By

Wendy Stoltz / Last Modified On December 30, 2024

Here's how to make unforgettable gluten-free chocolate lava cakes with dairy-free and vegan ingredients. That's right! No butter. No milk. No gluten. And the most important thing? They turn out so gooey and delicious.

If you're a fan of rich, gooey chocolate desserts, you're in for a treat with these gluten-free chocolate lava cakes! They are dairy-free and vegan and offer a fudgy, molten center that will satisfy even the most serious chocolate cravings. Whether you prefer a soft, cake-like center or a smoother, extra-chocolaty filling, this recipe has you covered. Perfect for a special occasion or a simple indulgence, these lava cakes are easy to make, and most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen. Get ready to wow your taste buds with this decadent dessert!

If you like gluten-free chocolate desserts, you'll want to check out my gluten-free vegan chocolate ganache cake. It's decadent and delicious. My gluten-free vegan chocolate espresso donuts are equally scrumptious. And there are so many more ways to treat yourself. For more desserts check out my gluten-free desserts section.

Ready for unforgettable gluten-free lava cake? I'm including a bunch of photos (and a video of the full recipe) below.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cake

A fudgy chocolate cake with a gooey center, these gluten-free chocolate lava cakes will wow any gluten-free chocolate lover. I've had a couple of readers message me and ask for a simple gluten-free chocolate lave cake recipe. It's been on my list for a while now but it gave me the push I needed to finish the recipe. You should have most if not all of the ingredients for these lava cakes in your kitchen.

I've got a couple of options for this gluten-free lava cake recipe, so please make sure to read through the post so you know what has worked and what I recommend. I used Enjoy Life Foods Dark Morsels for these chocolate lava cakes. They are free of the top allergens and they are gluten-free and vegan. They are the star of this recipe.

Gluten-Free Lava Cake Recipe

First off, this is a vegan chocolate lava cake. That means no dairy and no eggs. If you can have dairy and/or eggs and you'd like to use them in this recipe please see the recipe card below. It will show you what substitutions you can use in this gluten-free lave cake recipe.

Chocolate Lava Cakes are basically little cakes that have a chocolate center that spills out when you take a bite - like lava spilling from a volcano. They go by gluten-free chocolate lave cakes, gluten-free lave cakes, and sometimes gluten-free molten chocolate lave cakes.

I have two options for you, depending on how you like your gluten-free chocolate center:

1. Make this recipe as is. The center will be soft and gooey, and remind you of cake batter. It's vegan (no eggs) so don't even fret about the center being soft. It's delish! If you use eggs, you'll be fine. The temperature of the center gets up high enough that it's safe to eat, even though its quite soft.
2. If you like your gluten-free chocolate center a little smoother - add additional dark chocolate morsels to the center. You can press them in, and smooth the batter over the top.

I have made this gluten-free lava cake recipe BOTH WAYS. Why? Because half my family prefers the first option and half prefers the second and it only takes a minute to press extra chocolate morsels into the center. I can't wait for you to try these vegan lava cakes!

How to Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Lava Cakes

Grease eight 4-ounce ramekins and place them on a baking sheet, or dust 8 muffin pan wells with cocoa to prevent sticking. I personally prefer using silicone baking pans when making gluten-free lava cakes because they make it easier to remove the cakes once baked.

In a small mixing bowl, prepare your flax eggs by combining the ground flaxseed meal and water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken and form a gel-like consistency.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. This will be your dry mixture for the cakes.

In a separate, medium-sized microwaveable bowl, add the chocolate morsels and oil. Microwave for 1 minute, then whisk until the chocolate mixture is smooth and fully melted.

Next, add the melted chocolate mixture, applesauce, and flax eggs to the dry mix. Stir everything together until the batter is well combined.

Fill the prepared ramekins or muffin wells about ¾ of the way full with the batter, making sure they are evenly distributed.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. The edges should be set, but the center will remain soft and gooey. Once done, remove the pan from the oven.

Finally, carefully invert the gluten-free chocolate lava cakes onto a plate and serve warm. Enjoy!

This gluten-free chocolate lave cake recipe is super simple, right? See the recipe below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.

Which Flour Blend to Use

For this recipe, I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, which combines gluten-free flours and gluten-free starches. I've also tested this gluten-free chocolate lava cake recipe with Cup4Cup and gfJules flour, which all made amazing lava cakes.

When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour. The best method really is to weigh the gluten-free flour but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.

How Do You Keep The Inside So Gooey?

Baking Time: The key to a gooey center is baking the cakes just long enough for the edges to set while the middle remains soft. Bake for 14-16 minutes, but keep a close eye on them. The edges should be firm, but the center should still look slightly undercooked and soft. If you overbake them, the center will firm up.

Flax Egg vs. Regular Egg: If you're using the flax egg (as in the vegan version), the batter will naturally remain a little softer, which contributes to a gooey center. If you use regular eggs, the center might firm up a bit more, but it still should be gooey if you follow the correct baking time.

Extra Chocolate in the Center: For a more molten center, you can press additional chocolate chips, (broken chocolate bar, melting morsels, or chunks) into the middle of the batter before baking. These will melt into the center and add extra gooeyness.

Ramekin Size: Make sure to choose the correct size of ramekins or muffin wells. The recipe suggests 4-ounce ramekins, which ensures the cakes cook evenly, with a gooey center and set edges. If your ramekins are too large or small, the baking time may need to be adjusted.

Resting Time After Baking: Once removed from the oven, let the cakes sit in the ramekins for just a minute or two before inverting them. This helps the structure set, but you still want the center to be gooey when you cut into it.

The Ingredients Used in Chocolate Lava Cake

Remember, my recipe only uses gluten-free ingredients. Here's what you'll need.

The ingredients for these gluten-free chocolate lava cakes are simple and easy to find, with many of them already in your kitchen! I recommend using a high-quality gluten-free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour for the best results. Enjoy Life Foods Dark Morsels are my go-to for the chocolate, as they're gluten-free, vegan, and allergen-free, making them perfect for this recipe. The flax egg helps bind everything together without the need for eggs, and applesauce adds a touch of moisture. Together, these ingredients create a fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth cake with a perfectly gooey center every time!

The full list of ingredients, with quantities, is listed below with the full recipe. Note that we don't need butter or milk for this. That means it's vegan as well as being gluten-free.

What to serve with lava cakes

To keep these gluten-free lava cakes vegan you'll want to either dust the vegan lava cakes with a light coating of powdered sugar, serve them with vegan ice cream, or you can top them with a vegan whipped cream like coconut whipped cream. They're also absolutely phenomenal with vegan vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. Otherwise, feel free to top them with YOUR FAVORITE toppings.

If you like gluten-free chocolate desserts you might also like these gluten-free chocolate chip mini bundt cakes. And of course, you might want to choose something a little different. In that case, try this vanilla cake recipe. It's gluten-free and thrives with a few splashes of vanilla extract.

Did you make this gluten-free lave cake recipe? Please leave a starred review and a comment below. It helps others see that this recipe is great.

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 gluten-free lave cakes

Gluten-Free Lava Cake - Dairy-free and Vegan!

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Lave Cakes that are dairy-free and vegan. You are going to love how easy this gluten-free lava cake recipe is!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 flax eggs (¼ cup ground flaxseed meal + ¾ cup (6oz.) water, let sit for 10-15 minutes until thickened)
• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Morsels
• ¼ cup oil of choice (I use avocado oil)
• ½ cup apple sauce
• Optional: additional chocolate morsels for an extra chocolatey center

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease eight 4-ounce ramekins and place them on a baking sheet OR dust 8 muffin pan wells with cocoa (to prevent sticking). I prefer to use silicone baking pans when I make gluten-free lava cakes because I find it easier to remove them.
2. In a small mixing bowl, make your flax eggs by combining the ground flax seed meal and water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add the chocolate morsels and oil to a separate medium sized microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and then whisk until mixture is smooth.
5. Add the melted chocolate mixture, applesauce, and flax eggs to the dry mix and stir until combined.
6. Fill the ramekins or muffin wells ¾ of the way full.
7. Bake for 16 minutes. The edges will be set but the center will still be soft and gooey.
8. Invert the gluten-free chocolate lava cakes onto a plate and serve warm.

Notes

• When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour.
• You can cut this recipe in half to make 4 gluten-free lava cakes instead of 8, if needed.
• You can use 4 eggs in this recipe in place of the flaxegg if you can eat eggs.
• Optional: for an extra chocolatey center press additional chocolate morsels into the center of the batter, and smooth the batter out on top. I like to use 5-8 chocolate morsels when I want more chocolate.
• For this recipe I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. I've also tested this gluten-free chocolate lava cake recipe with Cup4Cup and gfJules flour. All made amazing lava cakes.
• Substitute ½ cup of mashed banana or pear-sauce for the applesauce if you don't have applesauce on hand.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. They never cost you extra.

• 
  Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Regular Size Morsels
• 
  Silicone Muffin Pan
• 
  Bobs Red Mill, Baking Flour 1 To 1 Gluten Free

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 lava cake
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 406Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 200mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 7gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g