Chocolate Zucchini Mug Cake (Easy Vegan Recipe)

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This Chocolate Zucchini Mug Cake is an easy vegan recipe that's moist, delicious, and packed with veggies. Make it in the microwave in minutes. You’ll have the perfect treat to satisfy your chocolate cravings!

Bite of chocolate zucchini mug cake on fork lifted out of mug with more cake. White mug with text that reads "WOOF" on lip. On top of white cloth napkin with red stripes.

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Calling all chocolate lovers! This double chocolate zucchini mug cake is just like a regular chocolate cake recipe but for a party of 1!

Maybe you’re in a pinch for time but craving a quick treat, or you’re trying to use up some extra zucchini in the back of your fridge. Whatever the occasion, this single serving mug cake does not disappoint.

Not to mention, it’s way faster than making it in a loaf pan or baking pan! No need for an additional large bowl for mixing. Mix your ingredients, microwave, and enjoy this treat all in the same mug. Your sweet tooth will be satisfied in a matter of minutes. Check out our mug brownie recipe for another quick and easy treat!

This recipe aims to please; it is free of egg, nut, and dairy. It can also be made gluten-free and oil-free! Everyone is sure to love it!

The best part is you won’t even be able to notice that there is zucchini because it blends right in with the chocolatey cake. That doesn’t mean it isn’t packed full of goods, though. This recipe uses almost an entire zucchini!!

Extra chocolate chips are sprinkled throughout, taking this cake to the next level and balancing the fluffy and moist cake with an extra dose of delicious melted chocolate.

My favorite way to enjoy this double chocolate zucchini mug cake is by fluffing it after it is cooked, sprinkling on even more chocolate chips, and then letting it cool for a few minutes. This helps the rest of the mug cake firm up. To finish it off, I love to put a dollop of coconut whipped cream.

It’s gone almost as fast as it is made!

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Ingredients
Top Tip
How to Press Zucchini
Best Mug Size
Directions with Pictures
FAQ
More Easy Vegan Desserts
Chocolate Zucchini Mug Cake (Easy Vegan Recipe)
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Ingredients

You'll need these simple ingredients to make this vegan chocolate zucchini mug cake recipe:

All Purpose Flour was used in this recipe - A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend also works.
Cocoa Powder - For an extra chocolatey touch.
Granulated Sugar - Or sweetener of choice, including coconut sugar, stevia, and monk fruit blends.
Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt
Plant Milk - Any milk will work for this recipe, I prefer using soy milk because of its high protein content, and it isn’t too sweet.
Oil - Use a neutral oil like canola oil, coconut oil, or melted butter. Use apple sauce for an oil-free recipe.
Shredded Zucchini - Use a fresh, uncooked medium-sized zucchini. Hand-grate and firmly press the shreds to eliminate wetness and some moisture.
- Note: Almost every time I make this recipe, the shreds yield about 4 tablespoons. Since the recipe calls for 3, you’ll have about 1 tablespoon of zucchini shreds left over, which you could cook up with some other veggies for dinner or even throw in with a salad. See the Top Tip below for how to shred and press zucchini.
Chocolate Chips - Vegan mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars. Chop it into small chunks for an even distribution throughout the mug brownie.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements, plus full recipe instructions.

Top Tip

Use a hand or box grater when shredding your zucchini for best results. This produces finer shreds, which will help it evenly distribute into the batter.

Using a food processor with a grating tool results in chunkier shreds, which are more apparent in the batter. So, if you are trying to be sneaky about the zucchini, make sure to use a hand grater! 😉

Shredding the zucchini properly is just half the battle! You MUST press your zucchini to eliminate the juice, or your batter will become too liquidy, and it won't bake correctly.

How to Press Zucchini

Grate your zucchini by hand into a colander. There is no need to peel the zucchini beforehand, just make sure it is washed.
Place a bowl underneath the colander and press out the juice by hand.
Once a decent amount of liquid is pressed, the shreds should be easy to pick up and form a ball. Squeeze out any additional juice this way.
Place zucchini shreds into a separate bowl. They are now ready to be measured and used in the recipe!

By the way, I finally got up the nerve to taste-teste the pressed zucchini juice… I cannot recommend it. 🤣 Maybe it could work in a green smoothie, but I’m not sure.

And if you have any leftover zucchini shreds after measuring, try making vegan zucchini fritters with chickpea flour!

Best Mug Size

There are many options for how to bake this mug cake. From what the title suggests, the most obvious choice would be a mug. Make sure to use one that can hold at least 10 ounces. Larger than 10 ounces is okay. The cake just won't rise to the top of your cup.

Alternatively, you could use a small ramekin or bowl, still making sure it holds 10 ounces and is microwave-safe. This will result in a thinner, more brownie-like zucchini cake if that is what you want in this recipe. Either way, it tastes great!

While the batter fits in a smaller, 8-ounce coffee mug, our recipe testing revealed that the cake will rise over the mug and fall over the edges… which can get messy (see the picture below). But if that doesn’t bother you and you only have an 8-ounce coffee mug, you can do that. Maybe just put a plate underneath to catch any crumbs that may fall. 😉

Zucchini mug cake in 8 ounce cup spilling over the top and sides. On wood background. Mug is white with painted flower.

Directions with Pictures

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make this vegan chocolate zucchini mug cake:

Step by step instructions for making chocolate zucchini mug cake. 6 steps with blue and white bubble numbered in top corner of each photo. Step 1 shows mug with dry ingredients. Step 2 shows wet ingredients added on top of dry ingredients. Step 3 shows zucchini shreds added on top. Step 4 shows chocolate chunks added. Step 5 shows all ingredients mixed. Step 6 shows cooked mug cake.

Add all the dry ingredients except chocolate chips to a microwave-safe mug and stir to combine. A 10-ounce cup will give you plenty of room to add toppings.
Add the wet ingredients, except zucchini, and stir to combine. The cake batter should be smooth and not too runny.
Stir in grated zucchini until well combined. Shreds should be evenly distributed and coated in cake batter, barely noticeable.
Add most of the chocolate chips. Sprinkle additional mini chocolate chips on top, if desired.
Cook mug cake in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds or until cooked with a cake-like texture. Depending on the microwave's wattage, your cake could be done anywhere between 1-2 minutes. Microwave in additional 15-second intervals.

FAQ

How much zucchini does this recipe use?

About ½ to ¾ of a zucchini depending on the size. Measure the zucchini once it is both grated and pressured for the proportion to be accurate.

Do I need to press my zucchini?

Yes! This step is crucial as it removes most moisture and wetness from the zucchini. If this step was skipped, the proportions of wet to dry ingredients would be thrown off, and the mug cake would not cook properly.

Why is the mug cake too wet even after microwaving it for 60 seconds?

There are 2 reasons this might happen... You may need to microwave it for additional time, depending on the wattage of your microwave. Do this in 15-second intervals to ensure the mug cake is not overbaked and dry.

Your zucchini may not have been pressed enough, and it held too much moisture, throwing off the proportions of wet-to-dry ingredients.

A bit of a gooey cake is okay, though!