Craving something deeply chocolatey but don’t want to heat up your big oven? These air fryer keto chocolate cupcakes are your secret dessert hero. Ultra-moist and tender, these small-batch cupcakes will delight your tastebuds!
Baking in an air fryer does take some experimentation and adjustment to get things right. I’ve tried multiple times to make a keto chocolate cake in this countertop appliance, but it’s a work in progress. These keto cupcakes, however, turned out perfectly!
They’re made with simple low carb ingredients like almond flour, cocoa powder, and keto-friendly sweetener. I also used a trick from my keto devil’s food cake, and used sour cream for that rich, moist texture. No one would guess they were air-fried, let alone keto, if you didn’t tell them!
My large oven is simply too big for making smaller desserts – it takes a long time (and wasted energy) to heat up when I just want a few servings. So I am experimenting more and more with my air fryer. And loving the results!
Why you will love these air fryer cupcakes
- Simple to make: The batter takes moments to prepare, and the cupcakes are ready in 35 minutes.
- Small batch recipe: Makes just 6 cupcakes, ideal for satisfying a chocolate craving without loads of leftovers.
- No oven required: No need to heat up a big oven to enjoy delicious low carb cake!
- Super moist: Sour cream and avocado oil keep the crumb tender and soft.
- Deep chocolate flavor: Cocoa powder, espresso powder, and chocolate protein powder work together for an intense chocolate taste.
- Keto-friendly: With only 3.6 grams net carbs, you can afford to indulge!
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: Choose a finely ground almond flour for the best consistency. You can also use sunflower seed flour, if you want a nut-free option.
- Sweetener: I used my brown sugar substitute for a deeper flavor. Erythritol-based sweeteners will work best for this recipe.
- Cocoa powder: For a rich chocolate flavor, use Dutch process cocoa.
- Protein powder: A little chocolate protein powder adds flavor and also provides structure.
- Espresso powder: This is optional but it deepens the chocolate flavor.
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream in baked goods like keto muffins and cakes. It makes them extra tender. You can also use Greek yogurt, but I recommend full fat for fewer carbs.
- Avocado oil: I like to use avocado oil for a neutral flavor, but you can use any vegetable oil or even melted butter.
- Kitchen staples: Egg, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
How To Make Keto Air Fryer Cupcakes
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the sour cream, egg, oil, and vanilla extract until well combined. Then add just enough liquid to a thick but scoopable consistency.
- Fill the muffin cups: Divide the batter into silicone muffin cups and place into an 8-inch round cake pan. Cover with foil, shiny side up.
- Air fry: bake in the air fryer for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until cupcake tops are just firm to the touch.
- Cool: Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan
- Frost: Top with your favorite keto frosting!
Tips for Success
Cover with foil: Because of their small size and the forced heat, air fryers cook and bake more intensely. This can cause the top of cakes to cook too quickly while the inside remains uncooked. It can also cause them to rise too quickly and crack. Covering the cupcakes with foil for the first half of the bake time helps a lot. I set mine into a round cake pan to cover them more easily.
Low bake temperature: If your air fryer has a Bake setting, be sure to use that. The fan speed is not as intense as on the regular Air Fry setting. But you still need to keep the temperature quite low to prevent over-baking.
Protein powder options: I used chocolate whey protein powder from Perfect Keto. You can use egg white or plant-based protein powders as well, but I do not recommend collagen or beef protein. They will make the cakes gummy and hard to cook through.
Sweetener Options: You can use your favorite granular sweetener for this recipe. Do note that allulose based sweeteners may brown more quickly and may also make the cupcakes softer and more fragile.
Frosting Options
I listed my favorite keto chocolate frosting in the recipe itself, but the sky is the limit here. Why not shake things up a bit with these delicious toppings? Make a half-batch of any one of these…
Keto Air Fryer Chocolate Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar replacement
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp chocolate whey protein powder, (see notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder, (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp water, more as needed
Frosting
- 1/2 recipe keto chocolate frosting
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt.
- Stir in the sour cream, egg, oil, and vanilla extract until well combined. Then add just enough liquid to thin the batter to a thick but scoopable consistency.
- Set 6 silicone muffin cups into an 8-inch round cake pan. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and cover the whole pan with foil, shiny side up.
- Place the crisper basket in the air fryer and preheat to 300ºF. Once heated, set the cake pan on the crisper basket and choose the bake function at 300ºF.
- Set the timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the foil from the top of the pan and return to the air fryer. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and the tops are just firm to the touch.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
You certainly can! An air fryer is really just a small convection ovens, so it works well for making small batch desserts. You do need to make some adjustments so that the cupcakes cooke through properly without the top getting overdone. Low temperatures and covering with foil help.
The protein powder helps give structure and improves the texture. Without it, the cupcakes may be softer and more delicate, and may not rise as well, but you can replace it with additional almond flour if needed.
This recipe is specifically designed for an air fryer. However, I do have some wonderful keto chocolate cupcakes that you can bake in an oven.
This keto air fryer cupcake recipe has 6.4g of carbs and 2.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.6g net carbs per cupcake.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I’m getting a new air fryer so I am anxious to try your recipes in fryer.
Question: I don’t have a separate air fryer appliance. I have a small countertop oven with an air fryer setting. (No large oven at all, the countertop is my only oven) Will it work for these?
Thank you, these look really good, as usual!!
I think these should work. I used to have a similar thing from Cuisinart. You may have to bake longer, depending on how intense the heat is.
Great! Thank you. I made the Keto Taco bites for lunch/dinner. Made them regular muffin size for a meal with green beans and Mexican cauliflower rice and needed something sweet after. These will be perfect!
I am loving your air fryer recipes. I live alone and these are perfect for me. I look forward to more AF goodies!