A year ago while still at my previous job, I drove home from work with intense stress-induced chocolate cravings at least one night each week. Those persistent desires demanded more than a kid-sized Starbucks hot chocolate or a small square of Hershey’s Special Dark. They required a thick slice of decadent chocolate cake, usually supplied by the Safeway bakery a quarter-mile away from our house.
Once inside, I sped straight to the back of the store, bypassing the front of their cake display filled with cupcakes and cheesecakes to scour the back. I skipped past their square two-layer pieces; those tasted too milky and had slightly runny frosting. Instead, I scrutinized every single triangular slice of their tall six-layer dark chocolate cake, always selecting the biggest one practically bursting out of the seams of its plastic package.
I slowly savored two layers each night, nibbling at mouse-sized bites to make my chocolate therapy last as long as possible. By the time I swallowed the final morsel on the third day, I felt the stress melt away like the fudgy frosting on my tongue, and it motivated me to tackle another round of papers at work.
But then…
Then came the night that Safeway sold the last slice before I could claim it. Another customer walked out with my consolation cake, and I arrived home almost in tears. I had been depending on eating it all day! At the distraught look on my face, my guy asked what was wrong, and after I sniffled out a sad answer, he slipped his car keys into his pocket while I snuggled into a fuzzy blanket on the couch to watch reruns of “Top Chef.”
Right as the episode ended 45 minutes later, he pulled open the front door. Without telling me, he had driven to the opposite side of town to search the other Safeway’s cake selection, and after finding no six-layer slices, he then bravely stopped by the newly opened Whole Foods downtown. He jockeyed his way through the indecisive college kids wandering the store, patiently standing in the bakery line to order two gourmet chocolate cupcakes.
After offering him a few bites of each, I finished both cupcakes that night. Two chocolate cupcakes = two layers of chocolate cake, right?
Once I left that job to blog full-time, fewer days demand a stress-relief slice of six-layer chocolate cake. On the rare occasion my chocolate cravings spiral out of control, I usually bake a pan of my favorite fudgy chocolate brownies instead. And yet… That’s almost just as dangerous. With no self-control around chocolate, I’m always tempted to eat all 16 by myself, especially the four fudgiest ones in the center!
Because those brownies also require lots of cooling time, I decided to create a quicker recipe—preferably ready in under 10 minutes—with only one serving, making it impossible for me to overeat. And after a weekend of experimenting and rounds of testing, I finally perfected the dessert.
This Healthy Single-Serving Microwave Brownie packs a huge chocolate punch, full of incredible fudginess and irresistible decadence. Its smooth texture simply melted in my mouth, completely satisfying my dark chocolate cravings. Despite its deeply rich flavor, it’s still a low-fat and low-calorie treat!
You only need 5 ingredients (plus water) to make this easy dessert, and I guarantee you store most of them in your pantry right now! Cocoa powder, whole wheat flour, yogurt, agave, and vanilla. Containing only these few wholesome healthy ingredients, this healthy brownie is clean-eating friendly and completely guilt-free.
Most single-serving microwave mug cake or mug brownie recipes call for at least a tablespoon of butter and an egg yolk. (That’s around 160 calories and 16 grams of fat alone, not including any other ingredients.) My recipe requires neither, but it’s still just as rich and fudgy because I added a lot more liquid ingredients than dry. More liquid ingredients = moister and fudgier brownies.
Just like my healthy classic fudgy cocoa brownies, this brownie solely depends on cocoa powder for its decadent chocolate flavor. Other recipes require melting chocolate bars or chips, but not this one! That demands too much time for a quick brownie fix, and it also creates another dish to wash—no thank you! But because I added more cocoa powder than flour in this healthy treat, the rich chocolate flavor really shines.
Similar to my other brownie recipes, you’ll mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another, and combine them together before pouring into a ramekin. I do not advise mixing everything in the ramekin. Because this recipe contains very little fat, you’ll need to lightly mist the ramekin with nonstick cooking spray before adding in the batter to prevent the brownie from sticking.
To create extra fudgy brownies, I always bake them low and slow in the oven, so I applied a similar technique to the microwave. Cook the brownie batter at 40% power (low) for 2 minutes 15 seconds (slow-ish) to ensure it stays dense and moist. Do not microwave it on HIGH like with other mug recipes! The edges will overcook while the center stays raw.
If the center still looks slightly underdone after microwaving, that’s okay! It will continue to cook through as it cools, resulting in a perfectly fudgy brownie. (And even if it doesn’t, it’s still safe because it has no eggs, so you can’t get salmonella!)
Look at that gorgeous fudginess! After only 5 minutes of measuring, 2+ minutes of cooking, and 3 minutes of cooling, you can savor a decadent Healthy Single-Serving Microwave Brownie too. That’s just 10 minutes to make a sinfully rich, secretly skinny dessert!
Ready to make your own? And when you do, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy single-serving brownie!
Healthy Single-Serving Microwave Brownie
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tbsp (11g) whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) water
- 1 tbsp (15g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp agave
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and flour. In a separate bowl, stir together the water, yogurt, agave, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared ramekin, gently shaking back and forth until the top is smooth. Microwave at 40% POWER for 2 minutes and 15 seconds (2:15). Let the brownie sit for at least 3 minutes before eating.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Single Serving Chocolate Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Single Serving Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Single Serving Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Single Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes
♡ Healthy One-Bowl Fudgy Chocolate Chip Brownies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy mug cake recipes and healthy brownie recipes!
Oh my gosh – this is genius! I made it last night, but only had half the cocoa powder needed so I sort of halved the recipe and it worked perfectly. I made some other changes based on what I had – light original Pure Silk Almondmilk (that stuff is crack!) instead of yogurt, and then 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar instead of the agave and vanilla. I will DEFINITELY be making this again. Loved the idea and it tasted so wonderful. Great to share with a boyfriend or loved one, especially after an awesome workout. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
You’re so sweet Sarah, and I’m really excited that you enjoyed the brownie! Your modifications sound great, and it’s good to know that the almond milk worked in place of yogurt. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I made this and love the idea of the Greek yogurt but when I made it it came out gummy and I could stretch it like dough know when cut it with a fork.. Any suggestions for me to fix this
I’m sorry the brownie didn’t turn out for you; that must have been disappointing. If the brownie was gummy, then it was probably overdone. Did you cook it on 30% power instead of on HIGH? The recipe was designed for a 1000-watt microwave, so it could also be that your microwave’s wattage is different and therefore would change the cooking time. If your microwave has a higher wattage, try decreasing the time, and vice versa for a lower wattage microwave. I hope that works and your next brownie turns out better!
No, I followed your recipe exactly.
Microwave is high tech so could set it at 30-40% etc and it was gummy and actually really awful.
Made different batches and took out at various stages to see if under cooked, cooked or over cooked.
All gummy – was if good ingredients
I made the recipe too and did not like the texture at all 🙁
Can you describe how the texture turned out for you Magali? I’d love to work together to figure out what happened so the brownie turns out better if you decide to try it again! 🙂
Hi Amy! This looks great! I am definitely going to make this (my hubby has a serious chocolate problem but this looks quite healthy). I like to use my microwave to actually cook as well as just heating/defrosting things! Just a quick question: what is the power rating of your microwave? Mine is 650W so I think I might have to increase the cooking time a bit (I have a conversion table).
Thanks!
Thanks Susan! My microwave is a 900W, so hopefully your conversion table helps. You’re really sweet to make healthier chocolate treats for your husband, and he must really appreciate that sweet gesture. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the brownie!
Thanks Amy!
I absolutely love your version of this easy and quick brownie. I’ve just poster one recipe for brownie as well.Please check my attempts on making baking healthy on my blog http://www.heelsandbuns.com
x
K
Thank you! It’s always fun to meet someone else who enjoys healthy baking. 🙂
I just made this tonight and alas, in addition to overcooking it so it was pretty chewy, I found it to be a little tasteless. Next time I might toss in some chocolate chips or dried cherries. Or stop kidding myself and just eat something with more calories and sweetness, cause that’s where my heart’s really at.
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you Shannon; that must have been disappointing. Did you make sure to cook it at 40% power? If your microwave is above 1000W, it may be better to lower it to 30% instead. I hope the brownie tastes better the next time if you try it again!
Mine also came out rubbery and I followed the directions exactly. Very weird texture
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! What’s the wattage of your microwave? 🙂
1200W but I reduced the power to 30%
What is the texture supposed to be like?
The texture is supposed to be moist and fudgy, just like a regular brownie! Would you be willing to retry on 20% power? I have a feeling that’ll turn out much better! 🙂
Not sure why, but it is not coming out. It is very bitter and almost a “gummy” texture, not moist and def not fudgy
Just to verify — that was after you used 20% power on your 1200W microwave? 🙂
I thought the texture was pretty great, but I wished it was sweeter. That being said, I didn’t maybe measure as accurately as I should have. Maybe too much cocoa? I could tweak the sweetener a touch and be satisfied. I’m happy with recipe though. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome Amy; I’m glad you enjoyed it! Did you lightly spoon the cocoa into the measuring spoons like with flour? It’s really easy to forget and pack it in. I’m guilty of doing that all the time — I just love chocolate so much! 😉 I also prefer my chocolate and brownies fairly dark, so it could be that as well. You could still add in a little extra sweetener, and it shouldn’t affect the texture or microwave time. I’d love to hear how your modifications turn out if you try it again!
A great base recipe but like others it was way too bitter for my taste. I may try experimenting with applesauce or more honey to sweeten it up a bit. The texture was good though on mine and even though I have a lower power microwave, it wasn’t too moist. Thanks for the recipe.
My pleasure, Andrea! I like your idea of playing with applesauce; you could easily substitute that in place of the yogurt. And you should be able to add more sweetener without affecting the texture or microwave time. I sometimes forget that not everybody likes their brownies quite as dark as I do, so I’m really glad you’re willing to tweak my recipe and try it again! 🙂
I don’t have a microwave…. can you still bake it low and slow?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I’m almost positive it should work! I’d suggest 300°F, and check it after about 10-12 minutes or so. When the brownie is done baking, the center should still look slightly glossy and underdone, but it’ll continue to cook through as it cools in the ramekin. I’m excited to hear how it turns out for you Andrea!
Can how make this in an oven? If so, how much time and temperature?
I haven’t tried it myself Molly, but I think baking it in a regular oven should work! I’d suggest 300°F, and check it after about 10 minutes. When the brownie is done, the center should still look slightly glossy and underdone. It’ll continue to bake through as the brownie cools in the ramekin, and this ensures it stays extra fudgy. I’m excited to hear how that works if you try it! 🙂
I tried it just like you said and it came out great 🙂
That’s wonderful Molly! Did it take any longer than 10 minutes at 300°F?
Oh my word where has this website been all my life? Thank you Amy!!!
You’re welcome; glad you stopped by! 🙂
Best microwave dessert I’ve ever made!!! I loved it! Thanks for posting! 🙂
You’re welcome Anna; I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂