Paleo Vanilla Mug Cake made with almond flour, a vanilla bean, coconut milk, and pure maple syrup. This easy grain-free mug cake recipe can easily be made low-carb or keto as well!
Ever need a hunk of cake NOW?! I’ve gotchu.
For those of you who have a sweet tooth but don’t want to take the time to bake a full cake (nor do you want all the leftovers to tempt you), a single-serve mug cake situation is for you!
This vanilla mug cake recipe is grain-free, made with almond flour, sweetened with pure maple syrup, and dairy-free. Plus it takes roughly 5 minutes to make from start to finish. It turns out delightfully fluffy, superbly vanilla-y and perfectly sweet without putting you in a sugar coma.
BOOM cake in a jiffy.
Let’s make one!
How to Make Vanilla Mug Cake:
Add the egg, coconut milk, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean to a measuring cup or small bowl. Whisk well to combine.
Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, and sea salt and stir well until all the clumps are out.
Transfer the cake batter to a mug and microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes to 2 minutes, or until cake is cooked through.
Serve as is, with chopped nuts or chocolate chips, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (I use coconut milk ice cream).
Make Keto Vanilla Mug Cake:
Looking for a low-carb / sugar-free / keto version of this recipe? Simply swap the pure maple syrup out for 1 to 2 tablespoons of your favorite sugar-free sweetener, such as xylitol, erythritol, or monk fruit sweetener. If using a granulated sweetener, add 1 additional tablespoon of coconut milk.
How to Make Coconut Flour Vanilla Mug Cake:
If you prefer using coconut flour over almond flour, simply swap out the almond flour for 2.5 tablespoons of coconut flour.
How to Make Mug Cake in the Oven:
If you don’t own a microwave or prefer not using one, you can bake this mug cake in the oven. Simply stir everything up in your mug and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the cake tests clean.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Use melted butter or ghee instead of coconut milk and avocado oil.
- Add chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and/or chopped nuts.
- Replace pure maple syrup with 1 to 2 Tbsp erythritol to make this recipe low-carb and sugar-free
- Use ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean
You May Also Love:
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @TheRoastedRoot on Instagram!

Grain-Free Vanilla Mug Cake
Vanilla mug cake made with almond flour for a single-serve paleo treat
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil, or more coconut milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 cup Superfine almond flour
- 2 tsp tapioca flour
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Add the egg, coconut milk, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean to a measuring cup or small bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, and sea salt and stir well until all the clumps are out.
- Transfer the cake batter to a mug and microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes to 2 minutes, or until cake is cooked through.
- Serve as is, with chopped nuts or chocolate chips, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (I use coconut milk ice cream).
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1 mug cakeAmount Per Serving Calories 735Total Fat 56gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 33gFiber 2gProtein 19g
Shirley
Monday 23rd of December 2019
I forgot about these little cakes. We just threw away a cake that we couldn't finish. Great post.