I’ve made vegan crab cakes before using hearts of palm, farro and tempeh. This version is deep fried and sits perfectly on slider buns for a casual brunch or as an appetizer for get-togethers.
These vegan crab cakes are golden and crunchy on the outside and super rich and flakey on the inside. Old Bay helps to give it that seafood feel while the toasted buns add the perfect texture. The special sauce pulls it all together, clinging to the top and adding some brine from the capers and spice from the sriracha.
Look at these beauties! These fry up to a perfect golden shade in minutes. You’ll need to use the mixture right away for a crisp crab cake that holds its shape in the hot oil.
Vegan Crab Cake Sliders
Description
A vegan version of crab cakes made with hearts of palm and topped with special sauce. Deep-fried and served on a toasted slider bun.
Ingredients
for the crab cakes
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 1/4 tsp dill
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1, 14 oz. can hearts of palm, halved, then smashed with the flat part of a knife, then rough chopped
- 2 tsp Old Bay
- 10 saltines, crushed up with your hands
for frying
- canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil, for frying.
for the special sauce
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 2 tsp capers
- 1/2 tsp sriracha
to serve
- toasted slider buns (use olive oil or vegan butter)
- arugula, microgreens or butter lettuce (optional)
- lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
to prep the crab cake mixture
- Combine the first 3 ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Place the chopped hearts of palm into a separate bowl. Season with the Old Bay.
- Gently fold in the crushed saltines.
- Add the sauce to the crab cake mixture and gently fold again until combined.
- Form the mixture into 4 crab cakes and set aside.
to fry the crab cakes
- Place several inches of oil into a medium-sized dutch oven or cast iron pot.
- Heat the oil to about 375. It should take about 7 minutes over medium high heat.
- You can test the oil’s readiness by inserting a chopstick into the oil so it touches the bottom of the pot. If bubbles form around the chopstick immediately, you are ready to fry.
- Place one of the crab cakes onto a skimmer and lower gently into the oil. You can add another if you like, but keep the fry number to 1 or 2 for each batch.
- Using the skimmer, gently roll the crab cakes around and allow to fry for 2-3 minutes, or until deeply golden.
- Using the skimmer, transfer the crab cakes to a baking sheet with a cookie rack over the top to drain while you fry the rest.
to toast your slider buns
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add in enough vegan butter or olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Working in batches, add in the slider buns and allow to toast, gently pressing them down with your hand or a spatula to ensure even contact.
to serve
- Smear a tablespoon of the special sauce to the bun, and add the crab cake.
- Serve with greens and lemon wedges if you’d like.
Notes
The mixture needs to be used right away—do not chill.
You can add microgreens, arugula or butter lettuce for a pop of green and lemon wedges to serve if you’d like!
These are amazing! I am gluten sensitive so used gf panko, about 3Tbsp.
Perfect taste and texture. Family had as sliders, I had on salad.
Thank you,
Trina
Trina, So happy you enjoyed and were able to sub gf panko with good results!