Don’t be discouraged by the length of this recipe – it’s only because it packs a few recipes into one! The real star, the Vegan Crab Cakes, are simple and quick!
These vegan crab cakes took a few different times to get right. I tried a combination that relied only on chickpeas but I felt that texture-wise it was missing something. Then I remembered the delicious Vegan Mediterranean Un-Tuna Salad on Blissful Basil that I also used to inspire my Chickpea Salad Sandwich. Artichoke hearts are the answer for this too! They give that flaky texture that is reminiscent of seafood. I also added in dulse flakes which I realize are not a pantry staple. I prefer to rely on common ingredients for most of my recipes because I think some people associate vegan cooking with weird ingredients and that does not have to be the case. Dulse flakes are seaweed and add an undeniably seafood flavor to this recipe. You can definitely skip them if you don’t have them on hand, but there will be some seafood flavor missing from this dish. They can be found at specialty food stores like Central Market and Whole Foods or on Amazon. I have this Ocean’s Balance brand. You can also buy the seaweed in sheets which will work fine for this recipe because it goes into the food processor anyway.
Other than getting your hands on the dulse flakes, this recipe couldn’t be easier. You pulse the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, dulse flakes, mayo, mustard, hot sauce, and Old Bay seasoning in the food processor, fold in the panko and flour, form into 6 patties, and pan fry until golden brown. The vegan crab cake mixture is on the more delicate side but if you’re having trouble forming cohesive patties, your mixture may be a little too wet. Try adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time until a more stable texture is achieved. On the contrary, if your mixture seems crumbly and falling apart, you may need more liquid so try adding water ½ tablespoon at time until a more cohesive mixture is formed. The sauce is quickly whipped up with only five ingredients.
You can serve these crab cakes on their own, with a simple salad, or your favorite veggie side dish. I served mine with a rendition of NYT’s Spicy Corn and Shishito Pepper Salad. It’s totally optional but I will say, it pairs deliciously with this recipe so I included directions for how I adapted it in this recipe if you’re interested!
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Vegan Crab Cakes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 crab cakes 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Vegan Crab Cakes are quick and simple and with a couple “special” ingredients, they have the same texture and flavor of the real deal!
Ingredients
Vegan Crab Cakes:
- 1 can or 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas
- 1 can/jar artichoke hearts
- 2 tablespoons dulse flakes
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup non-dairy or dairy mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Corn and Shishito Warm Salad:
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3–4 ears of corn, kernels removed
- 6 oz. shishito peppers, stemmed and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Optional: 1/4 cup cotija or feta cheese, 1 avocado chopped
Instructions
Crab Cakes:
- Combine all ingredients except panko breadcrumbs, flour, and oil in the food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until chickpeas and artichoke hearts are broken into small chunks. Mixture should still have texture – don’t over process!
- Pour mixture into a medium bowl. Add breadcrumbs and flour and gently fold in. Divide mixture into six and form into patties about ½ inch thick and 3-4 inches in diameter. Set aside. Mixture shouldn’t be too sticky. I left my patties sitting on my cutting board but if your patties are sticking to your cutting board, you can set them on parchment paper or wax paper.
- Heat a 12 inch non-stick pan (I love my Green Pans) over medium heat and add oil until heated and oil is rippling in pan.
- Place three patties into the pan at a time and allow to cook for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towel lined plate or cutting board and immediately sprinkle with salt.
- Repeat with the last three patties.
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Serve on their own topped with sauce, on a simple salad, or with this quick corn and shisito pepper warm salad.
Corn and Shishito Pepper Warm Salad (based off NYT recipe)
- In a small bowl combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, cumin, and salt and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Add shishito peppers and allow to cook for 2 minutes without stirring so that skins begin to blister.
- Reduce heat to medium and add onions and garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes until beginning to soften.
- Add corn and toss and cook for 1 minute to warm through.
- Remove from heat.
- Drizzle with dressing and add cilantro tossing together. Add cotija cheese and/or avocado if using and toss gently.
- Serve warm or allow to cool and serve room temperature.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Main, Appetizer
Keywords: vegan crab cakes, crab cakes
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