This Low Carb, Sugar-Free Chocolate Mug Cake is amazing! Made in just 1 minute in your microwave, but oven directions are provided! This Keto Chocolate Mug Cake is sugar free, low carb, dairy free, gluten free and just 3 net carbs!
Best Keto Chocolate Cake
Do you ever have a time when you just need a little chocolate fix? Rather than make a whole cake you can simply make one serving so you can have perfect portion control, because sometimes even keto desserts are hard to resist, am I right?
This chocolate keto mug cake recipe has been one of my most popular recipes since I first posted it back in May of 2014. I felt it deserved a front row seat this month and I added an easy video below for you!
For chocolate lovers everywhere this chocolate mug cake recipe will curb that sweet tooth craving.
Besides this beauty, I've got a bunch more mug cake recipes you might enjoy, like my Carrot Mug Cake, Cannoli Mug Cake and my Tiramisu Mug Cake, or maybe lemon mug cake is more your speed.
Easy Keto Chocolate Mug Cake
The best part about this sugar-free mug cake made in a single serving is that it is just enough to enjoy a sweet treat without feeling tempted to eat more, since there isn't any!
With just a handful of ingredients you probably have on hand, you can make it whenever you want. You can also enjoy it whether on a keto diet or you follow a low-carb lifestyle, as it's high in fiber and protein, sugar free and low in carbs!
You can certainly just eat it right in the microwave-safe mug you make it in, but for picture purposes I popped mine out after it cooled slightly. I did spray my dish with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in the batter just in case, but if you are eating it right in a large mug no need for that.
Microwave or Oven Mug Cake
If you want a successful recipe with rich chocolate flavor, the best thing you can do is not overcook your mug cake.
Microwave cook time will vary so you may need another 20-30 seconds to make sure it cooked through, just check with a toothpick, if it comes out clean you're good to go.
You could also make this in an oven if you prefer, see directions below.
I'm really in love with this moist cake and hope the next time you have a chocolate craving you try my recipe.
I adapted from some of my tasty mug cakes and kept out the coconut flour I used in those recipes to make this more dense and unlike a muffin texture. I'm super happy with the results and I hope you'll try it and come back and share how you liked it, I love reading comments like that!
How to Make Keto Chocolate Mug Cake
Simple Ingredients
Egg, unsweetened almond milk or you can also use heavy cream, low-carb sweetener, ground flaxseed or almond flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, salt.
Optional toppings like sugar-free chocolate chips and sugar-free whipped cream.
Microwave Directions
Spray your large mug or ramekin with cooking spray. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Mix in the wet ingredients. Microwave for 45 seconds, up to 1 minute. Check center of cake with toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Oven Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Follow directions to prepare cake.
Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Check center with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not bake an additional 5 minutes then check again.
More delicious mug cake recipes, like this Peanut Butter Mug Cake or this Red Velvet Mug Cake for 2!
Sugar-Free Keto Toppings
As you can see from the pictures, I enjoyed the whole cake topped with sugar free whipped cream, some melted sugar-free chocolate chips. It's the perfect size and I was truly satisfied!
Swapping Low-Carb Sweeteners
You can use your favorite sweetener of choice, you know I'm a huge fan of liquid stevia, but anything you like will work. If you don't have chocolate stevia, you can use vanilla or plain or even powdered. I would use only ¼ teaspoon if it's the pure extract or 1 packet if that's all you have.
A full dropper of stevia yields about ⅛ of a teaspoon, sometimes I can get ¼ teaspoon but never more than that. So if you don't have a dropper in your liquid stevia, measure out ¼ teaspoon, depending on your brand that may not be sweet enough for you. You may need ½-1 teaspoon if you like really sweet cakes.
You can use my sweetener guide and conversion chart to determine how much sweetener to use to replace the stevia I used in my orginial recipe.
UPDATE: I've swapped the ground flaxseed with the same amount of almond flour and it came out just as good.
Best Recipes with Chocolate
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs, Chocolate Ganache Filled Cupcakes, Chocolate Fudge Protein Bars, and this easy Homemade Magic Shell!
1 Minute Sugar Free Chocolate Mug Cake
1 Minute Sugar-Free Chocolate Mug Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- ½ teaspoon liquid chocolate stevia or sweetener of choice
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt
Optional Toppings
- 1 tablespoon sugar free chocolate chips melted
- 1 teaaspoon avocado oil
- Top with sugar free whipped cream!
Instructions
- Whisk the egg, almond milk and liquid stevia until combined. Whisk in the remaining dry ingredients. Pour batter into a greased ramekin or mug.
Microwave Directions
- Microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute (may need 20 seconds extra depending on your microwave.) Check center with a toothpick, if comes out clean, it's done.
- Melt Lily's chocolate chips with oil and pour over cake.
Oven Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick in center comes out clean.
Notes
- Nutrition info does not include chocolate syrup or whipped cream.
- This recipe was first published in May 2014.
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Sheila
Oh, YUM! Rich dark chocolate flavor. I used almond flour and half-and-half instead of ground flax seed and almond milk, which I didn't have on hand. I added dark chocolate chips on top instead of chocolate syrup, then topped it with whipped cream after the chips melted. Next time I'm trying some peanut butter on top.
Rahcel
Wow, that looks disgusting. And so incredibly unhealthy. There's not one thing in there you should actually eat except MAYBE the flaxseed. What a joke your website is. LOL
Patricia Rainwaters
If u don't like it the remedy is simple "LEAVE" no one is interested in your tasteless comments!!
boo
not sure where i went wrong, but this was inedible. followed the recipe to a T but like eating a flavorless sponge. bummed.
Robin Bray
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been experimenting with cake making for a year now and trying to get a rich, moist cake without flour and using only stevia ( I use only Sweetleaf) and this was SO Delicious I almost cried! I read SO many recipes that say they are delicious and when I make them I can't believe how bad they are. I am in heaven! Keep um coming for we paleo peeps!
Sadie
Loved this recipe! ended up using maple syrup along with a smaller dose of stevia, ground chia instead of ground flax, and added some dark chocolate chips while leaving off the syrup. Even with all of these substitutions it was still amazing!
Janice Heinzle
I just made this, and it is soooo good. I added just a tiny bit of vanilla, and reduced cocoa powder to 1 Tablespoon.. Put some cream cheese and peanut butter mixed with Liquid Stevia on top for frosting., It is really good. Thanks for the recipe.
iliana
what can I use instead of the ground flaxseed? I don't like the taste of it, I feel that takes over every other flavor
Crystal
I love this recipe but I do find it bitter sadly. I don't use Stevia so I have used Swerve sugar and still a bitter taste. I just use a chocolate frosting recipe so it helps with the bitterness or melted chocolate chips.
Well today I ran out and used some Stevia packets that I had laying around and it was still bitter. I'm wondering if it is the brand of ground flaxseed I'm using. I use Bob's Red Mill.
I have two questions. My first question is if I sub with coconut flour would the liquids measurements remain the same? My second question is what brand of ground flaxseed do you use?
Thanks!
Brenda
I use Bob's as well. The bitter is due to one of two things. You need more sweetener for your taste buds or your cocoa powder is the problem. Good cocoa powder like Ghiardelli is better and cheap cocoa powder leaves a bitter aftertaste.
Tee
Fantastic recipe! I added a tablespoon of ghee, some walnuts and used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa. It wasn't bitter at all but I used a combination of sweeteners which in my opinion works better for baking. Rose up nice and fluffy and didn't collapse after it cooled. Could not taste the flaxseed at all. Thank you for this recipe...this is a keeper. Every mug cake I've tried up until this one has been dry, bitter and ended up in the trash!
Andrea
I'm new to sugar free cooking and need as much help as possible. I made this twice tonight. The first time I followed the recipe exactly as written. The cake rose and was moist. The chocolate syrup came together nicely too. However, hubby said it tasted like plastic as was too bitter. Second time, I didn't use as much of the SweetLeaf Chocolate Stevia and I added some sugar free chocolate chips. I left off the chocolate syrup. Hubby said, "it was not great but better, it smelled so good cooking, thanks for trying"
The chocolate chips sank to the bottom of the mug so when I turned it out onto a dish they made sort of a gooey icing.
Do you think using erythritol instead of the chocolate stevia drops would be less bitter?
I'll keep trying.
Thanks
Brenda
My husband as well is not such a fan of using stevia but I have no issues with it since I've been using it for 11 years. I find no aftertaste in anything but he does. My hubby does seem to complain less when I use Swerve sweetener.
Andrea
Thanks Brenda. I have Swerve but have not used it yet. How much would you recommend I use? I am so inspired by your recipes. I'm trying to get my pantry stocked with the ingredients you recommend. Today I found arrowroot, next payday I will look for xanthan gum. As I said before, I'm new to this and need all the help and tips I can get.
Linda
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! I used regular Hershey's cocoa and Pyure brand stevia blend, which is granular erythritol + stevia. My husband wolfed this down even faster than I made it. I'm lucky that I doubled the recipe or I wouldn't have had a single bite. Thanks!
Jade Kouletakis
I made this yesterday. I substituted one tablespoon xylitol for the stevia and used chana flour in place of flaxseed. It was lovely. It had a very dark, pleasantly bitter chocolate taste to it. The next time I make it I think I'll serve it with some fresh berries as I think their natural sweetness will complement the cake 🙂
Sue
Am I correct that if I have packaged flaxseed meal I would use 2 tablespoons? I ask because the Dobie muffin recipe I have from online specifies "1/4 c flaxseed, ground (should come to 1/2 c ground)." Since you wrote it as "flaxseed, ground" rather than "ground flaxseed" I assume you grind your own. Looking forward to trying this.
Brenda
Yes I grind my own but I did make a mistake written here and i will correct it. I measured it ground all ready so thanks for asking. I have fixed it.
Ebony
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I've made it roughly six times now. Even with modifications, such as adding sweetened cinnamon cream cheese in the middle and/or replacing among milk with heavy whipping cream, it's still amazing. I can't thank you enough for such a scrumptious recipe!
Marsha
This looks so good. What brand of coconut oil did you use? I have never used this ingredient before.
Marcy
Just made this and it was awesome!!! Will be my for sure go to when craving cake and chocolate!
karen justinn
can you use unsweetened coconut milk, not canned instead of almond milk?
Bill
This recipe was fast to put together! Used honey instead of stevia and discovered it needs more honey; but, am willing to give this one another shot as it was fast, easy, and tasty! Thanks for the recipe as it definitely satisfies the chocolate-cake cravings.
Roxisam
I love this concept, but it was way to bitter, almost like spooning unsweetened cocoa powder into my mouth. I used powdered Stevia and Nestlees Cocoa powder because I was dying to try it. 🙂 I am going to try the erythritol, because xylitol gives my bloat, and a higher quality cocoa next time. A+ for appearance, ease and shear genius. Can't wait to try it with these tweaks.
Sam
I tried this recipe and at first I put it in the oven and it didn't burn, though, it didn't cook through correctly. It rose a bit and the outside got dark but the inside wouldn't become cake-y, so I put it in the microwave for a minute after the oven method failed and that made the texture as it should be, and it was lovely.
So therefore, do not put this in the oven. This is really only works in the microwave. If there is a way to do it in the oven it sure isn't easy.
It tastes quite good. I didn't use stevia. You can replace it with sugar, (as I did) at least 4 teaspoons, and there is 15 calories per 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar. You can use honey as well which doesn't ruin the flavor of the cake. Use as many tablespoons as necessary. There's usually 60 calories in 1 tablespoon. (28 grams) but it also may depend on the sort of honey you use.
Easy recipe and healthy.
Dawna
I made a bunch of tweaks to it based on readers comments about the bitterness. I I didn't have the liquid stevia and we substituted coconut flour for the flax meal... the first try was still really bitter. I made a second one and used a LOT of extra stevia powder (now brand that is supposed to not be bitter tasting, and it tastes better than other brands we have tried) and several packets of splenda. Managed to make it not bitter, but it had a funky aftertaste and the Husband wouldn't eat it. I liked it ok and one of the kids liked it ok. It was a great idea, but I think I will keep looking. I would have rated it 3 stars but it was for the husband and he really disliked it.
Christopher
Dawna - Let me get this straight... You didn't follow the recipe AT ALL, substituted the main ingredients, and you rate Brenda's recipe with a 3 star rating because your husband thought it tasted funny? I don't' understand. Your husband didn't like YOUR recipe and has never had Brenda's. Maybe I am just being cranky, but as a foodie and one who likes to experiment and share my creations with others, that just hit me in a tender spot. I can't speak for Brenda, but I was offended.
Brenda, I followed your recipe and it came out just like you said. It was quite good, moist and no odd after-taste. I have made several alterations/substitutions, using ingredients like coconut flour, almond flour, Erythritol, Splenda, coconut milk (not the coconut cream), and heavy cream. Every change creates a whole new texture and flavor, but I think they are all good. This is an excellent, quick and easy sweet tooth killer.
My favorite alteration was using a bit of almond butter, butter, coco powder and Erythritol. I made a soft ball and put that I the center before microwaving it. It came out like a lava cake. It goes perfectly with the low carb vanilla coconut ice (ice cream) that I make.
Sara Pomish
Christopher, I completely agree with you regarding massively modifying the recipe and then rating it poorly. A pet peeve of mine, as well. The funniest I ever saw was a woman who put hot dogs in a dish intended for scallops...on Epicurious, no less. LOL.
Meanwhile, Christopher, would you be willing to share how much almond butter and butter you added? My initial thought on this recipe (without having made it) was that it would benefit from some fat.
Angela
I just made this and it was really bitter. I used Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder and Sweet Leaf chocolate liquid drops. I tried it it a few time with some tweaks and changes and have come to the conclusion that it is the SweetLeaf drops that are the issue. Anyone have a sugar free sweetener that does not have a bitter taste?
Brenda
I also use Swerve which is erythritol. I also prefer vanilla liquid drops from Sweetleaf and also NuNaturals brand.
Chris
I tried swerve and it was still inedible as it was so bitter.
Ginger
I just made this. It was bitter for me too. I used Stevia packets for sweetener and Hershey's cocoa powder. I tried a different recipe last week and it was bitter also - tasted too much like the dry unsweetened cocoa powder. I think I need to find a different cocoa powder and sweetener type. I'm not giving up!
joan
Is there a way I can bake this in the oven instead? How long and what temperature?
Brenda
I would say 350 for maybe 20- 25 minutes until you see it puffing up and the center isn't wet and gooey looking.
Maral
Made it without the stevia , just added a few drops of liquid sweetener , topped it w peanut butter and it was heaven ! Thank you
Ann
Topped. It. With. Peanut. Butter.
I'll be in the kitchen if you need me!
Dianna
I rate this a 5-star recipe... at this time... because I imagine if you follow the recipe exactly as written it will come out DELICIOUS....
BUT, I made a horrible mistake.... I used baking SODA instead of baking POWDER. 🙁
And I only had generic/store brand unsweetened cocoa on hand.
I was SO pleased with the way my walnuts ground up in the coffee grinder (I have to use ground walnuts instead of flaxseed or almond flour/meal), and I was thrilled to use the liquid stevia (skinnygirl liquid stevia) I finally got around to buying today in my first recipe...
It LOOKED so nice when it was done, like all the pictures up above.... but tasted yucky & bitter. I had to throw it away after two bites 🙁
I will try this recipe again sometime soon, will let U know then how it comes out for me!
Brenda
Also if the walnuts you used were sitting in your cupboard a long time the oils in them can spoil causing a rancid bitter taste in recipes. Too much baking soda is also a cause of bitterness in a recipe. I do hope you try it again, but I would never post a recipe on my blog that looked fabulous yet tasted horrible, never. I eat everything on my blog you see and so does my family who are very picky.
FN
I agree with this reviewer. The cake looked beautiful, but was extremely bitter. So much so that it is not a dessert in the least. I followed the recipe. Sorry to be so frank, but that was my experience. So bummed!
Brenda
Again bitterness is due to the stevia you used or the amount might not be enough sweet enough for you. Which brand of stevia did you use? Did you use liquid or powdered?
Gaby
I just made it, but I could taste the egg in it 🙁 I love the consistency though, do you have any recommendations? I want to try again
Chantelle
Try cooking it LESS. The eggy texture and flavor come out more the longer it's cooked. 🙂