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.
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.
Serve these straight from the Instant Pot and add toppings like berries, ice cream, whipped cream frosting, or keto caramel. 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!
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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.
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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Instant Pot Lava Cakes
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup ~120g 90% dark chocolate bar, broken up into squares
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup 4 oz unsalted butter, melted then slightly cooled
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp, 60g golden monk fruit sweetener
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp 14g ground sunflower seed meal
- Pinch of salt
Optional Garnishes (Not Included In Nutrition Info):
- Full-fat Greek Yogurt
- Keto-friendly ice cream
- Fresh raspberries
- Sprinkle of powdered monk fruit sweetener
- Fresh mint leaf
Materials:
- 5 oz ramekins
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Coat ramekins or non-stick pudding pots with cooking spray. Fill each ramekin about ¾ of the way full with prepared batter.
- 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.
- Secure Instant Pot lid and set to Manual setting (high pressure) to cook for 6 minutes.
- After cooking has finished, quick-release pressure and, using a towel or tongs, quickly and carefully remove ramekins from Instant Pot pot.
- 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.
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