This Vegan Mug Brownie is possibly the easiest and fastest dessert there is. It's so rich and chocolatey, plus it has the best brownie texture. Just grab your favorite microwavable mug and mix up all the ingredients in it. Then put it in a microwave and in minutes you have a decadent fudgy vegan mug brownie!
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Hey Internet, have a chocolate craving? Wanting an easy vegan brownie? Well with this vegan recipe, you can have one in 4 to 5 minutes!
With a microwave oven, it's that easy (but we also have regular oven directions as well). This is probably the quickest single serve chocolate dessert and the easiest dessert recipes you'll ever make.
This recipe is our favorite vegan mug cake, but we have many more! There's our classic Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake, Strawberry Mug Cake and Peach Mug Cake, if you just want a good cake. We have a Vegan Matcha Mug Cake if you want a little pick-me-up during the day. And if you want to switch things up, we've got a Vegan Mug Cookie with gooey chocolate chips.
We love making mug recipes. They're the perfect solution to a sweets craving without having to make a whole batch.
Each one is a single-serving dessert, meaning you can satisfy a craving without need to portion control. Plus, since you do need to put a little effort into making them (though not much, let's be honest), they are not as tempting as a prepackaged box of cookies sitting in your cupboard.
Alright, let's make this mug recipe that has so much chocolate flavor, you'll want to make it regularly!
Why You'll Love This Easy Vegan Mug Brownie Recipe
- 8 Ingredients: The best mug brownie is made from a handful of ingredients that can be easily found around the house.
- 4 Minutes: Nothing is quite as quick as microwave mug brownies to get your chocolate fix.
- Just Need a Mug and Fork: When you use the same container to mix and eat out of, it's almost like you have no dishes to do for this recipe!
- Single Serving: No need to go to the trouble of baking an entire batch of brownies. Just mix in a mug, cook, and top with a scoop of ice cream. Yum.
Ingredients
Pick up these basic ingredients the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutritional information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet a certain daily value of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!
- 1 medium overripe or spotty banana, mashed: Banana makes for a great way to sweeten a mug cake!
- 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (see note 2)
- 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour or 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder: I used regular cocoa powder (AKA unsweetened cocoa powder). Keep in mind that raw cacao powder is a little more bitter and you may want more sweetener if you're not used to the taste. If you really like dark chocolate, you could try dark cocoa powder.
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- Less than ⅛ tsp salt (just a pinch!)
- Small handful dairy-free chocolate chips, optional: Just a few tablespoons of chocolate chips makes this vegan mug brownie extra fudgy and delicious. It's the best thing, in my opinion, but I'm a little bit of a chocolate fiend.
Substitutions
- Banana: About ¼ to ⅓ of a cup of sweet potato or pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce, or mashed avocado can all work in place of the banana. You will likely need to sweeten your batch with maple syrup, coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, or brown sugar.
- Maple Syrup: You can add any kind of sweetener you want—or no sweetener! It definitely depends on your tastes. Using a solid sugar might result in a thicker batter, so add a splash of plant-based milk (such as almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk) if needed.
- Peanut Butter: You can definitely use any other nut butter instead, even sunflower butter or tahini will work. You can also sub that with coconut cream. Or even vegan butter or melted coconut oil if you’re cool with oil. Or even a bit of mashed avocado!
- All Purpose Flour: This should work fine with a cup for cup gluten-free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend or King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour. I haven't tried this recipe with, say, almond flour yet but mug brownies are a fairly safe space to experiment. You could also try our Oat Mug Cake (which has a chocolate cake sort of vibe) if you want to try oat flour!
- If you want you can add a tiny splash of vanilla extract but I thought it was great without.
How to Make this Vegan Microwave Brownie
- Mash: Mash the banana in a small bowl (easiest) or in the bottom of the mug you’re using.
- Mix: Mix the wet ingredients together in the mug. Add your dry ingredients to the mug and mix until incorporated, but don’t overmix.
- More Chocolate: Add some dairy-free chocolate chips to the brownie batter and gently stir. Sprinkle a few on top if desired.
- Microwave Method: Microwave for about 1-2.5 minutes. Don’t overcook it! Start with 1 minute and add 15 seconds at a time after checking it. How long it takes will vary by microwave. It’s done when an inserted toothpick comes out with tiny crumbs on it (which is the best doneness because it’s super tender at that point). For more gooey brownies, cook for less time and check every 10-20 seconds after the first 30-40 seconds.
- Oven Method: If you don’t have a microwave, you can still make a single serving brownie in an oven-safe mug or ramekin. Bake it on the top rack of your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 177 degrees Celsius). You’ll want to bake it for 8-16 minutes (varies by oven and a variety of other factors) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Be extra careful when removing it from the oven.
- Serve: Serve your vegan single-serving brownie in a mug with a dollop of vegan vanilla ice cream (if desired, or you could go with a drizzle of peanut butter) and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Try ¼ to ⅓ cup mashed avocado or sweet potato puree or pumpkin puree. Keep in mind you may have to add a bit of sweetener and unsweetened non-dairy milk if you try this.
Both a 12 oz and a 16 oz mug will work for this recipe. The 12 oz (what I used) will look a little fuller but it's the same amount of brownie. Also the batter may puff up quite a bit in the microwave and look like it’s going to explode—don’t worry, it lowers once you open the door.
Gluten-free option: A cup for cup GF flour like King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour will work. I’ve tested this recipe with a few different flours—and although the texture changes a bit, it definitely still tastes good.
This is definitely a fudgy vegan mug brownie. If you're looking for a vegan chocolate mug cake, try our Chocolate Oat Mug Cake or Vegan Protein Mug Cake.
If you want to make two vegan mug brownies, cook them separately in separate mugs. Don't skimp on the dairy-free vanilla ice cream to top it off!
More Vegan Mug Desserts
- Peach Mug Cake
- Strawberry Mug Cake
- Chocolate Oat Mug Cake (Vegan + GF)
- Vegan Matcha Mug Cake
- Vegan Mug Cookie (Chocolate Chip)
- Vegan Vanilla Mug Cake
- Vegan Protein Mug Cake
Vegan Mug Brownie
- Total Time: 4 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Mug Brownie is possibly the easiest and fastest dessert there is. It's so rich and chocolatey with the best brownie texture.
Ingredients
- 1 medium overripe or spotty banana, mashed (see note 1)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener, optional
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (see note 2)
- 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose or GF flour (see note 3)
- 2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- Less than ⅛ tsp salt (just a pinch!)
- Small handful dairy-free chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Mash: Mash the banana in a small bowl or the mug you’re using.
- Mix: Mix the wet ingredients together in the mug. Add your dry ingredients to the mug and mix until incorporated, but don’t overmix.
- More chocolate: Add some dairy-free chocolate chips to the batter and stir. Sprinkle a few on top if desired.
- Microwave Method: Microwave for about 1-2.5 minutes. Don’t overcook it! Start with 1 minute and add 15 seconds at a time after checking it. How long it takes will vary by microwave. It’s done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean, or with tiny crumbs on it (which is the best doneness because it’s super tender at that point).
- Oven Method: If you don’t have a microwave, you can still make a single serving brownie in an oven safe mug or ramekin. Bake it on the top rack of your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 177 degrees Celsius). You’ll want to bake it for 6-10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Be extra careful when removing it from the oven.
- Serve: Serve your vegan brownie in a mug with a dollop of vegan vanilla ice cream (if desired) and enjoy!
Notes
Note 1: I could not detect any banana flavor in the finished brownie, but if you don’t have any overripe bananas, or you can’t have bananas, here are a few options: Sweet potato or pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce, or mashed avocado.
Note 2: You can definitely use any other nut butter instead, even sunflower butter or tahini will work. You can also sub that with coconut cream. Or even vegan butter or coconut oil if you’re cool with oil. Or even a bit of mashed avocado! You can also omit that if you want a lower fat vegan mug brownie, and if you need a little extra liquid in the recipe just add a splash of low fat non-dairy milk.
Note 3: For the BEST brownie texture, I recommend either unbleached all purpose flour or a cup for cup GF flour like King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour. I’ve tested this recipe with a few different flours--and although the texture changes a bit, it definitely still tastes good.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Amber
So good and easy. Made this with applesauce. I haven't had chocolate cake in a long time. With the peanut butter it definitely hit the spot for me today.
Lynn
Looks so good, how much applesauce did you use?
Erica
I needed a quick chocolate fix and this hit the spot perfectly. It took 2 minutes to make and 1 minute to cook. I switched a couple of ingredients to make it work with what I had in the cupboard (switched peanut butter for almond butter).
Sara
It was soooo good!! Definitely recommend!!
May
I used whole wheat flour, peanut butter, applesauce, and a few drops of liquid stevia. YUMMM
💚 Liz
Hi May, thank you so much for your comment! I loved hearing what substitutes you made.
Claudette
Hubby was looking for a snack. I wanted a healthy ‘ish snack, found this one it looked impressive with great reviews. So I went ahead and made two ….. I don’t like to share …. Served it with blueberries on top…. It was perfect . Totally recommend this one. Thanks so much.
Mandy
I've never had mug cake before but we didn't have any dessert in the house and both wanted something sweet. I nuked ours for 1 min 45 seconds and it was like thick hot pudding. He had his wirh icecream and I had it as is. It was sort of "lava cake" consistency. Is this right? Should I maybe have nuked them a bit longer so they'd turn more "true" cake-luke in texture? We did enjoy it as it was and I'll def try different flavour combos in the future. Thank you!
Liz Madsen
Glad you liked it! It's meant to be like a moist brownie but it's not supposed to be pudding.