These melt-in-your-mouth vegan crab cakes are made with seasoned artichoke heart patties coated with crispy panko breadcrumbs, pan-fried until crisp, and served with spicy cashew-sriracha aioli!
I waited tables through college, and during that time I served up a lot of crab cakes. I noticed one thing: people really love crab cakes!
I just discovered that I happen to love vegan crab cakes. Never tried the real deal, but I they can't possibly be any better than these suckers.
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What You'll Need
For the Vegan Crab Cakes
- Artichoke hearts. You'll need the canned variety that are packed in brine. Make sure you don't get ones that are marinated or packed in oil.
- Celery.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Any vegan variety of breadcrumbs will work as a substitute — I just find panko to be the most readily available.
- Whole wheat flour. All-purpose flour works too!
- Garlic.
- Chives.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce. Most Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies, but not Annie's, Edward & Sons, and Whole Foods — they're are all vegan!
- Old Bay seasoning.
- Salt.
- Canola oil. Any high-heat oil can be substituted — try peanut, vegetable, or corn oil.
For the Aioli
- Raw cashews. They absolutely need to be raw. Roasted cashews will make your aioli taste like cashew butter! You'll also need to soak them in water for a while to soften them up for blending.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that's unflavored and unsweetened. Soy milk, almond milk, and cashew milk would all work well!
- Garlic.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed for the best flavor.
- Sriracha sauce. Feel free to substitute your favorite hot sauce, or leave it out for a heat-free aioli.
- Salt.
How to Make Vegan Crab Cakes
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by placing everything for the crab cakes except the oil and half of the breadcrumbs into food processor bowl.
- Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are finely chopped and well-mixed. Make sure you don't overblend the mixture — you'll want your vegan crab cakes to have some texture!
- Tip: This mixture can be made up to two days ahead of time. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge until you're ready to fry your cakes.
- Shape the mixture into a few patties while you heat up some oil in a skillet. Make sure you use a skillet with a good nonstick surface, such as cast iron.
- Dip one of your patties into a bowl filled with the rest of your panko breadcrumbs. Get it nicely coated, then transfer the patty to the skillet. You can coat a few more and add them to the skillet, just be sure not to crowd them or you'll have trouble flipping them!
- Cook the patties for a few minutes on each side, until they're crispy and golden. Be super careful when flipping them — vegan crab cakes are delicate!
- Tip: If you're finding that your cakes aren't cooked in the center, turn down the heat and let them cook a little longer.
- Whip up the aioli by blending all of your ingredients in a blender or food processor, then serve it with your crab cakes.
Leftovers & Storage
These vegan crab cakes are best served immediately, but if you have leftovers they'll keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days. To reheat, place them under a broiler and broil them for a few minutes on each side until hot and crispy.
The aioli will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 5 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Perhaps, but I haven't tried. Your best bet would be to use a gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
I don't recommend baking them, as most veggie fritters that I've tried baking have come out gummy. I have heard from a few readers who had luck making them in an air-fryer.
It does have a bit of a kick to it, thanks to the sriracha. Feel free to leave it out if you'd like a milder sauce.
More Vegan Seafood Recipes
- Tofu & Artichoke Scampi
- Vegan Tuna Salad
- Blackened Vegan Scallops & Grits
- Crispy Vegan Fish Fillet Sandwiches
- Vegan Ceviche
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Vegan Crab Cakees with Sriracha Aioli
Ingredients
For the Sriracha Aioli
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce, or to taste
- Salt, to taste
For the Vegan Crab Cakes
- 2 (15 ounce or 400 gram) cans cans artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs, divided
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup canola oil, or as needed, for frying
Instructions
Make the Sriracha Aioli
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Place all ingredients into food processor bowl and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt to taste.
Make the Vegan Crab Cakes
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Place artichoke hearts, celery, 1 cup panko, flour, garlic, chives, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
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Pulse the machine until the artichokes are finely chopped and ingredients are well-mixed, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Keep the texture chunky and avoid overblending.
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Place the remaining cup of panko breadcrumbs into a small bowl.
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Line a plate with a few paper towels.
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Generously coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, scoop up a bit (about ⅓ cup or 1/12 of the total batch) of the artichoke mixture and shape it into a 3-inch patty.
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Gently transfer the patty to the bowl filled with panko breadcrumbs and coat both sides.
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Carefully place the patty into skillet.
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Repeat the process of forming, coating and cooking another two or three patties (as many as you can fit into the skillet without overcrowding).
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Gently flip the patties, one at a time as they begin to brown, cooking them about 3 or 4 minutes on each side.
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Carefully remove the patties from the skillet as they are done, and transfer them to the paper towel-lined plate.
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Repeat until all of the artichoke mixture has been used, making a total of about 12 patties, and adding oil to the skillet between batches as needed.
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Serve the vegan crab cakes immediately with the aioli on the side.
Recipe Notes
If you don't have time to soak your cashews, boiling for 20-25 minutes will work in a pinch.
Girl, girl, girl! These look so amazing. I love how you recreated a crab texture with artichoke hearts. I would have never thought to attempt a vegan crab cake. Genius.
Thanks so much Annie! It was actually way easier than I ever anticipated!
Hi,
Looks delish! Cant they be made GF? Thank you
Thank you! I haven't tried making a gluten-free version so I can't say for sure, but I'd try using an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free breadcrumbs. I think Edward & Sons Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, so I'd use that brand. I'd love to hear how they turn out if you try them!
Oh yum! I love artichokes. I've never tried crab cakes either but these sound delicious. Especially with that sriracha aioli. I've got all of the ingredients for that at home so I'm definitely going to have to give that a go.
Awesome! I hope you enjoy them!!
Can these be frozen? If not, how long will the keep in the fridge. Thanks
They're very delicate, so I wouldn't risk freezing them, or keep them in the fridge for more than two days or so. I think your best bet, if you can, is to mix up the artichoke base and just cook up as many as you plan to eat, then refrigerate the rest. :)
Okay Thanks. Made these last night and they are absolutely delicious. Great recipe. Because of allergies, made the aioli with Vegenaise, sriracha and lime. Worked well. Again, thanks for these recipe.
Glad you enjoyed them! And Vegenaise sounds like a great swap for the aioli - thank you for sharing your results!
What an amazing recipe! I can't wait to try this, thank you.
Thanks Nancy! Hope you enjoy. :)
Loved the recipe! I actually baked them at 350 F for 50 minutes for a low-fat version. I used extra bread crumbs, too, to help it hold together. Turned out great. The sriracha aioli is a slam dunk! Thanks for posting this! I love artichokes!
Oh nice! I always get a million questions on whether baking stuff like this works. Thanks for sharing your results and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed them!
I made these tonight for dinner and they are SO GOOD!!!! thank you for the awesome recipe
Yay! Glad you liked them! Thanks Christina!
These would be great baked also. Takes a little more time to bake but reduces the oil consumption alot. I may rewrite your recipe give you credit for my collection http://facebook.com/nutriph
I'd love to hear how they turn out if you try baking them. :)
Wow, these were AMAZING! You could make these into poppers and serve them for a party, I couldn't get over how well they held together and had the crab like texture. Thank you for posting such a great recipe!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! And poppers sound like an awesome idea! I might try that next time I host a get-together. :)
I planned to serve this for dinner this evening. I prepared the recipe as directed and fried up one as a sample and found the artichokes to taste very acidic. Otherwise, the flavor would be awesome. Any suggestions to mellow out the acidity? I saved the rest of the batch in the hopes it can be saved.
I'm sorry to hear that! Normally I'd say add some sweetener to balance out the acidity, but be careful and just use a tiny bit if you do, becuase they could very quickly go to way to sweet. Another option would be to cut the mixture with something a bit more neutral, like some smashed chickpeas or cannellini beans.
You could try adding corn for a more subtle sweetness! I was actually thinking about subbing the celery for corn anyway since corn tends to be a staple in crab cakes or crab dishes :)
Ohhh...awesome idea!! I'll probably try that next time I make these. :)
Could I use gf all purpose instead of whole wheat?
I haven't tried that, but I think it would work. Please let me know how it works out if you try!
I just made these and I used gf flour. They turned out very nice. I used gf Panko as well.
I put some in the air fryer and they came out very crispy. And I did some in a non stick pan with a spray of avo oil. Also crispy. But air fryer was better
I'm glad to hear they turned out well! And thanks for all the info on your variations - I've actually had a few questions from people asking if these could be made gf or in the air fryer!
Would frozen artichokes work ,that’s all I have ? Also have you tried using a small piece of nori to the mix?
I think they'd work just fine! I haven't tried this with nori, but I bet that would be a delicious addition. Enjoy!!
Without having read the above comment I just made these today and I added 3 Nori sheets and dulse to the mixture, This gave it a more fishy taste which is great for seafood. I also added a drop of tamari, olive oil, and sesame seed oil to the aioli. This is a great recipe! Thanks!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I'll have to including some nori sheets next time I make this. :)
What is the serving size? Hoping it’s not 492 calories for one crab cake
It's about 2 cakes, but it depends on how big you make them. The recipe serves four, so in any event it's one fourth of the total batch! :)
These were so good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Yay! Glad you liked them!
These were great! We were trying to recreate vegan crab cakes we had on the Connecticut shore. These were very close. Made our own tartar sauce with shallots, dill pickles and vegan mayo. So good! Thank you.
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Gail!
These were fantastic! My five year old son could not get enough of them and especially loved the aioli. ( I only added a little sriracha to the aioli recipe since my family doesn't always go for spicy foods.) These will definitely go into the regular rotation! Thank you!
I added 1t dulse flakes, 1t celery leaves, and some frozen corn to the patty mixture. Made mine into larger patties and served on buns with the aioli. They were delicious!! Air fried them at 375F for 10 minutes flipping gently halfway through. I spritzed the top of each patty lightly with oil to get them to brown. Definitely will be making these again and again.