Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
For a quick and comforting treat, try this gluten free chocolate peanut butter mug cake – that’s also eggless & vegan! Rich, fluffy, and chocolaty, it’s almost like a warm brownie in a mug. Learn how to make a vegan chocolate mug cake with oat flour, no egg, and without oil. Cooked in the microwave in under 3 minutes!
Hungry for more vegan & gluten free mug cake recipes? Check out my vegan banana mug cake or vegan pumpkin mug cake recipe!

Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake – with or without Peanut Butter
When you’re craving a freshly baked treat but you don’t want to fuss with the oven, a microwave chocolate mug cake is the way to go. All you need is a mug, a microwave, and a handful of ingredients (that are probably already stocked in your pantry)! Not only is this a great healthy vegan mug cake recipe, but it’s also just plain easier than most recipes since you can make it without an egg.
With such a moist-yet-cakey bite, it’s hard to believe this chocolate peanut butter mug cake is egg free, vegan and gluten free. And, if you don’t like peanut butter or you’re allergic, you can make a classic chocolate mug cake by using almond butter or another nut butter instead. Get ready—you never knew a microwave vegan mug cake could be this satisfying!
What is a vegan mug cake made of?
Typically, a mug cake is made of flour, sugar, leavening, milk, and a fat source like eggs, oil, or butter. This gluten free & vegan mug cake uses the same basic ingredients, with a few adjustments. You just need a gluten free flour, nondairy milk, applesauce, and nut butter as a plant-based fat source. And for chocolaty flavor, don’t forget the cocoa powder!
Do you need to put egg in a chocolate mug cake?
Most mug cakes use eggs as a binder, but you can make a vegan chocolate mug cake with no egg—and no oil or butter! This eggless mug cake recipe uses nut butter + non-dairy milk instead of an egg. But the texture turns out so fluffy and cakey, you’d honestly never guess it’s eggless! (Check out my eggless brownies or eggless cookies for more egg free treats!)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake Ingredients
- Oat Flour. I made my gluten free chocolate mug cake with oat flour, but you can also use a gluten free all-purpose flour. If you don’t need it to be GF, regular all-purpose flour or wheat flour can also work.
- Cocoa Powder. A little cocoa goes a long way! I found 2 tsp was just enough for me, but you can go up to 1 Tbsp if you like a richer, more intense chocolaty flavor.
- Baking Powder. A must-have ingredient to get this vegan mug cake to rise, particularly since it’s made without egg.
- Salt. Just a pinch brings out all the satisfying sweetness in this mug dessert!
- Applesauce. In addition to nut butter, applesauce acts like a fat source in this recipe, helping to substitute for the egg. You can also use mashed banana instead, pumpkin puree, or even a mild flavor of baby food.
- Maple Syrup. You can use maple syrup or granulated sugar for a vegan chocolate mug cake, or honey if you don’t need it to be vegan. Although I’m not a huge fan of how granulated low carb sweeteners taste (like stevia or erythritol), they should also work just fine in this recipe.
- Peanut Butter. I love the salty-sweet goodness of a chocolate peanut butter mug cake—it’s like a Reese’s brownie in a mug! If you don’t like PB or you’re allergic, use any neutral-tasting nut butter you prefer.
- Nondairy Milk. Almond, oat, soy, coconut milk—pretty much any dairy free milk can work in this recipe. (And dairy milks will work as well!)
- Vanilla Extract. Even a microwave chocolate mug cake needs a dash of vanilla for flavor!
- Chocolate Chips. Add some mini vegan chocolate chips to make this convenient sweet treat even more satisfying!
How to Make a Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake (No PB)
If chocolate peanut butter isn’t your style, whip up a classic vegan chocolate mug cake instead! Simply replace the PB in this recipe with a more neutral-tasting nut butter, like almond butter or cashew butter. (Other options like walnut, pistachio, macadamia nut butter, etc. can also work, but their flavor is more likely to come through in your cake.)
Substitution Note: To make mug cake with an egg
You can also make this chocolate mug cake with an egg if you’d like: just substitute 1 egg for the nut butter + milk, and microwave for at least 15-20 seconds less. Using an egg makes the cake rise more so it’s a bit fluffier and less crumbly. But personally, I prefer the moist texture and richer flavor of the vegan version!
How to Make a Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake
- First, whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: applesauce, maple syrup, nut butter, non-dairy milk, and vanilla.
- Add the dry into the wet mixture, folding to integrate. If desired, stir in mini chocolate chips.
- Spray the inside of a large mug (14-16oz) with cooking spray, then add the vegan mug cake batter.
- Microwave 2 minutes and 45 seconds (or more/less, depending on the wattage of your microwave). Test to see if a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow chocolate mug cake to cool in the mug for 1 minute, then flip the mug over a plate and tap with a spoon to help remove the cake.
Watch how to make this chocolate peanut butter mug cake in my Vegan Mug Cakes video!
How do you make the best chocolate mug cake?
- Mix the batter separately, then transfer to a mug greased with cooking spray. This may seem like an extra step, but it will make your vegan mug cake much easier to remove once it’s cooked! I recommend using a 14-16oz mug to avoid overflowing in the microwave.
- Check your microwave wattage & experiment. Different microwaves will cook mug cakes differently—even microwaves with the same wattage. Use the wattage & cook time guidance below as a starting point, but you’ll need to do some guessing & checking initially. Be patient as you figure out the best mug cake cook time in your microwave!
- Start with less cooking time at first. To prevent overcooking, microwave your vegan chocolate mug cake for at least 30 seconds less than the suggested cook time. Then, continue cooking in intervals and test as you go, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Is my chocolate mug cake supposed to be gooey?
The ideal texture for this vegan chocolate mug cake is fluffy, moist, and soft—perhaps slightly gooey in the middle. This isn’t meant to be a molten lava cake though, and it should be cooked through! If your mug cake tastes chewy or rubbery, it’s likely overcooked. Note the cook time and try it again, cooking for 30-60 seconds less than before, testing until you get it right.
Microwave Wattage & Mug Cake Cook Time
Check your microwave’s wattage, then reference the guidance below. Mug cakes are finicky though, so these times are NOT exact! In my 900-watt microwave, I cooked this chocolate peanut butter mug cake for 2 minutes 45 seconds. Start with ~30 seconds less than the time listed and use a toothpick to check doneness as you go. (Even if your microwave is 900-watts, too!)
- 700-watts: 3 minutes 30 seconds
- 800-watts: 3 minutes 5 seconds
- 900-watts: 2 minutes 45 seconds
- 1000-watts: 2 minutes 30 seconds
- 1100-watts: 2 minutes 15 seconds
- 1200-watts: 2 minutes 5 seconds
- 1300-watts: 1 minute 55 seconds
More mug desserts & microwave recipes:
- Gluten Free Funfetti Mug Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Mug Cake
- Keto Microwave Biscuit + Breakfast Sandwich
- Microwave Breakfast Apple Crisp
- Microwave Mug Brownie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oat flour, (or gluten free/regular all-purpose flour)
- 2 tsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- ½ tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp applesauce
- 1½ Tbsp maple syrup, (or honey, or granulated sugar)
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter, (or neutral nut butter)
- 1 Tbsp nondairy milk
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp mini vegan chocolate chips, (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Separately, combine applesauce, sweetener, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, until integrated. Fold in mini chocolate chips if desired.
- Spray inside of mug (14-16oz) with cooking spray. Add batter.
- Microwave 2 minutes 45 seconds, or more/less depending on your microwave wattage. (I tested this recipe in my 900-watt microwave—see cook time guidance below and adjust for your microwave.) Test to see if a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool 1 minute in mug. Place a plate on top of mug, then flip and tap mug with a spoon to remove mug cake. Rest 3-5 minutes before cutting and eating.
- Best enjoyed immediately!
To make mug cake with an egg:
- Replace 1 Tbsp nut butter + 1 Tbsp nondairy milk with 1 whisked egg.
- When cooking, microwave for at least 15-20 seconds less as you test to find the right time in your machine.
Notes
Mug Cake Cook Time & Microwave Wattage
Check your microwave wattage and reference the times listed below—but these times are NOT exact! Start with at least 30 seconds less than the time listed, then continue to cook in short intervals, testing with a toothpick as you go. You will need to experiment to find the right cook time in your microwave.- 700-watts: 3 minutes 30 seconds
- 800-watts: 3 minutes 5 seconds
- 900-watts: 2 minutes 45 seconds
- 1000-watts: 2 minutes 30 seconds
- 1100-watts: 2 minutes 15 seconds
- 1200-watts: 2 minutes 5 seconds
- 1300-watts: 1 minute 55 seconds
3 Comments on “Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake”
Loved it! I had to improvise a little as I didn’t have applesauce, (I used a tablespoon of coconut oil) but the end result was delicious and decadent. Thank you for a great recipe.
This looks for delicious and fun. Can you make this in a Toaster oven or Regular Oven. If you can what would be the temperature and for how long?
Thanks
Hi Estelle, great question! We only tested this vegan mug cake in a microwave, but it’s totaly possible to cook a mug cake in the regular oven (or toaster oven). It will just take longer to cook, and you’ll still have to do some testing to get the cook time right.
Looking at other oven-baked mug cake recipes and mason jar cakes, here’s what I’d recommend for baking this vegan chocolate mug cake in an oven:
We hope you enjoy this chocolate peanut butter mug cake and we’d love to hear how it turns out if you do try baking it in an oven 🙂