Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
crab cakes, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, hearts of palm, aquafaba, chickpea liquid, vegan seafood, vegan, vegetarian, whole food plant based, gluten free, recipe, wfpb, American, healthy, oil free, no refined sugar, no oil, refined sugar free, lunch, dinner, side, sauce, easy, fast, quick, picnic, appetizer, dinner party, entertaining, summer

Vegan “Crab” Cakes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
  • Prep Time: 13 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 58 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Crab Cakes 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These Vegan “Crab” Cakes will blow you away with their amazing texture and flavor.  They are easy to make and look like the real deal.  Whole Food Plant Based, oil free, refined sugar free, no processed ingredients to minimally processed ingredients, and gluten free!

*This Vegan Crab Cake recipe was adapted from Vegan Huggs.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 7 oz. of chickpeas (1/2 can of 15 oz. can), rinsed. Save the liquid.
  • 114 oz. can Hearts of Palm, drained and rinsed.
  • ¼ cup reserved chickpea liquid (from above), plus more for brushing
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (or bottled lemon juice)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon vegan Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup green onions, diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning *
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt (+/- ) *
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika (+ more for sprinkling)
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs (+ extra for the outer coating)

Instructions

  1. Drain the chickpeas over a strainer into a bowl to reserve the liquid (keep for later in the recipe), then rinse the chickpeas and add them to a food processor and pulse a few times to break them up. Be careful not to over process the chickpeas (we want to keep some texture.)  Remove from the food processor and  set aside in a medium bowl.
  2. Then add the drained hearts of palm and pulse a few times to break them up. Be careful not to over process the hearts of palm as we want the texture to resemble crab meat. Remove from the food processor and place in the same bowl as the processed chickpeas.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the reserved chickpea liquid to get a frothy consistency – this will take a couple minutes. To the chickpea liquid, stir in the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and all the dry seasonings. (Don’t throw out unused chickpea liquid as we will use it as an “egg wash” for the “crab” cakes while baking.)
  4. Place the breadcrumbs, and green onions into the chickpea and hearts of palms bowl, and stir together. Add the whisked chickpea liquid mixture and remaining seasonings.  This is the time to taste and adjust the salt/pepper and seasonings to your taste.
  5. Cover the bowl and place mixture into the freezer for 15 to firm up.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  7. Place about ½ cup of panko bread crumbs onto a flat plate. Scoop up about 1/3 cup of the “crab cake” mixture into a 1/3 cup measuring cup, pack down firmly.  Then remove the mixture (this is to give it shape) and gently coat each side of the patty with the panko bread crumbs.  Makes 6 cakes.
  8. Place the crab cakes onto a baking sheet, then lightly brush the tops with a very small amount of the left over reserved garbanzo bean liquid, then sprinkle lightly with some sweet paprika, and place in a preheated 400 F oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  9. After 20 minutes, switch the oven from bake to broil, move the crab cakes to the top rack and broil until lightly browned.
  10. Serve immediately. Garnish with green onions, lemon wedges and our Vegan Tartar Sauce.

Notes

*Old Bay Seasoning is Gluten Free according to the manufacturer of Old Bay Seasoning.

*Vegan Tartar Sauce: This recipe can be served alone (without the Vegan Tartar Sauce); however, we have found the extra tang of the Vegan Tartar Sauce really pulls the meal together nicely.

*Panko Bread Crumbs: We used Ian’s Gluten Free Panko crumbs for this recipe.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.