Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake
How to make a healthy pumpkin mug cake that’s vegan & gluten free using oat flour, real pumpkin puree, and no egg needed! Fluffy, comforting, and perfectly pumpkin-spiced. It’s like a microwave pumpkin bread in a mug that cooks in just minutes! Undeniably tasty, conveniently eggless, and made with only 8 ingredients.
For more easy gluten free mug cakes, try my chocolate peanut butter mug cake or healthy banana mug cake!
Microwave Pumpkin Bread in a Mug?!
Instead of investing the time to bake an entire loaf of gluten free pumpkin bread, you can pop this pumpkin spice mug cake in the microwave! Simply prep the batter, transfer to a mug, and microwave for 2-3 minutes. So flavorful, moist, and indulgent, it’s hard to believe this is a vegan mug cake – made without any eggs or butter.
My favorite thing about this recipe is how simple it is to prepare. If you have canned pumpkin on hand, you likely have everything else you’ll need already stored in your pantry. Make a gluten free pumpkin mug cake using oat flour, or you can use all-purpose flour if preferred. When a sweet craving strikes, this single-serving pumpkin bread in a mug is a must-try!
Can I make a pumpkin mug cake with no egg?
Yes, you can easily make a vegan pumpkin mug cake using nut butter as a fat source! In this recipe, I used nut butter + nondairy milk as a substitute for 1 egg. The result is an irresistibly moist, fluffy, flavorful cake that you’d never guess is eggless. It honestly tastes like pumpkin bread in a mug!
How do you make a microwave mug cake moist?
Pumpkin puree makes this vegan mug cake deliciously moist—even with no egg! Mug cakes are popular because they’re convenient, microwaveable, single-serving desserts. They cook fast in the microwave, so they don’t taste exactly the same as oven-baked cakes. To prevent drying out, ingredients like nut butter and pumpkin can keep an eggless mug cake lusciously moist.
Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake Ingredients
- Oat Flour. To make a gluten free pumpkin mug cake, use oat flour or a gluten free all-purpose flour. If you don’t need it to be GF, regular all-purpose flour or wheat flour will work, too.
- Baking Powder. This is key to get this vegan mug cake to rise and fluff up!
- Cinnamon & Salt. Just a dash of these seasonings brings out all the sweet, comforting flavors in this pumpkin spice mug cake. Feel free to add some pumpkin pie spice as well!
- Pumpkin Puree. Of course, real pumpkin is a must-have ingredient here. I prefer to use canned pumpkin for convenience, but you can use homemade pumpkin puree if you’d like.
- Maple Syrup. Use maple syrup or granulated sugar to keep this recipe vegan, or honey for a non-vegan sweetener. Granulated low carb sweeteners like stevia or erythritol should also work here—I’m just not a huge fan of how they taste.
- Almond Butter. Whether you use almond butter, cashew butter, or even peanut butter, you just need some kind of nut butter to make this pumpkin mug cake with no egg. I recommend using a smooth salted nut butter that’s more neutral in flavor.
- Nondairy Milk. A splash of nondairy milk also helps to substitute for the liquid that an egg typically provides. Use whichever milk you prefer in this recipe—almond milk, oat, soy, coconut—including dairy milks if you don’t need it to be dairy free.
- Vanilla Extract. I add a bit of vanilla to complete the cakey, comforting flavor profile of this mug dessert! But if you need to omit it, you can, and it will still taste great.
Substitution Note: For a mug cake with egg
To make this healthy pumpkin mug cake with egg, substitute 1 egg for the nut butter + milk, and microwave for ~15-20 seconds less. When I tested the recipe with an egg, the cake rose a bit more and the texture was fluffier and less crumbly. Interestingly though, I liked the vegan version better—it had more moisture, richness, and pumpkin-y flavor!
How to Make a Pumpkin Mug Cake with No Egg
- First, whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Then, in a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, maple syrup, nut butter, milk, and vanilla.
- Add the dry into the wet mixture, folding until integrated. (Then, add any desired mix-ins.)
- Coat the inside of a large mug (14-16oz) with cooking spray, then add pumpkin mug cake batter.
- Microwave for 2 minutes and 45 seconds (or more/less, depending on the wattage of your microwave). Test to see if a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cook for 1 minute in the mug. Then, flip the mug over a plate to remove the pumpkin spice mug cake and allow to rest 3-5 minutes before eating.
Watch how to make this pumpkin spice mug cake in my Vegan Mug Cakes video!
Tips for the best pumpkin mug cake
- Find out the wattage of your microwave. This healthy pumpkin mug cake will need to cook longer in a lower-wattage microwave, and it will need less time to cook in a higher-wattage microwave.
- Use the cook times below as a guideline. I’ve offered suggested cook times for different microwave wattages below, but these are not exact! All mug cake recipes will require some testing & checking to get the right cook time for your specific microwave.
- Start with less time and work your way up. Initially, cook your mug cake for at least 30 seconds less than the suggested cook time. Then, continue microwaving in short intervals until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Be patient as you figure out your microwave! Mug cake cook times can vary greatly in different microwaves—even when they’re the same wattage. Take time to experiment until you find the best cook time for your specific machine. When properly cooked, this pumpkin mug cake will taste fluffy, moist, and indulgent (not chewy or rubbery)!
Microwave Wattage & Cook Time Guide
Keep in mind, these cook times are just a starting point. I tested this pumpkin bread mug cake in a 900-watt microwave, then did a rough conversion for other wattages. Start out cooking your mug cake for less time as you test to find what works in your microwave! (Even if you have a 900-watt microwave, 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:
- Funfetti Mug Cake with Oat Flour
- Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Mug Cake
- Microwave Mug Biscuit + Keto Breakfast Sandwich
- Microwave Apple Crisp
- GF Brownie Mug Cake
Pumpkin Mug Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oat flour, (or gluten free/regular all-purpose flour)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1½ Tbsp maple syrup, (or granulated sugar)
- 1 Tbsp almond butter, (or neutral nut butter)
- 1 Tbsp nondairy milk
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Separately, combine pumpkin, maple syrup, almond butter, milk, and vanilla.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, until integrated. (Then fold in any desired mix-ins, if using.)
- 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 a 900-watt microwave—see cook time guidance below to 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 egg:
- Replace 1 Tbsp nut butter + 1 Tbsp nondairy milk with 1 whisked egg.
- When cooking, microwave at least 15-20 seconds less as you test to find the right cook time.
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
