Vegan crab cakes with artichokes & chickpeas

Flaky vegan crab cakes are made with a mixture of artichoke hearts and chickpeas. Finished with a dollop of lemon dill aioli, they’re an elegant starter or an eye-catching main course.

Did you know that when some people make crab cakes they use crabmeat? I know! Wild, right?

Why would you when you can use so many other things like jackfruit, hearts of palm, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, zucchini, tempeh, or tofu? The only limit to vegan seafood is your creativity!

That’s one of the most fun parts of being vegan. You can reconfigure old familiar flavors in new compassionate ways. It scratches that itch with similar textures, but without harming anyone in the process.

I’m so excited to share this recipe for vegan crab cakes. It uses two different ingredients as the stars for its base – artichoke hearts and chickpeas.

The artichoke hearts get nice and flaky, which creates a beautifully light texture. And the chickpeas make it feel substantive and satiating. The flavors of Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce, lemon zest, and lemon juice are bright and lively against the briny artichoke hearts. 

Finish the artichoke chickpea cakes with a dollop of lemon dill aioli for a zingy finish with tang.

This dish feels fancy enough for a date night. But it’s ready in just 20 minutes to about a half an hour, depending on how you choose to prepare them. I recommend frying them, but I also give options for baking and air frying.

How to make vegan crab cakes

Here’s what you’ll need.

If you’re going to fry the cakes, put a half inch of organic canola oil into a skillet, and bring to a medium high heat. If you’re going to bake them, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you’re going to air fry them, you don’t have to do anything special just yet.

Drain canned artichoke hearts & blot them on a towel. Squeeze them to remove liquid from inside. (For the cakes to stick together right, you don’t want too much liquid.)

Add the artichoke hearts to a food processor with drained chickpeas, chopped bell pepper, and sliced green onion.

Pulse 6 to 8 times until everything is evenly broken up, about the texture of chunky salsa.

Move the artichoke mixture to a large mixing bowl. Then add the following:

• Vegan mayonnaise
• Lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Old Bay seasoning
• Stoneground mustard
• Hot sauce
• All-purpose flour
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Salt

Use a spoon to fully combine the ingredients. Put additional panko breadcrumbs on a separate plate along with salt and pepper.

Use a ¼ measuring cup to portion out the cakes. Form the cake in your hands. Then coat it on each side with the panko breadcrumbs on the plate.

Now it’s time to cook them by frying, baking, or air frying.

TO FRY: Test the oil to see if it’s hot enough by dropping a breadcrumb into it. If bubbles immediately form around it, it’s ready.

Shallow fry the cakes in oil for about 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Then move them to a towel lined plate to drain.

TO BAKE: Put the cakes on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Spray with oil, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, stopping once to flip.

TO AIR FRY: Put the cakes into the air fryer basket. Spray with oil. Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, stopping once to flip.

Finish them with a dollop of lemon dill aioli and dill garnish.

To make the aioli, combine the following in a small bowl:

• Vegan mayonnaise
• Lemon juice
• Capers
• Granulated onion
• Fresh chopped dill
• Salt

What if the mixture is too dry or too wet?

If the mixture is too dry in the mixing bowl for it to hold together in a cake, add an additional ½ Tablespoon of mayonnaise.

If the mixture is too wet for it to hold together, add additional flour, or press more breadcrumbs into the cakes while you are doing the final breading step.

Make them your own

You can make these vegan crab cakes your own by varying the ingredients and/or toppings.

• Instead of Old Bay seasoning, use your favorite Cajun seasoning salt
• Replace the green onion with 2 Tablespoons of chopped yellow onion
• If you like fishy flavors, add dulse flakes or kelp granules to the artichoke chickpea mixture in the mixing bowl
• Instead of fresh dill, use ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of dried dill in the sauce
• Instead of lemon dill aioli, top with sriracha mayo or Thousand Island dressing (a.k.a. special sauce)

Can you freeze them?

Yes, vegan crab cakes freeze beautifully!

Put them in a freezer-safe container like Pyrex or a freezer bag. If you have stacks of them, put a sheet of parchment between layers.

To reheat, I like to use the air fryer. They can go into the air fryer straight from frozen. Air fry at 360 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. 

If you’d prefer to reheat in the oven or in a skillet, thaw the cakes in the refrigerator first. Then bake or toast in a dry or lightly oiled skillet.

What to serve with them

Vegan crab cakes can be served as an appetizer or as an entrée. They go well with:

• Corn chowder
• Tomato cucumber salad 
• Spinach salad with strawberries 
• Roasted cabbage
• Broccolini with garlic & kale
• Vegan coleslaw