Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake (oil-free, fruit-sweetened)

Want to get that comforting hit of pumpkin-spice goodness without the oil or sugar? This Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake is the perfect dessert to curl up with during cozy season!  It only takes 5 minutes to whip up a full-blown cake-for-one in your favorite mug.

Whether you’re nutritarian or just looking for a healthier, oil-free, fruit-sweetened Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake recipe I think you’re going to love this super-easy hand-held dessert recipe!

What is a mug cake?

A mug cake is a single-serve cake that is mixed and cooked in a mug in the microwave.

It’s pretty incredible that this actually works!

I have to admit that even though I’ve been hearing about mug cakes for years I was still super-skeptical that they were legitimate.

I finally decided to take the plunge to develop my own nutritarian version to help me celebrate Halloween.  Now, when the kids are taking inventory of their trick-or-treating loot I can be enjoying my very own Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake.  Mom win!

What is the texture of this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake?

Exactly what a good cake should be: fluffy, moist, and tender.

I did a full-on mug cake dissection for you so you could see all the cake-y goodness for yourself.  The crumb is really amazing given it was “baked” in a microwave.

This cake texture is well balanced (it isn’t too moist or wet but not too dry either).  To replicate this texture make sure to use the measurements I list out in the recipe card below.

If you want the best cake-like texture make the recipe as written without substitutions.

What is the best kind of mug to use for a mug cake?

A ceramic, microwave-safe mug with a larger base is ideal for making mug cakes.

You can also use baking ramekins like these.

The mug cake will rise about an inch during the cooking process so there will be residual bits around the rim of the mug up to that height.

Can you make a double batch of this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake recipe?

Yes!

The recipe measurements are easy to double and the cooking time increases from 90 seconds to 2 minutes and 15 seconds for a double-batch.

The texture of the cake gets slightly different with a double batch.  It will be more moist and not as airy, especially towards the bottom of the cake.  It’s a very subtle difference and still highly enjoyable–my husband and kids couldn’t tell the difference at all.

What ingredients are in this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake recipe?

1. oat flour
2. pumpkin puree (plain pumpkin)
3. unsweetened applesauce
4. date syrup
5. almond flour
6. pumpkin pie spice
7. baking powder

The toppings are optional but I love adding date-sweetened chocolate chips (my favorite brand is Just Dates) and raw pepita seeds.

You can also use all applesauce or all date syrup (this is my favorite brand).  So you can adapt based on what you have on hand.

What makes this recipe special?

• oil-free
• fruit-sweetened
• sweetness adjustable
• gluten-free

Most of the healthy vegan mug cake recipes out there use coconut oil and maple syrup and, honestly, we can do better than that!

The touch of almond flour gives just the right balance of healthy fat to give this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake the perfect crumb and mouth feel.

You can adjust the sweetness of the recipe by replacing the date syrup with more applesauce (see “substitutions” below for more info on that).

How do you make this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake?

There is something so fun and nostalgic about making this little cake portion–I felt like I was seven years old again with my Easy Bake Oven!

All you have to do is measure out your dry ingredients and whisk them together.  I have this mini whisk that I love for jobs like this.

Then, you add your wet ingredients and mix together the batter with a spoon.  Make sure to really get down into the bottom of your mug to fully incorporate all the dry ingredients to the batter.

Once the batter is well-mixed you smooth out the top and add any optional toppers.

I love using a combination of date-sweetened chocolate chips and raw pepita seeds on top of the mug cake.

Chocolate and pumpkin just make beautiful music together as a classic flavor combo.  Then the pepita seeds add a lovely crunchy element that the soft cake and melty chocolate chips benefit from!

What substitutions can you make?

Customize the sweetener:

If you don’t have access to date syrup you can use all applesauce for the sweetener.  Just note that it will be a very subtle sweetness and I only recommend doing this if you’ve been nutritarian or SOS-free for at least 9 months and your taste buds have adapted.

I enjoy this recipe entirely applesauce-sweetened but my non-nutritarian family do not.

In taste testing for this recipe my kids preferred theirs with all date syrup as the sweetener.  My husband enjoyed the recipe with 1 Tbsp. applesauce and 1 Tbsp. date syrup (that’s how the recipe is written).  I enjoyed it as written and also with just the applesauce as the sweetener.

If you’re looking for the lowest calorie option go for the all applesauce option.

Omit almond flour:

As I mentioned above, the small amount of almond flour (1 Tbsp.) called for in this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake recipe is essential for the perfect texture and flavor.  But you can omit this altogether if you’re allergic or don’t have it in the house.  Reduce the cooking time to 70 to 80 seconds.

Oat flour substitutions:

I do not recommend using whole wheat flour as the texture is rubbery.  I have not tried any other flour substitutions.

Is it okay to eat this Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake when you’re on the nutritarian plan?

If you’re following the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan a single batch of this recipe will take up 1 Tbsp. less than half of your 1-cup whole grain allotment for the day.

Because 1/3 cup of rolled oats equals 1/4 cup oat flour along with the 2 Tbsp. pumpkin (pumpkin is considered a “whole grain”) that is a total of 7 Tbsp. whole grains total per portion.  That’s just under half a cup total.

When following the aggressive plan I recommend eating all your raw and cooked vegetables for the day first before enjoying a dessert like this and limiting your whole grains to half a cup.

If you’re following the maintenance plan, a dessert like this works as long as, again, you’re consistently getting that 1 pound raw and 1 pound cooked vegetables daily quota.

5 from 4 votes

Print

Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake

This Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake is healthy, oil-free, fruit-sweetened, and has the perfect fluffy, tender texture!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten-free, nutritarian, oil free, pumpkin, refined sugar free, whole food plant based

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Total Time 4 minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 222.7 kcal

Author Kristen Hong

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oat flour (~30 grams)
• 1 Tbsp. almond flour--from blanched almonds, not almond meal (~6 grams)
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. pumpkin puree (plain pumpkin) (~30 grams)
• 1 Tbsp. date syrup (~17 grams)
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce (~17 grams)

Optional toppings:

• 1/2 Tbsp. date-sweetened chocolate chips (about 9 chips, ~4 grams)
• 1/2 Tbsp. raw pepita seeds (~5 grams)

Instructions

1. You can mix this cake up right in your mug! Try to use a mug with a wider base and keep in mind that the cake will rise about an inch in the mug. You can also use a 12-ounce ramekin in place of a mug.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients (oat flour, almond flour, baking powder and spice). 

3. Then mix in the wet ingredients with a spoon (pumpkin puree, date syrup and/or applesauce). Makes sure to get into the bottom corners of the mug to ensure that all the dry ingredients have been mixed into the wet.

4. Smooth out the top of the batter and top with optional chocolate chips or pepita seeds.

5. Microwave for 90 seconds.  The top will spring back when you press down. 

6. Let it cool down for at least 2 minutes before eating the mug and cake is very hot (this is the hard part).  

Recipe Notes

Make sure that you don’t scoop your flour from the bag, this leads to compressing and you end up using a lot more flour.  Spoon the flours into your measuring cups and cut with a knife.  For the most accurate approach use a kitchen scale if you have one.  

Use date-sweetened chocolate chips. I use the Just Date brand.  

You can easily double the cake.  Just increase microwave cooking time to 2 minutes 15 seconds.  

 

Sweetener options: 

You can use all date syrup or all applesauce to sweeten this cake.  The all date syrup will be sweetest and the all applesauce is very subtly sweetened.  I personally find the flavor and texture of 1 Tbsp. date syrup and 1 Tbsp. applesauce to be the best.  

If you use the 2 Tbsp. applesauce as the only sweetener the calories per cake will be reduced by 14.5 calories and the sugar will reduced by 7.3.  

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Pumpkin Mug Cake

Serving Size

 

1 cake

Amount per Serving

Calories

222.7

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6.9

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

 

1.8

g

11

%

Sodium

 

68

mg

3

%

Potassium

 

342.1

mg

10

%

Carbohydrates

 

35.2

g

12

%

Fiber

 

6.1

g

25

%

Sugar

 

14.4

g

16

%

Protein

 

6.1

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

1033

IU

21

%

Vitamin C

 

0.76

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

86.4

mg

9

%

Iron

 

1.9

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I’d love to know what you think if you give this recipe a try.

Your comments and recipe ratings motivate me so much to keep creating memorable and delicious recipes!