Craving a warm, fudgy brownie but short on time and ingredients? This keto mug brownie recipe is your answer. It’s a single-serving dessert that’s rich, chocolatey, and incredibly easy to make. In under a minute, you can have a satisfying treat that fits perfectly into your keto lifestyle. This recipe is a savior when a sweet tooth strikes. It offers minimal effort with maximum flavor.
Why This Keto Mug Brownie Works
This mug brownie is essentially a condensed version of almond flour brownies and flourless brownies. What makes this recipe so appealing?
- Single-Serving: One of the unspoken rules about mug cakes is that there’s no sharing.
- Simple Ingredients: This mug brownie is purposely made with minimal ingredients, so you can literally make it on a whim. If you’re following a keto way of eating, odds are good you’ve got all of these ingredients on hand already. They’re keto pantry staples!
- Microwave or Oven Method: Whether you prefer the speed of a microwave or the even baking of an oven, this recipe has you covered.
Core Ingredients
This keto brownie takes basic low carb ingredients that you can find in almost any grocery store. Let's break down the key components:
- Almond Flour: I recommend using blanched almond flour, as it will yield a lighter and fluffier cake. If you’re allergic to almonds, you can use sunflower seed flour. It is a 1:1 replacement with almond flour.
- Sugar: If you have a favorite keto friendly sugar substitute, it will likely work with this recipe. Keto sweetener: I recommend using a powdered sweetener like Swerve Confectioners so it blends in better.
- Cocoa Powder: Dutch-processed or dark cocoa powder works best.
Optional Ingredients
- Baking powder
- Almond butter: Adds richness and a subtle nutty flavor that complements the chocolate perfectly. Not a fan of almond butter?
- Milk
- Chocolate chips: Optional, but wise.
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans or walnuts
How to Make a Keto Mug Brownie
This recipe is ridiculously easy to make, and you have three different ways to bake it. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Microwave Instructions
- Lightly grease a small microwave safe cereal bowl or ramekin with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a 4-ounce mug or bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
- Add the almond butter, milk, and chocolate chips and mix until a smooth batter remains. If needed, add extra milk.
- Microwave the brownie in 30-second intervals until the desired texture is achieved. Adjust the cooking time. Microwave models differ, so your brownie may take longer to cook. I found that starting and stopping the microwave in 15 second increments helped keep the brownie from spilling over the ramekin. Check on it frequently so you know when it’s the right consistency for you.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Grease a 6-inch oven-safe ramekin.
- Prepare your brownie batter before transferring to the greased ramekin.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the desired texture is achieved.
- You can use a regular oven or a smaller countertop oven. Bake it at 325ºF for 10 to 15 minutes - the less you bake it, the more gooey it will be. This may be my favorite method, as I think it produced the best results. It was like a cross between a brownie and a chocolate lava cake!
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 325ºF.
- Bake the brownie 7 to 9 minutes, depending on how gooey you want it to be. Again, the less you bake it, the gooier it will be.
Tips for the Perfect Keto Mug Brownie
- Adjust Cooking Time: Microwave models differ, so your brownie may take longer to cook.
- Add Extra Milk: Add extra milk if needed to achieve the right consistency. At this point, the batter will be quite thick. Add 1 tablespoon of water or cold coffee to thin it out.
- Add Mix-Ins: I’m boring and prefer plain mug brownies, but if you want to add fun mix-ins, I’d recommend chopped walnuts, peanut butter chips, or raspberry jam. Sprinkle with some toppings: I really like some finely chopped pecans, for crunch. But a few keto-friendly chocolate chips work too.
- Mug Size Matters: I tested this recipe using a 4-ounce mug (1 cup), a 6-ounce mug (1 1/2 cups), and an 8-ounce mug (2 cups) and found the 4-ounce mug to be the best. Thanks to its smaller cooking area, it not only cooked the quickest but also yielded a more moist and rich brownie. I do find the cake a little plain on its own, so I would recommend adding some sort of topping. This cake can be made in an 8 oz microwave-safe mug. I recommend using a wide mug.
- Don’t Over-Microwave the Brownie: Did you ever have those Kid Cuisine TV dinners? The ones with the chocolate brownie for dessert? Do you remember the texture of those brownies if the tray was microwaved too long? Rock hard. No saving it. The most disappointing brownie ever.
Troubleshooting
- Why is my brownie in a mug chewy? Mug cakes may be chewy if they’re overcooked. Since mug cakes only need 1-2 minutes to cook, it’s easy to overcook them mistakenly. The best way to prevent this is to microwave in intervals and check between each to see if the brownie is cooked. Also, there aren’t any eggs in this, so it’s okay to enjoy if it’s undercooked.
Serving and Storage
Mug cakes should be enjoyed immediately. However, you can store the dried ingredients in a sealed container for up to 6 months. Add the wet ingredients and chocolate chips when you’re ready to assemble.
Read also: Creamy Keto Dessert
Dairy-Free Option
Absolutely! Use coconut oil or another dairy-free alternative to butter. If it’s a liquid oil like avocado, there is no need to melt it first. The only dairy in this mug cake recipe is the butter, so you can replace that with ghee (which is free of milk solids) or coconut oil with great results.
Can I use a different sweetener?
Yes but do keep in mind that sweeteners such as allulose can affect the consistency. I find that baked goods end up more puffy and cake-like when I use allulose as the main sweetener.
Can I make more than one mug brownie at once?
Absolutely! Just double or triple the recipe and divide the batter among more ramekins. Cook as desired.
Nutritional Information
This keto mug cake contains only 2 grams of net carbs, but a whopping 6 grams of protein. So it’s basically health food - especially if you throw a few berries on there.
Read also: Low-Carb Pizza Guide
Read also: 5-Ingredient Keto