Vegan Quinoa Crab Cakes

Although they may appear conventional, these quinoa crab cakes are entirely vegan. They are GF and delicious since they are made with hearts of palm, chickpeas, and artichokes!

Delicious vegan crab cakes have the ideal amount of crispiness on the outside and are soft and tender on the inside. They have that traditional spice mixture and flavors as well as a faint brininess. Additionally, you can see what the inside looks like by scrolling down to the final image!

Three Main Vegan Crab Cake Ingredients

Traditional crab cakes naturally contain crab flesh, which has a flavor that is quite salty and seafood-like. But we also need to create a vegan version of other things. The texture is another thing to think about!

Personally, I believe that this recipe is absolutely perfect. While the brine is present, the texture is also flaky, delicate, and fragile. And it only takes three basic components:

  • Chickpeas
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Hearts of Palm

What You’ll Need to Make Crab Cakes

Crab cakes are quite easy to make at home. include the vegan variant! You only need two basic tools:
– In a food processor, we’ll create our “dough.” I have an 11-cup Cuisinart food processor, and I adore it! We only need to use that one bowl when we combine the ingredients in the food processor to create the crab-like texture. Thus, cleanup will be simple.
– Saute pan: While some crab cakes are deep-fried, ours will be pan-fried instead. So all you need to fry them is a skillet (of any sort) and some hot oil.
– The simplicity of this dish makes it perfect for your kitchen. There is actually no need to slice anything (aside from halving an onion). So you’ll be able to quickly tidy up everything!

How to make Quinoa Crab Cakes

Recall that I stated these required little cleanup? They’re also easy to create, of course! Despite the fact that there are like six phases, the technique essentially consists of placing ingredients in the food processor, creating cakes, and then cooking them.

STEP ONE

We’ll start by placing our onion and garlic in the food processor. You’ll pulse things until they’re finely minced or chopped.

STEP TWO

We next add our chickpeas, artichokes, and hearts of palm to the food processor. Just remember to drain them before adding them; we’re using one can of each. We don’t need any more liquid! Blitz those until a lumpy or shredded texture has developed.

STEP THREE

Our seasonings will go into the food processor next. In addition to vegan yogurt (or mayo), lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce, dried dill, and Old Bay, we’re keeping things quite simple. Once more, pulse it to incorporate the seasonings with the dough.

STEP FOUR

Our dry components, which include cooked quinoa and quinoa flakes, are the last things to go into the food processor. The quinoa flakes serve to hold everything together and prevent it from crumbling, while the cooked quinoa adds texture and absorbs some of the liquid. After incorporating those, the dough is ready for assembly.

STEP FIVE

Once you have your dough, you will shape it into cakes. I just form the dough into tiny cakes by taking around 3 to 4 tablespoons into my hands.

STEP SIX

Cooking them is the final step before serving! As I mentioned, we’re pan-frying, so you’ll want to heat up some oil. Once it’s heated, you’ll just cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until they’re golden brown and crispy. See how simple it is?

Are Crab Cakes Healthy?

Personally, I believe that crab cakes can be really healthy, particularly if they are prepared properly! The base components for both conventional crab cakes and our vegan crab cakes are straightforward and easy to find, though deep frying them makes them less healthful.
What To Sauce Goes with Crab Cakes

I think a sauce is essential for crab cakes first and foremost. I adore using my homemade sriracha mayo as a garnish. I simply combine some (vegan) mayo with some sriracha, and I’m done. You might also have:

  • a drizzle of vegan ranch dressing
  • vegan tartar sauce

How to Store Quinoa Crab Cakes

    You may keep your crab cakes in the refrigerator or freezer, much like we do with our veggie burgers. Although I strongly advise cooking them in advance, you can store them raw and cook them whenever you’re ready. They’ll keep for around 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator and 3 to 6 months in the freezer.
Are Crab Cakes Good for Meal Prep?
Yes and again! These quinoa crab cakes may definitely be prepared in advance. Simply prepare the batch in advance and store it in one of the two ways mentioned above.

Make sure the crab cakes are completely defrosted before reheating them.

  • Place them in the microwave to reheat completely.
  • Bake them in a 300°F oven until they are warm in the middle.
  • Reheat them in the pan until they are warm in the middle.

  I really hope you do decide to use this recipe as a healthy meal prep suggestion! They would be fantastic for breakfast (crabless eggs benedict anyone? ), dinner, and lunch the next day. If you decide to make them, remember to tag me in a photo on Instagram.