Moist, tender, decadent peanut butter cake, but in one tiny individual serving! This Peanut Butter Mug Cake satisfies your sweet tooth and is ready in just 3 minutes.
If you’re vegan and craving a mug cake, you’re in business! But if you’re not vegan and just don’t have many ingredients on hand, don’t want to divide an egg up in a weird way, and want a mug cake without eggs or dairy that’s going to blow your socks off, this peanut butter mug cake is for YOU, too!
Because trust me – this peanut butter mug cake is plenty moist, decadent, and just plain delicious without the egg, cow’s milk, or butter. (Kind of perfect for when you’re short on groceries, too!)
Table of Contents
- How I Created This Recipe
- Peanut Butter Mug Cake Ingredients
- Recipe Variations & Adaptations
- How to Make PB Mug Cake
- More Cake Recipes without Milk or Egg
How I Created This Recipe
I adapted my recipe from this non-vegan one on Kirbie Cravings, swapping out the dairy milk for almond milk and replacing the sugar with pure maple syrup. Other than that, the biggest change I made was to cut the recipe in half – I found that this version produces just enough mug cake to satisfy my sweet tooth without feeling like I’ve just eaten way too much cake.
This vegan mug cake fits perfectly into my Fiestaware teacups, so I actually like to call it “teacup cake.” Except this cake is not dainty, my friends. Especially with a bit of chocolate sprinkled on top. It’s actually kind of pure grubbin’.
Peanut Butter Mug Cake Ingredients
- Peanut butter – I like to use creamy PB for this mug cake, but you can use crunchy. I suggest salted peanut butter, but if you only have unsalted, make up for that by adding a tiny pinch of salt to your mug cake.
- Flour – I use all-purpose flour usually, but you can use white whole wheat flour or your favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Milk – I like unsweetened almond milk or oat milk.
- Pure maple syrup – A touch of sweetness. This is a one-serving decadent cake, after all!
- Baking powder – Just a tiny bit to help it rise!
- Vanilla – Optional, but recommended!
- Chocolate chips or chunks – Choose dairy-free if necessary. These are optional too, but if you like chocolate with your peanut butter, go for it.
Recipe Variations & Adaptations
- To make it gluten-free, just swap in a GF one-to-one flour blend. Readers have also shared that they have used oat flour with success.
- For an almond butter or sunflower butter mug cake, just swap the PB out and add your favorite nut/seed butter instead.
- For a lower sugar recipe, one reader reported substituting in stevia with success.
How to Make PB Mug Cake
Mix it all together in your mug and microwave it! If you know your microwave runs hot/cooks fast, check it after 30 seconds. Otherwise, go for 45-60 and cook it JUST until the top bounces back after poking it.
Top with chocolate chips, if you like. And enjoy your peanut butter mug cake!
More Cake Recipes without Milk or Egg
- If you’ve got a serious chocolate craving, try this Double Chocolate Mint Mug Cake. So good!
- Looking to feed a crowd? Try this rich and decadent Dairy-Free and Vegan Chocolate Cake.
- This Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake is tender and moist and will convince you that you never need to go back to non-vegan cakes.
Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free chocolate chunks (optional)
Equipment
- 1 small microwave-safe mug
- 1 spoon
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the chocolate chips (if using) to an 8-ounce or larger microwave-safe mug. Use a fork to stir together until combined. If the batter is so thick that the lump of batter clings to the spoon when you lift it, splash in a little more milk just until it is thin enough to stay in the mug.
- Microwave on high until the cake has risen and springs back slightly when you poke it, 45-60 seconds. If you have a microwave that runs especially hot/cooks fast, check it after 30 seconds. If it's not done after 60 seconds, try cooking in 15-second intervals until done but be sure not to overcook or it can end up dry and crumbly. (To bake in the oven, heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and place batter in an oven-safe ramekin or oven-safe mug. Bake until domed and the top springs back when you poke it, 15-20 minutes. )
- Top with chocolate chips or chunks if desired and enjoy right away.
Notes
Substitutions:
- Flour – Can substitute white whole wheat flour or your favorite gluten-free flour blend
- Peanut butter – Can sub crunchy or unsalted (just compensate for unsalted with a tiny pinch of fine-grain salt)
- Milk – Can substitute oat milk, unsweetened soy milk, or dairy milk for a non-vegan version
- Pure maple syrup – Can substitute granulated sugar or brown sugar. You can also sub in honey, just keep in mind that honey is not vegan.
- Chocolate chunks – You can use chocolate chips too.
This is information I do NOT need!! 😉
This looks AWESOME! I have to give this recipe a try 😉
Beeeeep!!! That’s my microwave going. I’m gonna be all over this mug cake when I get home from work!
I can’t believe this! Definitely going to make this for dessert tonight. Brilliant!
oooh, I seriously cannot wait to try this! I have not made a mug cake in YEARS, since eggs. you do not know how excited I am…
Oh my goodness, I just ate breakfast but now I’m ready for dessert! haha 🙂
Yum! I love anything peanut butter. Especially when it is single serve!
LOVE!!! I’ve done the cakes in a mug (have a chocolate one and lemon one on my blog), but never PB. It’s SOOOOO good. Thank you!
Is it possible to bake this in oven instead? If so, any temperature and time?
Hi Daphne, I’ve not tried it in the oven, so I’m not sure! A wild guess would be perhaps 350 for 6-7 minutes? But make sure you have an oven-safe mug.
Hi Daphne, I’ve now tested this in the oven and it works great! My wild guess was wildly off; it takes much longer to bake than 6-7 minutes. The recipe directions have been updated with instructions for the oven!
Having this now with vegan chocolate ice cream. PERFECT. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Absolutely brilliant! Can’t wait to try!
I knew it was only a matter of time when I saw this post…I finally tried it out this week and it was awesome! Exactly what I needed for my sweet tooth attack. 🙂
Thanks so much!
Oh wow – that was amazing. Tho not a good discovery when I’m trying to lose weight. I actually added the choc chips to the batter and baked them in there for a bit of a chocolatey experience. Soooo good! I’m thinking maybe a spot of cocoa powder next time? Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you liked it! Yeah, I’m on the losing weight train too. But I figure you’ve still gotta treat that sweet tooth every once in awhile, and this mug cake is nice and small, so that helps. Justification … that’s what got me here in the first place! 😉 Let me know how the cocoa powder works – sounds divine!
If you add a tablespoon of cocoa powder and an extra tablespoon of milk, this is the best mug cake I’ve ever tasted!
Perfect size to curb the sweet craving! I’ve also used sunflower seed butter and almond butter. Since they are all refrigerated, I’ve found that microwaving the nut butter just a bit to soften it (before adding the remaining ingredients) makes mixing a breeze. All types are fantastic. Thank you!
I just made this with water and not milk, bicarb soda not baking powder, and stevia rather than syrup/sugar… what can I say I need to go baking shopping. All the same it tasted good 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Hey,
I’ve tried countless amounts of mug cakes and all of them have either been fowl tasting or very dense and rubbery. But, I was on a mission to find one that worked and this was it! It light and fluffy, tasted like heaven in a cup! I added cacao nibs and Cadbury chocolate on top and basically inhaled this. Thank you so much for the recipe that finally works (for me anyway ;))
Oh my ! just tried it ! love it !
xxx
Thus was yummy! It was fudge at 60 seconds, just how I like my mug cakes! I did pour a little extra maple syrup over the top though, since I didn’t have any chocolate and it needed a little jazzing up. Also, maple & pb is a great combo!
So glad you liked it! Definitely – make it your own! 🙂
This mug cake recipe is dangerous! I just stumbled upon it about a week ago and I hate to say it, but I’ve already enjoyed it several times. It’s just so good and really does the trick if you’re in the mood for something sweet, which I always am!
How many calories is in this mug cake?
Eating this now… cut the recipe in half so I could feel better about dousing it in chocolate chips… Its amazing!!!!!
I made this mug cake for breakfast yesterday and although it tasted very good, the texture was off: it was very crumbly and did not hold together like a cake should. Any idea what I did wrong? I microwaved it for 60 seconds as specified in the recipe but maybe it was too long?
Microwaves can vary so perhaps check it after 30 seconds next time? Perhaps try a bit more peanut butter. Though moist, this recipe is slightly more crumbly than your typical cake recipe – like, you probably couldn’t flip it out and frost it or anything. 🙂 It still satisfies my cake cravings in a pinch though! 🙂
Do you possibly know how many calories this is? I just ate one and I want to make another one cause it’s so good!!
Oh man, I am so so obsessed with this recipe. I don’t even want to tell you how many of these I’ve had during exam period! Thank you!
Soo nice!!! AMAZING!!! 10 out of 10!! 100 STARS!!! GREAT!!
Amazing! I doubled the ingrediants and it was soo good mircowaved it for 1min 20 secs and it was perfect [maybe because i smothered it with dark chocolate!]
I made this using hemp milk because that is what I usually have on hand. I do 75 seconds in the microwave and it turns out perfectly. I’ve made this three times — all three times without any chocolate and I have to say, its pretty good without it. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
This is SO AMAZING. Thank you! I used cashew milk instead of almond because that’s what was here and came out great!
Super yummy! I love to add bananas on top ?
Thanks for this recipe. Have waited for a long time to try it. I put half the batter in the mug, topped with chocolate chips and mini (vegan) marshamallows, then the rest of the batter. Topped the baked cake with banana/peanut butter ice cream (just bananas and peanut butter) and it was absolutely amazing! Agree with everyone else – just great to have one serving to get a fix!
Whoa! That sounds over-the-top delicious. 🙂
That sounds crazy good! ???
This really hit the spot! Delicious! I didn’t have chocolate chips, so I used the chocolate syrup I had on hand. Killed that cake craving quick fast!
Thanks!
Mine turned into crumble and I threw it out cause it wasn’t worth the calories ): Maybe my peanut butter wasn’t creamy enough?
Ahh, bummer! I make mine with natural PB and it’s always fine. Maybe try cooking for less time if you try it again?
Amazeballs. For real! So easy that it could be a problem for me….. I used Larabar chocolate cashew almond butter and omitted the maple because the nut butter is sweetened already. Perfection. I may make one in the morning to have with some coffee, yummm. Thank you…..today, but I may curse you if my scale starts creeping up ?
Yes, there have been times when I wish I hadn’t started making these – lol! And I need that nut butter in my life STAT – sounds insane!
I realize this recipe has been available for quite some time but I only recently stumbled across it. This is now my go-to treat for whenever I feel like I need a bit of extra sweetness in my life. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you like it! 🙂
So quick and easy! My attempt looks like the photos. The only thing is that its quite dry and sticky in my mouth, maybe I did it too long or it might be the peanut butter? Would be really nice with a sauce/vegan ice cream like suggested below 🙂 Thanks for the recipe! <3
Yes, try cooking it for less time next time, over-cooking can dry it out. 🙂
So yummy and simple. I have allergies to milk egg and soy. When I have dessert for guests it’s really nice to have a single serve dessert for me too.
Best mug cake I’ve ever made, they usually turn out dry and rubbery but this one is soft and fluffy. I’m always hesitant when making things in the microwave but this is a definite yes! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yay, so glad you like it! 🙂
My cake was really crumbly….? Help!
Try cooking it for less time.
Yum! This is going to be a regular in my house. I used everything on the list except the flour and peanut butter– whole-wheat pastry flour worked just fine but I also used PB2 peanut butter powder and just reconstituted it with some water. Cuts a lot of calories that way and as a bonus, it’s easier to stir 🙂 Came out nice and chewy, like a cake form of a peanut butter cookie. I nuked it for 1:45 and put about 2 tbsp of chocolate chips on top, it got nice and molten because I’m impatient lol. Next time I’ll wait for it to cool and add some chopped peanut on top too.
Delicious!!
I’ve just tried the recipe with gluten free flour…it didn’t really cook…didn’t rise, just looks like raw cookie dough…disappointed..:(
This was absolutely delicious!! My new favorite treat!!
Best mug cake i’ve had! And also I think the healthiest
Very yummy! Glad gave it a try, will be making this again! Thx
OMG!
I didn’t have any type of milk at hand, so I just use water
Normally if I do this the cake just taste terrible even thou the texture is fine
but this recipe wow me!
(having a fresh outta the microwave AWESOME vegan peanut butter cake added chocolate syrup!)
Also I used crunchy instead of smooth, because I like the crunchyness rather than plain old smooth
So glad to know that water works too! And happy you like the recipe 🙂
i LOVE this recipe! i make it all the time! thank you so much!
I’m so glad you like it! 🙂
I just recently began eating a plant based diet and have been looking for yummy vegan recipes. This dessert was quick and easy to make and tastes amazing! I just added some dairy free vanilla ice cream and BAM…heaven in a mug. Thank you so much!
Dairy-free vanilla ice cream just makes it doesn’t it?! I love it that way too. 🙂
I am not a fan of peanut butter, is there something that I could substitute?
I’ve tried it with almond butter – I didn’t like it quite as well, but it’s doable!
Ok great! Thanks very much Kare, I’ll give it a go 🙂
Did not rise. Dry and crumbly. Definitely good if your desperate but won’t make again. Probably try another version to see what went wrong. Good idea though!
That’s definitely not how it’s supposed to be. Did you happen to substitute any ingredients? I’d love to try to help you troubleshoot.
Same here and it tastes awful…but I added about 2x’s almond milk and topped it with chocolate, and added a minute to cook and it’s much better.
To be fair, I substituted with agave and coconut flour