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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Vegan Mug Cake Recipe (2 Ways!)

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This vegan mug cake recipe is incredible! With two different versions, you will surely find your favorite flavor of mug cake with either chocolate or vanilla + peanut butter. Rich, indulgent, and moist, these vegan mug cakes are so easy to make and ready in minutes!

chocolate vegan mug cake served in a white mug with chocolate chips on top

This is the ultimate mug cake recipe to satisfy all of your sweet cravings! When you’re looking for a fluffy, flavorful, moist cake, you can make this vegan microwave cake and have dessert on the table in under 5 minutes!

Made with simple ingredients, this vegan mug cake recipe comes in two variations, and always turns out perfectly because it is just baked in a mug!

One version is made with vegan chocolate chips if you happen to have a chocolate craving. The peanut butter mug cake is made with vanilla and almond milk, and honestly, it creates the best results. What’s better than vanilla and peanut butter? Just put a scoop of chocolate chips or peanut butter in the center to bring this cake to the next level.

This perfect dessert is such a decadent microwave cake — all you have to do is dump all the ingredients into a mug, stir, and put it in the microwave! With the right ratio of wet to dry ingredients, you’ll have a vegan chocolate cake or vanilla cake ready in no time.

If you happen to have a birthday coming up, then you can make these cakes for all of your guests — they’re great for providing a single serving cake to each guest, and makes a fun birthday cake for you! Just stick some candles in this super easy mug cake and commence the celebrations!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

  • Vegan: This recipe is totally plant-based and is a great way to indulge if you have a big sweet tooth!
  • Simple to Make: With just a few steps, you will have these delicious dessert recipes ready in no time! There is also basically no clean up once you’re done. If you want your dessert ready within six minutes, then you’ll definitely want to keep this cake recipe!
  • Lots of variations: Want to turn this into a banana bread cake? Or a funfetti cake? With just a few simple swaps, you can customize this vegan cake in a mug to your preferences!
  • Portion controlled: This is one time you can really just eat the entire cake without having to worry about portions!

🥘 Ingredients

This ingredient list is just a general idea of what you will need. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card!

ingredients for vegan mug cake recipe

Dry Ingredients

  • Flour: All purpose regular flour is what we used for these vegan mug cakes. You can also use whole wheat flour for more whole grains. For a gluten free version, use oat flour or almond flour.
  • Sugar: White granulated regular sugar creates a bit of sweetness and moisture within these mug cakes. Feel free to substitute the sugar with brown sugar, coconut sugar, or your choice of liquid sweetener such as monk fruit or maple syrup.
  • Cocoa powder: For the chocolate mug cake recipe, you will need cocoa or cacao powder. Omit for the vanilla + peanut butter version.
  • Baking Powder: A leavening agent for the cakes, you will need some baking powder for this recipe.
  • Chocolate chips: Dairy-free chocolate chips are used in the vegan chocolate mug cake and can be used as a filling for the vanilla mug cake. You can use mini chocolate chips in place of typical chocolate chips. Make sure to use dark chocolate chips.

Wet Ingredients

  • Peanut butter: The vanilla peanut butter mug cake uses just a tiny amount of peanut butter. You can use either crunchy or creamy. You can also substitute with cashew or almond butter.
  • Pure vanilla extract: This key ingredient is used in both mug cake recipes, as it brings out the sweetness in the chocolate mug cake and adds vanilla flavor to the vanilla vegan mug cake. You can also use almond extract for a different flavor.
  • Olive oil: Used for moisture. You can also use any type of vegetable oil or coconut oil.
  • Almond milk: This ingredient is the key to making a dairy free mug cake! Homemade or store bought almond milk is fine. In place of almond milk, you can use soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or any type of non-dairy milk.

🍽 Equipment

📖 Variations

  • Banana Bread Mug Cake: In the vanilla version, use 1/2 a mashed banana instead of the peanut butter. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts in the batter and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter before stirring and baking!
  • Funfetti Mug Cake: Instead of the peanut butter in the vanilla cake recipe, use 1 tablespoon of rainbow sprinkles!
  • Sugar Free Mug Cake: You can either just use less sugar to make these mug cakes healthier, or omit the sugar and replace it with stevia or monk fruit to make this sugar free!
  • Snickerdoodle Mug Cake: From the vanilla version – omit the peanut butter and add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Create that snickerdoodle topping by combining sugar & cinnamon in equal parts and sprinkling it over your mug cake before microwaving it.
  • Gluten Free Mug Cake: Use a GF (gluten-free) flour, I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Flour. You can also make this vegan mug cake with almond flour or oat flour.
forkful of vanilla vegan mug cake with peanut butter in a white mug

🔪 Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients: Add the all purpose flour and other dry ingredients to your greased mug. Mix to combine.

dry ingredients combined in a bowl

Add Wet Ingredients: Next, add the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

wet ingredients added to mug with dry ingredients

Add a Filling: For the chocolatey vegan mug cake, add chocolate chips into the batter. For the vanilla mug cake, add peanut butter into the center of the batter.

chocolate chips added to batter

Cook the Cake: Cook the cake in the microwave for 60 seconds.

chocolate vegan mug cake served in a white mug with chocolate chips on top

Serve: The best part about this recipe is eating this single serving cake warm!

spoonful of chocolate vegan mug cake served in a white mug with chocolate chips on top

❓Recipe FAQs

What is vegan mug cake?

Vegan mug cake is seriously cake just cooked in a coffee mug in the microwave! It’s the perfect option for a single-serving or a quick dessert.

Are mug cakes safe to eat?

Yes! The mug cakes are definitely safe to eat. Just make sure to test the inside with your tongue so it’s not too hot when you eat it! You will love the delicious flavors these cakes have to offer!

Is mug cake eaten hot or cold?

While technically, you can eat them hot or cold, the cakes don’t really taste good cold. I recommend eating them warm, fresh out of the microwave.

How can I make the best vegan mug cake in the microwave?

There are three tips I recommend for getting a perfect cake every time in the microwave:
1) Make sure your microwave is on high power. It should be at 800W.
2) You need at least an 10oz coffee mug. If it’s smaller than that, your mug cake will overflow, larger than that, and your mug cake may be dry if you don’t decrease the cooking time.
3) Depending on how powerful your microwave is, you may need to cook your mug cake longer (if it’s lower power, you’ll need a longer cook time). Cook your mug cake in 10 second increments after the 60 second mark until it’s moist, fluffy and not runny anymore.

👪 How to Serve

  • Fruit: I like using any fresh fruits, diced as a garnish on top. Strawberries and raspberries are especially delicious! A dusting of powdered sugar over the fresh fruit makes this mug cake recipe a little fancier too!
  • Ice Cream: Choose your favorite ice cream! Mine is vegan vanilla ice cream for the chocolate cake, and toffee ice cream for the vanilla cake. Add a drizzle of caramel and some whipped coconut cream for even more decadence!
  • Nut Butters: Peanut butter, almond butter or even sunflower butter would all taste great drizzled on top.
  • Frosting: Use some vegan frosting or make your own at home! That turns these into little cupcakes!
  • Yogurt: I love coconut yogurt, but any dairy free yogurt will work drizzled over top, with a sprinkle of granola.
  • Other Toppings: A handful of vegan sprinkles, extra chocolate chips, a little bit of chopped nuts, or chocolate syrup all taste great on top!

💭 Expert Tips

  • We do not recommend storing this mug cake recipe for later. After a few hours, the cake becomes stale. Make sure you enjoy this mug cake when it is fresh!
  • If you don’t have access to a microwave, you can also bake this mug cake in the oven. Use an oven proof ramekin, and follow the same instructions as if you were using a mug. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
  • For best results, enjoy warm.
spoonful of chocolate vegan mug cake served in a white mug with chocolate chips on top

🧁 More Sweet Treats and Healthy Desserts!

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chocolate vegan mug cake served in a white mug with chocolate chips on top
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Vegan Mug Cake Recipe

This vegan mug cake recipe is incredible! With two different versions, you will surely find your favorite flavor of mug cake with either chocolate or vanilla and peanut butter. Rich, indulgent, and moist, these vegan mug cakes are so easy to make and made within minutes!
Prep Time3 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Total Time4 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 cake
Calories: 231kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

Chocolate Mug Cake

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour oat flour or almond flour for a gluten free version
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon dairy free chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or other vegetable oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • olive oil cooking spray

Vanilla and Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Instructions

  • Spray your mug with cooking spray. Add the dry ingredients to the mug, mix until combined.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the mug and stir to combine. Make sure to break up any lumps.
  • Once the batter is smooth in the mug, add a tablespoon of chocolate chips or peanut butter to the center of the batter (the cake will rise around some of the peanut butter and chocolate chips leaving some in the middle and some on top!)
  • Cook in the microwave for 60 seconds. Be careful not to overcook it or it will end up dry.
  • Enjoy warm!

Notes

  • We do not recommend storing this mug cake recipe for later. After a few hours, the cake becomes stale. Make sure you enjoy this mug cake when it is fresh!
  • If you don’t have access to a microwave, you can also bake this mug cake in the oven. Use an oven proof ramekin, and follow the same instructions as if you were using a mug. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
  • For best results, enjoy warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1mug cake | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g

Posted In…

Plant Based Desserts ·

Indulge your sweet tooth with some of my delicious, lightened-up treats! From vegan vanilla pudding to gluten-free brownies to microwave peanut butter fudge, there’s something for everyone!

All of these desserts are healthier than their traditional counterparts, and many have gluten free and/or vegan alternatives. But the most important part is that they are all so tasty, so satisfying, and are total crowd pleasers!

Be sure to try other reader favorites like this healthy hot chocolate, our healthy edible vegan cookie dough, and these peanut butter bliss balls!

12 responses to “Vegan Mug Cake Recipe (2 Ways!)”

  1. What a tasty recipe this mug cake is! I made both: both are amazingly delicious. It is hard to choose which one is tastier. 🙂5 stars

  2. This looks divine and is incredibly simple. I have all the ingredients at home, I’m definitively trying my first cake in the microwave dessert. Thanks for this recipe.

  3. Gosh this chocolate mug cake looks amazing! Going to try this for the kids supper later this evening. They will be so surprised 🙂5 stars

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