Keto Mug Cake
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My keto mug cake recipe is truly the easiest low-carb dessert. It’s rich, chocolatey, and ready in two minutes. 2 grams of net carbs!
Not everyone in my house is on the keto train, so I sometimes need a single-serve dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth. Que, my keto chocolate mug cake. No one would guess anything is missing from this recipe–because there isn’t. It’s made with many of the same ingredients as my hot chocolate mug cake, just with a few swaps to cut the carbs in half.
I’ve made this low carb mug cake countless times to get the texture just right- moist, fluffy, and never dry (the most common mug cake fail!). It’s completely sugar-free, naturally gluten-free, and uses coconut flour and a brown sugar substitute to keep it keto. The best part? It’s ready in just two minutes in the microwave, so you can crush your chocolate cravings instantly!
Arman’s tips before starting
Avoid overcooking. This is the quickest way to ruin a mug cake. I always start with 1 minute of cooking time, then let it sit for 30 seconds before deciding if it needs more time. If it still looks wet all over, microwave it in 15-second intervals until it’s just done.
Use a larger mug than you think you need. Mug cakes rise quite a bit as they cook, so I prefer using a large mug or even a shallow cereal bowl. The one I use holds about 6 ounces (180 mL).
Add the milk last. The milk should only be added to thin out the batter. Add one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency of cake batter.
The cake should look slightly underdone in the center. This always surprises people, but it’s exactly what you want. The residual heat continues to cook the cake as it sits, giving you a soft, fluffy texture instead of a dry one.
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “This recipe is amazing. I prefer baking with coconut flour, and this is great. Easy to use peanut butter instead of cocoa” – Anne
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
- Coconut flour. My favorite high-fiber, low-carb flour for baking. Sift it to remove clumps.
- Cocoa powder. I used sifted, unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dark or black cocoa powder is great if you want a richer mug cake.
- Brown sugar substitute. Make my homemade brown sugar substitute using molasses and allulose and skip the expensive store-bought kind.
- Baking powder. The leavening agent that gives the cake its rise.
- Salt. Just a pinch to balance out the sweet ingredients.
- Butter OR coconut oil. To add a richer texture. I prefer using melted butter, but coconut oil also works.
- Eggs. Room-temperature eggs mix easily into the batter without firming up the butter or coconut oil.
- Milk. I used unsweetened coconut milk, but any milk works.
- Chocolate chips. Skip the expensive store-bought kind and make your own sugar free chocolate chips.
Recipe variations
Here are a few ways I’ve jazzed up this mug cake to change things up.
- Make a keto vanilla mug cake. Swap the cocoa powder for extra coconut flour and add one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Add some mix-ins. Peanut butter, walnuts, pecans, or fresh berries are all great options. Just make sure they don’t exceed 2 tablespoons in the recipe.
- Top the keto mug cake with sugar-free chocolate syrup and keto whipped cream for a more decadent treat.
How to make a keto mug cake
Step 1- Prep. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Step 2- Make the batter. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter remains. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 3- Assemble. Transfer the cake batter to the greased mug.
Step 4- Microwave for one minute.
No microwave? No problem!
If you’d rather not use a microwave, or if you’re making multiple mug cakes at once, you can bake them in the oven.
Simply prepare the recipe as instructed, then transfer the batter to a greased, oven-safe ramekin. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes or until firm on top.
More keto desserts
Keto Mug Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute or any keto granulated sweetener
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 tablespoon keto chocolate chips
Instructions
- Grease a microwave-safe bowl or mug.
- In a small bowl, add the coconut flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar substitute, and baking powder. Add the butter, egg, and milk, and whisk together until a smooth batter remains. Fold through the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter into the greased mug and microwave for one minute.
- Remove the mug cake from the microwave and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Sweeteners: Allulose or monk fruit sweetener works.
- Vanilla mug cake: Omit the cocoa powder.
- Oven method: Prepare the cake as instructed. When ready to bake, transfer the batter to a greased ramekin and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes.
easy and delicious.
Very good chocolate mug cake. Great idea for the craving! Thanks for the recipe.
This is the best tasting mug cake I have had yet. I love this so much!
Cheers Bonnie! So glad you enjoyed this one. I’d be interested to see what you think of my other mug cake recipes. We’re always looking for feedback.
EXCELLENT, very chocolate-y, it’s hard to believe it’s a ‘diet’ dessert.
i agree!
Yummy! A definite keeper. I love the lightness of the coconut flour. Easy and quick. Perfect keto snack or dessert.
Thanks Helen! It certainly is the perfect kind of treat when you’re craving a single serve in a hurry 🙂 Let us know if you try any other keto recipes!
Made this for my Mom with CSID. She loved it! It was a great little anniversary gift for her since she couldn’t have the cake that the rest of the family was having. I don’t have CSID, but it is still delicious, especially with alternative powdered sugar on top!
This is so wonderful to hear Ali, thanks so much for taking the time to share this. So glad your mom enjoyed this 🙂
Unfortunately I think in my city (shops) there is not brown sugar substitute. What do you think?
Yes, there is brown sugar swerve 😊
I’m considering playing around with this for variety since it’s perfect as is. If we can get this to be vanilla, we can make it anything. Hmmmmmmm, Arman? Otherwise, this Mug Cake..my Mom from 1960s (think Betty Crocker Cook Book) she ‘powered’ everything, so you could powder the top with keto confectioners which gives it contrast. Or my favorite..Spider Webs-changing out chocolate chip for butterscotch/caramel chips with a thin caramel spider web for contrast and flavor variety. Thank you again for all you do, Arman!
I have made this several times. So easy and delicious.
I used coconut flour and instead of chocolate chips, I used pecans. Tasted good but little dry.
Wow so easy to make. And also keto. Amazing.
Add a tablespoon of peanut butter after microwaving, makes good, great!
Love mug cakes and now we can enjoy them agsin after having to cit out carbs. Thanks!!
The Chocolate Mug Cake was so easy to make and tasted DELICIOUS!!
This certainly satisfies the sweet tooth.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I look forward to trying more .
I made the carrot mug cake but used (2 tbls almond flour and 1 tbls oat flour) and the whole egg. Topped with cream cheese frosting. It was delicious! Will try the other recipes you have as well, thank you!
Not bad at all…satisfied the cravings!