Vegan Crab Cakes with Herbed Yogurt Sauce

This recipe for Vegan Crab Cakes looks like the real thing and tastes even better! These healthy bites are vegan, gluten free and are baked rather than fried.

The blog is officially switching gears.

Coming at you with a meat filled recipe today.

Crab cakes. Made with meat. Held together with eggs. Coated with crunchy wheat bread crumbs. Right here on this gluten-free plant-based blog.

APRIL FOOLS!

These crab cakes might look convincing, but these beauties are both vegan and gluten free. And just between you and me… they are the best crab cakes I have ever had, and before I went plant-based, good seafood was a staple in my diet.

I have had a lot of crab cakes in my time, and vegan crab cakes  have to be a few things in order to stack up:

1. Full of flavor.
2. Crispy crunchy exterior
3. Tender on the inside.
4. Have a high quality dipping sauce.

Instead of using crab to achieve these qualities in our Vegan Crab Cakes, we will reach for a few unconventional ingredients.

First, the filling. Our crab cake mixture is made from marinated artichokes and hearts of palm. The artichokes add a meaty texture and a nice fresh-from-the-ocean brine flavor. Then the hearts of palm come in with a soft flavor and milk sweetness. The two together knock out the flavor category.

Secondly, what is a crab cake without a crispy, crunchy exterior to compliment all the tender flaky goodness of the filling? Though these crab cakes are baked and not fried, we still achieve the crispy effect with a 3 step breading station and a spray of oil. Our cakes will first take a dip in some oat flour, plunge into some almond milk, and then roll in the crispy breadcrumbs. This three step process ensures that the bread crumbs really adhere to the cakes.

To make these cakes tender on the inside, we use the same basic techniques as you would to make reqular crab cakes. We keep the ingredient list simple and don’t overwork the batter. Oat flour becomes our binder, which helps hold the cakes together without weighing them down.

Lastly, every good Vegan Crab Cake needs a sauce. This one uses non-dairy yogurt for tang and is spiked with the flavors of dill, capers, and lemon for a zippy bite that is the icing on our Vegan Crab Cakes.

Vegan Crab Cakes with Herbed Yogurt Sauce

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 70 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Entrees
• Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan

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Description

This recipe for Vegan Crab Cakes looks like the real thing and tastes even better! These healthy bites are vegan, gluten free and are baked rather than fried. 

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Ingredients

For the herbed yogurt sauce:

• 10 oz plain coconut yogurt
• 1 lemon zested and 1/2 juiced
• 2 tablespoons capers, (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced dill
• 1 clove garlic, (minced)

For the crab cakes:

• 8 oz hearts of palm, (drained and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 8 oz marinated artichokes, (drained and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 1/4 cup minced shallots OR red onion
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 2 teaspoons agave
• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• Pinch salt

For the breading:

• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 3/4 cup almond milk ((or other non dairy milk))
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free bread crumbs
• Salt
• Pepper

For serving (optional):

• Extra herbs
• Halved grape tomatoes

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Coat it with coconut oil spray.
3. In a bowl, stir together the hearts of palm, artichokes, shallots, celery, and agave. In another bowl, whisk together the oat flour, Old Bay and salt. Add this to the wet mixture and stir well to combine.
4. For the breading station, whisk together the oat flour, Old Bay, and a pinch of salt and pepper into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk the almond milk, Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper together. In a third bowl, add the breadcrumbs.
5. Take 2 tablespoons of the crab cake mixture and form it into a patty. Place it into the oat flour and coat all sides evenly. Submerge it into the almond milk and immediately remove it. Let any excess liquid drip off and then add it to the breadcrumb bowl. Coat with the breadcrumbs, using your hands to cover all sides evenly. Place on the baking tray and repeat with the remaining batter.
6. Bake the crab cakes for 25 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes to fully set up. Serve with sauce and toppings, if desired.

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