You’re only 3 minutes away from the chocolate cake of your dreams! This super easy 5-ingredient peanut butter brownie mug cake is the ultimate treat to satisfy a very urgent chocolate craving. It is rich, ultra fudgy, packed with creamy peanut butter, requires only 5 simple ingredients and baked in less than 2 minutes! Don’t be fooled by apparences: made with no flour, no oil and no sugar, this decadent mug cake is also very healthy, for a simple guilt-free pleasure.
Simple healthy 5-ingredient mug cake
Behind its very decadent look, this peanut butter brownie mug cake is actually very healthy. It’s made with 5 simple and natural ingredients, no flour, no oil and no sugar. Each ingredient plays a very important role to create a perfect fudgy texture and a delicious overall flavor.
There is nothing new in using banana purée in cake, just like in my Healthy Banana Bread or Peanut Butter Banana Muffins recipes. Mashed ripe banana is an amazing ingredients to make regular cakes healthier and lighter. First, it adds moisture and can replace butter and oil. Secondly, it is naturally sweet, so there is no need to add any sugar.
To make this mug cake oil-free, I’ve used a spoonful of peanut butter. Nut butters are a fantastic substitute for oil or butter in all the cakes and cookies recipes. Nut butter is naturally rich in healthy fats, acts like a very efficient binder to replace eggs, and bring a delicious and rich flavor. In this recipe, you can substitute peanut butter by any nut butter of your choice, like almond or cashew. For those with nut allergies, you can even use seed butter like sunflower or pumpkin seed.
The most unusual aspect of this brownie mug cake is that we don’t use any kind of flour or meal. Instead, we use a significant amount of cocoa powder to replace flour and bring texture as well as a rich chocolate flavor. Make sure to use good quality dark cocoa powder, without added sweetener.
Finally, the chocolate chips add an extra chocolate as well as a very gooey texture while melted in the still warm mug cake. You can add as many as you want! For a totally sugar-free mug cake, you can use chocolate chips sweetened with stevia, erythritol or any other sugar substitute.
How to perfectly bake mug cake
All the magic of mug cake is that it can be ready in less than 2 minutes. The microwave baking method is by far the easiest and fastest.
All you have to do is to pour the batter in a microwave-safe mug and microwave for 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Microwave time can vary depending on your microwave’s power and the size of your mug. I recommend to start with 60 seconds on high power, then check the consistency of the batter. If it’s too wet and needs to be cooked a bit longer, proceed with 15-second increments until the surface of the mug cake is dry. Try not to bake the mug cake more than 2 minutes to keep the center fudgy and gooey.
But if you don’t have a microwave or prefer a traditional oven method, good news they both work! If you use the oven, add the batter in a small mould (not necessarily a mug) and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Tips to make your brownie mug cake
This peanut butter brownie mug cake is ridiculously simple to prepare. But here are a couple of tips to get the most out of the flavors and textures.
- To keep this recipe as simple as possible, you can absolutely mix all the ingredients directly in the mug – no time to waste, no dishes to do! But if you’re not in a hurry, I recommend preparing the batter in a separate bowl, then transferring in the mug. It will be mush easier to mash the banana in a larger bowl and to mix the ingredients.
- This recipe is made for a medium-large mug serving. For a smaller – or bigger – mug cake, feel free to adapt the quantities and so the baking time.
- Microwave time can vary depending on your microwave’s power and the size of your mug. For best results, I recommend to start with 60 seconds on high power, then check the consistency of the batter. If it’s too wet and needs to be cooked a bit longer, proceed with 15-second increments until the surface of the mug cake is pretty dry. Try not to bake the mug cake more than 2 minutes, the center must be wet and gooey.
- All the magic of this peanut butter brownie mug cake is in its very fudgy texture, so it’s better enjoyed straight after baking, while still warm, topped with melting chocolate chips and a spoon of peanut butter.
For more chocolate recipes, check my:
- Dairy-free Brownie Ice-cream, a rich and decadent ice-cream
- Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownie, my healthy version of the big classic
- Chocolate Carob Loaf with Tahini Caramel Frosting, a readers choice
- Healthy Chocolate Pecan Cookie Bars GF, the perfect healthy snack
I love to see your creations! Don’t forget to tag me @alicepages on your photos on Instagram and give your feedback in the comments below if you make this recipe at home! Your opinion is my best reward.
Print
5-ingredient Peanut butter Brownie Mug Cake
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 mug 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Microwave
Description
This vegan flourless peanut butter brownie mug cake is super moist, needs only 5 simple ingredients and is ready under 3 minutes! Made with no flour, no sugar and no oil, it’s THE ultimate healthy snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 banana, not over ripe
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips
- More peanut butter for filling
Instructions
- Peel and mash the banana using a fork until roughly puréed.
- Add the banana purée, peanut butter, cocoa powder, baking powder and chocolate chips directly in a large microwave-safe mug and whisk until combined. The batter should look like a brownie cake batter. Add a spoon of peanut butter on top and stir to roughly mix with the brownie batter.
- Microwave on high for 45-60 seconds. Then open the door and check the batter by gently pushing with your finger: the cake should be gooey in the center, but dry on the surface. If the batter is still too wet, microwave another 15 seconds and check again. Cook in 15-second intervals until it’s baked.
- Top with more chocolate chips if desired and enjoy right away.
Notes
- This recipe leads to a medium-large mug serving. For a smaller mug cake, feel free to divide the quantities and so to reduce the baking time.
- Make sure to use a microwave-proof mug. The mug should be big enough to be three-quarters full with the raw dough as it will rise during the baking.
- For this recipe, I recommend to use yellow and still a little firm banana, not over ripe. Using very ripe banana can make the mug cake too mushy.
- You can also bake your mug cake in a traditional oven, for 10-12 minutes at 350F, or until a toothpick comes out just clean.
Keywords: mug, mug cake, brownie, chocolate cake, peanut butter, gluten free, snack, cake
Recette version française
PrintMug Cake sans farine façon brownie et beurre de cacahuète
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 4 minutes
- Yield: 1 mug 1x
- Category: Gâteaux
- Method: Micro-ondes
Description
Cet incroyable mug cake sans farine façon brownie ultra fondant et chocolaté ne nécessite que 5 ingrédients et est prêt en moins de 3 minutes! Il est sans gluten, sans sucre et sans huile, ce qui en fait LE snack sain et gourmand par excellence.
Ingredients
- 1 banane pas trop mûre
- 50 g de beurre de cacahuète
- 20 g de cacao en poudre
- 1/2 c. à c. de levure chimique
- 10 g de pépites de chocolat noir
- 1 c. à s. de beurre de cacahuète pour la garniture
Instructions
- Ecraser la banane à l’aide d’une fourchette jusqu’à obtenir une purée.
- Mélanger la banane écrasée, le beurre de cacahuète, le cacao en poudre, la levure et les pépites de chocolat directement dans un mug allant au micro-onde. Remuer jusqu’à obtenir une pâte homogène, similaire à une pâte à brownie classique. Ajouter une cuillère de beurre de cacahuète au dessus et mélanger rapidement.
- Cuire au micro-ondes à pleine puissance pendant 60 secondes. Retirer le mug du micro-ondes et vérifier la cuisson en tapotant avec le doigt: le mug cake doit être moelleux mais assez sec en surface. Si la pâte est encore trop humide, cuire pour 15 secondes supplémentaires et vérifier de nouveau la texture. Continuer ainsi la cuisson, par intervals de 15 secondes jusqu’à ce que la surface soit sèche. Attention à ne pas pousser la cuisson au-delà de 2 minutes pour garder un coeur bien fondant.
- Garnir de pépites de chocolat et déguster immédiatement.
Notes
- Cette recette est pour un mug de plutôt grande taille. Pour un plus petit mug cake, diviser les quantités par deux et réduire d’autant le temps de cuisson.
- Assurez-vous d’utiliser un mug qui convient à la cuisson au micro-ondes. Le mug doit être suffisamment grand pour être rempli au 3/4 du mélange cru car la pâte va gonfler à la cuisson.
- Pour cette recette, il est recommandé d’utiliser une banane pas trop mûre, jaune et encore ferme pour éviter d’avoir une texture trop pâteuse.
- Vous pouvez également cuire le mug cake au four traditionnel, pendant 10 à 12 minutes à 180°C.
Keywords: mug, mug cake, gâteau, brownie, chocolat, goûter, dessert
Oh my, yes please!!!! This looks beyond delicious and I love the photos!!!
Thank you so much! It’s the ultimate healthy treat. You must try it, it’s so easy and delicious 🙂
Best mug cake ever!!! Thank u so much!!
Thank you so much Larissa! I’m so glad you liked it. It’s my favorite recipe for a quick and yummy snack 🙂 There are more mug cake recipes coming soon, stay tuned!
Could I substitute the banana for something else?
Hi Karen,
You can try to replace the banana with another fruit puree, like apple sauce, or even pumpkin puree. However I can’t ensure the final result.