I don’t know what’s better: a wholesome breakfast that tastes like dessert, or a microwaveable breakfast-in-a-mug?! With this easy pineapple upside down mug cake recipe, you get the best of both worlds.

Satisfy your sweet tooth first thing in the morning with a deliciously nutritious breakfast that only takes five minutes to make! A fluffy, tropical, gorgeous gluten free mug cake that’s a true treat to eat.

A Gluten Free Breakfast Mug Cake!?

Seriously, you just can’t beat breakfast mug cake recipes. Because let’s be real: mornings are BUSY. Whether you’re rushing to work, headed to school, or just have things to do and places to be, there’s not always time to get in the kitchen and cook breakfast.

But, sometimes skipping breakfast comes back to bite us! We might get hungry and cranky halfway through the morning (a.k.a ‘hangry’), and it’s tough to get through the day when the belly is rumbling. Or, we end up over-snacking and overdoing it later in the day! That’s where mug cake recipes come to the rescue.

Pineapple Upside Down Mug Cake Ingredients

  • Egg. Eggs are a binder
  • Coconut oil.
  • Vanilla extract.
  • Almond milk. I used almond milk in this recipe, but you can use any milk you prefer!
  • Pineapple juice. Yes, you cannot have pineapple upside down without pineapple juice in my opinion! It not only adds a more complex sweetness than regular sugar, it also amps up that fresh pineapple flavor!
  • Oat flour. Oat flour is much lighter and fluffier than traditional flour, and it’s naturally gluten free! For anyone with Celiac or a gluten sensitivity, be sure to choose certified gluten-free oats or oat flour. Plus, you can save a few bucks by tossing oats into a blender and making your own oat flour at home.
  • Baking powder.
  • Salt.
  • Pineapple. Diced pineapple along with a pineapple ring on the bottom make this mug cake feel so much like a classic pineapple upside down cake.

How to Make a Pineapple Upside Down Mug Cake

1 Prepare your mug

Spray a mug (12-16oz) with cooking spray, then sprinkle inside of mug with coconut sugar. Add pineapple ring to bottom of mug.

2 Add your wet ingredients

In a mixing bowl, combine egg, oil, vanilla, almond milk, and pineapple juice and stir to integrate.

3 Add your dry ingredients and pineapple

Add sweetener, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well to combine. Fold in fresh, chopped pineapple.

4 Pour your batter and microwave!

Pour batter into mug. Microwave 2½ -3 minutes. (150-180 seconds in my 1000-watt microwave. Adjust according to your machine’s wattage.)

Your mug cake should be soft and springy to the touch!

5 Flip and enjoy!

Flip mug over a plate, remove cake from mug, and enjoy topped with a cherry!

For all of the pineapple fans out there, this is totally the healthy mug cake for you. It’s made with pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, AND a pineapple ring on top, so you get that yummy tropical flavor in every bite. Plus, pineapple upside down cake is truly the PERFECT mug cake recipe. The final result is so elegant and impressive!

First, spray the inside of your mug with cooking spray. Then, trim a pineapple ring to fit the bottom of your mug before pouring in your batter. Once the mug is prepared, just mix your pineapple cake batter together, pour it into the mug, and pop it in the microwave! Once it’s cooked, flip your mug over onto a plate to reveal a steaming, gorgeous, microwave pineapple upside down cake.

What flour to use in a gluten free mug cake?

Some mug cake recipes turn out dry and gummy, especially if they’re gluten free. But this pineapple upside down mug cake has an unbelievably soft and springy texture—just like a freshly baked cake. You’d never guess it was cooked in a microwave!

That’s because of the oat flour, which is much lighter and fluffier than traditional flour. And it’s naturally gluten free! For anyone with Celiac or a gluten sensitivity, be sure to choose certified gluten-free oats or oat flour. Plus, you can save a few bucks by tossing oats into a blender and making your own oat flour at home.

If desired, you could also make this breakfast mug cake with coconut flour instead. Just keep in mind that coconut flour is denser than oat flour, so you’ll need to use less coconut flour than you would oat flour (1/4 cup vs. 1/3 cup).

Want more mug cakes?
If you’re craving more easy gluten free mug cake recipes, you’ll definitely want to try my festive funfetti mug cake, a comforting banana mug cake, or my vegan chocolate mug cake!

Watch how to make this pineapple upside down mug cake in my 5 Minute Summer Breakfasts video!

Healthy Pineapple Upside Down Mug Cake

How to make a pineapple upside down mug cake with oat flour (or coconut flour)! A light, fluffy, gluten free mug cake topped with a caramelized pineapple ring, nourishing enough to eat for breakfast.
5 stars (3 ratings)

Ingredients

Mug Preparation:

  • 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 pineapple ring, fresh or from a can, that will fit in a mug

Mug Cake Batter:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp almond milk, or milk of choice
  • 1 Tbsp pineapple juice
  • cup oat flour, (or 4 Tbsp coconut flour)
  • 1-2 Tbsp sweetener of choice
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp chopped pineapple

Optional Topping:

  • 1 maraschino cherry, for topping

Instructions 

  • Spray a mug (12-16oz) with cooking spray, then sprinkle inside of mug with coconut sugar. Add pineapple ring to bottom of mug.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine egg, oil, vanilla, almond milk, and pineapple juice and stir to integrate.
  • Add sweetener, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well to combine. Fold in fresh, chopped pineapple.
  • Pour batter into mug. Microwave 2½ -3 minutes. (150-180 seconds in my 1000-watt microwave. Adjust according to your machine's wattage.) It should be soft and springy to the touch.
  • Flip mug over a plate, remove cake from mug, and enjoy topped with a cherry!
  • Yields 1 pineapple upside down mug cake.

Notes

Microwave Wattage Conversions

Check the wattage on your microwave and use the cook times below as a starting point. At first, microwave for less time than what’s listed, then continue cooking in short intervals until the cake is light, springy, and cooked through. Microwave mug cakes can be tricky, so you’ll need to do some experimenting to figure out the right time in your machine!
  • 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

Nutrition Note

*Nutrition calculated for pineapple upside down mug cake recipe using oat flour.
Serving: 1breakfast mug cake, Calories: 446kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 22g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 23g
Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag us @mindovermunch — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!