This decadent molten chocolate lava cake is the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion (e.g., birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day) with your favorite gluten-free loved one! 

A shot of a white plate with a paleo chocolate lava cake with a bite taken out, exposing the gooey chocolate center. The plate has 2 small piles of raspberries next to the cake. There is a gold medal that says "Includes air fryer instructions". A red banner at the bottom says Paleo, Gluten-free, and Grain- free.

A healthier spin on chocolate lava cake

Chocolate lava cakes were all the rage at fine dining restaurants back when I was a college student, so this rich, decadent chocolate treat brings back so many warm memories of Henry and I irresponsibly blowing all of our student loan money on fancy meals.

I remember the first time I cracked open the delicate chocolate cake surface and a molten center oozed out like hot lava, I was instantly smitten. What is this culinary magic?

Although it’s been 30 years (!) since I first tried a lava cake, I still love to bake them for my friends and family. It’s an easy, show-stopping dessert that can be made deliciously gluten-free and nut-free! Plus, it’s so much cheaper to make at home—and you can eat them in your sweatpants.

A closeup shot of a white plate with a chocolate lava cake opened to show the gooey center. There is powdered keto confectioners sugar on top and raspberries on the side.

What is a molten lava cake?

Molten lava cakes were first introduced to the public back in the late 1980s, when famed New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten started serving them for dessert at his fancy-pants restaurants after a happy accident.

As legend has it, the chef pulled an undercooked chocolate sponge cake out of the oven and when he tasted the resulting cake with the gooey molten center, he knew he had a hit on his hands.

My adaptation of Jean-Georges’s classic recipe is a wee bit denser and more chocolate-y because, well, that’s how I like it. Although you can serve one of these little cakes per person (and that’s how the nutrition facts are calculated in the recipe card below), I normally share one because it’s a hefty, rich dessert. If you want a lighter, single-serve chocolate dessert, make a mug cake!

A person in a red apron tapping cocoa powder on top of a lava cake with whipped coconut cream on top.

What chocolate do you use?

This chocolate lava cake recipe is basically a death-by-chocolate type of dessert, so you should use the best chocolate you can find. I normally use two 3-ounce bars of my favorite 70% cacao chocolate—I like Green & Black, Alter Eco, or Guittard brands for this recipe. Yes, these chocolates do have cane sugar as the sweetener, but I don’t sweat it because I’m making dessert. If you want to use paleo chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar, use Hu Chocolate or Guittard.

Can you substitute any of the ingredients?

As I’ve told you in the past, I’m not a paleo baking expert, so I have no idea if you can use an egg substitute or use another flour in place of almond or cassava flour recommended in this recipe.

In the past I’ve used 85% cacao chocolate in place of 70% cacao, but the kids didn’t think it’s sweet enough. I suspect you can use ⅓ cup granulated allulose in place of maple sugar to make it lower carb—but I haven’t tested it yet.

Please let me know in the comments section below if you have success with any ingredient substitutions!

Can you make it in an air fryer?

Yep! As I’ve told you before, an air fryer is simply a countertop convection oven so any of my oven recipes can be cooked (for the most part) in an air fryer. For these lava cakes, you can air fry them at 400°F for 7 to 9 minutes or until the sides are set and the middle is still oozy.

How do you make it ahead of time?

If you want to make these lava cakes ahead of time, you can mix the batter up to a day in advance and store the covered ramekins in the fridge. Before you bake the cakes, bring them up to room temperature first by taking them out of the fridge about an hour ahead of time. If you’re eating them for dessert, just put them on the counter before you start dinner and you can bake them when you’re done eating!

Key tips for making perfect lava cakes

  • Use the same size ramekins. This way all the lava cakes will cook for the same amount of time.
  • Check on the cakes a minute or so before you think they’re done. That way, you won’t overcook them. If you’re serving them to company, bake a tester first to determine the perfect baking time for your oven.
  • Serve the cakes right away! I only rest them for a minute because they’ll keep cooking if you keep the cakes in the hot ramekins. Your lava won’t ooze properly and you’ll be sad.

Ingredients

An overhead shot of the raw ingredients to make paleo and gluten free chocolate lava cakes.
  • Ghee or coconut oil: In place of unsalted butter, I like to use ghee or coconut oil in these cakes.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Dark chocolate (70% cacao)
  • Eggs + Egg Yolks
  • Maple sugar or coconut sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Blanched almond flour: To keep things gluten free and paleo, I use almond flour in this recipe instead of all purpose flour. If you’re nut-free, cassava flour also works.
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Optional toppings: Swerve confectioners sweetener or powdered sugar, whipped coconut cream or vanilla ice cream, fresh berries (e.g. strawberries or raspberries)

How to make gluten free chocolate lava cakes

Heat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position. 

A hand is turning the dial on a wall oven to preheat it.

Lightly grease four 6-ounce ramekins with ghee, melted coconut oil, or avocado oil cooking spray…

A person in a red apron is brushing melted ghee into a white ramekin. There are three other ramekins in front of her.

…and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Make sure to tap out any excess powder!

A person in a red apron is tapping unsweetened cocoa powder from a small mesh sieve into a greased small white ramekin.

Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.

A brunette woman in a red apron is arranging four prepared white ramekins on a black rimmed baking sheet.

In a double boiler—a.k.a., a bowl that fits snugly over a pot of simmering water (but doesn’t actually touch the water), melt the ghee with the chocolate…

A red silicone spatula is adding ghee to a bowl filled with chocolate shards. The bowl is on top of a large saucepan.

…stirring frequently with a rubber spatula until smooth and shiny. Take off heat and set aside.

A bowl is filled with melted chocolate on top of a saucepan. A red silicone spatula is in the bowl.

Alternatively, you can use a microwave oven to melt the ghee and chocolate. Place them in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 30-second intervals…

Two hands are placing a glass bowl filled with chopped chocolate and ghee into a microwave.

…and stir until smooth. It should take about 1 minute total. 

Someone stirring melted chocolate in a glass bowl with a red silicone spatula.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, egg yolks, maple sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.

Someone in a red apron is adding salt to a glass bowl filled with eggs and maple sugar.

Beat with a hand mixer on high speed or manually with a whisk until slightly thickened and pale, about 2 minutes.

Closeup of a hand mixer blending the eggs, maple sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.

Fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture…

Pouring a bowl of melted chocolate and ghee into the egg mixture.

…along with the almond or cassava flour. 

Someone adding almond flour from a small glass bowl into a large bowl filled with lava cake batter.

Mix well until uniform. The batter should thicken and take on the texture of chocolate pudding.

An overhead shot of thick chocolate lava cake batter in a glass bowl being mixed with a red silicone spatula.

Use a large ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the prepared ramekins.

Someone in a red apron using a large ice cream scooper to divide the lava cake batter into prepared ramekins.

Flatten the tops of the cakes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft.  Start checking at 8 minutes to make sure you don’t overcook them!

Closeup of four chocolate lava cakes right out of the oven. The cakes are cooked but the center is sunken a little.

Cooking in an air fryer? Air fry at 400°F for 7 to 9 minutes or until sides are firm and the center is jiggly!

An overhead shot of an open air fryer with a cooked lava cake inside.

Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and cool in the ramekins for 1 minute—no longer!

A hand in a kevlar glove is transferring cooked lava cakes onto a wire rack.

Run a butter knife on the inside edge of each ramekin. 

A woman in a red apron is using a butter knife to cut around the edge of a lava cake.

Then, cover each cake with a small plate and carefully invert each one and unmold. 

A person in a red apron is removing a ramekin off a plate with a kevlar glove.

Dust with Swerve confectioners sweetener (or regular confectioners sugar)…

Someone in a red apron adding keto powdered sugar on top of a paleo molten chocolate lava cake.

…or serve with whipped coconut cream and/or berries. 

A person in a red apron is putting a large dollop of whipped coconut cream on top of a gluten-free paleo chocolate lava cake

Serve immediately!

Three plates of paleo chocolate lava cake: the one in front is topped with powdered sugar and next to raspberries, the one in the back is unadorned, and the one in the back on the right has melted whipped coconut cream on top.

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).


PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Chocolate Lava Cake (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

4.86 from 47 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Servings 4
This decadent paleo molten chocolate lava cake is the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion with your favorite gluten-free or nut-free loved one!

Ingredients 
 

Chocolate Lava Cake

  • ½ cup ghee or coconut oil, plus more for greasing the ramekins
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao) finely chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon finely ground almond flour or cassava flour

Optional toppings

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Instructions 

  • Heat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position. 
  • Lightly grease four 6-ounce ramekins with ghee or melted coconut oil and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Make sure to tap out any excess powder!
  • Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • In a double boiler—a.k.a., a bowl that fits snugly over a pot of simmering water (but doesn’t actually touch the water), melt the ghee with the chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth and shiny.
    Alternatively, you can use a microwave oven to melt the ghee and chocolate. Place them in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. It should take about 1 minute total. 
    Set the melted chocolate mixture aside.
  • In a medium bowl, add the eggs, egg yolks, maple sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat with a hand mixer on high speed or manually with a whisk until slightly thickened and pale, about 2 minutes.
  • Fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture, along with the almond or cassava flour. 
  • Mix well until uniform. The batter should thicken and take on the texture of chocolate pudding.
  • Use a large ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the prepared ramekins.
  • Flatten the tops of the cakes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centers are soft.  Start checking at 8 minutes to make sure you don’t overcook them!
  • Cooking in an air fryer? Air fry at 400°F for 7 to 9 minutes or until sides are firm and the center is jiggly!
  • Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and cool in the ramekins for 1 minute—no longer!
  • Run a butter knife on the inside edge of each ramekin. Then, cover each cake with a small plate and carefully turn each one over and unmold. 
  • Dust with Swerve confectioners sweetener (or regular confectioners sugar) or serve with whipped coconut cream and/or berries. Serve immediately!

Video

Notes

Make ahead instructions:
If you want to make these lava cakes ahead of time, you can mix the batter up to a day in advance and store the covered ramekins in the fridge. Before you bake the cakes, bring them up to room temperature first by taking them out of the fridge about an hour ahead of time. If you’re eating them for dessert, just put them on the counter before you start dinner and you can bake them when you’re done eating!

Nutrition

Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 47g | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 26g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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