This Keto Chocolate Mug Cake is a quick & easy low carb treat with a brownie texture and rich chocolate flavor. Gluten-free and with built in portion control – it will satisfy your chocolate craving without blowing your carb budget!
This keto chocolate brownie mug cake recipe has been popular here on IBIH for quite a few years now. I decided to dust it off and update the post a bit for those of you that haven’t come across it yet.
The thing I love about keto mug cakes is that they are so easy (and fast!) to make, and that you aren’t committed to an entire bowl or pan of something. Portion control is so much easier when you are only making one or two servings of keto dessert at a time, instead of an entire chocolate cake!
I knew I wanted to do a keto chocolate mug cake, and definitely wanted it to have a brownie-like texture.
It took some experimenting (oh the things I do for you), but I finally hit on the right combination to get both the taste and texture that I wanted. Not too dry, with just the right amount of gooeyness! You could almost call these keto chocolate mug brownies – and you wouldn’t be wrong.
This keto chocolate mug cake was warm and comforting, and perfect with some whipped cream or sugar free vanilla ice cream on top.
In fact you almost need something creamy to break up the richness of the brownie. I used Rebel Natural Vanilla (not sponsored, I just like the brand) for this photo shoot and the results were delicious.
I added walnuts to mine because nuts are a must in brownies as far as I’m concerned. I’m listing them as optional though, because some crazy people out there don’t like nuts in brownies. Oh the humanity!
Keto Mug Cake FAQs and Variations
How do you bake a keto mug cake?
Typically, since mug cakes are all about convenience, they are cooked a microwave oven rather than a traditional bake oven. That being said, you can absolutely bake a mug cake in your regular oven. To do so I recommend a ramekin instead of a mug, a bake temperature of about 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and about 10-12 minutes of baking time.
If using a microwave as this keto mug cake recipe (and many others) call for, please be aware that microwave strengths and mugs vary – I found this out the hard way when testing this keto mug cake recipe out.
I had been using the same microwave-safe mug for several tries with great results, then I made the last one with a thinner walled mug and it was WAY overdone. So I’m giving you the shortest likely time, and if it’s too gooey just throw it back in for another 30 seconds until it’s the consistency you want.
Once you go over it’s trashed, so err on the conservative side if your microwave is really strong, or your mugs are really thin walled.
Same goes on the other side of the coin, if your mugs are really thick or your microwave oven is whimpy, you might need to add a little time to cook them all the way through.
I divided this keto chocolate brownie mug cake into two portions – but you could just as easily make it in one large mug or small bowl and microwave it for a minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
What ingredients are in a keto mug cake?
The ingredients used in a keto mug cake will vary based on the flavor, but typically they are made with almond flour, coconut flour, a sugar free sweetener like erythritol or xylitol, coconut oil or butter for the fat to make it tender, and baking powder to help it rise.
This particular chocolate mug cake also contains vanilla extract, a good quality cocoa powder, sugar free chocolate chips, and either pecans or walnuts.
How many net carbs are in this keto chocolate mug cake recipe?
This keto mug cake contains only 2 grams of net carbs, but a whopping 6 grams of protein. So it’s basically health food – especially if you throw a few berries on there. You’re welcome.
Can this chocolate mug cake be made dairy free and Paleo?
Yes! The only dairy in this mug cake recipe is the butter, so you can replace that with ghee (which is free of milk solids) or coconut oil with great results. To sweeten it, you can replace the erythritol (which is a natural sweetener but highly processed) with either honey or maple syrup for Paleo diets.
Keto Chocolate Brownie Mug Cake – Low Carb – Gluten Free
- Total Time: 6 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Warm and comforting, this keto chocolate mug cake is the quickest way to low carb brownie bliss there is! Gluten free too!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons superfine blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar free chocolate chipsÂ
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl (about 30 seconds in microwave).
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
- Pour batter into 2 small greased mugs or ramekins.
- Microwave for 1 minute. (add another 30 seconds if necessary).
- Serve with whipped cream or sugar free vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Approximate net carbs per serving = 2g
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Category: Keto desserts
- Method: microwave
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mug cake
- Calories: 216
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
Erica Olivarez says
I made this last night. It was great! Rich, chocolately, and really satisfied my sweets craving. Thank you!
Rissa says
This was fabulous! Thanks for posting this perfect craving busting dessert!
Celiac Chickie says
A friend shared this recipe with me, but please note, Lindt chocolates are NEVER gluten free. Lindt is very open about this statement on their website and if you call them they will apologize and confirm. All of their chocolate either directly contain or test containing gluten.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for letting me know, I had no idea Lindt chocolate wasn’t gluten free!
Annie says
Thank you for this ! Autumn has arrived in Salisbury , uk and I am soooo cold. I was craving cake or hot chocolate … Or carbs ….. I googled and landed here .
It was divine , I loved it . Half way through I texted my Sister in law ( she and my brother got me on to LCHF)- she has rushed out for ingredients, despite the rain and cold.
So thank you for keeping me on track ! It was like REAL cake !!!!!
And WARM !!!!
Am currently packaging up dry ingredients in to portion size bags ….. For an emergency you understand . Thank you !!!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad you liked this one Annie, it has saved me from cheating when I craved a warm brownie SO MANY TIMES! I love your idea of prepackaging the dry ingredients in baggies – I’m totally doing that to make this even easier to whip up whenever I want to! Be sure to try the new coconut pecan mug cake I posted a few weeks ago – it’s a toss up for me which one I love more!
Annie says
I will try it Melissa ! My sister in law has just texted. She is just about to go on night duty (she’s a nurse ) and has a cold. Apparently this recipe has made it all better ;)
Zibby says
Hi Melissa,
I’ve been craving all things pumpkin this fall. What I really wanted was a pumpkin bagel to eat with my pumpkin shmear from Einstein Bros. But I don’t eat bagels anymore and I didn’t have any ingredients on hand to try to make low carb ones. Then I thought of the mug cake! I was determined to try a pumpkin spice version. I omitted the unsweetened cocoa powder, the Lindt 90% chocolate, and the chopped pecans (only because I didn’t have any. They’d probably be great!). I added 1 Tbsp of canned pumpkin and 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Everything else was the same and it was really good. It was fast and delicious and went so perfectly with my shmear!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds awesome Zibby, I’ll have to try your version! Thanks for sharing!
Hollie says
Oh. My. Land. My brain said “It’s 2 servings!” but my mouth said “Shut up, it’s Chocolate!!!” Thanks so much for a great recipe. So quick and easy, and so tasty as well. A definite keeper. Thanks again.
Kat says
Wow! I tried the recipe right after finding it & I am so impressed! Fabulous brownies! You are so right on the texture & the moisture is perfect. The way you use the almond meal & the pecans to enhance the richness (where some don’t & seem gritty), the coconut flour gives it more density & your chocolate & sweetener choices are great & to top it off, it is the perfect amount for a single serving. That you made the recipe to serve 2 is also thoughtful. This is a very well thought-out & thoughtful recipe. I can’t say I have ever considered a recipe to be “thoughtful” but yours is and graciously so. I’ve tried quite a few mug cake/single serve, low carb, sugar free &/ or gluten free & even a few traditional recipes that I substituted out the sugar, etc. and this is the best one yet! I cannot wait to make it in the morning again (YES! Brownies for breakfast!), & share it with my son. (He’s 13 & we are both trying to cut the carbs & sugar & now gluten too, as there is support for gluten & sugar free diets improving our medical conditions). He is going to love this too :). Thank you so much. You made my day!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Awwww, thanks Kat! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s still my “go to” when I need a quick chocolate fix! Hope your son loves them too! And I’ve never thought of having it for breakfast but I bet it would be fantastic with my morning coffee! Thanks for the idea – I know what I’m making for breakfast now lol! :)
Susie says
Hello!
This looks like a great recipe :) But, I am a little confused about how you came up with calorie content for it. It says there are 230 calories per mug.. Just the butter alone adds up to that much. I added it up and got around 440 calories. Am I missing something? Thanks!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You have to divide the recipe in half – it makes 2 mugs or ramekins.
raylene says
I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe, and for the laugh I just gpt over your nut rant, that was too funny! Thanks again!
susan says
wow, this is delicious! I did not have coconut flour so used 1 tsp of flax meal and didn’t have the chocolate square so used a Tbsp of SF choc chips and topped it off with a dollop of cream cheese which just made it even more decadent! Thank you for this recipe!