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Home Recipes By Dessert Type Cakes

Chocolate Protein Mug Cake

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By: Erin Antoniak • Updated On May 27, 2026

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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This chocolate protein mug cake tastes like you are indulging in your favorite rich dessert – but, surprise! It’s good for you! Plus, it’s gluten-free too!

chocolate mug cake

Easy Chocolate Mug Cake

Sometimes it seems like eating protein is relegated to either shakes or meat – and those two things can get kinda boring. Ok, maybe not the shakes. I seriously can’t get enough of this snickerdoodle protein shake. It tastes like a cookie!

Thankfully, I discovered the joy of mug cakes! You literally put all the ingredients in a mug, microwave it, and bam! You have a delicious dessert!

It’s even better than dessert. It has so much protein and fiber in it that you can enjoy a chocolate cake for breakfast. This gluten-free mug cake takes just a few minutes to make.

Plus, if you have made any other desserts from this blog, you probably already have all the ingredients that you need.

There are also a lot of different ways you can customize this little cake – so keep reading and I’ll share the entire recipe, my favorite tips, and answer some of your biggest questions.

chocolate mug cake

Ingredients Needed

When you use gluten-free ingredients that are low in the glycemic index, your body will notice a difference. Here is what I used in this healthy mug cake.

  • Oat Flour: This gluten-free flour is the base of the cake. You’ll use 3 tablespoons.
  • Chocolate Protein Powder: Use your favorite kind of protein powder, only 2 tablespoons.
  • Cocoa Powder: If you want it really rich, use dark chocolate powder, you only need 1 1/2 tablepsoons.
  • Coconut Sugar (or Other Dry Sweetener): Make sure you use a granular sweetener, you’ll need 1 tablespoon.
  • Baking Powder: This is what gives the mug cake some lift and lightness, you only need a small bit, 1/2 teaspoon.
  • Almond Milk: Use unsweetened vanilla almond milk for the moisture, 1/4 cup.
  • 2 Tbsp Chocolate Chips: For more chocolate, mix in 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
  • Sea Salt Flakes: These are optional, but they enhance all the other flavors.
ingredients for chocolate mug cake

Kitchen Tools Required

You only need two simple tools to make this super-easy mug protein brownie!

  • Spoon
  • Coffee Cup

For measuring, you will need 1/4 cup, 1 tablespoon, 1/2 tablespoon, and 1/2 teaspoon.

How To Make Chocolate Mug Cake With Protein

The entire process could not be any easier! If you have ever made hot cocoa in the microwave, then you can make this mug cake.

In a mug or a ramekin, mix together all of the dry ingredients.

Add in the almond milk, then stir in half of the chocolate chips. Add the remaining chips on top.

Microwave the chocolate protein mug cake for 60-80 seconds or until the mug cake expands to the top of the mug/ramekin. Check it every 10 seconds after 30 seconds.

Sprinkle the mug cake with sea salt and serve!

ingredients for chocolate mug cake

Recipe Tips

Below are some common chocolate mug cake questions. Don’t see the answer you’re looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!

What are some toppings I can add to the mug cake?

Have fun with the toppings! Add some real whipped cream on top and drizzle with your favorite caramel sauce. You could even sprinkle some chopped strawberries on top for a chocolate-dipped strawberry mug cake.

I like to add fruit because it has so much fiber and nutrients, but have fun adding anything you like. How about some homemade ice cream? Now you have mug cake a ‘la mode!

How do you make your own oat flour?

Making your own oat flour is so easy! Just place any kind of oatmeal that you have into a food processor. Then, process it until you have a fine flour.

Any type of oatmeal will work – steel-cut, old-fashioned, and even quick-cooking oats.

Can I make this in a ramekin?

Yes, I love to make mug cakes inside small ramekins. In fact, if you make 2-3 mug cakes inside ramekins, you could make a mini layered cake! Just add your favorite homemade buttercream frosting in between each layer.

I have a little tip if you are going to bake it in a ramekin!

Grease the ramekin with non-stick spray before you make the mug cake. This way, you can scoop out the mini cake without leaving much behind.

chocolate mug cake

How do you make the mug cake taste less rubbery?

If your mug cake has a rubbery texture, then you either used a bit too much oil or cooked it for too long.

Add a splash more of almond milk and it should have a better texture.

Substitution Tip

Wondering if you can use a different type of flour? There are a few ways you can.

I prefer to use oat flour because it has the perfect balance of moisture and dryness and is really high in fiber. Alternatively, you can make this with almond flour with the same results. Remember to use almond flour, not almond meal!

You can also use coconut milk or oat milk instead of almond milk.

Instead of chocolate protein powder, use your favorite flavor. This mug cake will also taste delicious with vanilla protein powder.

You can also substitute butterscotch, caramel, or even white chocolate chips for the milk chocolate chips. Have fun and add your favorite chocolate to the cake!

Storing leftovers

Since this is an individual recipe that you can make and eat within a few minutes, I do not recommend trying to save the leftovers. It really tastes best when it is hot and fresh out of the microwave.

If you want to save leftovers, scoop it out of the mug or ramekin and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and keep it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for about a day before the texture begins to deteriorate.

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

Here are some more of my favorite chocolate recipes. Enjoy!

  • Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting
  • Paleo Chocolate Pecan Pie
  • Healthy Chocolate Fudge Recipe
  • Chocolate Caramel Pecan Bites
  • Healthy Chocolate Sheet Cake

Photos by Moriah Sawtelle and recipe by Erin Antoniak.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipes on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Follow @erinliveswhole on Instagram and tag me in any of the recipes you make so I can repost them!

chocolate mug cake
Erin Antoniak

Chocolate Protein Mug Cake

4.78 from 36 votes
This chocolate protein mug cake tastes like you are indulging in your favorite rich dessert – but, surprise! It’s good for you! Plus, it’s gluten-free too!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 10 minutes mins
Servings: 1 mug cake
Course: dairy-free, Dessert, gluten-free, vegan
Cuisine: American
Calories: 399
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp oat flour
  • 2 tbsp chocolate protein powder
  • 1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar or other dry sweetener
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 2 tbsp chocolate chips
  • optional: sea salt flakes

Method
 

  1. In a mug or a ramekin, mix together all dry ingredients.
  2. Add in almond milk, then stir in half the chocolate chips. Add remaining chips on top.
  3. Microwave 60-80 seconds or until mug cake expands to top of mud/ramekin. Check every 10 seconds after 30 seconds.
  4. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve!

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 22gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 439mgPotassium: 498mgFiber: 9gSugar: 26gCalcium: 425mgIron: 2mg

Notes

  • Don’t overcook it! Microwave for 60-80 seconds total, but start checking every 10 seconds after the 30-second mark. Overcooking is the #1 reason mug cakes turn out rubbery, so keep a close eye on it.
  • Make sure you’re using a granular dry sweetener. The recipe calls for coconut sugar or another dry sweetener. A liquid sweetener will throw off the texture of the batter, so stick with something granular here.
  • If the batter looks too dry or powdery, add a splash more almond milk. Some protein powders absorb more liquid than others, so don’t be afraid to adjust slightly to get a smooth, pourable batter before microwaving.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂

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Reader Interactions

4.78 from 36 votes

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Recipe Rating




  1. Sheryl Kashani says

    Posted on 4/6 at 4:53 pm

    This has been me and my family’s go to “quick dessert” recipe for a year. I vary the type of chips I use (cream cheese chips or butterscotch chips to name a couple) and it is perfection every time. On my “high” setting in the microwave, 60 second is perfection. It’s like a molten cake…so good!!! Erin knocks it out of the park with every recipe…especially those with food sensitive issues. Thank you Erin!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 4/7 at 7:22 pm

      Hi Sheryl, so happy you all loved it! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Lottie says

    Posted on 3/15 at 1:27 pm

    this was so delicious! I added some espresso powder and vanilla extract and it was amazing! thanks for making eating healthy fun 🙂

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 3/17 at 2:34 pm

      Hi Lottie, so happy you loved it!! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lucy says

    Posted on 1/12 at 4:32 pm

    4 stars
    Really good! Not dry at all. Would consider cooking it less for a gooey center. But still, a keeper!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/13 at 3:20 pm

      Hi Lucy, so happy you liked it!

      Reply
  4. Belinda says

    Posted on 9/26 at 7:46 pm

    5 stars
    I made this with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, trivia, baking blend, and a small mashed banana. It was amazing and gooey!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 9/27 at 3:43 pm

      Hi Belinda, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Karen says

    Posted on 9/22 at 7:52 pm

    5 stars
    Turned out really good! I did have to use Almond Flour but everything else the same. It’s a keeper.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 9/24 at 6:46 pm

      Hi Karen, so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Bethany N Ruggeri says

    Posted on 9/11 at 12:28 am

    I went back and read the whole page and found where it gave a trouble shooting tip for rubbery texture. It said to use less oil, but the recipe doesn’t have oil as an ingredient. How much oil would I use for one mug serving?

    Reply
  7. Bethany N Ruggeri says

    Posted on 9/10 at 11:12 pm

    I made this and the flavor was awesome! My only issue is that it came out rather dry, but after I added some bottled protein shake to it to add some moisture it was awesome!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 9/16 at 7:53 pm

      Hi Bethany, so glad you loved it and feel free to add that or a splash more of almond milk next time! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Erica Colburn says

    Posted on 2/19 at 9:45 pm

    5 stars
    Love this! Subbed sugar for 1/2 mashed banana and only used 1 Tbsp of chocolate chips. 60 seconds in the microwave. Turned out perfect!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 2/20 at 8:11 pm

      Hi Erica, so happy you loved it and made it your own!!

      Reply
  9. Kylie Smith says

    Posted on 1/30 at 2:11 pm

    2 stars
    I made this recipe exactly and put it in the microwave for 60 seconds and it exploded.

    Gooey chocolate ran all down the sides of the mug and down into the bottom of the microwave. I’ve never seen this before. What a huge mess. Any idea what happened?

    I scooped up as much as I could salvage and put it in a clean mug and it does taste pretty good. Chcolately and gooey.

    Reply
    • Lucy says

      Posted on 1/12 at 4:38 pm

      I wonder if it’s because you put it 60 seconds right away that this might have happened. If so, you might think about cooking it 10 to 30 seconds at a time until desired consistency is attained.

      Reply
  10. Audrey says

    Posted on 1/17 at 10:19 pm

    I used regular quick oats instead of oat flour and added a mashed banana in lieu of the coconut sugar. Came out delicious! More of a gooey chocolate oatmeal with my substitutions. Great base recipe to play around with if you don’t have all the ingredients listed.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/18 at 12:55 pm

      Hi Audrey, so happy you loved it and made it your own!! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Bridgette says

    Posted on 1/11 at 9:01 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Erin! I absolutely love this recipe and I’ve recommended it to so many others.

    I do have a question, though, I’ve been making it with all purpose flour and white sugar because that’s all I have. I finally got the proper ingredients to make it a healthy mug cake – I used almond flour, coconut sugar and chocolate collagen protein powder. This time it would not bake into a cake and just stayed a pudding consistency. Do you think this is because of the collagen?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/15 at 12:26 pm

      Hi Bridgette, so happy you love it!! 🙂 Almond flour isn’t as absorbent, so it doesn’t always turn into a cakelike product. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  12. KTJ says

    Posted on 1/4 at 6:11 pm

    I could cry! I was craving chocolate cake so much, but I’m pre diabetic 🥹
    THANK YOU!!! I didn’t have oat flour, so I substitute it 2 tablespoons of almond flour, and one of coconut flor. Turned out SO GOOD!! They hit the spot, I cannot thank you enough.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 1/5 at 5:03 pm

      Hi, so happy you enjoyed it and made it your own!!

      Reply
  13. Stephen says

    Posted on 12/16 at 9:06 am

    5 stars
    We did half almond/oat flour and added a tbs of chia seeds and it’s was so delicious! Highly recommend

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 12/16 at 8:45 pm

      Hi Stephen, so happy you loved it and made it your own! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Patti says

    Posted on 12/11 at 10:04 pm

    I’m unsure on this one….it’s not a cake consistency, not a fudgy consistency, nor a pudding consistency. Just unsure what it is supposed to be. Followed measurements exactly, but seems so dry. Would the addition of an egg or egg white be better?

    Reply
  15. Jessika says

    Posted on 12/8 at 10:24 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this for the 3rd night in a row, it’s so delicious! I go a little heavy on the coconut sugar and throw some raspberries on top. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 12/13 at 5:53 pm

      Hi Jessika, so happy you loved it and great idea with the raspberries! 🙂

      Reply
  16. Molly says

    Posted on 9/30 at 12:01 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! My first recipe from your site, thank you so much for including the nutrition information.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 10/1 at 9:43 pm

      Hi Molly, so happy you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  17. Jerry says

    Posted on 8/30 at 4:57 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe loved how it turned out. I’m going to try with more protein powder to have after working out. Great Recipe!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 9/1 at 8:58 am

      Hi Jerry, so happy you loved it and great idea! You might need to add a little more almond milk if you add more powder so it isn’t too dry.

      Reply
  18. Bob says

    Posted on 6/11 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    Amazing! First time ever commenting on a recipe, but this is soooo good. I used ‘no way’ chocolate collagen in mine.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/16 at 11:11 am

      Hi Bob, so happy you loved it so much!! 🙂

      Reply
  19. Traci P says

    Posted on 5/11 at 9:57 am

    Can I bake this instead? We ditched our microwave years ago

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 5/23 at 12:10 pm

      Hi Traci, yes at 350 for about 15 minutes. Let me know how it comes out!

      Reply
  20. ERIN N says

    Posted on 5/10 at 8:54 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness Erin!! It is sooo good. I made this tonight because I was craving something sweet and this did not disappoint! It’s so fudgy!!!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 5/11 at 8:12 am

      Hi Erin, so happy you loved it so much!! 🙂

      Reply
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