This keto lava cake will blow your mind. Gooey warm chocolate cake with a center of molten peanut butter. You won’t believe it’s sugar free and only 4g net carbs per serving!
I am having such fun going back and tweaking old recipes like this one. This keto lava cake has always been one of my favorite desserts.
How can you go wrong with a warm peanut butter center oozing out all over you plate? That’s right, friend, you can’t. You simply can’t go wrong with this classic recipe.
Chocolate and peanut butter is ketolicious!
Have I ever mentioned how much I love chocolate and peanut butter together? Um, maybe just a few times.
You may have seen me mention it in my keto peanut butter cups. Or maybe I dropped a hint when I was waxing poetic about keto peanut butter pie.
It’s a little frightening, how much I love peanut butter and chocolate together. It’s a flavor combination that is never far from my mind, even when I am in the midst of creating another recipe altogether.
And I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Whenever I post a peanut butter and chocolate recipe, it gets a great deal of attention. In fact, my keto peanut butter bars went so viral, Facebook slapped a warning label on them. Weird but true!
Ingredients for peanut butter chocolate lava cakes
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these gorgeous keto lava cakes. Get your shopping list ready!
- Unsweetened chocolate: By unsweetened, I mean absolutely no sweetener at all. This should be 100% cacao chocolate and I urge you to purchase a quality brand like Ghirardelli or Guittard. Good quality makes a big difference!
- Butter: Melting butter with the chocolate gives the base for these decadent cakes.
- Sweetener: I prefer Swerve Granular in these cakes but they work with any erythritol based sweetener. I haven’t tried allulose in them but I imagine it too would work.
- Eggs: This keto lava cake recipe uses one whole egg and one egg yolk. The yolk provides extra richness and makes them even gooier.
- Almond flour: Classic lava cakes take only a little flour and in this case, we simply use 3 tablespoons.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor!
- Peanut butter: I recommend a good, creamy peanut butter like Justin’s, as you want it to ooze out when the cakes break open.
How to make keto lava cakes
The process is really quite simple and fun. Let’s review:
- Prep three ramekins. Grease them really well with a solid fat like butter or coconut oil. Then dust them lightly with cocoa powder. This allows the cakes to release more easily after baking.
- Melt the chocolate and the butter. I do this in the microwave but it can also be done on the stove. Whatever method you choose, be sure it’s gentle so you don’t seize the chocolate. I do 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring in between.
- Whisk in the sweetener, then the eggs. As long as you took care not to overheat the chocolate, adding the eggs to the warm mixture should be fine.
- Stir in the almond flour, vanilla, and salt.
- Spoon batter into the ramekins. You need about two thirds of the batter to cover the bottoms of the ramekins.
- Dollop in the peanut butter. Use about 2 to 3 teaspoons for each keto lava cake.
- Top with remaining cake batter. Be sure to cover the peanut butter completely!
- Bake. 10 to 12 minutes at 375F bakes the cake but leave the centers nice and gooey.
- Invert. Run a sharp knife around the outside of the cakes before flipping out onto a plate.
- Dig in! Grab a fork and enjoy these delicious keto lava cakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Almond butter works well, but you could also use the new super creamy sugar free chocolate hazelnut spread from ChocZero. Delicious!
I haven’t tried to make keto lava cakes without butter but I think dairy free substitutes would work just fine.
I recommend using ½ cup capacity ceramic ramekins. Any larger and the cake batter will be spread too thin.
I have only tried these keto lava cakes with Swerve but I think any erythritol based sweetener would work. Allulose may work as well, but I can’t guarantee that.
Keto Lava Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoon almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and grease 3 small ramekins. Dust the ramekins with cocoa powder and shake out the excess.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together, whisking until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt it carefully in a pan over low heat.
- Add the sweetener and whisk until combined. Then add the egg and egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the almond flour, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined.
- Divide about two thirds of the batter between the three ramekins, making sure to cover the bottoms.
- Divide the peanut butter between the ramekins, placing in the center of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and spread to the edges.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cakes are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove and let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the edges and flip out onto plates.
Lily says
The best combo: peanut butter and chocolate, this cake was divine, so rich and delicious, also super easy to make!!
Catherine says
Like most of your desserts, this is great!! We make our own peanut butter, so it was even better! One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s fast, easy, and 3 servings.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Kristine says
345 cal for one cake or all three? There are two different nutritional servings on your page. It seems like 345 would be a lot for one. Just checking. Thank you. Looks yummy.
Carolyn says
Where are you seeing a second set of nutritional info??? It’s 345 calories for one… which, for a cake like this, is not surprising. A conventional lava cake has even more. Check this out: https://www.calorieking.com/us/en/foods/f/calories-in-cakes-molten-chocolate-lava-cake/Zb5ta_bGQJWK3Ni1cMKQ_w
Kristine says
Hi Carolyn. In the green box above it says “servings” equals three lava cakes. And then it says 345 cal. Usually the calories are determined per serving. So I was a tad confused. I understand now a serving is one. Potato Potattoe. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Okay I can understand the confusion but it says “servings”, plural, which means it MAKES 3 lava cakes. If it said “serving” or “serving size”, it would mean that was how many you ate per serving. In the nutritional info, it says 1 cake per serving.
I have changed the top part to simply read 3 servings. It’s an idiosyncrasy with the way the recipe card works but I do want it to be clear to people!
Roberta says
Could this recipe eventually be cooked in silicone molds (the same size as ramekins as you said, 1/2 cup)? I supposed they’re best cooked in ceramic ramekins, but since these days I can’t have mine where I am, just was wondering if this could be an alternative… if so, how to adjust time and watts?
Carolyn says
I can’t say for sure without trying it myself. At the very least, you will end up with a delicious cake that you need to eat right out of the mold… 😉
Cheryl says
I have two questions please, these are amazingly delicious
1 Can these be frozen and reheated ?
2 Crazy but if someone wanted to take it home with them ( family dinner) could they reheat it and still get an runny middle ?
Thanks so very much!
Carolyn says
Frozen before baking? I would doubt it. After, maybe but not sure you would have that gooeyness even if you reheated gently.
Jim says
I made the lower-carb version for my diabetic son for his birthday… It was a delicious part of a very nutritious breakfast!
Rebekah Hanlin says
would this work in a larger size cake pan? 3 ramekins is a bit impracticable for us, just bake it longer? Lower temp?? Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
I honestly haven’t tried. Wish I could give you more guidance.
Leiha Noriega says
I attempted to watch the video for this on your site, but every 4-5 seconds of it, there’s another ad and I can’t actually WATCH how you make it. Otherwise, it looks like a great recipe. My dad is a HUGE pb/chocolate fan and I’m making this for his birthday dinner tonight.
Carolyn says
Hi there. I don’t know how that can be possible, actually. My ad network is set up to fire a single ad at the beginning of the video and that’s it. If you are seeing something different, please let me know exactly what you are seeing (take screenshots!) so I can let me ad network know.
Bonnie says
Hi! Do you use Powdered Swerve or Gradulared Swerve? Can I make these ahead of time and just heat them up in the microwave?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
These are best made fresh although they heat up alright. If I don’t specify powdered, then it’s granular
Sandra says
Hi. I can’t seem to find the nutritional information with the net carbs. Am I missing it? Thanks!
Carolyn says
The nutritional panel is right in the recipe. If you prefer to calculate net, simply subtract the fiber from the total carbs.
Jocelyn says
I adore chocolate and peanut butter together too!! The gooey peanut butter center in these molten cakes is perfection!
Stacie A Hamilton says
Oh wow, these sound delicious! We love the chocolate and peanut butter combo at my house.
Mallory Lanz says
what a decadent dessert! Thanks for the recipe!
Rachael Yerkes says
Molten Lava is my of my favorites, add PB and I can’t refuse! So good!
Kara says
I love anything chocolate and peanut butter, so these are calling my name. That peanut butter filling oozing out looks simply amazing!
Toni says
This was really amazing! A big hit in my house!
Patti says
This looks yummy!! Did you use granular or powdered sugar?
Thanks!!
Andie Thueson says
YUM!! I am always on the lookout for a healthier sweet treat!!
Jamielyn says
Oh my this looks delicious! Chocolate and peanut butter is the best combo!
Anna says
I need to make this lava cake ASAP! It looks incredible!