thumbs up from my husband!
AngieStella
0Loved it, quick, easy and so yummy
Cheryl
0Perfection! Because of a nut allergy I used sunflower seed flour. I also did not have any baking chocolate so I read on another website that for 1 oz of baking chocolate you can mix 3 Tbl of cocoa and 1 Tbl of butter into a paste. I used about 3/4 of it in this recipe. It came out moist and delicious!! I will definitely make again. Thank you Maya!!