Our Vegan Creole Crab Cakes are a Mardi Gras of flavors in your mouth. Made from artichoke hearts and chickpeas and seasoned with Creole spices, this recipe will have your guests screaming, “Who dat!”

We try to make it over to New Orleans at least once a year. We love the Big Easy. The city has everything: marvelous music, fantastic food, a little bit of sin, a little bit of voodoo and a big appetite for a good time. Plus, their vegan food scene is killer! (Stay tuned for a round-up of great vegan eats in New Orleans, coming soon)

Speaking of good eats, Meals From The Heart is one of our favorite vegan restaurants in New Orleans. We try to swing by every time we visit. They serve up some of the best crab-less cakes we’ve ever had. We thought, why not try our hand at a Big Easy-inspired vegan crab cakes at home? And if we may say so ourselves, they’re just about as delicious! Our version is sauced with a creamy and spicy Creole remoulade. Serve as an appetizer or main course.

WHAT ARE CRAB CAKES?

Crab cakes are fried patties consisting of minced crab meat, breadcrumbs, mayo, mustard, and seasoning. Traditionally associated with the area surrounding Chesapeake Bay, crab cakes are on seafood menus throughout the United States. You’ll find crab cakes on menus in states along the Gulf Coast—in restaurants across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

We make a Louisiana Creole Gulf Coast seafood take on crab cakes. In our recipe, we replace the crab meat with chickpeas and artichoke heart for protein and crab-like texture. We also added the nori for that touch of sea flavor, as well as bell pepper and celery for freshness. Dijon mustard, vegan mayonnaise, and bread crumbs bind our delicious crabby concoction together. And of course, we spice up our crab-less cake mixture with fiery Louisiana Creole seasoning and sauce them up with a spicy remoulade.

VEGAN CRAB CAKE INGREDIENTS

Canned Chickpeas: Used to replace the meatiness of the crab. Adds protein, crab-like texture, and helps bind the mixture.
Canned Artichokes Hearts: Adds a briny seafood flavor and crab-like texture.
Red Bell Pepper: Adds a pop of red color and freshness.
Celery: Adds freshness and crunchy texture.
Parsley: Adds brightness to the crab-less mixture.
Green Onion and Garlic: Fragrant aromatics.
Dijon Mustard: A binding agent that also adds sharpness and acidity.
Vegan Mayonnaise: A binding agent that also adds moisture and richness to the crab cakes.
Italian Bread Crumbs: Another binding agent, which allows the cakes to retain moisture.
Roasted Nori (optional): Adds a seafood flavor to the crab cakes.
Creole Seasoning: To add a healthy dose of Louisiana spice to our crab cakes.
Chickpea Flour: We prefer chickpea flour to other other flours, because it is higher in protein and thus acts as a stronger binding agent. However, all purpose flour will also do in a pinch.
Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and acidity to our crab cakes.
Neutral-Flavored Oil or Spray Oil (like vegetable or avocado oil): To cook the crab cakes and help them achieve a crips, golden brown crust. Neutral-flavored oils have a higher smoke point than olive oil and are thus better for frying.

SPICY CREOLE REMOULADE INGREDIENTS (OPTIONAL)

To take your crabless cakes to the next level, dip them in our spicy Creole remoulade made from vegan ranch dressing, Tobasco sauce, horseradish, Creole seasoning, chives, sweet paprika and minced capers.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST VEGAN CREOLE CRAB CAKES

Process the chickpeas and artichoke: Add the chickpeas and artichoke to the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse 6-7 times, leaving the mixture chunky. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Process the vegetables: Then add the red bell pepper, celery, parsley, green onion, and garlic to the work bowl of a food processor. Blend until minced finely, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add mixture to the chickpeas and artichoke, and stir to combine.

Make the crabless mixture: Then add the dijon mustard, vegan mayonnaise, 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs, Creole seasoning, roasted nori, chickpea flour, and lemon to the chickpea mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The mixture should hold together when squeezed.

Now we form the crab cakes! Pack a 1/4 cup scoop with the crabless cake mixture. Then invert the scoop and gently tap it on the side of the mixing bowl to release the cake. Press the cake together and form it into a 1/2″ patty with your hands and then place it on a lined sheet pan.

Coat the crab cakes: Add the remaining 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs to a bowl. Press each crab cake into the bread crumbs to coat on both sides. Then arrange them back on the sheet pan. At this point, you can either freeze or proceed to cooking the crab cakes.

Cook the crab cakes:
- Air Fry: This is our favorite cooking method, because the crabless cakes out so crispy and evenly fried! This method also uses less oil, making the crabless cakes less caloric compared to traditional pan frying. Arrange the crab cakes in one layer in the basket of an air fryer. Spray or brush the crab cakes with oil and air fry at 390°F for 12 minutes, flipping midway through the cooking time.
- Bake: Brush or spray the crab cakes with oil and bake on a lined baking sheet at 400°F for 20 minutes, flipping the crab cakes midway through the cooking time.
- Pan Fry: Pour enough oil into a frying pan for a shallow fry and heat it over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with paper towel and place a baking rack over the paper towels, and set aside. The oil is ready when it shimmers and bread crumbs tossed into the pan sizzle. Cook crab cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the crab cakes to the lined sheet pan you prepared. (This method allows for air circulation around your crab cakes, keeping them crisp. Otherwise, you can transfer the crab cakes to a paper towel-lined plate).

(Optional) Make the spicy Creole remoulade: In a small bowl, whisk together the vegan ranch dressing, Tobasco, horseradish, Creole seasoning, chives, sweet paprika, and minced capers. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

RECIPE TIPS

Dry the chickpeas and artichoke. Drain the chickpeas and artichoke hearts of their can liquid. Then dry them thoroughly in a clean dish towel. Limiting the moisture in this recipe will help the crabless cakes stick together better.
Air frying ftw! We found the air fryer to be the easiest and healthiest cooking option for our crab cakes. They come out more crispy and evenly cooked compared to the other cooking methods. Plus, air frying uses less oil than pan frying.
Freeze the crabless cakes for later. After you shape the crab cakes, you can freeze them directly on the lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer the crab cakes to an air-tight container and store them for up to one month. You can also freeze cooked, leftover crab cakes the same way. Reheat them by baking or air frying them at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

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