Healthy 4 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Mug Cake (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free)
This healthy flourless chocolate mug cake is super moist, gooey and loaded with chocolate goodness, and needs only 4 easy ingredients! Made with no flour, sugar, oil, grains or butter, it’s the ultimate guilt-free snack or dessert ready in just one minute! This mug cake is also naturally gluten free, sugar free, vegan, dairy free, paleo and low calorie!
Got milk overripe bananas? Rejoice, because it will be the base of this super fudgy, moist and completely guilt-free mug cake. It’s super simple to whip up and needs just one bowl or one blender and less than 60 seconds!
The concept of using bananas hidden in chocolate desserts is quite a new concept amongst my friends. When I shared this recipe and this recipe, two of good buddies (holla, Sarah and Lauren), both sent me pictures and snapchat stories of their recreations.
To be honest, I myself used to shy away from using bananas in non-banana specific recipes (like these flourless cookies, these chunky muffins, and this creamy smoothie). I thought bananas had a time and place, and NOT in these kinds of recipes.
Using overripe bananas provides a two-part bonus. It firstly acts as a fantastic replacement for butter or oil, which are generally two key necessities of any delicious tasting cake. Secondly, it is naturally sweet, so there is no need to add any sugar or liquid sweetener!
Another usual suspect of cakes is, of course, flour. Whether that be in the form of a grain or a grain free alternative (like coconut flour or almond flour), it’s usually present. In this chocolate mug cake, we won’t be using either of those. Instead, we’ll be relying on the good quality cocoa powder to work as a somewhat binder for it! It adds a dark, rich and chocolatey flavor too, something we can all appreciate. For those who want to take it up a notch, I recommend swapping half the cocoa powder with dark cocoa powder. Please note, it will be richer and a little more bitter too.
The third component of this 4-ingredient flourless chocolate mug cake is my favorite part- The nut butter! Like the banana, it works in a similar fashion of replacing any oil, butter or even eggs. It also adds a delicious flavor boost, along with satiety. The healthy fats in it help to keep you satisfied, instead of a fat-free or fake sugar-free dessert! I prefer to use a smooth almond butter or cashew butter, as they are both really mild tasting and mesh really well with the banana and cocoa.
For those with nut allergies, my two favorite alternatives are either smooth sunflower seed butter or a soy nut butter. They work in a similar fashion to the almond and cashew blends, without being overpowering. You can use peanut butter (which works well with the banana!) but unless you are a huge fan of it, I’d advocate for the other options- It’s VERY obvious in the recipe!
One should never play favorites, but when it comes to this chocolate mug cake, it’s the chocolate chips! You can add as little or as many as you like, as long as you stir through some throughout the cake, along with reserving a few for the top. This means that every single spoonful will have some ooey, gooey melted chocolate. If you want to keep the flourless cake completely sugar free, this is my preferred packaged chocolate chip– It’s sweetened with stevia and unlike other stevia-based products, they don’t have a bitter aftertaste.
You may have noticed that there are no eggs in this and I promise it isn’t needed! You’ll still get a moist and gooey mug cake and one which is also vegan-friendly! Because of the ingredients used, this 4 Ingredient flourless chocolate mug cake is also paleo, grain free, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free and low calorie!
Time wise, this mug cake needs only one minute to whip up, thanks to the use of a microwave. I understand that some of my readers don’t have access to one, or prefer to use an oven. This can certainly be made in both, the oven version being a little more evenly cooked!
Whip out your blender or your mixing bowl, and triple check your bananas are brown- This mug cake needs to be made now!
4 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 medium overripe banana
- 2 tablespoon smooth almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2-3 tablespoon chocolate chips of choice dairy free or sugar free
Instructions
- Grease a microwave or oven safe ramekin and set aside.
- In a blender or large mixing bowl, add all ingredients, except for chocolate chips, and blend/mix until a smooth batter remains. Stir through chocolate chips, reserving a few for the top.
- Cook in the microwave for around one minute. If you use the oven, bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit, or until a toothpick comes out 'just' clean.
Notes
Nutrition
I am beyond STOKED when you make a recipe from here! Be a legend and tag #thebigmansworld or @thebigmansworld with your re-creations- I can’t wait to see them!
More delicious flourless mug cakes ready in one minute? Gotcha covered!
Healthy Hot Chocolate Mug Cake
Healthy Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
Healthy 1 Minute Iced Lemon Pound Cake
Do you enjoy bananas in non-banana specific recipes?
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Confession time. I literally can’t remember the last time I baked something. I also bought bananas last month and only managed to eat one before they turned black. I am failing at everything.
Overripe bananas are a thing of the past around our house now. And it’s because of a certain toddler. That kid loves (I mean loves!) him some bananas, and if he sees them on the counter, he yells “nananana” until we cut one up for him. So yeah…I’ll just have to get some bananas and hide them in the cabinet so I can make this mug cake. Looks tasty, my friend!
The chocolate chips on top of this makes me so hungry for sweets! This looks amazing and I just happen to have an overripe banana awaiting a use!
i have not been very successful at mug cakes but i will have to give your version a try. it combines all my fav combo.
I wouldn’t call this a cake – it is more like a delicious choccy pudding – you guys have to try this – thanks Armani xx
I completely agree! Just made it. Maybe if you don’t want pudding you should try longer than 1 min?
Well, I did it and it wasn’t a pudding for me. More like brownie and I LOVED IT!
I am new to this site/blog and I just love it!
for this particular recipe, what can I use if I can’t find almond butter. I am from Sri Lanka and Almond Butter is not really something we get off the shelf here.
thank you in advance for your suggestions.
Hi Shyam! Do you have access to peanut butter? It will work the same, although be a little overpowering 🙂
Hi Julie, that is correct- There is an issue with the plugin which is showing the incorrect stats.
This looks yummy! What would you suggest if you don’t have a microwave? How long in the oven?
Hi Alaina, the oven option is included in the recipe post 🙂
I love using overripe bananas and I always have some handy! They are are a great healthy alternative and I love how they also add a little sweetness to desserts.
If you DO have a banana, but it’s NOT overripe, just put the unpeeled banana for a few minutes in the oven. The skin will turn black, and the inside will become softer. I am from Rio, Brazil – and we use bananas A LOT!
Love that suggestion, Priscila- And welcome!!! Rio is one of my bucket list cities!
The texture of these is amazing! I have actually NEVER made a mug cake– can you believe that? I have one bookmarked and am planning on making it tonight, so now I am going to make two– this one and the other one I had planned.
Yum! I love when you post recipes that I already have all the ingredients to make 😀
What can u use in place of the banana
I am testing a few options now 🙂
I’m doing a sugar detox and tried this recipe with a green tipped banana. Still tasted amazing (I under cooked it so that it was more like a lava cake) this was just the sweet “treat” I needed!
So glad to hear it, Erica- Hope the detox is going well for you 🙂
@armanthebigmansword I just have tried it. I’ve added linseed for fun, but this recipe will result in addiction! 🙂 Many thanks for sharing!
😀 What a delicious addition! Thanks for the feedback, Meli!