Protein Powder Mug Cake (16g Protein, No Sugar, No Eggs)
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This 90-second Single-serve Chocolate Protein Powder Mug Cake recipe is the best post-workout breakfast or snack with 16 grams of protein per serving and only 160 calories.
Bonus, this is also a vegan protein mug cake made without eggs or dairy.
What’s A Protein Powder Mug Cake?
A Protein Mug Cake is a single-serving cake made in under 5 minutes using a microwave.
It’s loaded with protein powder to make a great post-workout snack.
How To Make Mug Cake With Protein Powder
A mug cake with protein powder is a single-serve protein cake baked in the microwave for 90 seconds.
It’s a quick and healthy way to fix a cake craving in the morning after a workout or in the afternoon.
To make a delicious mug cake with protein powder, the main important thing is to use a protein powder that you already know and enjoy its flavor!
Choice of protein powder
We tested this recipe with plant-based protein powder only, including:
- Pea protein powder
- Almond protein powder
- Peanut protein powder
The texture of the mug cake differs based on the protein powder you use, as some are more liquid absorbent than others.
So when cooking with protein powder, whether you are making this vegan protein mug cake or my protein overnight oats recipe, always adjust the recipe if you use a different kind of protein powder.
Ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients to make this protein powder mug cake recipe, and the key to success is to measure your ingredients with regular measuring spoons.
We don’t recommend using the scoop provided with your protein powder because they all have different volumes and result in inaccurate measurements.
All you need for this chocolate protein mug cake are:
- Plant-based Vanilla Protein Powder – you can use vanilla, coconut, or chocolate flavor. This is up to your taste but plant-based, pea protein powder provides the best cake texture. We didn’t try the recipe with animal-based protein powders, like whey protein powder which usually requires more liquid to achieve the same baking texture.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Crystal sweetener – to keep this recipe low in calories and sugar but still satisfying to your sweet tooth, we recommend using sugar-free crystal sweeteners like erythritol. But coconut sugar or table sugar would also work just fine. Avoid liquid sweeteners like maple syrup. They make protein mug cakes very dense and chewy.
- Oat flour – Oats are another great source of plant-based protein in your vegan protein mug cake, and you can make homemade oat flour in a minute. Other options for a keto protein mug cake are to use keto flour, like 1 tablespoon of coconut flour instead of the 3 tablespoons of oat flour.
- Almond milk or any non-dairy milk you have at home like oat milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.
- Baking powder
Combining Dry Ingredients
In a microwave-safe tall mug of at least 250 ml (1 cup) volume, stir all the dry ingredients together until well combined, and no lumps of protein powder show.
Adding Milk
Stir in the almond milk until the batter is smooth, slightly thick, but still liquid like a chocolate cake batter. Note, if you are using coconut flour, the batter will be extremely thick and packed.
Adding Chocolate Chips
You can stir chocolate chips in the batter at this time if desired.
Baking In Microwave
Microwave in the center of the microwave at 900W for 90 seconds or stop after the cake rises in the mug.
Keep microwaving by extra 10-second bursts until the center is set, not gooey or liquid.
Wait 30 seconds or so before eating as the mug cake is very hot.
Sprinkle dark chocolate chips on top if you like. They melt on top of the hot cake in the mug and taste delicious.
Serving Ideas
This protein mug cake recipe is delicious plain or topped with:
- Extra chocolate chips.
- Drizzle nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter.
- Chopped nuts
- Unsweetened whipped coconut cream for a dessert-like snack.
- Ice cream
Allergy Swaps
This protein powder mug cake recipe is naturally:
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Sugar-free
But if you have other dietary requirements, I listed some options below:
- Keto Protein Mug Cake Option: Use your favorite keto protein powder, use 1 tablespoon of coconut flour instead of oat flour, and erythritol as a sweetener.
- Gluten-free option: Swap oat flour for certified gluten-free oat flour or use 1 tablespoon of coconut flour.
- Cocoa Allergy: You can skip the unsweetened cocoa powder and make a vanilla protein mug cake with this recipe. Add 1 tablespoon of extra oat flour to the recipe to replace the cocoa powder and use vanilla protein powder.
Oven Baking Protein Mug Cake
If you don’t have a microwave, you can bake this protein mug cake in a lightly greased oven-proof ramekin for 12 to 18 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
Keep in mind that protein cakes baked in the oven tend to be denser and packed but still delicious.
Detailed Recipe Video
You can follow my detailed video to learn how to make this protein mug cake.
More High-Protein Recipes
I love creating high-protein recipes to fuel up. Below, I listed more easy healthy high-protein recipes for you to try:
More Mug Cake Recipes
If you like mug cakes, you’ll love these:
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Protein Powder Mug Cake
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Oat Flour - note 1
- 2 tablespoons Protein Powder - note 2
- 1-2 tablespoons Crystal Sweetener of Choice - note 3
- 2 teaspoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - note 4
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - note 5
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips - optional
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe coffee mug (minimum size 1 cup/250ml), whisk together the dry ingredients: oat flour, protein powder, sweetener, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
- Whisk in almond milk until a batter forms and stir the vegan dark chocolate chips if desired, or keep the batter plain.
- Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Microwave on high power (800W) for about 90 seconds or stop the microwave 10 seconds after you see the cake rising to its maximum height. Remove from the microwave carefully, it is hot, and check the texture. It should be moist and soft and the top should deflate. If it is not cooked to your liking after that time, return to the microwave and cook again by 10-second bursts until done – no more than 90 seconds in total. Note that the longer you microwave the mug cake, the denser it will be.
- Serve the Protein Mug Cake immediately.
Baking option
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease an oven-proof ramekin with oil, add the cake batter and bake for 12-18 minutes until cooked through.
- Serve immediately with toppings of your choice.
Yummy. Easy to make, I had all ingredients on hand. Amazing taste
The cake was nice however your calories were way off. 45g of flour alone is 160 calories. I’m in Australia not sure if it is different here.
Calorie calculation depends heavily on the ingredients you use, so our data is indicative only.
However, the recipe doesn’t use 45g of flour, but 25 grams of oat flour.
Instead of following the recipe like a person, I swapped the amounts of flour and protein powder, used strawberry soylent in place of nondairy milk (it was all I had), and doubled the amount of liquid after seeing that the “batter” was more of a thiccc paste. Microwaved for about 2.5 minutes and ended up with a squishy brownie-like substance, which I cut in half and layered with vanilla frosting and strawberry jam. Idk what I expected, but 5 stars this thing slaps.
I’ve made this maybe a dozen times and each time 10/10 – it’s great! Low calorie, high protein and delicious!
Is 3 tablespoons of oat flour 45g? Thanks
Click the metric button to see the whole recipe in grams. Enjoy!
Hi,my soy protein powder is unflavored,can I add rose water extract or elder flower extract & leave out the cocoa powder? What about self-raising gluten free flour?
Yes, you can add 1/2 teaspoon extract you love to flavor the recipe. But, if you leave out cocoa powder the mug cake won’t hold it’s shape as much because cocoa powder is high fiber and help with texture
Just made this using sprouts vegan caramel protein powder. Very good! Next time, I’ll skip the cocoa, increase the oat flour a smidge and add vanilla extract.
I’m not sure what I did wrong mine just didn’t really cook or rise… do you think because I used almond meal instead of oat flour that could have been it? Everything else was spot on to the recipe. It still tasted nice but was basically cookie dow and I did heaps of extra time in micro ♀️
You can’t replace coconut flour or oat flour by almond flour. The 3 flours have very different amount of fiber, proteins that make them bind ingredients differently in the recipe. That’s also why I provide only 2 flours for this recipe : coconut OR oat flour, with 2 different ratio. Almond flour is too low in fiber and high fat to bind a vegan mug cake, it won’t raise and look like uncooked dough
OMG! I can’t get over how good this mug cake is. Somehow it’s even better than the regular mug cakes I’ve made in the past. I used whole wheat flour and the texture was to die for. Instead of putting chocolate chips on top I made a drizzle with peanut butter, almond milk and 1/2 teaspoon of monk fruit sweetener. For an extra (non plant based) finishing touch I tossed some smashed peanut m&m’s on top and I swear the final product could be sold in a bakery. I can’t wait to make this more often 🙂
I used PURE SOY HD powder (cookies ice cream flavored). 1/4 cup of fake milk was not enough. I think I ended up adding about 1/2 a cup and it turned out great. Cooked it for only 60 sec in microwave. Really liked the oatmeal texture of the mug cake.
Thank you for the recipe!
Sooo good! This is the best mug cake I’ve tried and I’ve tried many. And, it has no added oil, butter, or eggs?!? Wow. I used 1T protein powder (Organics – chocolate or vanilla works), 1T PBFit and 1T coconut sugar. I also added a full tablespoon of cocoa powder (I love chocolate) and 72% chocolate chips. I added a little more almond milk (a tsp or so) to get the consistency I like. It was perfect, better than non-protein powder mug cakes I’ve tried. You’ve gotta try it!
I am so glad you love it !
I’ve tried many mug cake recipes and this was by far my most successful and tasty attempt! I used just slightly less flour than called for, creamy oat milk, and a keto chocolate protein powder. It was perfectly moist and gooey, unlike a lot of other mug cake recipes. Will def be using again. Cheers!
Tried it with high hopes. For me the taste is pure protein powder taste. At first, the texture was like an ‘extra dry overbaked spongecake’, next time with more liquid it was like a ‘raw cookie’. Tried it with different protein powders, ‘baking’ time and liquid amounts. Really wanted to like it but I couldnt.
I am sorry you didn’t enjoy this mug cake. The recipe is mostly made of protein powder, so you do expect to taste it like in your protein shake. If too dry, it means it’s overbaked, microwave baking is tricky and 10seconds makes a big difference. I wouldn’t recommend adding liquid, the recipe has no eggs as a binder and liquid will dilute the batter that can’t firm up. Maybe you can swap oat flour for all-purpose flour and play with baking time to have the right texture to your liking. Enjoy the recipes on the blog, Carine
This was a great dessert! I used chocolate flavored whey protein this time. I omitted sweetener altogether. I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of instant Starbucks blonde roast. I topped with a few chocolate chips. I only microwaved for 1 minute and then added a dollop of whipped cream. I’m happy to have a low sugar, high protein sweet treat to satisfy my evening sweet tooth! Thanks!
Délicieux! Thank you
I don’t see where it says exactly how much of each ingredient. Please let me know.
Just scroll up before this comment section to see the full recipe card and measurement, enjoy!
Votre lien pour l impression ne semble pas fonctionner. Je n ai pas réussi a imprimer cette recette.
Le bouton fonctionne il faut appuyer sur ‘print it’ ensuite la recette s’ouvre dans un nouvel onglet, cliquer ‘print’ et la votre ordinateur devrais vous envoyer un pop up message si vous avez une imprimante de configurer. Cliquer imprimer sur ce pop up. J’espere que cela vous aideras, A bientot