Healthy Mug Cake

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5 from 1020 votes
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This healthy mug cake is rich, moist, and full of chocolate flavor. Low in calories, it’s made with no eggs or butter and ready in under a minute!

Love mug cake recipes? Try my peanut butter mug cake, coffee mug cake, and protein mug cake next.

low calorie mug cake.

Watching my calories doesn’t mean I say goodbye to sweets. Quite the contrary, actually. 

My low calorie mug cake has been a staple in our house for quite a while. It’s easy to make and allows me to satisfy my chocolate cravings without going overboard.

Table of Contents
  1. Why I love this recipe
  2. Ingredients needed
  3. How to make a low calorie mug cake
  4. Arman’s recipe tips
  5. More low calorie desserts you’ll love
  6. Healthy Mug Cake (Low Calorie) (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

  • Microwave and oven instructions. I prefer the microwave method since it’s quick, but if I’m making 2-3 mug cakes at a time, I’ll typically use the oven. So, I included instructions for both. 
  • Secretly diet-friendly. Without even trying, this mug cake is dairy-free, vegan, AND easy to make gluten-free or low-carb if needed. 
  • It’s just so easy. Just mix all the ingredients together and pop it in the microwave. One minute later, and voila! A mini chocolate cake all for yourself. 
  • Customizable. This recipe has plenty of wiggle room to swap the ingredients or change the flavor.

★★★★★ REVIEW

“Wow, this turned out so good! Perfect dessert to help with a sweet tooth when you are dieting and so easy!” Casha

healthy mug cake.

Ingredients needed

  • All-purpose flour. Also known as plain flour. Be sure to sift it thoroughly if your flour has clumps.
  • Sugar OR sugar substitute. To keep the calories super low and the mug cake sugar-free, opt for a sugar substitute (granulated). If you are fine with some sugar, any works- brown, white, coconut sugar, etc.
  • Cocoa Powder. To give the mug cake the chocolate flavor, use good-quality cocoa powder to really bring out the flavor.
  • Baking soda. To give the mug cake some rise and texture! 
  • Salt. Brings out the sweetness, especially in cakes.
  • Oil of choice. For the rich texture of the cake. Oil also replaces the need for any butter or margarine. 
  • White vinegar. It acts as a leavening agent, especially when mixed with baking soda.
  • Vanilla extract. A must for any baked good or cake! 
  • Water. To bind the ingredients. I also tested using unsweetened almond milk, but I didn’t notice a big flavor difference, so I used water to keep the calories lower. 
  • Espresso powder. Optional, but I find it enhances the chocolate flavor without imparting strong coffee flavor. 
  • Mini chocolate chips. Another optional mix-in, but as you can imagine, chocolate chips make everything taste better!

How to make a low calorie mug cake

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prep. Grease a microwave-safe mug or ramekin with cooking spray. 

Step 2- Make the batter. Combine the dry ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips if using. 

Step 3- Microwave. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let sit for 30 seconds before enjoying.

how to make a low calorie mug cake.

How to make this in the oven

If you’d rather make the healthy mug cake in the oven, you certainly can. Simply grease an oven-safe ramekin or small baking dish (4 or 6 inches) with cooking spray. Make the cake batter and pour it into the ramekin. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let it sit for a minute before enjoying. 

Arman’s recipe tips

  • Avoid overcooking. Everyone’s microwave models differ, so I suggest microwaving the mug cakes in 30-second intervals. After a minute, if the cake feels slightly soft, let it sit for 30 seconds and see if it firms up. If not, continue microwaving in 15-second intervals until done.
  • Use a bigger mug or cereal bowl if you’re worried the cake will overflow as it expands. 
  • If the batter is too thick, add a splash of milk.

Variations

  • Make it extra gooey. Add an additional 2 tablespoons of water and reduce the cooking time to 45 seconds or until the tops are just barely done. 
  • Cut the carbs. Use a keto brown sugar substitute and sugar-free chocolate chips.
  • Make it fat-free. Swap the oil for unsweetened applesauce. 
  • Enhance the flavor. Fold in ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or top the cake with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
healthy chocolate mug cake.

More low calorie desserts you’ll love

gluten free vegan chocolate mug cake

Healthy Mug Cake (Low Calorie)

5 from 1020 votes
Clocking in at under 100 calories, this healthy mug cake is rich, moist, and full of chocolate flavor. Made with no eggs or butter and ready in under a minute!
Servings: 1 serving
Prep: 1 minute
Cook: 1 minute
Total: 2 minutes

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Grease a microwave-safe bowl or ramekin generously with cooking spray.
  • Add your dry ingredients and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. If using chocolate chips, fold them through.
  • Microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until done. Remove from the microwave and let sit for 30 seconds, before enjoying.

Oven Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease an oven-safe dish or ramekin (4-6 inches).
  • Add your dry ingredients and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. If using chocolate chips, fold them through.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cake looks done. Remove from the oven and let sit for 30 seconds, before enjoying.

Notes

* Try not to fill the 1/2 teaspoon full of the vinegar.
The chocolate mug cake is made without eggs, so it is okay if your mug cake is a little undercooked.
For a moist chocolate mug cake, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of water and add chocolate chips into the center of the mug cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1mug cakeCalories: 96kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSodium: 148mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 12g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Such a yummy recipe! Definitely doesn’t work with almond flour, had to toss my first attempt out. Best incarnation I had was using coconut oil for the oil component and subbing cold brew coffee for the water. Delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    My new guilt free go to!! Absolutely in love with this recipe. I use coconut oil and replace 1 Tbs 9f the water with leftover coffee (from the morning). After a hard day I also pair the warm cake with coffee chocolate chip gelato! Absolutely delicious! Thank you!

  3. I didnt have a lot of hope but I made this and it turned out to be amazing!! Ready in less than 5 minutes. It was fluffy, moist and delicious.

  4. 5 stars
    This is the first recipe of yours I ever tried and I keep coming back to it. I’ve made so many of your recipes but this one is just outstanding. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  5. Hi . This resepy is perfect . I love it so much 🤩
    Can you upload a vanilla low calorie mag cake recipe too?

  6. I used 1 tablespoon of regular sugar. After mixing it all up, it looked like a tiny amount of batter, so i kept expectations low as I popped it in the microwave.. but i didn’t have to! Because the cake is amazing!!! It rose beautifully and is soo fluffy and moist. Thank you so much for the recipe x

  7. 5 stars
    I absolutely love this low calorie mug cake! I eat it whenever I’m craving for sweets and the portion is just perfect!!
    I only add 1tbsp of sugar when I’m adding chocolate chips and it’s sweet enough for me! Lol..
    Thanks for sharing!! 😀

  8. No matter how many new recipes I try, I still go back to this one.

    Soooooo gooodd!
    I did make a few minor changes: I
    1. I doubled the recipe and used a bowl instead of a mug since I have a HUGE sweet tooth
    2. Used ACV instead of white
    3. Used a bit of baking powder since the first time it didn’t rise as much as I would have liked the first time around 🙂

    Bonus step: I tend to reserve a tinyyy bit of the batter (around a tsp or so) and used it on top of the cooked cake as chocolate syrup. Makes it so much better! Love it!