3 Ways to Make Vegan Crab Cakes

This vegan crab cake recipe makes delightfully flavorful and crisp cakes. Best of all, you can easily customize it with a base ingredient you like (or have on hand), including jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts!

It’s a simple recipe that makes satisfying crabless cakes for any occasion. They’re great as an appetizer, but don’t let that stop you from having some as a meal either! Pair with vegan crab cake sauce or just eat as-is, you can’t go wrong!

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Ingredients for Vegan Crabless Cakes

This is a very versatile recipe as you can start with a base of jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts. From there, everything else is the same! It uses simple ingredients to create a delicious crab cake alternative.

You can also experiment with which type of flour you’ll use. I like chickpea flour, but most flour options can work!

Let’s dive deeper into what you can do to make these vegan crab cakes from ingredients you enjoy most (or already have on hand)!

Base Ingredient Variations

This recipe uses a basic formula for delicious vegan crab cakes and lets you choose between a variety of base ingredients. Jackfruit, hearts of palm and artichoke all make delicious vegan crab meat alternatives.

While none of these ingredients taste like crab, the rest of the recipe creates a delicious flavor. Therefore, use whichever base ingredient you prefer or whatever you have on hand.

Jackfruit tends to create the firmest crab cake. This is because its texture is finer than hearts of palm or artichoke.

Hearts of palm create a tasty crab cake with the chunkiest texture since hearts of palm are thicker compared with jackfruit or artichoke. These crab cakes have the most texture variation compared to the other options. While they hold together, they’re the most prone to crumbling apart. Use a flour that binds well (chickpea or wheat flour).

Lastly, artichoke has the flakiest texture which is most like crab meat. It also has the strongest flavor compared to the other options which comes through slightly in the final product. It’s a tasty choice if you want a bolder flavor and “accurate” texture.

Flour Variations

Chickpea flour is a great option for this recipe, but I’ve also tested all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and coconut flour.

All flour options work well. All-purpose flour creates the firmest texture, followed by whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour provides a slightly nutty, earthy flavor.

Coconut flour produces the softest crabless cakes because it doesn’t absorb liquid or contain gluten which has binding properties. It adds a tasty coconut flavor to the crab cakes too, so keep that in mind if you try it.

I haven’t tried almond flour in this recipe but suspect it creates a similar texture to coconut flour; softer but with a nutty almond flavor.

Other flour options could work too. Just know they may create softer crab cakes and the flour flavor is likely to come through.

How to Make Vegan Crab Cakes

This simple recipe takes some time to prepare but is well worth the effort!

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

It’s always best to start by prepping each ingredient.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of liquid from the cans of either jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke, then discard any remaining liquid.

Chop the base jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke into small, flaky pieces and add to the bowl along with your reserved canning liquid. Don’t discard the jackfruit’s core or seeds if that’s what you use; simply chop them finely.

You’ll also need to finely mince the celery, onion and parsley.

Pre-cook Vegetables (Optional)

I prefer using raw celery and onion when making this recipe. These vegetables cook in the oven but remain quite crisp once done.

If you don’t want that crisp texture, or don’t like raw onion/ celery, you can pre-cook these two vegetables. Just cook in a pan over medium heat, with some oil to prevent sticking, for 5-8 minutes.

Cook time depends on how well-done you want the vegetables. Keep in mind they’ll cook further in a heated oven, so don’t worry about making them too soft.

Pre-cooking vegetables releases some liquid which can make it difficult to hold the crab cakes together. An extra tablespoon or two of flour can help bind the crabless cakes and create a firmer texture if you pre-cook the vegetables.

Step 2: Mix Crab Cakes

Once you’ve prepared the vegetables and base ingredients, add them to a bowl with the flour of your choice and seasonings. Mix all of this together until well-combined.

Don’t add panko breadcrumbs yet; you’ll use them to coat the crab cake so keep them until the next step!

Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes before shaping into crab cakes. This is especially important if using a gluten-free flour option as it’ll need some time to absorb liquid. It’s easier to shape the crabless cakes and they’ll hold together better if the mixture sits for at least 10 minutes.

Step 3: Shape and Coat with Breadcrumbs

Once the batter has sat, shape the crabless cakes. First, cover a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for easy clean up. This is also a great time to preheat your oven.

Next, sprinkle panko breadcrumbs onto a plate.

Scoop about ¼ cup of crab cake batter into your hands and press firmly, shaping it into a round, flat disk about 1 inch (2 centimeters) thick. I like to use a ¼ cup measuring cup to get all the crab cakes the same size.

Place this patty onto the breadcrumbs, sprinkle extra breadcrumbs on top and lightly pat down.

Carefully pick up the crab cake and place onto your lined baking tray.

Step 4: Bake and Serve

When all the crabless cakes are shaped and on your baking tray, use an oil spray to lightly coat both sides of the patties. This helps the breadcrumbs crisp and brown when baking in your oven.

If you don’t have an oil spray bottle, lightly brush oil onto each side of the crab cakes. This typically uses more oil which makes for a crisper, golden brown coating!

Depending on your oven, you may need to flip the crab cakes halfway through baking to evenly brown both sides.

You can serve crab cakes hot if you use a knife and fork. However, if you want to pick them up, or have a firm crab cake, let them cool first. Wait at least 15 minutes before picking one up as they become firmer as they cool.

How to Create a Balanced Vegan Meal

I consider a balanced meal one that contains a good source of plant-based protein, carbohydrates, fats and lots of vegetables or fruits.

This is an appetizer recipe typically served before a main meal. If serving with a main meal, keep in mind these crab cakes don’t have a lot of protein.

While jackfruit, hearts of palm and artichoke are great crab replacements in terms of texture, none of these ingredients is high in protein. Using chickpea flour adds some plant-based protein to the recipe, but otherwise, it’s simply a good source of vegetables, carbohydrates, some fat and lots of satisfying flavor!

Serving with a side salad and adding a source of plant-based protein can create a tasty, well-balanced meal.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Cool leftover crab cakes to room temperature before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

It’s best to reheat these crabless cakes in an oven so the coating remains crisp. Simply pop the crab cakes onto a baking tray and heat at 350 °F until warmed through.

Microwaving creates a softer breadcrumb coating. I don’t have an air fryer but have been told that’s a great way to reheat this recipe. Give it a try if you have one!

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!

More Vegan Appetizer Recipes

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