Vegan Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Vegan peanut butter mug cake is a delicious, fluffy, and decadent cake that is perfect for an untimely sugar craving! It takes only three minutes to make this delicious cake! It is vegan, healthy, and super flavorsome. Try this at home now, and I bet it will leave you addicted. It is one of the easiest recipes that you will ever try in your life, and it will bring an instant smile to your face every time you make it!

What is a vegan mug cake?

Before we get to the vegan part, let us talk about the mug cake first. In simple words, a mug cake is a cake made in a mug that you can cook in a microwave and enjoy pretty much at any time of the day. It is a very popular way of enjoying the single-serving of cake.

Let's try it this way. You live alone, and suddenly in the middle of the night, you wake up with this intense craving for something sweet like a cake. What are you going to do? You can’t order a whole cake, can you? And there is no way you are going to the nearest bakery to buy one for yourself. So, what is the solution? Going back to sleep and being disappointed? Or you can go to the kitchen, take a mug, add all the ingredients, cook it in the microwave and enjoy! Now that’s a convincing ending, isn’t it?

Mug cakes have gained immense popularity over the years and the main reason behind this is the fact that these are super easy and quick to make. Furthermore, you don't have to indulge in extensive preparation and cooking techniques. No pans, pots, electric mixer required at all. All you need is a mug, the ingredients, a fork to mix everything, and a microwave to cook it.

Furthermore, there are so many different recipes you can try! Mug cakes are versatile and highly customizable. You can play with different flavors to create amazing mug cakes.

Now, the main components of a mug cake are the same as that of a simple cake. You need flour, baking powder, milk, egg, sugar, and flavoring (chocolate, vanilla, etc.). It is a simple process that takes no more than 5 minutes.

Now, let’s bring in the word vegan! We all know what vegan is, right? It is a way of lifestyle that is free from any animal products. This also includes a purely plant-based diet, which is mostly healthy as well. The general conception, or should I say misconception, is that you have a restricted diet when you are a vegan, and you can’t enjoy your favorite dishes or flavors. The same goes for mug cakes since it uses milk and eggs. But hey! It is not true at all! Being vegan simply means you substitute the dairy and egg products with plant-based options. That's it! You can enjoy every single dish in its vegan version. I see that smirk! It’s worth it!

So, for this delicious vegan, healthy peanut butter mug cake, we are going to use plant-based milk and no eggs. This change of ingredients won't have any effect on the final outcome. The cake will be fluffy and utterly delicious. A perfect treat for your sugar craving!

Ingredient breakdown

Making a peanut butter mug cake without egg is super easy. You don’t need fancy ingredients. The ingredients in use are pretty basic and always available in the kitchen pantry. Here is a detailed review of all the ingredients and their potential substitutes for this mug cake:

Flour: The first ingredient for making this vegan peanut butter mug cake is flour. For this recipe, I have used all-purpose flour. That's because we all have it in our homes, right? However, if you don't want to use all-purpose flour or you don't have it, you can use whole wheat flour or any gluten-free flour as well.
Peanut butter: Now, we can’t make a peanut butter mug cake without peanut butter, can we? So, it is the star of our recipe. Although I have used smooth peanut butter, you can also use chunky peanut butter. It will add more texture to the mug cake.
Almond milk: Since it is a vegan recipe, we are not going to use any dairy products. Instead, we are using almond milk. I love its slightly sweet and nutty flavor. If you don’t have almond milk available, you can also use any other plant-based milk like coconut milk or soy milk.
Pure maple syrup: Bring in sweetness from pure maple syrup. However, if you don't have it, you can use organic coconut sugar, granulated sugar, agave, or brown sugar as well.
Baking powder: baking powder is an essential ingredient. Without it, the cake won't be light and fluffy. Furthermore, it also helps in increasing the cake volume. In simple words, you can't miss this one!
Pure vanilla extract: Vanilla extracts bring in the vanilla flavor. If you don’t like its flavor, you can skip it.
Chocolate chips: who doesn’t love chocolate? Top your mug cake with chocolate chips for the ultimate flavor. However, make sure the Chocolate chips are dairy-free.

How to make a peanut butter mug cake without egg

Making a vegan peanut butter chocolate mug cake is a piece of cake, literally. It is the easiest thing ever! Even your children can join in on the fun and help make it too. Here are three simple steps you have to follow for a perfectly delicious mug cake:

Step 1: In a microwave-safe mug, add all the ingredients except for chocolate chips. Mix well using a fork until the batter gets a smooth consistency. It will be exactly like a cake batter.

Step 2: Place it in the microwave and set the times to 60 seconds at high. Once the time is up, take it out of the microwave and insert a toothpick. It should come out clean. If not, you can give it more time in the microwave. Try cooking it for intervals of 15 seconds until it is done.

Step 3: sprinkle chocolate chip on top and dig in!

Customization ideas

There are so many ways you can customize this peanut butter mug cake. Here are a few ideas for you to try:

Mix chocolate chips in the batter instead of topping it after the cake is done. This way, you can enjoy the melted chocolate bits in your mouth with every spoon.
Another fantastic way to make this cake is by adding a spoonful of peanut butter in the middle of the batter. Once it comes out of the microwave, the peanut butter center will give an effect of a lava cake. You can do the same with chocolate chips and enjoy the microwave lava mug cake.
If you want some crunch to it, add peanuts! It will give the mug cake a new dimension. Furthermore, you can also add nuts like almonds, walnuts, etc.
Try adding dried raisins and raspberries. These ingredients will give the cake a lovely color.

Bonus tip for those allergic to peanuts

Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy the delicious and fluffy mug cake with peanut butter. That's because some people are allergic to peanuts. If you are among those people, don't get sad. You can still enjoy the mug cake. You just have to be a little creative and change one main ingredient, i.e., peanut butter. Here is what you can use instead:

Almond butter: Made from almonds, almond butter is neck-in-neck with peanut butter when it comes to nutrients. Where peanut butter is high in protein, almond butter gives you more minerals and vitamins. So, it’s a perfect substitute.
Cashew butter: Cashew butter is again a perfect substitute for peanut butter. It is flavorful and has almost the same number of nutrients as peanut butter.

I won't lie to you. I have tried these two types of butter as well and I have really liked the results. These are perfect for someone allergic to peanuts.

Which mug is best for mug cake?

You can pretty much use any mug for this cake. The only thing you have to remember is that it should be microwave safe. I usually make my mug cake in an 8-ounce glass mug. And when I feel I need a special fancy treatment, I use a small ramekin. I love the way the cake batter swells up and oozes out from the top. In fact, I love to watch this cake cook. You can find me gawking at the microwave window so that I don’t miss a single second of its cooking process. I find it very mesmerizing.

Can you make a mug cake in an oven?

Well, if you have to make it in an oven, you can! But make sure the mug is oven safe. Secondly, you will need to set the oven at 350-degree F and cook the mug cake for about 20 minutes. Because it takes longer, and because it is too much work, I suggest you stick to the microwave!

Can you store the mug cake?

The whole point of a mug cake is to enjoy it at that moment when you are craving the sweet, fluffy, decadent cake. So, I honestly don't see the point of saving it or storing it for later. Besides, it is just a single cup, i.e., a single serving. It is so tasteful and comforting that I don't think you can go without finishing off the very last bit.

But still, if you are wondering whether you can store it or not, you should use an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 1 to 2 days (but no longer than that) and microwave it for a few seconds when you are ready to eat it again. But remember, since this is a ready to eat dish, having it at a later time might modify the cake's texture.