These 8-ingredient Baked Vegan Crab Cakes taste just like crab. Artichoke hearts with Old Bay Seasoning mimic the seafood quality perfectly. These pair deliciously with my 5-Minute Artichoke Hummus recipe.
Save This Recipe!
Type your email & I'll send it to you!
One of my favorite chef pastimes is veganizing popular non-vegan dishes. Sometimes they turn out great, and sometimes not so great. Don't worry, only the ones I consider to be great end up here on my blog!
For example, my Chipotle Tofu Steaks, and these Cashew Tofu Lettuce Wraps. And if you're passionate about artichokes, try this Creamy Vegan Artichoke Miso Pasta.
Jump to:
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Marinated & quartered artichoke hearts
- Chickpeas
- Zucchini
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon juice
- Old Bay Seasoning (use store bought or my homemade recipe below)
See recipe card for quantities.
Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay seasoning has a bold and distinct flavor and is commonly used for seafood. Its versatility makes it a popular seasoning. In fact, it was almost impossible to get your hands on some during the first half of the Covid-19 pandemic! That's when I started to make my own.
While this requires having a long list of spices, I like being able to adjust the balance of spices to taste. But store bought works perfectly well too. There's no need to make your own unless you want to.
To make my Old Bay Seasoning, you will need:
- celery seed (lower in sodium than celery salt)
- paprika
- cayenne
- ground black pepper
- ground nutmeg
- mustard powder
- cardamom
- cinnamon
- ground cloves
- allspice
- ground ginger
- Salt to taste
See recipe card (Notes) for quantities.
Whisk all the spices in a bowl. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 6 months.
📖 Instructions
These Baked Vegan Crab Cakes get their flaky texture from the artichoke hearts and chickpeas.
Grated zucchini acts as a binder for the crab cakes.
Transfer the artichoke-chickpea mixture to a large bowl. Add the zucchini, Panko breadcrumbs, vegan mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and Old Bay Seasoning. Mix well until fully incorporated.
Use ⅓ cup of batter to form each cake. You should get about eleven cakes in total.
Bake the crab cakes at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for 10 minutes more. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to firm up.
🦀 Substitution & Variations
- Seaweed flakes - add dulse granules into the batter for a stronger sea-like flavor (to taste)
- Old Bay Seasoning - Substitute with ¾ teaspoon celery salt + ¾ teaspoon paprika for this recipe. Or make my homemade version.
- Spicy - add up to 2 teaspoons sriracha to the batter
See these Easy Vegan Chipotle Tofu Burgers with a spicy kick!
🔪 Equipment
It's worth investing in a good food processor. I use mine frequently for making hummus, dressings, pesto, oat flour, and falafels; for chopping and pureeing vegetables; for mincing tempeh and tofu; and much more.
A blender will not work well for this recipe.
⏱ Storage
Refrigerate any remaining Baked Vegan Crab Cakes in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze them for later use. Wrap them individually in parchment paper and store for up to 3 months. For reheating, place in the oven at 375ºF until warmed through.
💡 Top tip
Pulse the chickpeas and artichoke hearts until roughly chopped. Don't overdo it. We are not making hummus!
Squeeze the grated zucchini gently to remove excess water. If you squeeze too hard, it will form a mass, and won't combine as readily with the other ingredients.
Old Bay seasoning is a mix of up to 18 different spices. Celery seed is the most pronounced flavor, with hints of paprika, cinnamon, and a kick from cayenne pepper.
It is commonly used to season seafood, as well as vegetables, soup, pork and chicken.
Old Bay is versatile and a useful pantry staple. Add it to stews, creamy salads, and even dips.
It can be quite salty and strong in flavor, which is why I like to make my own.
I typically use Chosen Foods and Sir Kensington's, but any brand will work. Choose your favorite.
Both contain ground dried celery seeds. However, in celery salt, the seeds are combined with salt.
👩🏽🍳 Made This Recipe?
Share your Baked Vegan Crab Cakes with Artichoke Hearts creation with me on Instagram. It makes my day to see you recreate my recipes.
I would love it if you would ⭐️ rate this recipe and leave a comment. Thank you in advance.
Baked Vegan Crab Cakes with Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
- 14 ounces marinated artichoke hearts jarred or canned, drained
- 15 ounces chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
- ½ medium zucchini grated using largest holes on a box grater (about 1 cup)
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup mayonnaise vegan
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
Save This Recipe!
Type your email & I’ll send it to you!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Process chickpeas & artichoke hearts: Add the chickpeas and artichoke hearts to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped, but still slightly chunky. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Mix ingredients: Gently squeeze the grated zucchini to remove excess water. Add the grated zucchini, panko, mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon juice and Old Bay to the bowl with the chickpeas and artichokes. Mix well to combine.
- Form & bake patties: Using ⅓ cup measurement, form about 11 patties. Place them on a large nonstick sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for 10 minutes more. Set aside to firm up for about 5 minutes.
Notes
- Use store bought Old Bay Seasoning, or try my recipe: 2 teaspoons celery seed, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon mustard powder, ⅛ teaspoon cardamom, ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger. Add salt to taste.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Mary says
I want to make this but need a substitute for chick peas. I don't digest beans and legumes. What else could I use, please.
Thank you.
Mary
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
1½ cups finely chopped mushrooms (sauté first to cook off moisture)
Julie says
578 calories for ONE crabcake?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Nope! For 3 crab cakes. One serving in one-fourth of the entire mixture.
KAREN EDDINGER says
I found them delicious but a little dry. In the photo, you have a dipping sauce but no mention of it with the recipe. What do you use?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. I love them with this chipotle sauce https://cookingforpeanuts.com/healthy-chipotle-dressing/ and these falafel sauces https://cookingforpeanuts.com/easy-falafel-sauce-recipes/ .
Q says
This is really good. I mistakingly brought plain bread crumbs instead of panko and it was still tasty. I also added chopped garlic cloves. Thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Jen Beddia says
Is there any sub for the vegan mayo?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I have not tested them without it but you could try vegan greek yogurt or a creamy plain vegan yogurt instead.
Ashley says
Seriously the best crab cake recipe! I doubled it so I’d have something to do with that other half zucchini. I finished them in the air fryer for a few mins to make them firmer and crispier. My kids LOVED them! I was worried the Old Bay would be too spicy but covered it up with a good remoulade. Thanks!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Great idea to double the recipe!!! Thank you for your comment. I'm so glad the kids enjoyed them too.
James White says
This is such a great recipe and a really good base for a ton of variations! It lends itself well to taking on herbs and spices, grains like quinoa, and also vegetables like grated carrots, corn, onions, etc.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yay! Love your creativity here!
Lauren says
I’ve never tried any other vegan crab cake recipes and I never will! These came out SO GOOD! It was super easy to prepare and tastes amazing! Thank you for all your awesome recipes!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww I'm so happy to read this! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Nancy says
Thank you for sharing and your creativity for coming up with so many delicious recipes. These crab cake were delicious and so easy to make!♥️
I’ll have to figure out how to post a picture because they are picture perfect.😀
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awwww thank you for trusting in my recipes and making this one so quickly! I'm excited to see them.
Sally says
Any gf subs for the panko bread crumbs?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Crushed cornflakes work well.
Toby Bryant says
Garbanzo flour
Cindy says
Equal amount of garbanzo flour? 1.5 cups?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. I have not made these with garbanzo flour. Try 1 cup and see how the texture is and if they hold well. Go from there.
Colleen says
These are amazing!
Are they freezer friendly?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yes. Place them in layers and separate with waxy paper so they do not stick together.
Debra says
I love this recipe because it is easy to make and tasty! So glad I found your web site!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you for leaving such a lovely comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed the crab cakes. Have a great weekend.
ZM says
I used potato instead of zucchini and skipped the bread crumbs. It was pretty tasty. I rather call it veggie patties than crab cake tho, I don’t really taste similarities 🤷🏻♀️
Nisha Melvani says
I'm glad you enjoyed the flavor. Thank you for commenting.
Kate says
I was delightfully surprised how delicious these were! I'll definitely be making them again. Thank you!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad they were a hit. Thank you.
Adam says
Dear Nisha,
I have started and stopped a vegan eating style a few times in the past. My wife is a lacto/ovo vegetarian, but I have health concerns that necessitate becoming vegan for good. I have searched for a good vegan crab cake recipe without success. Until now! These were the real deal. Crispy and tender, served with hand cut fries and vegan slaw. Why torture crabs?
Nisha Melvani says
It makes me so happy to read this. Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed them. Have a great evening.
meg says
WOW! these turned out GREAT!
so yummy! followed recipe exactly,
i actually got about 24 small-ish crabcakes out of this recipe and served them as “nuggets” to my kids and they loved them!
served with a homemade vegan aioli of mayo + lemon + garlic.
used a potato masher to get the crab like consistency of the mixture.
10/10 would recommend!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you so much for leaving a comment. Makes my day that you liked them so much. That aioli sounds perfect.
Katherine says
These look awesome-planning to make them this week! Do you have a recipe for the pictured sauce as well?
Nisha Melvani says
Hi. I haven't uploaded the sauce recipe as yet. It is a vegan tartar sauce and I will do it soon. A chipotle mayo would also work.
Jennifer Kurani says
I absolutely love this dish! It’s so easy to make and it’s so tasty. The texture of the vegan crab cake was amazingly similar to the real one. What a delectable delight!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you enjoyed these. Thank you s much for commenting.
Amina says
I love any recipe that incorporates the delicate taste of artichoke. This is an unusual combination that works perfectly. Love it!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad. Marinated artichoke hearts add a ton of flavor.
Neena Chandiramani says
Excellent crab cakes - really enjoyed them, Nisha!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad. Thank you.