Start your dinner party with these meaty Vegan Crab Cakes. Herbaceous and moist, these tender and flaky patties look and taste just like the real thing. The best part? The patties come together and cook in no time at all! Vegan crab cakes with hearts of palm and chickpeas are almost scary similar to traditional crab cakes. Hearts of palm come from the center of the cabbage palm tree and shred easily, resembling the look and feel of white crab meat. They come in a can just like artichokes and are surprisingly easy to find at most grocery stores! Flavored with Old Bay seasoning, onions, peppers, mayonnaise, dill, and dijon, you won’t even realize this appetizer (or meal!) is vegan. This special treat is easy to make, freezer friendly, and a perfect appetizer for special occasions. Serve them with a vegan “fishy” feast of Vegan Tuna Sandwiches and Vegan Fish Sticks next to Tartar Sauce for dipping. Who needs real seafood when we have these easy alternatives?
How to make fried vegan crab cakes
Air fryer instructions
Once the patties are formed, preheat your air fryer to 400ºF. Air fry in batches for about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping each one halfway through. It also helps to spray the air fryer basket with oil as well as the tops of the crab cakes. The air fryer version won’t be as crispy or golden brown, but they still taste darn good!
Baking instructions
Form the patties and brush each one with a little olive oil or spray with olive oil. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400ºF for about 20 minutes, flipping each one halfway through. Baked crab cakes aren’t as crispy but still taste moist and delicious.
Variations
Instead of hearts of palm – Substitute a can of artichoke hearts instead. I tried this and they were really yummy, but the artichoke flavor definitely came through.Don’t have sweet pickle relish? Add some finely chopped dill pickles into the aioli instead.Change the sauce – These crab cakes would be delicious served with my easy Vegan Tartar Sauce!
How to store
Fried crab cakes are best served fresh but the leftovers can be stored for later. Just keep the cooked patties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the air fryer, stove top or oven to crisp them back up.
Frequently asked questions
Want more vegan appetizers?
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title: “Vegan Crab Cakes” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-09” author: “Julian Botta”
4.75 17 Published Aug 14, 2020, Updated Apr 04, 2022
I know it might seem a little odd to have a vegan meal based off of a fish-based recipe but I know there are plenty vegans that used to eat meat/fish and miss some foods! This recipe is actually inspired by Isaac’s mom who started making vegan crab cakes using this recipe from the Hallmark channel. She made them for us while we were at the beach and now we’re hooked! I added chickpeas to my recipe for a protein boost.
Vegan Crab Cake Ingredients:
vegetables – zucchini, onion, celery hearts, fresh parsley canned items – hearts of palm and chickpeas panko bread crumbs – make sure they’re finely ground! nori powder or kelp granules – these seaweed seasonings are optional, but highly recommended because they’ll give the cakes more of a seafood flavor and add a little salt. If you don’t want to buy a full container for this recipe, you can simply pulse nori sheets (or seaweed snacks) in a blender or food processor until they’re a fine powder and use that instead. This is what I did! nutritional yeast mayonnaise – use vegan mayo to make these 100% vegan. Dijon mustard lemon zest spices and seasonings – Old Bay seasoning, sea salt and pepper. You can find Old Bay at most grocery stores but you can also make your own! sauce for serving
What are Hearts of Palm?
Hearts of palm are considered a vegetable. It’s harvested from the inner core of certain palm trees! When shredded, they really do have the texture of shredded meat. I’ve used them as a sub for shredded pork in vegan bbq sandwiches and they work as a sub for shredded crab meat too. They are low in calories and fat but have a good amount of zinc, potassium and vitamin C. They are very mild in flavor so take on the flavor of the recipe… very similar to actual crab!
How to Make Vegan Crab Cakes
What to Serve With Crab Cakes
As a main dish: I’ve made this recipe several times and we’ve always eaten them as a main dish paired with roasted veggies (like roasted squash and zucchini), rice and/or a salad. Crab cake sandwiches: We’ve also made crab cake sandwiches by adding the cakes to toasted buns with a vegan sauce (vegan tartar sauce, vegan aioli or vegan remoulade sauce). On a salad: These crab cakes make a great topping for salad. Start with a bed of leafy greens, add any vegetables you like (fresh or roasted would work perfectly!), add 1-2 vegan crab cakes and top with a dressing of your choice. This lemon vinaigrette would be perfect! As an appetizer: You can also serve the crab cakes as an appetizer. For this, I’d probably make the patties a bit smaller and top with a vegan sauce (see ideas above).
How to Store Vegan Crab Cakes
I will say these are best served immediately but we have stored these in the fridge for later and they’re just as delicious! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. I haven’t tried freezing them so not sure if the consistency would change. When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat them in a toaster oven or conventional oven until heated throughout and crispy on the edges.
More Mock Meat Recipes to Try:
Hearts of Palm Vegan BBQ Sandwiches BBQ Jackfruit Vegan Tofu “Chicken” Salad Vegan Lentil Loaf (Vegan Meatloaf) Tofu Sofritas Burrito Bowls
If you try these vegan crab cakes please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers.
