Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes (Vegan Gluten-Free)
These secretly healthy Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes are vegan, gluten-free and high in protein, made with wholesome ingredients in just 12 minutes. They are the perfect for quick dessert for 2 (or 4 if you want to share).
I love all things chocolate and strawberries especially when the summertime comes around so to show off how well they go together, I wanted to make a wow-factor dessert. This melt in the middle dessert really will wow your family and friends and it’s secretly so easy and quick to make, not to mention it’s made with healthier, more wholesome ingredients and happens to be vegan, dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free.
Why will I love these cakes?
These delicious desserts are:
- Rich, chocolatey and fudgy
- Melt in the middle and in your mouth
- Taste like brownies and lava cake combined
- Packed with strawberries
- Topped with sticky caramelised strawberries
- Loaded with healthy ingredients
- Naturally vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free
- Easily nut-free
- High in protein and fibre
- Great to make ahead of time
- A fantastic desert to impress guests
- Bakes in just 12 minutes with 10 minutes prep time
If you already love the sound of these lava brownie cakes then skip ahead to the recipe card below. or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The ingredient list is simple and is a cross between a brownie and cake batter. You can see my favourites in the “shop the recipe” section below.
For the lava cakes:
- Dark chocolate: use your favourite chocolate to melt into this brownie batter as long as it’s dairy-free.
- Smooth peanut butter: smooth, runny peanut butter makes for the best lava cake batter and you can also use another nut or seed butter to make this free from peanuts.
- Olive oil: I love baking with olive oil as it adds a richness to the batter. Use a light olive oil for a lesser flavour or extra virgin olive oil if you love the taste of olive oil and chocolate (like me). I tried these with coconut oil and they are great straight from the oven but once they cool down, they were quite firm and could not be enjoyed again cold, whereas the olive oil ones were so good and fudgy cold the next day. I can imagine sunflower oil will also work, here.
- Coconut yoghurt: the thicker the better and Cocos Organic is my favourite as it’s 100% natural, organic and made with minimal ingredients and tons of live gut healthy bacteria. Use the mixed berry, natural or vanilla flavour here.
- Maple syrup: for sweetness or use agave syrup.
- Plant milk: you can use any dairy-free milk like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from the carton).
- Oat flour: to make these lava cakes healthier, high fibre and naturally gluten-free, I use oat flour. Make your own oat flour by blending oats into a fine flour-like texture and storing at room temperature.
- Cocoa powder: this adds chocolatey richness to the batter and I prefer cocoa to cacao powder as it’s more acidic and reacts better with the raising agents to create a better texture. Check its 100% cocoa powder, without added sugars.
- Vegan chocolate protein powder: this adds so much chocolatey goodness in terms of flavour, rich fudgy texture and natural sweetness. I use the Macromike chocolate protein powder (they have so any to choose rom like Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Deluxe and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup) and you can save 10% off everything with my code AMB-AMY.
- Baking powder and salt: for rise and flavour.
- Strawberries: these are so good with chocolate. Chop up some strawberries for the batter and slice the others for air frying till caramelised to go on top.
- Peanut butter cups: or you can use more chocolate for the middle of these molten desserts. I love adding mini peanut butter cups though as the flavour is so good. I love the ones from Pip & Nut (the dark chocolate ones are vegan whereas the milk chocolate ones are not).
Are these gluten-free and nut-free?
Yes these are naturally gluten-free, just make sure that your oats are certified free from gluten. To make these nut-free, use tahini or sunflower seed butter instead of peanuts and choose dark chocolate instead of peanut butter cups for the middle. Also check all of the other ingredients like chocolate, yoghurt, protein powder and plant milk for nuts.
How do I make them?
These desserts are so easy to make and I use the Salter Air Fryer which has two drawers, meaning I can cook the lava cakes and the caramelised strawberries at the same time. If using a difference model, adjust times as necessary or see notes about cooking in the oven.
- Melt the chocolate, peanut butter and olive oil: to a silky mix.
- Whisk in the other wet ingredients: until smooth.
- Add in the dry ingredients: and stir to a smooth brownie batter.
- Fold in the strawberries: previously chopped quite small.
- Divide between the two ramekins: and make a small indent.
- Press in the peanut butter cups: or use extra chocolate.
- Cover with the remaining batter: making sure to seal in the middle chocolate centres.
- Air fry for 12 minutes: or until risen and firm-ish to touch.
- Meanwhile slice the strawberries: and air fryer with a spray of oil for 6 minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes: this allows the desserts to rest and will mean they hold their shape better.
- Tip onto plates and top with ice cream and the strawberries: and any other toppings.
- To enjoy cold allow to cool fully in the dishes: then tip out and eat cold.
Can I make them without an air fryer?
Yes I am sure you can make these in the oven, follow the same method and bake at 160Fan/180ºC for 15-20 minutes, until firm to touch. The same can be done with the strawberries and bake until sticky (about 10-15 minutes)
How long will they last?
To enjoy these warm and gooey eat straight away, or allow to cool and then store, covered well, in the fridge for 2-3 days and eat cold or warm back up in the dishes for a few minutes.
What else can I make?
For more chocolate ideas and air fryer desserts, how about my:
- Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Skillets
- Orange Curd Air Fryer Baked Donuts (one hour)
- Air Fryer Banana Splits Two Ways
- Peanut Butter Flourless Brownies
- Mocha Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies
Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes
These secretly healthy Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes are vegan, gluten-free and high in protein, made with wholesome ingredients in just 12 minutes. They are the perfect for quick dessert for 2 (or 4 if you want to share).
Ingredients
For the Lava Cakes:
- 50g dark chocolate chips
- 50g smooth peanut butter
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 30g thick coconut yoghurt (berry or plain)
- 60ml maple syrup
- 60ml plant-based milk
- 30g oat flour
- 15g (2 tbsp) cocoa powder
- 20g (2 tbsp) vegan chocolate protein powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 60g strawberries, chopped small
- 4 mini or 2 regular peanut butter cups (or squares of chocolate)
For the Strawberries:
- 80g strawberries, halved
- Spray oil
To Serve:
- Vegan vanilla ice cream, Cocoa powder
Instructions
- Grease two 4-inch oven-proof ramekins and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- For the lava cakes: add the chocolate chips, peanut butter and olive oil to a heatproof bowl and warm until melted. Leave for 5 minutes to cool down and now whisk in the yoghurt, syrup and milk till smooth.
- Into a second bowl: mix together the oat flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in the chocolate mix and whisk to a smooth, rich chocolate batter. Fold in the chopped strawberries.
- Into the ramekins: spoon in 2/3 of the batter evenly between both dishes. Press in the peanut butter cups (or chocolate) into the middle and top with the remaining brownie batter. Smooth over the tops and place in the first drawer of the Air Fryer. Set to 180ºC and bake for 12 minutes, until risen, firm-ish to touch and starting to darken.
- For the strawberries: add some parchment paper to the second drawer of the Air Fryer and arrange the strawberries on top. Spray with oil and bake for 6 minutes, until juicy and tender.
- Before serving: allow the lava cakes to cool down for 15 minutes.
- To plate up: run a palette knife or blunt knife around the inside of the ramekins to help loosen them and carefully invert onto individual plates. Remove the parchment paper.
- Serve with a scoop of ice cream, the sticky strawberries and a dusting of cocoa powder. Enjoy straight away.
- To keep for later, allow the lava cakes to cool completely in the ramekins and store in the fridge for 2-3 days and allow to set at room temperature for 1 hour before eating. To re-create the molten middle, air-fry at 180ºC in the ramekins for 3-5 minutes, check they are warmed through and then allow to cool slightly before inverting onto plates.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Lava Cakes so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With lava cake love x
p.s. this recipe was first made with Salter but this blog post is not sponsored and I love this Air Fryer, I use it all the time!
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