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    Home » Recipes

    Vegan Crab Cakes

    Published: Feb 3, 2019 · Modified: Jan 3, 2022 by Vanessa Sturman · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 11 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Cannellini and Artichoke Vegan Crabless Cakes for pinterest

    These Vegan Crab Cakes are a dream. Perfect for a main meal served with tomato sauce and potatoes, or as a starter or canape. They're made with a base of artichokes and white beans, plus other delicious ingredients for that 'Of-the-Sea' flavour and taste. I used to love crab cakes before going vegan because of their salty 'Of-the-Sea' taste and their texture, so this recipe is perfect to recreate that!

    Stack of vegan crabcakes on a plate this recipe
    Jump to:
    • 🦀Why they're the best
    • 🌿Ingredients
    • 👩🏾‍🍳How-to
    • 🍽️Serving
    • 🍴Other recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🦀Why they're the best

    All my friends got so excited when they tried these Vegan Crab Cakes. They're great because they're:

    • Gluten-free - which is great for people with gluten allergies/intolerance.
    • Full of protein and fibre - from the beans, which make them very filling.
    • They can be a main meal, starter or canape - you can make the vegan crab cakes different sizes so they can be part of a main meal, or smaller if doing starters or canapes and finger food.
    Vegan Crab cakes showing the centre

    🌿Ingredients

    These are the ingredients for the vegan crab cakes:

    • White beans (cannellini beans); they make a great change to chickpeas, are softer than chickpeas and work with more subtle flavours.
    • Artichokes; gives them their stringy texture and subtle briny flavour (which adds to that crab-like taste). For vegan crab cakes, it's easiest to just get artichokes in a can/tin or buy a jar of marinated artichokes.
    • Pinenuts; optional, but they have a nice crunch and are full of lovely good fats. In any bean cakes, I think it’s fun to have some sort of nut or seed for a crunchy contrast.
    • Rosemary; the perfect pairing with white beans.
    • Milled linseed; a great vegan egg substitute to hold the cakes together (check out our guide on replacing eggs in any dish!
    • Buckwheat flour; helps hold the cakes together along with the linseed, adds more bite and gives the cakes more firmness. Regular flour will work, but buckwheat flour keeps these vegan crab cakes gluten free.

    Then we have some extra secret ingredients for making the vegan crab cakes taste fishy. Read on below...

    🐟How to get the fish taste

    There are some additional ingredients that are key for giving that fishy taste to the vegan crab cakes, or that 'Of-the-Sea' flavour as you might call it. Getting familiar with these is great for when you come to make other vegan fish recipes - we've even round up over 30 Vegan Fish and Seafood recipes for you to try.

    The ingredients you need for that 'fishy' taste are:

    • Lemon zest - gives that fresh 'Of-the-Sea' taste
    • Seaweed - this is optional, but it really makes the vegan fish cakes taste authentic. We love these nori seaweed flakes. You can also just break up a sushi sheet. You'll find nori flakes at most health shops or Asian supermarkets. But just leave them out if you can't find them.
    • Dill - traditionally used in a lot of fish and seafood dishes, and it makes the vegan crab cakes reminiscient of seafood we ate before going vegan.
    • Dijon mustard - this gives the vegan crab cakes a kick, and brings out the lemony flavours even more. This can also be optional. We love this one.

    👩🏾‍🍳How-to

    Here's how to make them:

    • Sautee the onion and garlic.
    • In a bowl mash ¾ of the beans, and add the rest of the whole ones.
    • Add all the other ingredients except the linseed and artichokes.
    • Chop the artichokes into small pieces (around 1cm) and add to the mix.
    • Add the linseed mixed with water. Combine everything well.
    • Put in the fridge for an hour to chill, then make into patties (your choice of size).
    • Then fry or bake the vegan crab cakes.

    This recipe was developed by Vanessa, one of the original co-founders of this site. Vanessa is now working on her plant based health coaching business, Energise and Thrive Plant Based. She helps people get high energy, great health, and balanced eating with delicious plant-based food.

    She’s also brought out her FREE Guide - 5 Steps to Balanced Plant Based Eating which you’re welcome to download. Of course, all the recipes she has created for The Vegan Larder (like this one!) will remain here for you to access.

    🍽️Serving

    The vegan crab cakes can be served in various ways, which make them really versatile:

    • As a main meal - we love these served with mashed potatoes or chips and a delicous tomato sauce.
    • As a starter - particularly great for a dinner party, served on a bed of lettuce leaves and extra slices of lemon.
    • As a canape - the vegan crab cakes look beautiful made small and laid out on a plate with a dot of our vegan tartare sauce on top. See how cute they are in the photo below.
    Vegan Crab cakes made mini for canape

    🍴Other recipes

    If you love this recipe, then you'll love our other fishy vegan recipes:

    • Vegan Smoked Salmon Carrot Lox
    • Vegan Sesame Tofu 'Prawn' Toast
    • Vegan Chickpea of the Sea 'Tuna' Sandwiches

    We hope you loved these crab cakes, and would love to know if you make them.

    If you love this recipe, please share this post with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook, or tag me on Insta! Don't forget to also please comment and star ⭐this recipe too!

    Love & Vegan Yummies,

    Louise xx (P.S. Follow me on Insta and Tik Tok!)

    📖 Recipe

    vegan artichoke and cannelini crab cakes with wine and potatoes in the background

    Vegan Crab Cakes

    Vanessa Sturman
    Deliciously flaky and 'fishy' cakes that are kind to crabs and that your taste buds will love too!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Refridgeration time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Canape, Dinner, starter
    Cuisine british, French, Vegan
    Servings 8 cakes
    Calories 121 kcal

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowl
    • Frying Pan
    • Zester

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    • ½ medium onion (chopped finely)
    • 4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
    • 2 teaspoon olive oil (plus extra if frying the cakes)
    • 1 tin/can drained cannellini/white beans (drained tin weight ~250g or 1½ cups)
    • 35 g (¼ cup) toasted pinenuts
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • Pepper (to taste)
    • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh / dried rosemary
    • Zest of ½ an unwaxed lemon
    • 30 g (¼ cup) oat / buckwheat flour
    • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    • 130 g (1 cup) marinated / tinned artichokes (drained) (chop off the hard ends and save for a salad - you want the softer stringy pieces which comes to ~90g / ¾ cup)
    • 2 tablespoon milled linseed / flaxseed (mixed with 4 tablespoon water)
    • 2-3 teaspoon nori seaweed sprinkles (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon dried dill (optional)
    • Extra fresh dill (optional garnish)

    Instructions

    • Sautee the onion and garlic in a frying pan using the olive oil.
    • Mash ¾ of the cannellini beans roughly (keep it a bit chunky for texture) in a bowl. Then add the rest of the whole cannellini beans.
    • Add the pinenuts, salt, pepper, rosemary, lemon zest, flour, mustard, seaweed (if using), dill (if using), and sauteed onion and garlic to the beans. Mix together.
    • Chop the artichoke into small(ish) pieces, then add to the mixture. About 1cm by 1cm pieces.
    • Add the milled linseed/flaxseed mixed with water. Mix in with a spoon, then start to use your hands to combine everything well.
    • Put the whole mix in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
    • Make the mix into round patties / cakes (it should make about 8 medium-sized cakes). Pan fry in oil for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they are nicely browned but not burnt. Or bake for 35-40 minutes at 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.

    Notes

    If frying, this can be done a day before an event and then the patties can be heated up in the oven just before serving.
    You can make double the mixture and freeze some for another time! 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 121kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 366mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 170IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and ⭐ below
    Vegan Crabless Cakes pinterest

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Amy says

      January 03, 2022 at 10:19 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a great idea! Love the base of beans and artichoke

      Reply
      • Vanessa Sturman says

        January 04, 2022 at 3:43 pm

        That's great! And also super healthy!

        Reply
    2. Sara says

      January 03, 2022 at 10:29 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh, this looks like such a fun appetizer! And I'm always looking for vegan options to some of my favorites to switch things up... these sound so good!

      Reply
      • Vanessa Sturman says

        January 04, 2022 at 3:43 pm

        Thank you, they're super fun and all our guests loved them too!

        Reply
    3. Kristen Wood says

      January 03, 2022 at 10:42 pm

      5 stars
      These turned out fabulously! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 🙂

      Reply
    4. Jacqueline Meldrum says

      January 03, 2022 at 10:59 pm

      5 stars
      I know just who would love these. Good timing.

      Reply
      • Vanessa Sturman says

        January 04, 2022 at 3:42 pm

        Ha ha, can't wait for them to try the vegan crab cakes!

        Reply
    5. Evelyne Cultureatz says

      January 03, 2022 at 11:52 pm

      5 stars
      I have never tried vegan crab cakes before but they sound wonderful!

      Reply
      • Vanessa Sturman says

        January 04, 2022 at 3:42 pm

        Oh thank you! They're so tasty

        Reply

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