This easy paleo molten chocolate lava cake recipe is the ideal dessert for the holidays! Gooey, rich runny molten chocolate centers surrounded by a light and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake! A dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate dessert for special occasions.
Girlfriend, if you’re looking for a quick and easy, healthy-ish and delicious chocolate treat to make this holiday season, look no further!
I got you more than covered with these Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes. These individual-sized paleo chocolate cakes are made with only 4 ingredients, you guys! Got some chocolate, almond flour, coconut oil and eggs? BAM - you can make lava cakes!
These are made without added sugar and are dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free. Should you find yourself wondering if these chocolate molten lava cakes taste healthy… !? Ahem, take another close look at them.
They’re super rich and decadent and you would never know they are secretly healthy once you dig your spoon into those glorious molten chocolate centers! And what's not to love about a chocolate dessert with no bloat, no tummy ache, and no guilty feelings whatsoever afterward?
Why this Healthy Paleo Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes recipe is a total must-bake:
- These paleo chocolate cakes are super gooey, runny and rich in the center but the cake part surrounding the center is light and fluffy.
- This is a simple 4-ingredient chocolate dessert that comes together super easily - no water bath and no whipping egg whites!
- These mini cakes are paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and made with no added sugar, making them the healthiest way to get your chocolate dessert fix.
How to serve Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes?
This time, I kept things simple and served my paleo lava cakes only with the slightest dusting of paleo icing sugar. You can make paleo icing sugar yourself using arrowroot starch and maple sugar. Here's a great recipe.
Obviously, these are also totes amazing with some fresh berries or a scoop of homemade dairy-free coconut ice cream on top! Oh hey, what about a pinch of sea salt or chopped nuts. Chocolate loves salt, you know.
How to make this Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe:
Prep: Preheat oven to 435F - 220C and place 6 4-oz ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside. You do not have to grease the ramekins as we serve the cakes in the mold.
Step 1 & 2 - Place chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave. I do this in 30 seconds increments, stirring well in between each increment with a silicon spatula. Set aside and let cool down a bit.
Step 3 & 4 - Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Now mix with a hand mixer until they are foamy. This should take about 3 minutes.
Step 5 - Add cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and mix on low speed to incorporate.
Step 6 & 7 - Add the almond flour and mix with your spatula or hand mixer until just combined. Make sure not to overmix the batter or the paleo chocolate cakes will be dense.
Step 8 & 9 - Spoon the paleo chocolate cake batter into the 6 prepared ramekins. I like to use an ice cream scoop for that to get them portioned out perfectly.
Step 10 - Bake your healthy molten lava cakes for 6 minutes and remove from the oven. It's important to let them cool for about 15 minutes before serving them to give the chocolate batter time to settle around the molten center!
Can these be made in advance?
To make these ahead of time, prepare lava cakes up until baking then chill them in the fridge. About half an hour before baking them, remove the tray from the refrigerator to let the batter come to room temperature.
If you forget to take them out, you can still try and bake the cakes straight out of the refrigerator, adding about 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Tips for making this easy Paleo Chocolate Lava Cakes recipe:
- You want to watch your cakes closely so as not to under- or over-bake.
- Let the paleo chocolate cakes cool down after baking! They will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven.
- Keep leftover lava cakes in the fridge. They will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious so perfect as a sneaky sweet treat.
Variations on this healthy lava cakes recipe:
- You can add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to jazz these up. This step will bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
- For Mexican Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, add a pinch of cinnamon, chili and some vanilla essence to the batter.
- Everyone who tried these lava cakes found them sweet enough without any added sugar. However, this will depend on the chocolate you are using and your personal preferences. If you’d like to, feel free to add one to two tablespoons of (coconut) sugar when mixing the eggs.
Healthy Chocolate Lava Cakes
This easy paleo molten chocolate lava cake recipe is the ideal dessert for the holidays! Gooey, rich runny molten chocolate centers surrounded by a light and fluffy gluten-free chocolate cake! A dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate dessert for special occasions.
Ingredients
- 8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate 2 baking bars - roughly chopped, 200 g
- ⅓ cup coconut oil use refined coconut oil for no coconut flavor
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup almond flour
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 435F - 220C. Place 6 ramekins (ideally 4 oz ones) on a baking sheet and set aside.
-
Place chocolate and coconut oil in a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave, by 30 seconds increments, stirring well in between each increment. Set aside and let cool.
-
Crack the eggs in a large bowl and with a hand mixer, mix until they are foamy.
-
Add cooled melted chocolate to the eggs and mix on low speed to incorporate. Add almond flour and mix until just combined.
-
Spoon into the 6 prepared ramekins (I like to use an ice cream/cookie scoop for that)
-
Bake for 6 minutes and remove from the oven.
-
Let them cool for about 15 minutes and serve (they will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven).
-
Keep the leftovers in the fridge. The cakes will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious!
Recipe Notes
Tips :
- You want to watch your cakes closely so as not to under - or over-bake.
- Let the paleo chocolate cakes cool down after baking! They will fall apart if you eat them straight out of the oven.
- Keep leftover lava cakes in the fridge. They will harden but they will still be fudgy, rich and delicious so perfect as a sneaky sweet treat.
Variations:
- You can add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to jazz these up a little bit. This will bring out the chocolate flavor even more.
- For Mexican Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes, add a pinch of cinnamon, chili and some vanilla essence to the batter.
- Everyone who tried these lava cakes found them sweet enough without any added sugar. However, this will depend on the chocolate you are using and your personal preferences. If you’d like to, feel free to add one to two tablespoons of (coconut) sugar when mixing the eggs.
Recipe adapted from My Organic Diary
If you tried this Healthy Paleo Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Ashley @ Sweetpea Lifestyle
Yum, Marie!! I can't wait to share this recipe with my brother who is a chocolate lava cake fanatic!
Kiki Johnson
So, I made these the other day and they turned out A-MAAAAZING! Everybody loved them, no one thought they were anything other than a super decadent chocolate treat! I fool 'em all hahahaha!
Deanne Frieders
Totally drooling over here, these are going on my weekend plans. Yum!
Jamie
I love how this is healthy but looks so decadent! I'm a huge fan of dark chocolate so will definitely be trying this!
Andrea
Wow, these look delicious! What a wonderful chocolaty dessert. I really like the idea of jazzing them up with some Mexican flavors.
Veronica
This molten chocolate lava cake is true chocolaty heaven, the way this cake just bursts with flavor in your mouth is just divine!
Lulu
What size ramekins are these? 4 oz? 6oz? Did I miss that in the recipe? (I swear I looked!)
Marie
4 oz is best - will add it to the recipe, thanks for spotting that oversight Lulu!
Lucy
Thank you for the recipe, I am craving for chocolate now, at least make it healthy
Marie
When the craving hits, there's no point fighting it 😉
Anonymous
Hi, I just made this but didn't know it would be this bitter. I already took it out of the oven,
do you know how I could fix this?
Marie
Bitter? That's not normal. What kind of chocolate did you use?
Amal Motiwala
Although this recipe resulted in a delicious and decadent sweet treat, the nutritional information provided and the total calorie count is inaccurate. The accurate calorie count is 290 calories per serving.
Marie
Thanks Amal! This is what my calculator came up with but feel free to calculate your own nutrition facts if you prefer 🙂
Jacob @FlavorThyme
I'm all for any healthy dessert, especially if it has chocolate in it. Would this work with Hazelnut flour?
Marie
I believe it would, yes (but I haven't tried myself). Let us know how it goes if you give it a try with hazelnut flour!
melina stratigakis
just made these and they are so good!!! i added the espresso powder and i think it made it so much better! very nice texture, although i may have overcooked a little, the middle was still gooey but not as drippy as usual, which i actually didn’t mind! definitely recommend!!
Marie
So happy to hear Melina! Thanks for the stellar review!!
Yeo Peck See
may I know what oil can I use to substitute coconut oil? Thanks
Marie
You could use any mild tasting oil - like vegetable oil. Or even butter, if you wanted to!
Katharine Giddings
Do you know if I could sub applesauce for the coconut oil?
Marie
I haven't tried but I wouldn't in this particular recipe, I think it would mess up the chemistry. If you still want to give it a try, I'd start by sub only half of the coconut oil for applesauce.
Eve
Can i use oats flour instead of almond flour?
Marie
Oat flour and almond flour have a very different profile and I haven't tested this recipe with oat flour so I can't say it would work for sure, I'm sorry!
Sierra
Can I use smart balance instead of coconut oil?
Marie
Hi Sierra! I've never used smart balance and haven't tested the recipe with it so I'm not sure, sorry. Let us know if you give it a try!
carmen
Best lava cake ever! I used olive oil infused with chocolate instead of coconut oil (I wanted a monounsaturated fat instead of a saturated fat) and it came out tasting like a restaurant worthy dish. Definitely repeating this recipe again.
Marie
That makes me super happy! Thanks for sharing!