Vegan Crab Cakes

Close up of a stack of jackfruit crab cakes with top one cut in half.

This vegan crab cake recipe makes flavorful, crisp crab cakes using jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts! It’s a simple recipe that makes perfectly satisfying crabless cakes for any occasion.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword Crabless cakes, Vegan crab cakes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings Crab cakes

Calories 153kcal

Equipment

Cutting board
Knife
Large bowl
Baking tray
Silicone baking mat (or parchment paper)
Measuring cups and spoons
Oil spray bottle (optional)

Ingredients

3 cups base ingredient of choice (canned jackfruit OR hearts of palm OR artichoke hearts)* (545 g)
2 tablespoons liquid from can (of jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts) (30 mL)
½ cup chickpea flour ** (80 g)
⅓ cup celery , finely diced (50 g; one large stalk)
⅓ cup onion , finely diced (50 g; half a medium onion)
¼ parsley , finely diced (15 g)
2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (30 g)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (10 g)
½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar (7.5 mL/ 10 g)
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup panko breadcrumbs (50 g)
oil spray

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

Open cans of either jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts. Reserve liquid from the cans and place into a large mixing bowl.
2 tablespoons liquid from can
Drain the remaining canning liquid.
Chop the jackfruit, hearts of palm or artichoke hearts into small, flaky pieces and add to the liquid in your mixing bowl. Don’t discard core or seed pieces from the jackfruit; simply dice them finely.
3 cups base ingredient of choice
Finely dice celery, onion and parsley and add to the mixing bowl.
⅓ cup celery, ⅓ cup onion, ¼ parsley

Step 2: Mix Crab Cakes

Add chickpea flour, vegan mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, salt and black pepper to the mixing bowl.
½ cup chickpea flour, 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Stir this mixture until well combined and let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Shape and Coat with Breadcrumbs

Prepare a baking tray by covering it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs onto a plate or flat-bottomed bowl.
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Scoop ¼ cup of crab cake batter (using a ¼ cup measuring cup or spoon) into your hands. Firmly press the batter together while shaping into a flat disk that’s 1 inch (2 centimeters) thick.
Place the patty onto your breadcrumbs and lightly sprinkle breadcrumbs onto the top.
Pat the breadcrumbs into your patty.
Carefully transfer onto your baking tray.

Step 4: Bake and Serve

When all crab cakes are formed and on the baking tray, spray both sides with oil. If you don’t have an oil spray bottle, lightly brush oil onto either side of the crab cakes.
oil spray
Bake in an oven preheated to 375 °F for 20-22 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. Depending on your oven, you may need to flip the crab cakes over halfway through baking.
Serve these crabless cakes hot if you’ll use a knife and fork. If you want to pick them up, they need at least 15 minutes to cool and firm.

Notes

*Canned in water or brine; about 2 14oz/400 g cans
**or other flour selection (ex. coconut flour, whole wheat flour)

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition