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These Vegan Crab Cakes are crispy on the outside, yet moist and flaky on the inside. They can be enjoyed as an appetizer, side, or main dish.
Vegan Crab Cakes without crab? Why not call them something else?
That's the burning question!
I know the title could be a little confusing or even annoying to some people (that's not my intention). However, since it's a mock version of the original recipe, the title helps people find it easier online.
I've had people suggest that I call them Hearts of Palm Cakes or Bean Cakes, but there's a reason that I don't. As a blogger, I have to title my recipes so they are easily searchable online. Otherwise, there will be crickets around here and nobody will see my recipes.
So, I have to do my own research first before selecting a title and it's not an easy task. Believe it or not, MANY people are searching for Vegan Crab Cakes and just a handful are searching for Hearts of Palm Cakes.
And NOBODY is searching for Bean cakes!! So, that's one of my reasons for my title choice for anyone who might be wondering.
I also have an Un-Tuna Salad Sandwich on the blog. It's just a tasty as the original version. You've gotta try it!
Why do vegans eat food that looks like meat?
Many of us grew up consuming meat in a variety of dishes. Lots of memories are attached to them and that's what we are familiar with. It's not the meat itself we are missing, It's the textures, flavors, and seasonings that our palate is used to.
We just don't want to hurt animals for our taste buds anymore. So, if we can recreate that experience without harming non-human friends, why wouldn't we do that?
Lots of people who say they love the taste of meat, have never tasted it plain, without seasoning. I used to say the same thing, but after going vegan, I realized my "cravings" were coming from the smells and flavors of the herbs and spices.
Also, recipes like this make it easier for some people to transition from meat-eating to vegan. It surely helped me! So basically, you can still have an enjoyable dish from your past, and leave your friends in the ocean...where they belong. Sounds like a good deal to me.
Some vegans don't want to eat anything that reminds them of meat and that's perfectly normal too. We are all different and have separate journeys, but the one thing we share in common is that we don't want to harm animals.
The original version
I'm from Long Island and I grew up eating many seafood dishes, but my favorite thing to order was crab cakes. They were very popular on the East Coast and especially in Maryland where they are known for the best crab cakes.
It was a bit of a drive to get there from Long Island, so I settled for the crab cakes near home. However, I did make it out to Maryland a few times and ordered those famous cakes each time. Yes, they really were THAT good!
Being vegan now, I don't see any reason to miss out on those wonderful flavors, textures, and seasonings since I can enjoy them in a cruelty-free way now.
The solution...VEGAN Crab Cakes!
I can't claim that these taste exactly like a traditional Maryland Crab Cake. Those chefs have a way of making the recipe with as little breading as possible but still manage to get it to your plate in one piece. I did try to make them this way, but the method was frustrating and took much longer.
So, I wanted to make them taste as traditional as possible, but also make them easy to prepare. Keeping it simple is good.
What's in a Vegan Crab Cake?
- I use hearts of palm and garbanzo beans which have a flaky-like texture when broken up.
- For the seasoning, I kept things as traditional as possible. I used Old Bay Seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. If you can't find Old Bay Seasoning, you can use any basic seafood seasoning.
- For the ocean-like flavor, I use Kelp Granules or Dulse Flakes. If you can't find those, you can break up a sheet of Nori or use any type of seaweed. You can also skip it if you don't like it.
- For the rest of the ingredients, I used vegan mayonnaise, mustard, Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, and some fresh green onion. You can also add some celery, corn, or bell pepper to change it up a bit.
Cooking Method
I prefer to pan-fry these in a non-stick pan using minimal oil that has a high smoke point like avocado, sunflower, or grapeseed oil. If you want to make a healthier version of this dish, you can definitely bake these. Just set your oven to 400 degrees F. and bake them on a large baking sheet for about 10-15 minutes on each side. I would lightly spray them with oil or use a silicone baking mat so they get crispy
More vegan seafood recipes to enjoy
- Vegan Fish Tacos
- Vegan Clam Chowder
- Crabless Stuffed Mushrooms
I love to hear from you
If you make these Vegan Crab Cakes, I'd love to hear what you think in the comment section below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don't miss it.
Recipe
Vegan Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 15 oz canned garbanzo beans , rinsed. *Save liquid
- 2 - 14 oz cans hearts of palm , rinsed, drained and cut in half lengthwise
- 4 tablespoons reserved garbanzo bean liquid
- ¼ cup vegan mayo
- 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce (*see note)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice , more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ cup sliced green onion
- 2 teaspoons kelp granules (*see note for sub)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (or any seafood seasoning)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (panko or regular) + more for breaded coating
- ¼ cup preferred oil for pan-frying (divided)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a food processor add the garbanzo beans and hearts of palm together. Pulse just a few times to break everything up. Don't pulse too many times or it will turn to mush. It should have a crab-like consistency. You can also do this manually, just use a fork to shred everything up. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the reserved bean liquid well until it's foamy. Then add the vegan mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and all the dry seasonings. Whisk to combine well.
- Now add the bread crumbs, green onion, and hearts of palm and garbanzo bean mixture. Gently fold to combine. Taste for seasoning, add more if needed. Pop the mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes. This helps the mixture stay together a bit better.
- Place enough breadcrumbs onto a shallow plate that will coat patties evenly. Take mixture out of freezer. Place about ¼ cup of mixture into your hands to form a ball. Then gently flatten to form it into a patty shape. Coat patty in the bread crumbs on each side. Place aside and continue until the mixture is gone.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat (about 2-3 minutes). Add about 2 tablespoons of oil and wait until it gets hot and shimmery before adding the patties. If you place the patty in the pan, and you hear it sizzle, it's ready.
- Place about 4-5 patties on your pan at one time, but make sure you don't overcrowd the pan or they won't cook properly. Pan-fry them about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Try to only flip each patty once. When done, transfer the patties to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Wipe out pan before the uncooked patties are added. Add fresh oil and continue until all patties are complete.
- Serve hot with vegan tartar sauce, a lemon wedge and top with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This recipe yields 10-12 patties, using about ¼ cup of mixture for each one.
- If you can't find kelp granules, you can use dulse flakes, dulse granules, or break up a small piece of nori. If you don't want the ocean-like flavor, you can omit the seaweed altogether. It will still be delicious!
- If the mixture is too wet for your taste, AFTER it comes out of the freezer, you can add a ¼ cup of breadcrumbs into it. Combine well.
- The prep time doesn't include the 15-20 minute freezing time.
- If you want to make a healthier version of this dish, you can definitely bake these. Just set your oven to 400 degrees F. and bake about 10-15 minutes on each side. Make sure to lightly grease your baking sheet too.
- If you can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce, you can use low-sodium tamari or soy sauce.
- This will work with store-bought vegan mayo or my oil-free vegan mayo recipe. You can also use vegan sour cream.
Gwen
Hi Melissa, I want to make these but I can't have oil or fat in my diet. Do you have any suggestions to replace the vegan mayo? I usually make a mixture of can chickpeas, mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt and water to make a sauce to replace mayo. Do you think this would work? Also, have you tried to bake them in an air fryer?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Gwen, you can try vegan sour cream instead. I think Foragers is oil-free. You may want to bump up the tangy flavor a bit. 😀
Susan
Absolutely love these... used vegan mayo, pickles n spices as tarter sauce. Yum❤️
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Susan! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, we are so happy you loved it!
Karen
Hi, Morgan
I came upon your website just now so I haven't tried anything but I've bookmarked it and plan to put some recipes into action! I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian and my sister doesn't eat dairy so when she visits for a meal I need to go vegan. Your recipes look delish! The crab-cakes especially caught my eye. I'll keep you posted.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Karen! Thank you so much 🙂 We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you've tried some of the recipes!
Jen
Thank you for the recipe. I've had these at restaurants and wanted to make myself. I did get confused and didn't add the mayo-garbanzo liquid at first because the recipe didn't explicitly say to. I thought that was the vegan tartar sauce you were referring to. I'm looking at this on my phone so maybe I didn't look well enough. Anyhoo, I figured it out & they tasted great. Thank you!
Shae
Thank you for this delicious recipe! 😋 Seriously amazing flavors!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Shae! So happy to hear you loved these, thank you for sharing! 🙂
Terri
I really enjoyed the texture and flavor of these vegan crab cakes. I shredded palm of hearts with a fork and mashed chic peas as opposed to using food processor
I baked as opposed to Pan frying. They paired well with cole slaw and fresh corn on the cob and a extra brut champagne.
Thank you for this recipe
Amanda
These were so good, I'm not actually vegan or vegetarian but like to be more plant based and introduce my family members to it as well. I made these when my aunt and uncle were out and he is the definition of a grumpy old man who would never be caught dead eating anything purposefully vegan. He LOVED these, I had to remind him on multiple occasions that there wasn't any crab in them. I also have a lot of friends with shellfish allergies and some of my family members keep kosher so these will def become a family staple!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Amanda! Approval from a non-vegan is always exciting 🙂 So happy to hear that you and your family loved the recipe, thank you for sharing!
Renee
I'm used to buying the vegan crab cakes from the WF deli but they stopped making them when the pandemic hit. We've really been missing them so I decided to try and make them myself and searched and found your recipe. My hubby said these actually tasted better than ones we usually buy! I did make a few changes based on what I had, I grinded up a sheet of Nori seawood, only used 1 can of palm hearts and used about a tablespoon of Old Bay. It was great and super easy to make!
Sarah Gido
These were crazy good! We had to leave out the kelp granules because we didn't have any but they were amazing anyway! Will make again! We froze the extras raw. Any tips for how to cook them after freezing? Should I thaw them first? Thank for the great receipe!
Rox
THese are very tasty. II had to make them with jackfruit instead. I baked them in a large cast iron pan in batches. I recommend baking them for 20 minutes (10 on each side). Flavor is great.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you for giving them a try. So glad they worked well with the jackfruit. 🙂
KD
Thank you Melissa! This recipe was really tasty! I used the panko breadcrumbs to fry for that extra crunch. I loved the texture from the chickpeas & hearts of palm. I searched the stores & couldn’t find kelp but no worries, I added just a dash of Tony’s for extra flavor. It was yummy & made a bunch to share with my family!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi! Amazing, we are so glad you loved the recipe and that it was just as delicious with that substitution! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Michelle
Amazing!!! Mind blown and a huge hit with my bf! So easy, non-fussy and, simply, delicious. Texture was phenomenal. I followed the recipe, as written, and baked them in the air fryer. As a vegetarian of 25 years, I can’t comment on whether they taste like crab cakes. I can attest the taste was punchy and flavorful with affordable clean ingredients. I have spent endless amounts of money and hours on so many bad on-line blogger recipes, throwing out the final product. I was expecting the same outcome as I took a leap of faith, ordering kelp from amazon. I was wrong. You nailed it. Made the first batch last night. And just left the store with 4 cans of hearts of palm to make this again. My bf and I “argued” over who got to eat the left-overs today. I added this to my “favorite veggie recipe” bookmark list. Will definitely check out your other recipes!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Michelle, I'm so glad you and your bf loved the "crab" cakes. It's a family favorite over here and we also argue over leftovers. lol! I'm so glad they worked well in the air fryer. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Gwen
Michelle, I'd like to make these in the air fryer too. what temperature and time did you use?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Gwen, I’ve only reheated them in the air fryer and it works well. I usually fry them or bake them in the oven at 400 F for 10-15 minutes on each side. I wish I could be more help with this. I’d love to hear how they turn out. 😀
Kaitlyn Serafin
Wow! I've made the crabby cakes several times now. Instead of using kelp granules I use broken up seaweed sheets (Japanese snack food). The cakes have great texture and ocean flavor. I've served them with slaw, rice and on top of mixed green salads. Wonderful!
Melissa Huggins
Yay! I'm so glad you liked them. They sound perfect with the coleslaw, rice, and greens. YUM! Thank you for making them. 🙂
Lisa
Comes together quick and is very tasty. Thank you for this lovely recipe! Seafood is the only meat I miss so it is nice to have this alternative.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Lisa, I'm so glad you liked them. Thank you so much! 🙂
Tanya
Yummy. I didn't have Bay seasoning and lemons. They still taste delish. I'll be serving these will some herbed sour cream. I also love the vegan meatballs which held up really well in the spaghetti sauce that we're having for dinner. I love the fact that these recipes are simple, healthy and super tasty. I'm excited to try your other recipes. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Tanya, thank you for sharing your feedback. I'm so happy you are liking the recipes so far. More to follow! 🙂
Morgan
I’m meal prepping this week. I’d like to freeze these and see you say they freeze well. When you freeze them do you pan fry them first or just freeze the patties right after assembling them. Thank you! And by the way, your potato leek soup is one of my go-to’s and favorite soups. Making it with wild leeks this afternoon.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Morgan, I've tried it both ways and I prefer to pan-fry them first. Then I just bake them in the oven from their frozen state. They bake up perfectly with a crispy outside. I'm so glad you like the soup! Thank you so much! Have a great weekend! 🙂