Scrummy Lane

Quick & easy family friendly recipes

  • Home
  • About & contact
    • Privacy policy for Scrummy Lane
  • Recipe Index
  • Easy dinners
  • Easy desserts
  • Greek recipes
    • Easy Moussaka
    • Easy Chicken Gyros
    • Best Greek Salad
  • Subscribe

Home » sweet things » Quick and easy desserts » 2-minute Peanut Butter Healthy Mug Cake

2-minute Peanut Butter Healthy Mug Cake

Posted Aug 10, 2019 | Updated Mar 11, 2022 by Helen | 34 Comments |

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
2-minute peanut butter healthy mug cake

This healthy peanut butter mug cake is the perfect solution to those pesky after dinner sweet cravings. It’s vegan, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and egg free. The best part? It’s hassle free, taking just 2 minutes to make!

An overhead image of someone eating a 2-minute peanut butter healthy mug cake with a spoon

My go-to ‘emergency’ healthy dessert!

Please tell me I’m not the only one who needs ‘emergency’ desserts sometimes?

Usually the ‘need’ strikes on random evenings when the day’s jobs are done and I finally get to sit down and chill.

I have my cup of tea and Netflix controller in hand, but there’s something missing…

I need something sweet, and I need it now!

That’s where this wonderful invention called a mug cake comes in.

Like many of us these days I try not to eat too much sugar. So one day I literally threw some peanut butter into a mug with a little coconut flour, date syrup and almond milk and microwaved it. The result was a gooey peanut buttery dessert for one that I’ve since stank out the kitchen (!) with on more occasions than I’d like to admit!

But it’s been worth all the moaning from Mr. Scrummy – who thinks it’s a disgusting idea! This healthy peanut butter mug cake recipe has come to my rescue time after time.

I sincerely hope it becomes one of your go-to ‘emergency’ desserts too, oh fellow peanut butter lovers.

Ingredients for this healthy mug cake:

  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter (I like to use natural and organic)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup OR date syrup OR honey (my favourite is date syrup!)
  • 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I use almond)
  • a sprinkle of 70% cocoa or higher chocolate chips

Yep, just 5 ingredients, and that’s including the chocolate chips which strictly speaking you could leave out. Although I don’t recommend it!

And not only does this healthy peanut butter mug contain NO REFINED SUGAR, it’s also accidentally GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE, EGG FREE, AND VEGAN!

How to make a healthy mug cake (peanut butter flavour!)

Grab your favourite mug and add a tablespoon of coconut flour, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, a tablespoon of your favourite healthy sweetener (date syrup, maple syrup, honey…), and 2 tablespoons of almond milk (or other non dairy milk). (photos 1-4)

Give it all a really good stir (make sure you mix in all the sneaky bits of coconut flour at the bottom). (photo 5)

Press a few chocolate chips (or small pieces of chocolate from a bar) into the top. (photo 6)

Making a 2-minute peanut butter healthy mug cake step-by-step

Microwave for 1 minute. Your cake won’t look like it’s changed or risen very much, but don’t worry – plunge in your spoon and you’ll soon see that it’s cakey, gooey, and totally yummy! (photos 7-8)

Either eat just by itself, or – my favourite – plop a scoop of ice cream, or healthy nice cream (instructions below!) on top!

Pro tips

  • You can take this healthy dessert to next-level delicious by throwing a scoop of ice cream on top. But you thought this was supposed to be a healthy dessert, right? No worries, freeze a chopped banana, throw it in a food processor with a tablespoon of cacao/cocoa and a tablespoon of nut butter, and make some healthy ‘nice cream’! (full recipe for nice cream here)
  • Try substituting the coconut flour with cacao – or a half-and-half coconut flour and cacao mix. This gives you a deliciously gooey, splodgy chocolate mug cake. Don’t skip adding a scoop of ice cream (nice cream!) on top of this one!
  • If you don’t mind de-healthifying (did I just make up a new word?) your mug cake a bit, you can make it with ordinary plain flour and a tablespoon of brown sugar. It’s still a fairly innocent dessert!

More things to know (Recipe FAQ)

Can I use another sweetener instead of maple syrup?

Yes! I’ve tried it with both honey and date syrup and it still worked well. I think it would work with any liquid sweetener as it only contains a little.

Can I use almond butter or tahini instead of peanut butter?

Yep. I’ve made it with almond butter and it was good. I haven’t personally tried tahini but a reader has and said it turned out well so go ahead and try it. I think any nut butter or alternative would work. Give it a try and let me know how you get on!

Argh! I burnt my tongue!

Oops. This mug cake is very hot when first cooked. Leave it for a minute or two to cool down before eating, or add a scoop of healthy ice cream on top! 😉

Can I make it with a different kind of flour?

I’ve made this with almond flour before instead of coconut flour and it was very good. I’ve also tried using ordinary flour… hmmm, not so good. It still works, but if you do this, I’d suggest using brown sugar instead of maple syrup (but then it’s not a very healthy mug cake any more – but up to you). I just didn’t like the texture with maple syrup as the sweetener.

One more crazy idea. Use unsweetened cocoa powder instead of coconut flour for an ooey, gooey chocolaty version!

Help! My cake turned out too dry/too gooey.

I believe that mug cakes are one of those things that you have to experiment with a bit to get ‘just right’ for your particular microwave. If your cake turned out too dry, try again but reduce the cooking time by around 20 seconds. If it was too gooey, cook for 20 seconds longer.

Can I make this as a dessert for more than one?

Absolutely! One reader has done this for gluten free dinner guests and told me it worked well. Just multiply the ingredients by the number of people, then pour into separate mugs or ramekins. Microwave one by one. Only mix the ingredients just before serving – otherwise the coconut flour will soak up too much moisture and the desserts might turn out too dry.

Someone eating a 2-minute peanut butter healthy mug cake - close up

If you try this and like it, you might also like this gluten free mug cake for two. It’s packed with banana, almond and white chocolate, and pretty healthy too 😉

More healthier desserts

  • This 30-minute healthy chocolate cake is packed with goodness (and hidden veggies!) but no one will ever suspect it’s a healthier cake.
  • This 5-minute chocolate banana ice cream (nice cream!) is pretty miraculous, really. You have to give it a try!
  • These Greek yoghurt blueberry muffins (low sugar recipe) seem to work well however you adapt the recipe.
  • These Greek yoghurt chocolate chip muffins (low sugar recipe) are the slightly naughtier sibling to the above! 😉
  • You have to try these 5-ingredient healthy chocolate orange truffles. They make such a great healthy snack or gift. Prefer bars? I’ve got you covered with these healthy chocolate orange date bars.
  • These Rhubarb and ginger oaty slices are so easy to make, and only contain goodness.

Looking for more healthy snacks? You have to check out this list of 50+ healthy sweet snacks that don’t taste boring.

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GET ON BY LEAVING A COMMENT AND RATING BELOW… AND DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE ALL MY NEW RECIPES BY EMAIL!

FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST AND YOUTUBE.

Someone eating 2-minute peanut butter healthy mug cake from above

2-minute peanut butter healthy mug cake

Sweet craving? I’ve got you covered with this peanut butter mug cake. Throw peanut butter in a mug with coconut flour, date or maple syrup and almond milk, and you’ve got yourself a delicious healthy dessert for one.
4.73 from 22 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
Prep Time 1 min
Cook Time 1 min
Cuisine American
Servings (click to change) 1
Author Helen

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)

  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or date syrup, or honey
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk or other non-dairy milk – or ordinary milk
  • a few dark chocolate chips or a 10 gram piece of 70% dark chocolate
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions
 

  • Put all the ingredients apart from the chocolate chips in a small mug and mix really well with a spoon.
  • Press the chocolate into the top of the mixture. Microwave for 1 minute.
  • Enjoy immediately either by itself or with a small scoop of ice cream/nice cream on top!

Notes

A note on the coconut flour

Make sure you only add a level tablespoon of coconut flour. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture so adding more might make your mug cake too dry.
If you don’t have any coconut flour you can use almond flour instead. If you decide to use ordinary plain flour I’d use brown sugar as the sweetener. I didn’t like the texture when I made this mug cake with plain flour and date/maple syrup.
You can also make a gooey chocolate version of this by using cacao or cocoa powder instead of the coconut flour!

A note on the cooking time

I find that 1 minute in my high-power microwave is just about right. Not too runny, not too dry. If your microwave is a lower power one, simply check your mug cake after one minute. Scoop out a spoonful of pudding. Too gooey for you? Microwave for another 20 seconds!

Can you make this as a ‘proper’ dessert for more than 1?

There is no reason why you can’t make this in separate ramekins (or mugs!) for more than 1 person. 
I would recommend mixing up the ingredients just before eating, however, so that the coconut flour (which is very absorbent!) doesn’t soak up too much moisture.

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 9gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 202mgPotassium: 253mgFiber: 4gSugar: 15gCalcium: 72mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know if you liked it!

Comments

  1. Melinda says

    23 Mar 22 at 2:24 pm

    5 stars
    I’m an avid mug cake maker, but I typically do the chocolate ones. This was was a lovely change, and I loved how moist and soft it was because of the coconut flour. It was like… a mushy, sweet peanut butter. Which doesn’t sound that good on paper, but it was so yummy! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Helen says

      25 Mar 22 at 9:43 am

      So happy to hear this great feedback, Melinda. I’m so glad you enjoyed it and hope it’ll become a new ‘treat emergency’ favourite! 😉

      Reply
  2. Amy says

    22 Nov 21 at 11:36 am

    5 stars
    I have literally made this for dessert every night since I fist tried out this recipe a few weeks ago. Love that it’s only 5 ingredients and it’s so unbelievably delicious! I’ve shared it with all my friends and my kids LOVE it too.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 Nov 21 at 11:22 am

      Hello Amy! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying this so much! I went through a stage where I made it every night too. My husband wasn’t a big fan of the smell as he’s not a peanut butter lover! 😉

      Reply
  3. syd says

    17 Apr 21 at 10:16 am

    5 stars
    delicious! i have never made a mug cake but this one has me converted. i used tahini instead of peanut butter (all i had) and rice milk, maple syrup. consistency was great and the tahini balanced out the sweetness nicely.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      19 Apr 21 at 9:14 am

      Hi Syd! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! I used to make one of these almost every evening. I love your idea of using tahini instead! Good to know it still works well. 🙂

      Reply
    • Jen says

      06 May 21 at 4:24 am

      5 stars
      Amazing! It’s like a super soft, warm peanut butter cookie! I’m new to a gluten free diet and this is my new fave dessert. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Helen says

        10 May 21 at 10:27 am

        Hi Jen! So glad you enjoyed it as much as I do! I guess it is a bit like a cookie – but tastes even better when you know how healthy it is… Thank you so much for the review and I’m so glad it help you with your new diet.

  4. John says

    24 Jan 21 at 3:24 am

    No baking powder ? No sea salt? Coconut Flour ? (dry sawdust). This is not cake, its heated peanut butter with coconut flour in it. Sludge. At least put a leavening agent in it.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 Jan 21 at 7:23 am

      Hi John. Did you try it? 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sarah says

    05 Jun 20 at 7:08 am

    Just made this with 1 T almond butter and an egg! YUMMY! Thank you.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      06 Jun 20 at 11:06 am

      Oooh great to hear it still works if you add an egg – thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  6. Alisha says

    19 May 20 at 5:10 am

    This really is my favourite mug cake/cookie recipe. It tastes so good and is so addictive !!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      19 May 20 at 9:34 am

      Hi Alisha. So happy you like this! I find it addictive, too. So gooey and satisfying that it’s pretty healthy!

      Reply
  7. Leanne says

    10 May 20 at 9:00 am

    5 stars
    This is by far my favorite mug cake ever! I can’t believe it doesn’t have any sugar, oil, eggs, baking powder etc. And it’s so quick and easy. I followed the recipie exactly, and it was sooo tasty I can’t wait to make it again. Although when I recorded it, it was 405 kcal opposed to what the nutrition info says (not that it mattered, but incase someone else is tacking). And let it sit for 5 minutes, easy to burn your tongue on (haha I couldn’t wait)

    Reply
    • Helen says

      11 May 20 at 9:25 am

      Hi Leanne! That’s a huge compliment – thank you! Interesting about the calories though – I’ll recalculate but 405 sounds like a lot for such a small amount of ingredients? Sometimes these things can vary according to which source you use, of course. If you like chocolate desserts, may I also suggest trying my 30-minute healthy chocolate cake? My friends tell me they can’t believe it’s a healthy cake!

      Reply
  8. Phoebe says

    05 May 20 at 7:11 pm

    This recipe was delicious, it was also very quick and easy. I enjoyed it loads and will make it again too !! I thought it was really yummy and also filled me up quickly too, the ice cream that I put on top made it even better too 🙂

    I would definitely recommend this recipe to my friends as I really enjoyed it and think they will too. Thank you for making this recipe. I really appreciate it 🙂

    Reply
    • Helen says

      06 May 20 at 8:20 am

      Hi Phoebe! Thank you so much for taking the time to review. Now you can see why I got addicted to this and made it every evening for ages!!! At least it’s healthy!

      Reply
  9. George says

    05 May 20 at 7:06 pm

    1 star
    Disappointing. I used plain flour as suggested instead of the coconut flour because I didn’t have any. I am a fan of the quick and easy mug cake desserts and wanted to try something new. The dessert is too sickly, sweet and tasted like I was eating warm peanut butter. Adding a scoop of ice-cream made the dessert just about bearable.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      06 May 20 at 8:21 am

      Hi George. It might have needed slightly longer in the microwave… or maybe this recipe just isn’t for you. Thanks for the feedback anyway.

      Reply
  10. Tracy says

    16 Apr 20 at 3:53 am

    5 stars
    Oh wow! This absolutely hit the spot tonight! My hubby thought I’d gone mad when I suggested a dessert this evening (as usually I am so good at denying myself) but he was super impressed a) by how quickly it was made and b) once he learned it was relatively healthy too, he was astounded!!
    It tasted so indulgent – yummy!
    Thanks for sharing x

    Reply
    • Helen says

      16 Apr 20 at 9:02 am

      So glad you enjoyed this, Tracy! I went through a phase of making this almost every evening. Now you’re making me crave it again! I love foods that taste indulgent but aren’t really too bad. Have you tried my 30 minute healthy chocolate cake? Ah-mazing!

      Reply
      • Tracy CLEGG says

        19 Apr 20 at 3:50 am

        No….maybe tomorrow’s project!!
        Thanks 😊

      • Helen says

        19 Apr 20 at 8:33 am

        Hi Tracy! Oh go on, make it tomorrow! What do you have to lose? 😉

  11. Patt says

    18 Aug 19 at 11:42 pm

    5 stars
    We had all the ingredients in the house–a good start–so tried it last week. I shared the recipe with a gluten-free friend, who tried it with friends and loved it, then took it to our neighbor’s for dessert that night. We all think it’s great. Easy and delicious–who wouldn’t love this?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      19 Aug 19 at 1:50 pm

      Oh this is so great to hear, Patt! Thank you so much for letting me know! So did you take the batter in a mug around to your neighbour’s raw and then cook it in their microwave? 🙂

      Reply
      • Patt Sheldon says

        20 Aug 19 at 12:34 am

        I did. I brought the mugs over before dinner, then cooked them afterwards. They came out drier, but the flavor was there. I mainly wanted to introduce them to it–they husband doesn’t eat gluten and they try to keep their 3-year old away from white sugar, etc–so it was a success. I think next time, I’d make it just before serving.

      • Helen says

        20 Aug 19 at 9:06 am

        Yes, the coconut flour would absorb quite a lot of the moisture if made too far ahead – I can add that to the recipe notes, so thank you! But what a great idea, Patt! I never thought that this could be a ‘proper’ dessert for more than 1, but why not? You could even make it in separate ramekins rather than mugs! 🙂

  12. Inga says

    11 Aug 19 at 4:08 pm

    Hi Helen,
    It sounds yummy!
    Do you think I could bake it in an oven? If so, for how long?
    Thank you very much for your recipes!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      11 Aug 19 at 6:27 pm

      Hi Inga! I haven’t tried the recipe in the oven, but I think it would work! I can’t guarantee success, but I’d try 10 to 15 minutes at 180C. Check after 10 minutes, then leave for an extra 5 minutes if it still seems REALLY gooey (a little gooey is good! You just don’t want the cake to be too dry…)

      Reply
  13. Claudia Lamascolo says

    10 Aug 19 at 11:40 pm

    5 stars
    my son loves mug cakes and being a single guy on the go so much he never has time to think about desserts except mug kind. I cant wait to show him this one he will love it thanks!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      11 Aug 19 at 6:28 pm

      Oh I really hope he does like it, Claudia. Thank you for leaving a review!

      Reply
  14. Liz says

    10 Aug 19 at 11:37 pm

    5 stars
    Me, me! I needed an emergency dessert and this yummy pb mug cake hit the spot! So easy and delicious! Thanks for the terrific recipe, Helen!!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      11 Aug 19 at 6:29 pm

      Thank you so much, Liz! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for taking the time to let me know what you thought 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY! READ MORE >>


Reader favorites

The inside of a fluffy Greek yogurt blueberry muffin on a paper liner and dark background with a light blue tea towel in front and more muffins and milk in the background.

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins (Low Sugar Recipe)

A souffle dish of easy 'magic' lemon pudding from above with a spoon in it on a marble background with lemons and a blue striped tea towel.

Easy Magic Lemon Pudding (5 ingredients, no eggs)

A stack of halloumi fries on brown paper and a blue marble platter with dips to the side

The BEST Crispy Halloumi Fries (+ Air Fryer Option)

Someone lifting a piece of crustless quiche out of a white dish

The very best crustless quiche (impossible quiche!)

A close-up of a piece of 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake or kladdkaka with a fork on baking paper.

6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake (kladdkaka)

A white dish of cooked Greek potatoes with fresh herbs on top with a spoon in it and with a blue tea towel and baking dish in the background.

The best Greek potatoes (with a video)

Popular now

A small red cast iron pot of cauliflower and potato mashed potatoes garnished with roasted cauliflower

Potato And Cauliflower Mash (Make Ahead)

Someone holding a bowl of Christmas macaroni cheese and eating it with a fork - the baking dish is in the background

Leftover turkey pasta bake with bacon and brussels sprouts

A plate of honey balsamic brussels sprouts with pine nuts and feta with a spoon in it

Honey Balsamic Brussel Sprouts With Caramelized Onions, Pine Nuts And Feta

A cup of thick hot chocolate in a brown cup with a whisk and other kitchen equipment in the foreground and background.

How to make thick Italian hot chocolate (5 minutes, 4 ingredients)

More seasonal recipes

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Posts may contain affiliate links.

Copyright ©2023, Scrummy Lane. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
Design by Pixel Me Designs