This peanut butter keto mug cake takes only minutes to make! It’s tender and lightly sweetened, and makes a wonderful easy breakfast or dessert.
Sometimes I create recipes with a specific outcome in mind. And sometimes I throw together some ingredients on a whim and hope for the best. This keto mug cake recipe falls into the latter category!
But while it was rather slapdash in its creation, it quickly became a fan favorite recipe. And a family favorite too! I often whip these little keto cakes up when we need a quick treat.
You know that I take peanut butter and chocolate very seriously. And many of my recipes are quick and easy, like Keto Peanut Butter Bars and easy Peanut Butter Protein Balls. So you can rest assured that these easy mug cakes are good stuff!
Why you will love this recipe
Mug cakes have appeal because they are so easy to make. But they can also have a bit of an odd texture from the fast cooking method. They tend to end up a bit spongy.
These keto peanut butter mug cakes differ in that regard. There is something about the addition of peanut butter that gives them a proper cake texture. And yet they take only about 5 minutes to make.
They really are super family friendly and since this recipe makes six, you can feed the littles and yourself. You can also scale the recipe back and make only three servings, which is more appropriate for those who live alone or are doing keto alone.
And these easy cakes store quite nicely. I do recommend cooking them all at once, as the batter thickens if it sits too long. But you can store the finished keto mug cakes in fridge and re-warm them easily when you want another serving.
Reader Reviews
“These are the Creme de la Creme of mug cakes….my all time favorite (and I am beginning to be way too familiar with mug cakes). But the peanut butter adds some density so that these are not just fluff on a spoon. There is just the right amount of substance….and the flavor is FABULOUS. Caroline, you are amazing. You obviously put a lot of testing into your recipes because they are the gold standard in my opinion. thank you for putting food worth eating on our low carb table.” — Deborah
“I was skeptical to try this because I am in South Africa and we have limited choice of ingredients. Well, they cam out perfectly and I am so happy I made the effort, thank you! It was so easy to make and I will definitely make it again!”– Linda
“Wow! Easy and delicious ! I’m addicted! I don’t usually like the texture of mug cakes, but these are wonderful. Thanks again for another winner!”– Joan
Ingredients needed
- Peanut butter: I recommend a good natural peanut butter like Santa Cruz. But you can use any nut butter here if you are allergic to peanuts.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter because the salt brings out a little flavor. You can also use coconut oil if you want to be dairy-free.
- Almond flour: As always, the finer your almond flour, the better the texture of your cakes. I have been using Blue Diamond lately and find it works quite well.
- Sweetener: Use your favorite granular sweetener. I really like the flavor that Swerve Brown adds here, but you can also use allulose or BochaSweet.
- Dark chocolate chips: Both ChocZero or Lily’s work nicely in this mug cake recipe. You can also skip the chips to save on a few carbs, if you like.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, baking powder, and vanilla extract.
Step-by-step directions
1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and butter together in short bursts, stirring until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and baking powder.
3. Stir in the eggs, vanilla extract, peanut butter mixture, and water until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Divide among 6 ramekins or mugs and microwave each for about 1 minute, until puffed and set. Serve warm.
Expert tips
Peanut butter tends to thicken cake batters the longer it sits, so you need to work relatively quickly on this one. Try to get it into the mugs as soon as it’s all mixed together and then cook them straight away.
Several readers have asked if they can prepare the batter and then refrigerate the cakes until they are ready to make them. This doesn’t work well because the batter can thicken and the cakes won’t rise properly. You are better off cooking all of the cakes and then re-warming it when you are ready to eat.
We like to eat them right out of the mugs but if you want to remove them, be sure to grease your mugs or ramekins very well.
Oven Baked Method: If you prefer to make these in your oven, try baking them at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes.
Nut-Free Version: You can make these with sunflower butter and sunflower seed flour. But you will want to replace 1 tbsp of the water with some lemon juice to offset the green reaction that occurs between sunflower seeds and baking powder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cover extra mug cakes tightly and store at room temperature for 1 day. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds until just warm.
You can also freeze extra mug cakes. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil and freeze for 3-6 months. If freezing, it is best to remove them from the mug first, then wrap and freeze.
This keto mug cake recipe has 6.7g of carbs and 3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.7g net carbs per mug cake.
More keto mug cake recipes
Peanut Butter Keto Mug Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (86 g) peanut butter
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter
- 2/3 cup (157.73 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tbsp (45.65 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and butter together in short bursts, stirring until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and baking powder.
- Stir in the eggs, vanilla extract, peanut butter mixture, and water until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide among 6 ramekins or mugs and microwave each for about 1 minute, until puffed and set. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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This looks delicious! Would it work with coconut flour?
Not as it is. For coconut flour, you need about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, and you need to up the eggs to about 4.
I just have to say . . . YUM! Thanks for sharing this. I made these with 1/3 cup xylitol and a dash of pure stevia extract powder. I tried swerve when we first cut sugar out in July 2013 and no one in my family could handle the minty/cooling effect of erythritol. I also realized I was out of vanilla extract so I used butterscotch extract. There are 5 of us so I divided the batter evenly between 5 coffee cups. 1 minute was perfect. It was so moist and tender. Thanks again.
So glad you liked them, Kristi!
I must make this soon….I was just wondering what size mug are you using?…we have 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 16 oz. The picture in the white mug looks beautiful.
It’s a smallish mug, probably 8 ounces. The ramekins are 1/2 cup or so.
Thanks for the recipe 🙂 however for those of us who do not have a microwave or just simply prefer to cook them in the oven, do you have a conversion time and temperature possibly…TIA
I am guessing that 325 for 10 to 15 minutes would work. Keep an eye on them to see how they are doing.
Thanks!
I don’t know about “lucky” but Koreans eat a rice cake and wonton soup every new year and we have a tradition where the kids bow to their parents and older family members in order to get good new year’s blessings . . and hey, I’m with you! the low carb diet and actually eating foods you love and enjoy but are actually healthy, sounds terrific!! I love this mug cake!! Here’s to a wonderful, low carb diet year for you, Carolyn!
I love hearing about different traditions like that, Alice 🙂
Hi Carolyn, Thank you for this lovely recipe! I made these for the first time yesterday and they are delicious! Ive been having trouble finding tasting desserts for our little 4 year old who suffers from food allergies. He loved this cake and was asking for more : ) I made these in silicone cupcake forms and they worked just perfect. Im looking forward to the recipes you post ahead! Happy new year to you and your family.
So glad you found something that works for your son!
These look amazingly delicious!!!
I’m looking for low carb Leto friendly recipes.
All I want is a copy of the peanut butter chocolate muffin cup sent by e-mail as my computer acts up at times and I always get my e-mails saved I tried to do it your way but the scrambled letters don`t seem to come out right
Thank you when and if you will send it
Ummmm, delicious? As I sit here eating mine! I threw in a few chopped pecans and poured a little heavy cream over the top. Amazing!
So glad you like it. It’s my kids fave!
Just made 1/2 the recipe and it is delicious!!! Thank you so much for all your great recipes. I have been grain free for 4 years now and am so glad I found your blog. Everything I have tried has been great!! Happy new year!
Thanks, Sherie.
I’m definitely going to make this, I’m a peanut butter/chocolate lover!
The only thing is I will use regular sugar instead of a sugar “sweetener”.
My question is how much regular sugar to substitute?
Exactly the same amount, they can be subbed 1:1.
So well said (as I prepare my black eyed peas) we are “lucky” to have fallen in love with a low carb lifestyle and the wholesomeness of the food we eat! Happy New Year to you too!
Thx for adding thm sweet blend. I found your blog from mamas on their blog posting your recipes. Please continue! Happy New Year!
and to think … I have all of these ingredients in my home right now! I know what I’m having for lunch since I’ve already eaten breakfast (my man took me out this morning!). Thank you for all you do for people like me, Carolyn, and I wish you and your family a healthy and happy 2015!
Happy New Year!!! I’m going to try making a single one – I’ll just have to use one whole egg in it – won’t be the same, but should work ok. Also – what did you put on top? Cream cheese? These look great.
Whipped cream. Love it when it melts over the hot mug cake!
i’m gonna attempt making a quarter of the recipe – it’ll just be a bigger serving 😉 using an egg yolk so i can store the white for omelettes.
So, if I want to bake in the oven could you tell me how?
325F for 10 to 15 minutes, I would think. I can’t say for sure, I didn’t try it.
Mmmmm…can’t wait to make this. But I need instructions for one mug. So I am trying to take 1/6 of everything. Not a math person. 🙁
You can half the recipe, make 3 and keep the other two in the fridge after cooking them. But there is no way to do 1/6 of the recipe.
Excellent response!!
Why wouldn’t you just make the full recipe and have the rest stored in the refrigerator? For those times when u really need it!!! Like at midnight
It was so much easier to shoot the video with a half batch but normally it’s a full big one at all times!
I measured an egg once (yah I’m that kind of person) and it was about 9tsp. So if you wanted to make 1/6 recipe and dont mind wasting an egg, just beat one very well then use 1tbsp of the mixture for one mug cake.
Just to clarify, here are the measurements to make 1/6th recipe.
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp butter
2 tbsp plus 2tsp almond flour
1 tbsp sweetener
heaped 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp water
1-tbsp beaten egg
2 tsp chocolate chips
Thank you for this!!
aI followed this but instead of almond flour i used plain flour and a healthy alternative to butter is canola spread (which i used) and also i didn’t want to waste an egg so i skipped it. And my cookie turned out GREAT!!!
Thank you so much, Lulu!
You deserve a trophy. Thank you!
Thank you so much. I also wanted the quantity to use to make only one.
Just made it but I made a mistake and used a whole egg instead Of 1 Tbsp of a beaten egg.
I have to say that I loved it. Using a whole egg made it much less dry which I don’t like in these recipes of 1 min microwave bread recipes.
It was more « pudding » like. i added yogourt on top and it was fantastic. That peanut butter taste was great. And ho! I did not put the chocolate chip. Just not a fan.
Excellent!
LOVED THIS!! Thank you Lulu and thank you Carolyn for sharing!!
Lulu – You are the bomb! Thank you for this!
Happy 2015!
I am still waiting for the luck and wealth to come my way from all the black eyed peas and collard greens my mother insisted on serving every new years day. It wasn’t until I got interested in cooking that I realized, none of it had much flavor. Now collards is one of my favorites, cooked my way.
Happy New Year!!!
Thank you for all the great Lo Carb recipes! I look forward to another year of fun with you! Best of luck to you and your family both in your new adventure on the West Coast and in the new year!
Thanks again for all you do!
Sherrie
Thanks, Sherrie!