Name: Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 155 min
Ingredients: 2 oz nondairy semisweet chocolate; 1 tablespoon vegan butter or coconut oil; 3 tablespoons plant milk; 3/4 cups unsweetened plant milk; 1 scant tablespoon distilled white or apple cider vinegar; 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup all-purpose flour ((make sure to fluff it up before measuring it)); 1/3 cup cocoa powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; oil or vegan butter (to grease); powdered sugar; fresh berries; vanilla bean ice cream; fresh mint

This Vegan Lava Cake is deliciously moist with an ooey-gooey molten center. The perfect choice for a romantic date night dessert.

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Chocolate lava cake was one of my favorite desserts as a kid. It was a rare treat that my family would share at a restaurant a few times a year. When I went vegan, I thought maybe my days of enjoying this dessert were behind me. I was intimidated by the thought of reformulating the recipe without dairy and eggs.

macro shot of chocolate lava cake, cut into, with molten chocolate center flowing out

Recently I rewatched the film Chef, in which the main character (a top-tier chef with a big attitude) has a meltdown when a food critic gives a less-than-rosy review of his lava cake. The scene gave me a good chuckle — but more importantly, it inspired me to finally try veganizing this classic dessert.

This version is so easy and delicious! It’s the perfect way to elevate chocolate cake for a special occasion. Topped with a scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream and a few fresh sweet berries, it’s the most divine mix of temperatures and textures and the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day (or really any day).

Ingredients for Vegan Molten Lava Cake

The ingredients for this vegan lava cake recipe are pretty basic, but together they make something phenomenal.

For the cake:

Unsweetened plant milk and vinegar. My favorite milk to bake with is soy because it maintains a neutral flavor when heated and also adds a bit of extra protein to the recipe! However, you can use whatever you happen to have on hand. The acidity of the vinegar will curdle the milk to make a vegan-friendly buttermilk substitute, which will help to make the cake nice and tender.
All-purpose flour. I haven’t tested this recipe yet with gluten-free alternatives, but I will update when I am able! I have, however, made plenty of successful batches of cookies and cakes using the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour, so I’d recommend that if you want to give this a try.
Cocoa powder. Many traditional lava cake recipes call for melted chocolate rather than cocoa powder. However, since we’re omitting eggs (which typically give the cake structure), I find it easier to use cocoa powder to avoid the entire cake being too fudgy.
Baking powder & baking soda. A combination of these two will help the cake fluff up. The baking soda reacts to the acid in our vegan “buttermilk” for some extra lift.
Oil or vegan butter. Any neutral vegetable oil works great.

For the molten chocolate center:

Plant milk. Any kind should work; my go-to for baking is always plain soy milk.
Vegan butter. You can also use coconut oil, but make sure it’s refined coconut oil if you don’t want a trace of coconut flavor.
Nondairy semisweet chocolate. You can chop up any nondairy semisweet chocolate bar for this, or weigh out chocolate chips. My preference is to use a bar of semisweet baker’s chocolate. (Just double-check the label for milk ingredients; this will vary from brand to brand.) Give it a coarse chop to help it melt easily.

vegan chocolate lava cake, cut open, with molten chocolate spilling out

How to Make the Molten Center

There’s a common misconception that lava cake is simply undercooked chocolate cake! In actuality, we achieve the molten center by embedding pure chocolate or chocolate ganache inside the cake batter. When heated, the filling melts to create that ooey-gooey effect.

I decided to use a simple chocolate ganache as the filling to make it extra luscious, and to ensure that the chocolate wouldn’t be absorbed into the batter. This piece of the recipe requires just three simple ingredients: chocolate, plant milk, and vegan butter.

If using a bar of baker’s chocolate, give it a rough chop. You then have two options for heating everything up:

Microwave: Add everything to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between, until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until well-mixed.
Stovetop: Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is fully combined.

Allow the ganache to chill in the fridge for several hours, until it is firm to the touch. (If you use the freezer to speed up the cooling time, don’t allow it to get too hard! It should still be easily scoopable.)

How to Make Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

Preheat oven to 450°F if using ramekins, and 425°F if using a metal jumbo muffin tin.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together unsweetened plant milk and vinegar. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to curdle. This will act as your vegan “buttermilk.”
In the meantime, generously grease or butter 4 ramekins (or 4 cavities in a jumbo muffin tin). For extra insurance that the lava cakes will release cleanly from the ramekins, I recommend also cutting out small circles of baking parchment and placing them in the bottom of each.
Add vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sugar and whisk to combine.
Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together to form a smooth batter.

four-panel overhead shot of making batter for vegan molten lava cake

Bake the Lava Cakes

Divide the batter evenly between the four muffin tins cups, reserving just a few tablespoons of the batter for later.
Place a tablespoon of the firm ganache in the center of each cake. Use the remaining batter to spread on top and seal in the ganache.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. The cakes will be slightly domed on top but may still look a little jiggly/undercooked in the centers. However, they should look fully cooked around the edges.
Allow to cool for about 5 minutes so the ramekins are not too hot to the touch. Use a butter knife to gently loosen the cake from the sides of the muffin tin. Then invert them very carefully onto a plate or baking tray.
Carefully peel off the parchment (if you used it) and then transfer the cakes to their own plates.
Add your favorite toppings and serve while warm!

Sarah’s Recipe Notes

Make the ganache ahead of time. I recommend preparing the chocolate ganache at least 2 hours ahead of time to give it ample time to chill and firm up in the fridge. The lava cakes won’t bake properly if the ganache isn’t solid. If you like, you can prepare it up to a few days in advance and simply leave it in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.
Leftover ganache is okay! This recipe yields a tiny bit of extra ganache — you will not use all of it in the lava cakes. It was just easier to work with these volumes.
Properly measure your flour. Fluff up the flour before scooping it into your measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge for an accurate measurement. This ensures your cakes have the right texture and consistency and won’t turn out gummy.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite ways to eat vegan chocolate lava cake is to dust them with some powdered sugar and top them with raspberries. Other berries, like blackberries or strawberries, will work well also!

You can also top them with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and a sprig of fresh mint for a fancy-looking garnish.

More Vegan Dessert Recipes

This post was originally sponsored by Kroger.

Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

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