Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cake – Super fudgy with a gooey molten chocolate filling, this flourless chocolate lava cake makes a perfect special occasion dessert! (Dairy-free, gluten-free & paleo)
I don’t think it’s a secret that I really (like REALLY) love chocolate.
Sure, I’ll eat other kinds of sweets and desserts. I’m definitely here for things like lemon, and peanut butter, and pumpkin, and cinnamon. But chocolate? Chocolate is my dessert home base.
And there’s nothing that feels more delightfully (chocolatey) vintage than a good old-fashioned chocolate lava cake.
Sometimes called chocolate pudding cake or molten lava cake, chocolate lava cake is a brownie-like, single-serving chocolate cake that’s briefly cooked at high heat so the edges puff and cook through, leaving a gooey, pudding-like chocolatey center that makes life worth living.
This lava cake also just so happens to be (naturally!) gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo AND naturally sweetened without missing any of that classic deeply chocolatey goodness.
And if that hasn’t convinced you to try it, maybe this will…
HERE’S WHAT GOES INTO MY GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE:
DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE. Our gluten-free lava cake starts with chocolate chips. We’re dairy-free, so we use dairy-free chips, like these or these, but you can use whatever is your favorite. I recommend semi-sweet for the best balance of flavors, but you can also get away with dark (or milk chocolate, if you’re not dairy-free). You can even use stevia-sweetened chocolate chips if that’s your jam.
COCONUT OIL (OR BUTTER). You can make these chocolate lava cakes with coconut oil, butter, or vegan butter. All 3 will work. (If you want to use coconut oil but don’t want any coconut taste, refined coconut oil is much more neutral.)
EGG + EGG YOLK. For some serious richness and just the right puff, I use a combination of one egg and an egg yolk. (I toss the leftover egg white in a scramble the next morning.)
COCONUT SUGAR. I like coconut sugar because it adds caramel-y undertones without any coconut flavor. It’s also lower on the glycemic index, so it helps a bit here. And, it’s considered a paleo-approved sweetener, so these are paleo lava cakes!
UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER. This is actually a flourless lava cake recipe thanks to cocoa powder! Unsweetened cocoa powder adds structure, plus a richness and a deeper color I love.
VANILLA. I love plenty of vanilla with my chocolate, so my lava cake recipe uses a generous teaspoon.
SALT. To keep the flavor balanced, I also add some salt. If you’re making your lava cakes with salted butter, you may want to skip the added salt or reduce it slightly. It’s up to you!
YUMMY WAYS TO SERVE THIS GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE
Molten lava cake is typically a fairly stand-alone dessert and doesn’t need a lot of extra fuss to look and taste amazing. Some of our favorite ways to serve it are with:
- A dusting of powdered sugar (simple and pretty, though not paleo)
- Whipped Cream or Whipped Coconut Cream
- Raspberry Sauce (I love this!)
- Fresh Berries
- Vegan Caramel Sauce (this one’s our fave)
- A sprinkle of Cocoa powder
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream (NadaMoo makes a good dairy-free vanilla!)
- Toasted Almonds
FAQ + TIPS & TRICKS FOR PERFECT CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE:
HOW TO KEEP LAVA CAKE FROM STICKING. Lava cake is SUPER easy to make, but it does have a tendency to stick. If you plan to turn your lava cakes out onto plates rather than eating them straight from the ramekins, I recommend generously greasing them (with coconut oil, butter, or spray oil), sprinkling a little cocoa powder (a little sieve prevents clumps!), AND lining the bottoms with small circles of parchment paper. (I trace the bottom of the ramekin onto parchment, then cut them out so they fit neatly into the bottom.)
DO YOU EAT LAVA CAKE ON A PLATE OR STRAIGHT FROM THE RAMEKIN? It’s up to you! I did a quick Instagram poll and 75% of the respondents said they prefer eating it straight from the ramekins rather than turning the cakes out onto plates. It’s MUCH easier in my opinion, though it doesn’t give that molten lava cake volcano appearance that you get from a plate.
WHAT SIZE RAMEKINS SHOULD YOU USE FOR LAVA CAKE? You’ll want to use 6oz. ramekins (like these or these) for this lava cake recipe. If you use larger ramekins (8oz, 10oz, etc.) the baking time will not be the same, and you run the risk of over-cooking the lava cakes or having extra difficulty getting the cakes out.
CAN YOU MAKE LAVA CAKE AHEAD OF TIME? Technically yes, though I only really recommend this if you plan to eat them from the ramekins. I recommend slightly under-baking them so that you can reheat them in the oven for a couple of minutes (or microwave for just a few seconds) and still have that gooey center.
CRAVING MORE? YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- PERFECT Gluten Free Brownies (Paleo)
- The BEST Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- No-Bake Chocolate Berry Tart
- Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce
- Healthy No-Bake Cookies
HELPFUL INGREDIENTS & TOOLS FOR THESE LAVA CAKES:
Gluten Free Chocolate Lava Cake (Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 minute
- Yield: 4 Lava Cakes 1x
Description
Super fudgy with a molten chocolate filling, this (flourless!) gluten free lava cake is chocolate pefection! (Dairy-free, paleo)
Ingredients
- 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips (3oz = 1/2 cup chocolate chips), dairy-free, as needed
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, butter, or vegan butter
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Grease 4 (6oz) ramekins with coconut oil, nonstick spray, or butter. Sprinkle with cocoa powder to help prevent sticking. (If planning to turn the cakes out of the ramekins, I also recommend lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Trace the bottom of the ramekin onto a piece of parchment, and cut out so it fits neatly into the bottom.)
- In a small saucepan, gently melt chocolate chips with coconut oil or butter over low heat, stirring regularly until glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.
- In a medium bowl, combine coconut sugar, egg, and egg yolk. Beat 2 minutes with a whisk or 1 minute with a hand-mixer until the mixture is slightly lighter in color and the coconut sugar is completely dissolved. (If you dip your fingers in the mixture and rub them together, you should not feel any grains of sugar.)
- Add melted, cooled chocoalate mixture to the egg mixture, along with cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix until combined. (Mixture will be quite sticky)
- Divide mixture among four prepared ramekins and place ramekins on a baking sheet to stabilize.
- Bake cakes at 425 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the center is still wet.
- Let cakes cool 1 minute and run a thin knife around the edges of the cakes before turning out onto plates (I use a clean dish cloth or an oven mitt to hold the ramkein and transfer them to plates) or serve directly from the ramekins with spoons.
Notes
Topping & Seving Ideas: A dusting of powdered sugar, whipped cream or whipped coconut cream, Raspberry Sauce, fresh berries, vegan caramel sauce, toasted almonds, a sprinkle of cocoa powder, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Category: Dessert, Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Lava Cake, Chocolate Lava Cake, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, Paleo Lava Cake, Gluten Free Lava Cake, Healthy Lava Cake
These look amazing! We totally need to make these for Valentine’s!
Hi! These look delish! Can you bake these in something besides a ramekin? Would a muffin tin work? Thanks!!
Maddie – Thank you! We love them. The shape & bake time for the cakes would vary a bit, so you’d kind of have to wing it if you use something other than a ramekin. You also may not get the same turnout, since it’s harder to turn them out individually using a muffin pan.
Can you sub olive oil and regular sugar in this recipe?
You can absolutely use regular sugar. I wouldn’t use olive oil unless you like the flavor, since it will likely come through after baking. (Not everyone likes the flavor of olive oil with chocolate). Melted butter, or vegan butter would also work! (Or, you could use avocado oil or something like canola or grapeseed oil which have a neutral flavor.)