A delicious one minute chocolate brownie in a mug cake that bakes up in your microwave. Enjoy this simple low carb keto brownie recipe for a quick snack.
You may have noticed the lack of sweet recipes recently. Well, I’m trying to cut back on them.
The problem with the sweet recipes is that typically I’m the only one who eats them unless my parents stop by for a visit.
My husband and kids do not follow a low carb diet.
Although my son will eat just about anything, he is away at college so he isn’t home to eat the leftovers.
So, I usually end up eating the whole recipe over a week or so by myself.
When possible, I do freeze leftovers in individual servings, but you can only shove so many low carb treats in the freezer.
I have never been big into the mug cakes, but I do love the idea of baking for only one.
For my birthday this year, I came up with a single serving microwave baked birthday cake.
It was a great way to enjoy a celebratory cake without overdoing it. In fact, that little cake ended up being four treats for me as it was such a filling cake.
Lately, I’ve been craving chocolate. Most of the time, I just pick up a few Lily’s bars at a local grocery store.
Last week, I decided to try baking a low carb one minute chocolate brownie in the microwave.
I had some Sukrin Fiber Syrup Gold in the pantry and chose to make it with that. I tried it later with regular granular Sukrin:1 and that worked just as well.
However, as you would expect, the one made with the syrup was not as crumbly. But, if you add an egg, the brownie will hold together better.
To make this quick little low carb one minute chocolate brownie in a mug cake, you start out by melting a little coconut oil with the fiber syrup or granular sweetener.
It only takes about 15 seconds or less for the coconut oil to melt into a liquid. Then, you add the rest of the ingredients to make the thick brownie batter.
I found that it works best if you combine the dry ingredients first. But you don’t have to if you’d rather not dirty another dish.
I like using dark cocoa, but you can use whatever cocoa you prefer. If you like a really moist fudgy brownie, you’ll want to undercook it.
Fully cooking the one minute chocolate brownie batter in the microwave for about a minute or more results in more of a mug cake texture.
This ends up being a rather large one minute keto brownie in a mug. You can certainly eat the whole thing if you’d like.
I’d rather eat half and save the other half for later. It also ends up being better with respect to carbs/serving if you split the brownie into two servings.
You can enjoy this one minute chocolate brownie plain right out of the microwave.
However, I like to top the warm brownie with a little sugar free whipped cream from my whipped cream dispenser.
This easy brownie in a mug cake is a low carb treat that you can easily whip up any time a snack craving hits you.
It’s so easy that it’s almost as simple as ripping open an unhealthy Little Debbie snack cake which is what my husband does to satisfy his snack cravings.
The net carbs are about same regardless of whether you use a fiber syrup or erythritol based granular sweetener. But, using the granular sweetener is likely better.
Some people have reported that they are sensitive to the carbs in the Isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO) based fiber syrups.
So, you may want to test your blood glucose levels to make sure this sweetener doesn’t cause insulin spikes for you.
Although they don’t seem to bother me, I use the fiber syrups in moderation.
Even though these fiber carbs are said to be negligible, I don’t like taking in more than I have to.
Here’s how to make the brownie using a low carb fiber syrup:
One Minute Chocolate Brownie in a Mug Cake Recipe
The following video shows how to make the keto chocolate brownie mug cake with egg and granular sweetener:
One Minute Chocolate Brownie in a Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon Sukrin Gold Fiber Syrup see note
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey's Dark
- 2 teaspoons coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream more or less
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil and sweetener in microwave for about 15 seconds.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add mixed dry ingredients (cocoa powder, coconut flour, and baking powder)
- Stir in heavy cream until thick brownie batter forms.
- Microwave anywhere from 30-90 seconds to texture desired (less for fudgy brownies, longer time for cake-like)
- Serve warm topped with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Additional Info
- Net Carbs 4g
- % Carbs: 21.6%
- % Protein: 5.4%
- % Fat: 73%
Need Support?
Get a FREE 3-Day Keto Meal Plan or join the Low Carb Yum Facebook Group for help with recipes and weight loss support!
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Yuri Pereira Teixeira says
May 21, 2019 at 12:35 pmAs a very frustrated lowcarb/keto recipe “research” I gotta say: best baking recipe I tried so far (and so simple at the same time). Thank you very much!
Lisa MarcAurele says
May 22, 2019 at 6:12 amI’m glad this simple chocolate mug cake worked out for you!
Michelle says
February 11, 2019 at 7:40 pmThe egg was left out of the written recipe.
Lisa MarcAurele says
February 12, 2019 at 7:02 amThere’s 2 versions of the recipe. One uses egg and granular sweetener. The other has no egg and uses a syrup sweetener.
Robyn says
November 10, 2018 at 9:42 amHi Lisa, thanks for your time and effort on this blog, it’s great!
Can I swap out the 1 TBSP of fibre syrup for an equal 1 TBSP erythritol, but just add an egg. I think is what you mean, right?
Lisa says
November 10, 2018 at 10:02 amThe egg isn’t needed if using fiber syrup.
Marilyn says
October 26, 2018 at 3:19 pmI saw a keto friendly biscotti recipe and thought i saved it but now cant find it. Can you resend
Lisa says
October 27, 2018 at 7:13 amI have a cranberry almond one at https://lowcarbyum.com/cranberry-almond-biscotti-cookies-gluten-free/ and a chocolate one at https://lowcarbyum.com/gluten-free-chocolate-biscotti/
Pat Holmblad says
September 8, 2018 at 12:32 pmCan I use almond flour instead?
Same flavor?
Thanks , PAT
Lisa says
September 9, 2018 at 8:53 amYou may have to make some other adjustments and the amount would be different.
Angella Kurkova says
October 18, 2018 at 3:18 pmI used almond flour still tasted pretty good.
Terri Iverson says
September 3, 2018 at 1:33 pmIt would be helpful, I think if you mentioned what size mug or ramekin you use.
Lisa says
September 3, 2018 at 4:02 pmI’ve made this in various sizes (the timing of the microwave can vary with both ramekin size and microwave). Typically, I use a 3.5 inch diameter ramekin.
Laurie says
March 19, 2019 at 2:28 pmHi! I used baking soda instead of baking powder so gross!! The video says to use baking soda!!!
Lisa MarcAurele says
March 19, 2019 at 7:40 pmYou can, but the amount is slightly different.
Wendy says
September 1, 2018 at 11:59 pmCould you please give the SUGAR equivalent so that I can make the calculations for my sweetener? Some are not measured cup for cup or tablespoon for tablespoon. Thanks
Lisa says
September 2, 2018 at 6:43 amThe 1 tablespoon fiber syrup or sweetener would be equivalent to 1 tablespoon sugar.
Katerina says
August 18, 2018 at 12:38 amI just made this as a keto chocolate dessert and it was DELICIOUS!
I substituted 1 tbsp of protein powder for the sweetener and added 1tbsp of water.
45 seconds later, some whipped cream with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice mix… mmmmm So good!
Lisa says
August 19, 2018 at 7:35 amThanks for sharing that! I bet the protein powder made it a bit lighter.
Tina says
June 8, 2018 at 6:17 pmI just tried this mug cake and it is phenomenal! Super rich. I like my brownies more on the fudgy side so 45 seconds was perfect! Will definitely make this 1000x over again!
Lisa says
June 10, 2018 at 10:13 amThanks for sharing your experience with the recipe Tina. I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownie!
Karen Aicken says
May 9, 2018 at 6:52 pmThank you so much for this recipe! I have been having issues with almond flour so was happy to see there wasn’t any in this recipe. I’d never heard of the syrup before so I appreciate you giving an alternate. I used Swerve and an Egg and it was absolutely delicious. Topped with whipped cream, it was even better. Trying very hard not to eat that second serving right away – but now I have a treat for tomorrow too.
Lisa says
May 10, 2018 at 6:43 amI’m glad you enjoyed this little treat!
Michelle says
May 3, 2018 at 7:28 pmI just made these for my non-low-carb daughter and me. We both absolutely loved this! I used the Trim Healthy Momma sweetener with an egg. It’s definitely the closest thing I’ve had to a chocolate cake. Next time I want to make the buttercream frosting to go with it. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Kristen says
April 19, 2018 at 12:34 amI just made this and it was by far the best low carb version a mug brownieI’ve made. More brownie like consistency than any other and better tasting. Thank you!!! It’ll be a go-to for when I need that little chocolate fix.
Leslie says
March 17, 2018 at 11:28 pmI added a square of the 85% dark chocolate you buy in bulk from Sprouts and it was very good and a surprise in the center. Poured 2 T heavy cream on top and enjoyed it so much! Thank you!
Rita Dalton says
March 3, 2018 at 11:43 amJust made this using coconut sugar and an egg as substitute for the syrup and single cream rather than double cream as that’s all I had in. OMG it really satisfied a chocolate craving, but wasn’t too sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Natalie says
February 27, 2018 at 7:49 pmI really liked this recipe. I used morena cane sugar and an egg. It was great! Made my own whip cream and just loved it!
Christine says
February 8, 2018 at 8:13 pmI hate cake. I don’t like muffins either. Never have. I LOVED this.
I didn’t have everything on hand, so I made the following substitutions: I used almond flour in place of coconut, and added a bit extra because I wanted generous portions for two.. I used sola sweetener. I reduced the amount to about a tsp. I added an egg, and I used butter in place of coconut oil. 90 seconds in the microwave.
My husband and I split this on date night. It’s a game changer. I’ve been fighting the urge to eat something carb heavy all day, and this more than satisfied that.
Lisa says
February 9, 2018 at 6:37 amThanks for sharing your subs! Glad it worked out.
Nicole says
January 26, 2018 at 11:11 pmI ran the ingredients in a recipe nutrition calculator and it came out double what your nutrition label indicates. Why is that?
Lisa says
January 27, 2018 at 5:37 amUpdated the data with the results from a more accurate calculator.
Alicia says
January 24, 2018 at 1:35 pmhi,
I was wondering for someone who doesn’t fancy using microwaves if this could be baked instead..
Lisa says
January 24, 2018 at 2:43 pmIt can, but I don’t have the baking time. I’d suggest setting the oven for 325-350F and testing for doneness.
Joanne says
January 10, 2018 at 1:47 pmThis was amazing! I used an egg and sweetener, and butter instead of coconut oil. I Cooked it for one minute and the texture was perfect.
I wonder if I can make it X6 or so into a cake that I can bake in the oven for a birthday. Any ideas on how I would adapt it?
Thanks!
Lisa says
January 10, 2018 at 6:39 pmIt should work in a larger size, but you’d have to adjust the baking time.
CARolina says
December 25, 2017 at 3:44 amI just made a mug cake with 2 tablespoons coconut flour ,three tablespoons of xylitol , 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder , 2 teaspoons of raw cacao powder , 2 table spoons of heavy cream and one egg. 90 seconds in microwave and whooped cream on top after it cooled . Amazing!
Lisa says
December 25, 2017 at 5:40 amThanks for sharing!
Lunchie says
September 20, 2017 at 5:07 amLiterally, the *best* low carb mug brownie I have had to date! I’ve tried it with three different variations, but the most functional variation was to substitute sugar free maple syrup(I used ‘Nature’s Hollow’ brand) for the fiber syrup. It appears to need a ‘syrup-like’ addition to make the mix come together better. I also tripled the coconut oil, as I both wanted to up the fats and make it richer. The texture was like an under-done brownie(which I wanted), and souffle-like on top after 30 seconds in my microwave.
In case anyone wants to try this the way I made it,(tripling the coconut oil and substituting the sweetener with Sugar Free Maple Syrup and several drops of liquid Stevia) here are the macros for my version:
6.75carbs, 16 fat, 1.3 protein
Thank you so, so much for this recipe!! I plan on making it again and again!
Lisa says
September 20, 2017 at 5:52 amThanks for the notes on the recipe. I’ve seen the Nature’s Hollow syrup, but haven’t given it a try. But, I’m definitely going to try tripling the coconut oil next time.
Heather says
September 15, 2017 at 3:51 amI want to make this for a conworker, can I mix all the ongedeants together put a lid on it (have it in a lunch paid w ice) and the. Microwave it when it’s ready?
Lisa says
September 15, 2017 at 6:22 amYou might want to separate the coconut flour and add it in just before cooking. Otherwise, it should be fine.
Brynne Edwards says
June 22, 2017 at 8:28 pmI was just tearing my kitchen apart looking for something BAD! Not sure where this craving came from but I stopped, googled this and YES! Omg! Just what I needed. Followed recipe as directed with the sweetener and an egg, 90 seconds in a large Ramekin and…. perfection! Thank you so much!
Lisa says
June 23, 2017 at 8:29 amGlad you were able to satisfy the craving without eating something really bad!
Connor says
June 22, 2017 at 1:34 amI replaced the syrup with organic honey so there are about 17 more carbs but it still tastes great!
Lisa says
June 22, 2017 at 6:26 amHoney is very similar to the syrup so it should be just about the same other than the added carbs.
Rachel says
May 17, 2017 at 8:05 pmThis was so great! I doubled the vanilla and used an egg with one tbls of granulated sweetner and omitted the baking powder (because I don’t have any right now!) I really wanted a chocolate treat and this hit the spot. Thank you!!!
Lisa says
May 18, 2017 at 5:27 amThanks for sharing how it worked out for you!
Barbara says
April 27, 2017 at 2:25 pmI love this recipe!! Turns out perfect everytime! We use 1 egg & sweetener making it now,LOL
Thank you!
Lisa says
April 27, 2017 at 9:48 pmIt does come out much better with the added egg.
SIUE Teacher says
April 13, 2017 at 7:19 pmHow much Swerve should I use? I tablespoon? Please help thanks
Lisa says
April 13, 2017 at 7:26 pmIt would be the same, 1 tablespoon. And, it helps to add in an egg if not using the syrup.
Alissa says
March 13, 2017 at 12:20 pmDoes this recipe taste like a regular mug cake or no? Terrified of making more chocolate dessert because of my epic failure brownies. We couldn’t even swollen them they were that awful!
Lisa says
March 13, 2017 at 7:00 pmI found it more like a brownie. You may want to add a bit more oil if you don’t want to use the syrup.
Jacob says
April 26, 2017 at 10:20 pmNo mine turned out horrible. Will not use this recipe again. I had to keep cooking it to try and get it solid. It over ran out of my large coffee mugs and then left about 1/2 of the mug with the brownie in it. It was still wet and runny after 3.5 mins of microwave and my microwave was filthy from the over run. Next time I will throw an egg in my re iOS so I know it will turn into a
Good solid treat.
Lisa says
April 27, 2017 at 1:13 pmThis recipe works best with an egg if you aren’t using the fiber syrup sweetener. I’ve never had an issue with it cooking. There must be a difference in ingredients.
Frances says
May 8, 2017 at 5:03 pmI have looked for a mug cake or brownie that would taste real and I tried this but it was bitter so I changed a few things and it came out wonderful every time. It taste same as brownie and turn out same every time I have made it which is a lot. I put (1) teaspoon coconut oil ,1/2 teaspoon butter and (1) tablespoon Sukrin gold fiber syrup in mug and heated in microwave 17 seconds to melt. I then added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and more sweetener to your taste ( I added 7 Splenda packets) and mixed well. I then added my 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, 1 1/2 tablespoon cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda ,2 teaspoons almond flour and mixed really good. I put in microwave 67 seconds and then let cool for a few mins. Very very good.
Lisa says
May 8, 2017 at 5:55 pmThanks for sharing! I may add something in the notes to check out the comments so others don’t miss this. I’ll give it a try too!
Janet says
March 4, 2017 at 5:22 pmI made this Mug cake without the syrup because I didn’t have any and with 2 TBSP whole milk instead of the cream. I cooked it about 70 seconds – It only rose about 2 inches but was moist and delicious. Just what I needed to fix that craving. I ate the whole thing.
Lisa says
March 4, 2017 at 5:54 pmI like the moist and delicious part!
Lisa says
March 2, 2017 at 3:04 pmHi Lisa,
I made this mug cake today and it was great! I have tried quite a few and they were close to horrible. I did use the coconut flour and I used 1 tablespoon of Swerve (Erythitol). It was not crumbly at all. I may use a little bit more coconut oil next time, but we will see if that makes any difference in texture. I put a bit of whipped cream on top. Very happy!
Lisa says
March 3, 2017 at 4:25 pmI find Swerve does work a bit better than the stevia based bulk sweeteners.
Cara says
April 14, 2018 at 2:50 pmI have swerve confectioners. Mine was not very sweet at all but the texture was good. Would this make a difference
Lisa says
April 14, 2018 at 5:38 pmI find sweetness to be a personal preference. You can always add a little more next time.
Kelly says
February 12, 2017 at 4:44 amMade this exactly as you outlined. I didn’t have the syrup you used so used some sugar free maple flavoured syrup instead. It was so good, my perfect mug cake search is finally over. I cooked for 45 seconds. Thank you for your effort to share your recipes. Much appreciated!
Lisa says
February 12, 2017 at 7:39 amI was wondering if it would work with low carb pancake syrup. I’ll have to try that as it would be lower in carbs if using Walden Farms maple flavored syrup or a homemade version.
Cathyo says
January 7, 2017 at 2:21 pmI doubled coconut oil to 1 tsp, cut Special Dark Hershey’s to 1 Tbsp, , used 1Tbsp Stevia in the Raw, and a couple drops of liquid sucralose. Cooked for 50 seconds and it was crumbly, but the flavor was divine….especially with a bit of whipped cream. I’ll try 40 seconds next time. Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa says
January 7, 2017 at 2:55 pmThanks for the info!
Machelle says
October 7, 2016 at 6:42 pmI doubled the coconut oil, vanilla and splenda. It was great. Best tasting mug cake. It was crumbly. I may add 1/4 to 1/2 egg next time. I love the taste.
Lisa says
October 8, 2016 at 6:58 amThanks for letting us know how you made the recipe and how it turned out!
judy says
August 24, 2016 at 8:49 amcan another type of oil be substituted for the coconut oil such as olive oil or canola oil. also can another type of flour be substituted such as almond flour or oat flour
Lisa says
August 24, 2016 at 11:54 amYou can use another oil, but other changes may be needed if you sub the flour.
Rachel says
January 27, 2017 at 1:01 amI subbed the coconut flour for almond flour because that was all I had. Measure for measure it was 8 tbsp of almond flour and it turned out great!
Lisa says
January 27, 2017 at 5:03 amGood to know!
Marcia Wilcox says
July 28, 2016 at 5:04 pmHey, Lisa, thanks for all the awesome recipes! I love this site! However, you may want to look at this study: http://easacademy.org/trainer-resources/article/isomalto-oligosaccharides
It says in a nutshell that IMO’s do indeed get digested like carbs, so if a low-carb dieter uses Sukrin a lot, they might want to know that. I’ve had good luck with erythritol, the main drawbacks being that it needs a sweetness-boost (I use stevia) and it has that sort of cooling effect which doesn’t bother me but might bother some. At least it doesn’t cause me gastric distress like some low-carb sweeteners!
Lisa says
July 29, 2016 at 7:22 amI have known about the IMO carb issue. That’s why I only use very small amounts now. It’s too bad because I used to love Quest bars but rarely eat them now.
Kaylyn says
March 26, 2016 at 9:44 pmWow! I just found a new favorite mug cake recipe! I used 2 tbsp of Swerve for the sweetener (which might have been a little too much, but I have a big sweet tooth). I threw in some Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips and topped it with a cream cheese frosting. So good! Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa says
March 27, 2016 at 7:25 amThe addition of chocolate chips certainly helps with any dryness issues. Great idea!
Denise Sowles says
March 1, 2016 at 7:52 pmWe couldn’t eat this either despite several attempts. Didn’t have that syrup so used a couple different sweetners and added more coconut oil. I used regular cocoa the second time and it was still very bitter and every batch was dry and gritty. It sounds so good I’m willing to do some more experimenting – that’s another benefit to mug cake recipes. If it fails you aren’t wasting a ton of ingredients.
Lisa says
March 1, 2016 at 7:58 pmI need to rework this one with more common ingredients. It was great with the syrup. You can drop a piece of low carb chocolate in it for a molten treat. That may help.
Chanell says
January 12, 2016 at 8:11 pmMine turned out with perfect texture, but it is not edible 🙁 Any idea why it would be super bitter?
Lisa says
January 13, 2016 at 5:40 amYou may just prefer it a little sweeter. I’d add a few drops of stevia liquid or a little more of your preferred sweetener.
Linda says
November 10, 2015 at 11:29 amI had the same problem as Stef. Perhaps an egg needs to be added?
Lisa says
November 10, 2015 at 3:01 pmAre you using the fiber syrup or granular sweetener? I’ve made this several times with the syrup and it’s very good. With the granular, it more crumbly. I’m going to work on this recipe a little more and post an update with how to get better results. I’ll try an egg, but I’m thinking a little glycerin may also help since the syrup works better.
Sara says
April 5, 2017 at 11:42 pmHi, I made your recipe. I used granular erythritol and it was just all crumbly so I added 1 large egg and whipped everything up together. I microwaved for 1 minute and it was perfect. I put a little cream on top to cool it down. Probably would have been fine at 45 minutes too.
Lisa says
April 6, 2017 at 8:19 amEgg will hold it together if you don’t use the fiber syrup.
Stef says
November 6, 2015 at 11:10 amI decided to make this to bring to work for my afternoon snack. I followed the recipe exactly, however, the final mixture was VERY dry, and even after adding more cream, it was still crumbly dry. I stopped at about 2.5T cream thinking that perhaps I just needed to cook it, but it came out all crumbly. I didn’t use the fiber syrup, but instead used 1.5t of an erythritol/stevia mixture, and hershey’s dark cocoa. It’s still yummy and I’m still going to eat it, but wonder if I should have continued adding cream until the mix was more gooey?
Lisa says
November 6, 2015 at 4:14 pmThe batter should be very thick. You don’t want to add too much cream. Since you used a smaller amount of sweetener, it would be better to add a little more coconut oil or butter to the batter rather than cream for bulk. Also, cooking time is a factor. The shorter time, the denser it should be.