This simple vegan crab cake sauce recipe is a perfect compliment to any crabless cake! Made with dairy-free sour cream base, it has a slightly tangy, super fresh flavor.
Whether you pair it with homemade or store-bought vegan crab cakes, this sauce is sure to take your experience to a higher level. Make a quick batch and enjoy!
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Is Crab Cake Sauce Vegan?
There are many ways to make crab cake sauce. Some people prefer tartar sauce while others use Remoulade sauce. Sometimes a simple spiced mayonnaise is served with crab cakes.
Tartar sauce or Remoulade are made with a base of mayonnaise which isn’t vegan (contains egg), but it’s often easy to buy vegan mayonnaise and it’s also easy to make at home.
This recipe uses a base of vegan sour cream for an ultra rich, slightly tangy crab cake sauce. You can use vegan mayonnaise as the base ingredient if you prefer!
Ingredients to Make Vegan Crab Cake Sauce
This is an easily customized recipe with plenty of options for substitutions and additions. Use ingredients you enjoy or whatever you have on hand!
- Vegan sour cream: I start with a base of homemade vegan sour cream, but any store-bought option can work too. Crab cake sauces made with vegan mayo can certainly work as well.
- Parsley: Add delicious fresh flavor to the sauce with some chopped parsley! Fresh dill is another tasty herb that you can either replace or use alongside parsley.
- Dijon mustard: Some Dijon mustard brings plenty of flavor to this sauce. Any type of mustard you like can work (grainy, yellow, brown, etc.).
- Apple cider vinegar: A touch of vinegar helps round out flavors in this sauce and brings a tanginess that works great with crab cakes. Lemon juice or another type of vinegar can easily work instead of apple cider vinegar.
- Onion and garlic powder: I add onion and garlic powder to this sauce for added flavor. Other recipes may call for fresh, minced garlic which you could certainly use if you’re a garlic-lover and like the raw garlic flavor (you won’t cook the sauce, so garlic stays raw).
- Salt and black pepper: Balance the sauce flavors with salt and black pepper. Use seasoning salt if you like; Old Bay seasoning is a fantastic option for this crab cake sauce as it brings a seafood-like flavor.
- Hot sauce (optional): Hot sauce is a fantastic way to boost flavor; use any type you like. Prepared horseradish can also add a nice kick and is a common ingredient in sauces paired with crab cakes or other “seafood” (as a vegan, I prefer to use the term “sea life”).
How to Make Dairy Free Crab Cake Sauce
This is an incredibly quick and simple recipe to make. If you already have sour cream (or mayonnaise), you can prepare vegan crab cake sauce in minutes.
Step 1: Prep Sour Cream (Optional)
If you don’t have store-bought vegan sour cream options available, you can always whip together a quick batch of cashew sour cream at home!
This is a great choice when you want a nourishing base for your crab cake sauce.
If you want vegan mayonnaise as the base, you can also prepare some vegan mayo too!
Step 2: Mix Ingredients
After your sour cream (or mayo) base is ready, simply combine it with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl or jar. You’ll need to mince some parsley first, but otherwise, there’s minimal preparation.
Stir the sauce until everything is well-mixed.
Step 3: Chill and Serve
You can serve this sauce right away, but it is best after chilling for at least one hour. This gives time for the sauce’s flavors to come together.
If you prepare homemade vegan crab cakes, make the sauce first so it’ll be perfect by the time your crab cakes are ready!
How to Serve Crab Cake Sauce
This recipe is designed for vegan crab cakes but is super versatile! Any breaded and baked (or fried) foods will taste delicious alongside this fresh, tangy sauce.
It’s also perfect for sandwiches or wraps or even as a veggie dip!
Whatever foods you use with tartar sauce, remoulade sauce or a flavored mayo/ sour cream dip can work well with this sauce.
It’s delicious alongside fries or onion rings, tofu nuggets or barbecue cauliflower bites!
Vegan Crab Cake Sauce Variations
There are endless ways to customize this crab cake sauce. Firstly, you can use vegan mayonnaise as the base of the recipe instead of sour cream.
Since crab cakes are often served with tartar sauce or remoulade sauce, you can also add some flavors typically found in those.
Tartar sauce often includes a sweet pickle relish for added flavor. If you want tarter flavor, chopped dill pickles are another option.
Adding capers can boost the saltiness of this sauce. If you can find vegan Worcestershire sauce, a splash of that can add some salty flavor too.
For extra seasoning, Old Bay and/or sweet paprika are also great additions.
Play around with the recipe to find which flavors you enjoy most!
How to Store Leftover Sauce
Refrigerate leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Sometimes you’ll have extra crab cake sauce after al your crab cakes are finished. If this happens, see my suggestions above for fun ways to serve this sauce with other foods!
If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!
Vegan Crab Cake Sauce
Equipment
- Small bowl (or jar)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vegan sour cream
- 2 tablespoons parsley , finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- hot sauce (of your choice, optional)
Instructions
Step 1: Prep Sour Cream (Optional)
- If you need to, prepare a batch of homemade vegan cashew sour cream. Store-bought options also work well.¾ cup vegan sour cream
Step 2: Mix Ingredients
- Finely chop some parsley.2 tablespoons parsley
- Add all ingredients into a small bowl or jar and stir until well combined.¾ cup vegan sour cream, 2 tablespoons parsley, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, hot sauce
Step 3: Chill and Serve
- You can serve the sauce immediately if you need to, but it’s best to chill in a refrigerator for at least an hour. If possible, let sit overnight so that the flavors to come together.
- Serve alongside some delicious vegan crabless cakes!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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About Nicole Stevens
Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.
She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.
Schyler
This sauce is a vivacious bomb of flavor. It pairs so well with the vegan crab cakes, I can't even comprehend trying it with other things (although I'm confident it would be delicious with anything).