Vegan Crab Cakes
There was a time, five years ago to be precise, when I absolutely loved crab cakes and can honestly say it’s one of the very few dishes I actually “missed” going vegetarian.
But, let me tell you…
Amidst the virtual sea of meatless “crab” cake recipes out there I have finally hit on one that seriously delivers.
These cakes have all the texture and flavor you remember, without harming a single crab.
This recipe comes directly from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook by Brian L. Patton. And considering I alter nearly every recipe I encounter, I tip my hat to him because my only deviations from the original recipe are minor (using a food processor in the prep and yielding 8 smaller cakes rather 4 large ones.)
Serve over succotash and top with remoulade sauce.
Indulge and enjoy!
Ingredients for Vegan Crab Cakes:
- tempeh
- chickpeas
- olive oil
- yellow onion
- red bell pepper
- celery
- salt
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Old Bay seasoning
- vegan mayonnaise
- capers
- Italian parsley
- lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- kelp or seaweed powder
- cayenne pepper sauce
- ground black pepper
How to make Vegan Crab Cakes:
Using a steamer basket, steam the tempeh for 25 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Add chickpeas to a food processor and pulse until rough chopped.
Be careful to not overdo it here; you want to retain the texture of a real crab cake.
Scrape chopped chickpeas into a large mixing bowl.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the food processor. Pulse until finely diced.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add onions, celery, red pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, 8 minutes, or until onion is tender. Set aside to cool.
Crumble the tempeh into a large mixing bowl.
Add the cooked veggies, 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs, 1/2 Tablespoon (1 1/2 tsp.) Old Bay, mayonnaise, chickpeas, capers, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, kelp powder, a few dashes of cayenne pepper sauce, and a few twists of salt and pepper.
Using your hands, mash everything together. Divide the mixture into 8 small patties.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs with the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) Old Bay in a bowl.
In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
Dredge each cake in the bread crumb mixture and place them in the pan to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip over and brown the other side.
Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a little extra Old Bay.
To serve, place on top of succotash and top with remoulade.
Cheers!
Ingredients
- 1 8-oz. package tempeh
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried completely
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 1/4 cup yellow onion
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup celery
- salt to taste
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon capers drained and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Italian parsley chopped
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons kelp or seaweed powder I used crushed nori flakes and that worked fine
- Cayenne pepper sauce to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a steamer basket, steam the tempeh for 25 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Add chickpeas to a food processor and pulse until rough chopped. Be careful to not overdo it here; you want to retain the texture of a real crab cake. Scrape chopped chickpeas into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the food processor. Pulse until finely diced.
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, red pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, 8 minutes, or until onion are tender. Set aside to cool.
- Crumble the tempeh into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked veggies, 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs, 1/2 Tablespoon (1 1/2 tsp.) Old Bay, mayonnaise, chickpeas, capers, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, kelp powder, a few dashes of cayenne pepper sauce, and a few twists of salt and pepper.
- Using your hands, mash everything together. Divide the mixture into 8 small patties.
- Combine the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs with the remaining 1/2 Tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) Old Bay in a bowl.
- In a large pan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Dredge each cake in the bread crumb mixture and place them in the pan to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip over and brown the other side.
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a little extra Old Bay.
- To serve, place on top of succotash and top with remoulade.
Tried this recipe?Mention @thiswifecooks or tag #thiswifecooks!
theclutterboxblog
I love crab cakes too and having a vegetarian option is fantastic! Also a food processor is huge when it comes to preparing food like this, makes it better in my mind!
Shibani
I’m not really a fan of sea food but my brother who is also a chef. Passing this unique recipe to him, thanks for sharing!!
thiswifecooks
Thanks! I hope he enjoys it!
Debbie Savage
I am a total lover of seafood and this dish looks so delish! I definitely want to try this and the vegan take on this is great!
thiswifecooks
This is what I make when I’m craving that crab flavor!
Stephanie | You Are My Son Shine
This looks good! And I already have most of the ingredients, I bet my husband will love this one!!
thiswifecooks
Thank you!
Mayuri
Vegan Crabby Cake sounds deliciously awesome! I haven’t tried crab cake but I am going to definitely try this recipe as it looks extremely easy and yum!
thiswifecooks
It is! Enjoy!
Carol Cassara
I’ve never had vegan crabby cakes before! That’s definitely something that I would love to try and make for me and my husband! I think this is a great recipe!
thiswifecooks
Thank you! Enjoy!
toastycritic
I think I would miss out on crab cakes if I were to go vegan for sure. Although I am always up for trying something different and it does sound really good. I will have to try this out.
thiswifecooks
It is a good way to satisfy the craving without the price tag of actual crab! 🙂
Pooja
This looks delicious. I will try it!
thiswifecooks
Thanks! Enjoy!
thenafranssen
Great recipe, I will get this done and tried! My family will love it!
thiswifecooks
Awesome! There are never any leftovers here! 🙂