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Home Recipes Instant Pot Lava Cakes

Instant Pot Lava Cakes

Net Carbs:4.8g
5 Comments This post contains affiliate links.
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These Instant Pot Lava Cakes are low-carb, nut-free, warm, gooey, chocolatey, and totally irresistible! Made from scratch in only 30 minutes, moist chocolate cake is filled with a decadent molten chocolate center that flows out like lava when the cake is cut into. Keto lava cakes are a show-stopping dessert for any meal or party.

Overhead angled shot of the Instant Pot Lava Cake on a ceramic plate. A small portion is scooped up by a spoon, revealing the gooey inside of the lava cake. The lava cake is sprinkled with powdered monk fruit sweetener and garnished with a few fresh raspberries on the side. The plate rests atop a marble countertop.

In just 30 minutes, an Instant Pot cooks these chocolate lava cakes perfectly. The decadent little cakes are full of flavor and a real crowd-pleaser. They’re ideal for any occasion – from a busy weeknight to a date night or a party.

With just 4.8 grams of net carbs per serving, they’re rich, chocolatey, and will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth – all while being low in carbs!

Overhead close-up shot of the Instant Pot Lava Cake on a ceramic plate. A small portion is scooped up by a spoon, revealing the gooey inside of the lava cake. The lava cake is sprinkled with powdered monk fruit sweetener and garnished with a few fresh raspberries on the side. The plate rests atop a marble countertop.

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Why you’ll love this keto lava cake recipe

  • Individual portions
  • Will satisfy your sweet tooth with only 4.8g net carbs per serving
  • Made from scratch
  • Nut-free, coconut-free, and can be made dairy-free
  • Cooked in the Instant Pot in only 30 minutes
  • Rich, warm, and gooey

How to make Instant Pot chocolate lava cakes

  • Prepare Batter: Melt chocolate in a bowl following the double boiler method. Remove the melted chocolate pot from the stovetop and allow it to cool slightly.
  • Mix together the eggs, butter, monk fruit sweetener, and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy, then add the ground sunflower seed meal and salt and mix again. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
  • Coat ramekins or non-stick pudding pots with cooking spray then fill each about ¾ of the way full with the prepared batter.
  • Cook Cakes: Place a steamer rack on the bottom of your Instant Pot pot and then pour in 2 cups of water. Place 4 ramekins directly atop the steamer rack and then place the remaining 1 ramekin atop the 4 ramekins in the center to build a pyramid. Secure the lid and set to manual setting (high pressure) to cook for 6 minutes. After cooking has finished, quick-release pressure and carefully remove the ramekins from the Instant Pot pot.
  • Final Steps: As quickly as possible and while still warm, atop a plate, flip ramekins over to remove cakes from ramekins. Serve cakes warm on their own or garnished with any of the optional garnishes included in the Ingredients list.
Collage shots of the Instant Pot Lava Cakes recipe. · Upper left photo: Overhead shot of melted dark chocolate in a glass bowl over a large pot, with a spatula for stirring. The dark chocolate was melted using the double boiler method. The pan rests in a square fabric trivet atop a marble countertop. · Upper right photo: Overhead shot of three ramekins filled about ¾ of the way full with the prepared batter. The ramekins are resting atop a marble countertop. · Lower left photo: Close-up angled shot of the five ramekins with the cooked lava cakes inside the Instant Pot. · Lower right photo: Overhead angled close-up shot of the Instant Pot Lava Cake on a ceramic plate topped with keto-friendly ice cream, with the melted portion covering and spilling on the sides of the lava cake. A small portion is scooped up by a spoon, revealing the gooey inside of the lava cake. The plate rests atop a marble countertop.
Close-up shot of the Instant Pot Lava Cake on a ceramic plate. A small portion is scooped up by a spoon, revealing the gooey inside of the lava cake. The lava cake is sprinkled with powdered monk fruit sweetener and garnished with a few fresh raspberries on the side.

Net carbs per serving for Instant Pot lava cakes

Instant pot chocolate lava cakes contain 4.8 grams of net carbs per serving. Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbs, subtracting fiber, and subtracting sugar alcohols. The recipe, as written, yields 5 servings.

The complete nutrition information for this recipe, including the calorie content, total carbs, protein, and fat per serving, can be found in the nutrition label located below the recipe instructions.

Ingredient substitutions for keto chocolate lava cakes

  • Dark Chocolate Bar: Sugar-free dark chocolate chips can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio.
  • Butter: Coconut oil can be substituted for butter at a 1:1 ratio. This substitution will make the recipe dairy-free.
  • Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener: Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener, Swerve, or erythritol can be used here at a 1:1 substitution ratio. You can also use Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener; I would suggest using ~37g if you use Lakanto’s powdered sweetener.
  • Ground Sunflower Seed Meal: You can make homemade ground sunflower seed meal by pulsing raw sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor until they turn into flour (be careful to not over-blend, as doing this will lead to making sunflower seed butter, which has a consistency similar to that of peanut butter or almond butter). If you can eat nuts, you should be able to substitute almond flour at a 1:1 ratio substitution.

Keep in mind any changes you make to this recipe will modify the total net carbs.

Instant Pot lava cake FAQs

Can I make keto lava cakes if I don’t have an Instant Pot?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you should be able to place the cake-filled ramekins on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Note that I have not personally tested this, so I can’t say for sure, but I do think this will work! If you do decide to bake them, I would suggest checking them right at 12 minutes and, if the center jiggles while being gently shaken, remove them from the oven.

Can I make this recipe dairy-free?

Use coconut oil in place of butter to make this a dairy-free recipe.

What size ramekins do I use for this recipe?

For these lava cakes, I used 6-ounce ramekins. I suggest using 4-6 ounce ramekins. Depending on the size of your ramekin, the cooking times will vary slightly.

Are ramekins supposed to be greased before using?

Yes! Coat the ramekins with nonstick cooking spray before filling them with batter.

What size Instant Pot is used for this recipe?

I can’t say for sure if this recipe will work in a 3 qt mini. I personally use a 6 qt Instant Pot, but you can also make this in an 8 qt. Regardless of whether you use a 6 qt or 8 qt, do not change the cooking time. That will remain the same.

Can I store chocolate lava cakes?

Yes, the lava cakes may be kept in an airtight container or resealable storage bags for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute.

Are you looking for some more keto-friendly dessert recipes? Check out a few of my favorites!

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chocolate lave cake topped with keto ice cream and garnished with raspberries

Instant Pot Lava Cakes

  • Author: Sara Nelson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 5 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

These Instant Pot Lava Cakes are low-carb, nut-free, warm, gooey, chocolatey, and totally irresistible! Made from scratch in only 30 minutes, moist chocolate cake is filled with a decadent molten chocolate center that flows out like lava when the cake is cut into. Keto lava cakes are a show-stopping dessert for any meal or party.

Ingredients

Optional Garnishes (Not Included In Nutrition Info):

Materials:

  • 5 oz ramekins

Instructions

  1. To a small glass or stainless steel bowl, add dark chocolate bar squares. In a large pot over medium heat, using double boiler method (see note below), melt chocolate in bowl, stirring occasionally. Remove pot from stovetop and allow melted chocolate to cool slightly while moving on to next step.
  2. In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, mix together eggs, butter, monk fruit sweetener, and vanilla extract until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ground sunflower seed meal and salt and mix again until smooth. Pour melted chocolate into mixing bowl of egg mixture and, using an electric mixer with clean whisk attachment, mix until combined.
  3. Coat ramekins or non-stick pudding pots with cooking spray. Fill each ramekin about ¾ of the way full with prepared batter.
  4. Place steamer rack on bottom of Instant Pot pot and then pour in 2 cups of water. Place 4 ramekins directly atop steamer rack and then place remaining 1 ramekin atop the 4 ramekins in the center to build a pyramid.
  5. Secure Instant Pot lid and set to Manual setting (high pressure) to cook for 6 minutes.
  6. After cooking has finished, quick-release pressure and, using a towel or tongs, quickly and carefully remove ramekins from Instant Pot pot.
  7. As quickly as possible and while still warm, atop a plate, flip ramekins over to remove cakes from ramekins. Serve cakes warm on their own or garnished with any of the optional garnishes included in the Ingredients list.

Recipe Notes:

Where To Purchase Monk Fruit Sweetener: I purchase mine from Lakanto and have it delivered. If you want to do this, you can use discount code REALBALANCED at checkout for 20% OFF your Lakanto order. If you’d rather purchase monk fruit sweetener in a store, many grocery stores, especially specialty stores and Costco, carry Lakanto’s monk fruit sweetener.

Double Boiler Method: Instead of putting chocolate bar squares directly in a pot to melt, we want to simmer water in a pot and set a bowl atop the simmering water. This is to ensure the chocolate does not burn and melts evenly. To successfully melt chocolate using the double boiler method, to a large pot, add just enough water to fill the bottom of the pan, but not too much that the water will touch the bottom of the bowl you plan to melt the chocolate in. Over medium heat with the bowl of chocolate atop the water, simmer the water, which will lead to the chocolate melting.

Net Carbs: Per serving, the cakes contain 4.8 grams of net carbs. A serving size is 1 cake and the recipe, as written, yields 5 cakes. Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbs, subtracting fiber, and subtracting sugar alcohols.

Refrigerator Storage: These can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freezer Storage: After being cooked and cooled, the lava cakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Place cakes in an airtight container or storage bag, then take out and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave.

Keywords: instant pot lava cake, instant pot lava cake recipe, instant pot chocolate lava cake, keto lava cakes

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5 Comments

  1. Dorothy says

    Hi, Just a question about the ramekins, Are they 8 oz and metal? Where did you get them? These look great!

    Reply

    • Sara Nelson says

      Good question, Dorothy! These are 5 oz ramekins and are made of Teflon. I tried looking, but couldn’t find an exact link to these ones (I didn’t buy them online), but any ramekin of this size will work!

      Reply

  2. Zarin says

    Hi Sara, I don’t have an Instant Pot so is there any other way I can cook these. Tbh they sound divine and I would love to make them.

    Regards

    Reply