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Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

Name: Easy Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake (Rich & Gooey!)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons cocoa powder (, plus extra for dusting); ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips; ½ teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon sea salt; ¼ cup maple syrup; 1 tablespoon almond butter; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 6 tablespoons cashew milk (, or other plant based milk); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 teaspoons dairy free chocolate chips

By Sophia DeSantis, Reviewed by Anjali Shah on October 6, 2024

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Satisfy your sweet tooth with my moist vegan chocolate lava cake – ready in just 20 minutes! This decadent, fluffy cake is a chocolate lover’s dream come true thanks to the gooey molten center. Plus, it is even gluten-free and refined sugar-free!

Cut open chocolate lava cake on a black plate with raspberries.

If you’ve had my ultra luscious chocolate walnut cake, you’re going to love this gluten-free vegan chocolate lava cake recipe! It has all the irresistible flavor without the dairy, eggs, or all purpose flour.

Plus, I’ve used a secret ingredient in this recipe and while you might be a little skeptical of this addition at first (I get it!), I promise it makes the chocolate even more rich and delicious. Read on to find out what it is!

Table of Contents hide

🌟 Why I Absolutely Love This Recipe

🥘 Ingredients

🔪 How To Make Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

💭 Expert Tips

📖 Variations

🍽 Serving Suggestions

🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating

❓Recipe FAQs

🍫 More Chocolate Dessert Recipes!

📋 Recipe Card

Cuddle up on the couch in your pajamas and indulge, serve it to your family, or share this dairy free molten lava cake as a romantic date night dessert. And if you’re into chocolate desserts, be sure to also check out my chocolate donuts and sugar free chocolate cake – which are just as decadent and delicious as this cake!

🌟 Why I Absolutely Love This Recipe

I’ve always wanted to master one of the classic “fancy” restaurant desserts so that I can enjoy it in the comforts of my own home. After trying out a few variations of this recipe, I’m happy to share that I’ve locked down the most perfect ingredients and measurements for this satisfying homemade treat.

I love all things chocolate, but it is especially amazing when baked in fudgy cake form with a smooth and creamy melted chocolate center! I am warning you now, my vegan gluten free chocolate cake is about to be on regular rotation in your household! Feel free to top with all your favorites like vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even caramel sauce.

Not only are my lava cakes super tasty, they are also really easy to make with minimal effort. All I do is mix the ingredients up, pour into their ramekins, and bake for 15 minutes. It is the best dessert to whip up quickly whenever anyone in my family has a sweet tooth.

Plus, the dairy and gluten aren’t missed at all here! My vegan flourless chocolate cake has plenty of flavor thanks to the cocoa powder, vegan chocolate chips, almond butter, and vanilla. Everything is enhanced with some maple syrup and a touch of sea salt!

This chocolate-y dessert accommodates most dietary needs so that everyone can feel included – it’s versatile, customizable, and really just perfect!

🥘 Ingredients

Ooey gooey rich and flavorful flourless lava cake that is egg-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free! Yes! Here’s what I use:

Cocoa Powder: Believe it or not, my cake recipe doesn’t use any flour! The dryness of the cocoa powder is the perfect blend with the other ingredients to create a cakey texture. Cacao powder can also be used.

Dairy Free Chocolate Chips: I use these to create the molten chocolate center – pick ones you love the most! Semi sweet or dark chocolate will both taste excellent.

Maple Syrup: I prefer to use pure maple syrup for a natural sweetener to give an indulgent taste without refined sugar.

Almond Butter: Other nut butters or even seed butter could work as well, but I haven’t tested them yet. Also note that using another type may change the taste or consistency.

Tomato Paste: I know, I know… it sounds weird or maybe even scary to include! But don’t knock it till you try it! This secret ingredient adds deep richness to the cake, enhancing the flavors of the cocoa. And don’t worry, my recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon (you won’t taste any tomato flavor at all!). Feel free to leave this out, but I encourage you to give it a try at least once.

Dairy Free Milk: Cashew milk is my go-to for this recipe, but other plant based milks such as almond milk or oat milk will work as well.

Baking Staples: As per any basic baked good, I use vanilla extract, sea salt, and baking powder for my vegan lava cake!

🔪 How To Make Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

Making your own vegan gluten free molten lava cake at home is more simple than you may think. Follow along with my step by step instructions:

Preheat & Prep: First, I preheat my oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit / 220 degrees Celsuis and prep the ramekins with a spray of oil, rubbing it around to coat the dishes. I also dust each with a little cocoa powder.

Mix Dry Ingredients: Next, I mix cocoa powder, chocolate chips, baking powder and salt in a bowl, breaking up clumps.

Wooden spoon mixing cocoa powder and sugar in a glass bowl.

Add Remaining Ingredients: Once the dry ingredients are free of clumps, I add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Wooden spoon mixing chocolate batter in a glass bowl.

Fill Ramekins: Then, I split the cake batter evenly into each of the ramekins.

Add Chocolate Chips: For an extra gooey center, I like to add 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips in the middle of each ramekin and push down to cover them with batter.

Three white ramekins filled with chocolate batter.

Bake & Serve: I bake the chocolate cakes for 15 minutes. I only cool them for a bit to avoid burning my mouth, but enjoy them while they are still warm!

Baked mini chocolate cakes in white ramekins.

A mini chocolate cake dusted with powdered sugar on a black plate.

💭 Expert Tips

My #1 Secret Tip for this recipe is to serve it immediately after baking.

Serving it right away ensures that the center is still melted and warm. If you let it cool too long the center will still be soft and gooey but not as melted. I love slicing into the cake with my fork and watching the chocolate ooze out in the most dreamy way!

Other Tips To Keep In Mind:

Serving: Flipping the chocolate volcano cakes onto a plate is the most classic way to serve them, but sometimes I serve these directly in their ramekin for an easier method!
Grease The Ramekins: I recommend prepping the ramekins to ensure the cakes don’t stick by coating well with oil and dusting with cocoa powder.
Ramekin Alternative: My recipe works best in ramekins, but if you don’t have them you can use muffin tins.
Make To Your Liking: If you want a more melted chocolate center, after you fill the ramekins with batter, add extra chocolate chips and push those into the center of the batter. Skip this step if you want a little less chocolate.
Measure Precisely: For the best texture you need accuracy with the dry ingredients. Which is why I include precise weights. If you prefer to measure, then measure the cocoa by scooping your measuring cup into the flour versus spooning it into it. This is how I measured when getting my weights.

📖 Variations

Caramel Chocolate Lava Cake: Add a drizzle of caramel sauce over top of this gluten free vegan lava cake, or use some caramel for the inside in place of the chocolate chips! I really love this variation!

Chocolate Orange Lava Cake: Whenever I want a citrus kick, I swap out the chocolate chips that I would use for the gooey center and use some chocolate orange frosting instead. You can also just add a dollop of the frosting after the cake bakes!

🍽 Serving Suggestions

I love to dress up my vegan gluten free chocolate lava cake with toppings, and serve it alongside my favorite drink!

Toppings: For a refreshing addition to my vegan molten lava cake I top with ingredients like sliced strawberries, raspberries, mint leaves, coconut flakes, and cool whip. For a more decadent treat, I love to add a scoop of ice cream (try my caramel nice cream), a drizzle of chocolate syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar, or a spread of vegan nutella.

Cozy Beverages: While my vegan gf chocolate cake is amazing on its own, I really love sipping on something creamy and comforting in between bites. My favorite is protein hot chocolate but sometimes I switch things up with a golden turmeric milk latte.

🧊 Storing And ♨️ Reheating

Make Ahead: To prep these vegan gluten free lava cakes ahead of time, I mix the batter and fill the ramekins, cover, and store in the refrigerator until I am ready to bake. When it is time to bake I let them start to come to room temperature, add the chocolate chips to the center, and bake.

Refrigeration: I rarely end up with leftovers, but when I do I simply wrap them well in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. After that it will dry out and the quality won’t be as good.

Reheating: I reheat my dairy free chocolate lava cake before serving by placing it in the oven or microwave for about 30 seconds. This may result in losing the molten lava center but it will still taste fabulous!

❓Recipe FAQs

HOW MUCH BATTER SHOULD I ADD TO MY RAMEKINS?

I usually fill each ramekin about ¾ full! Since this is vegan and flourless it doesn’t rise as much, so you don’t have to worry about them overflowing. As an extra precaution, I sometimes place a baking tray on the rack below, but as long as you do not fill these to the brim, it should be fine!

WHEN SHOULD I SERVE MY VEGAN LAVA CAKE?

I suggest serving these cakes pretty soon after they come out of the oven. If you wait for them to cool completely the center won’t be as gooey. I always let them cool for a few minutes so they aren’t burning hot, but still seem fresh out of the oven!

HOW DO I REMOVE THE LAVA CAKE FROM THE RAMEKIN?

The key to this is your preparation. I always make sure the ramekins are coated well in oil covering the entire inside. I then add a dusting of cocoa powder as an extra step to avoid sticking. If they don’t slide out easily, I gently run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the cake from the sides of the ramekin.

Top view of a chocolate lava cake with a bite out of it on a black plate.

🍫 More Chocolate Dessert Recipes!

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