These delicious and easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes are loaded with fresh crab flavor and are ready in just 25 minutes.
Simply shape your crab cakes, place them in your air fryer, and let them crisp away while making a nice homemade Tartar Sauce to dip them in!
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Air Fryer Crab Cakes are the perfect appetizers to impress your dinner guests.
They are also great for serving as a light meal along with some Spicy Thai Mango Salad on the side.
And the leftovers make amazingly delicious sandwiches for a packed lunch or picnics.
I use my air fryer when I need something quick and simple air fryer recipes such as Easy Air Fryer Asparagus, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Fish Sticks in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls, and Easy Air Fryer Hamburgers.
The air fryer does an amazing job creating “fried” tasting foods but with less fat and calories. And that's exactly why I bought an air fryer in the first place.
Why This Recipe Works?
- It is incredibly easy to make and ready in just 25 minutes. Simply mix everything together, shape it into patties, and air-fry.
- You can actually taste the crab meat as the recipe doesn't require too many fillers, not even an egg! With bright and zesty ingredients, each crab cake is lightly seasoned.
- They can also be baked in an oven or pan-fried if you don't have an air fryer.
- You can freeze the leftovers and keep them for up to a month.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Crab meat - Buy fresh hand-picked lump, flake, or claw crabmeat from your fishmonger. The fresher the crab meat, the better the crab cake will taste. You can also use canned crab meat in a pinch.
- Mayonnaise - It helps to bind the ingredients together. You can also use homemade Tartar Sauce for extra added flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce - It adds a strong umami flavor to delicate crab cakes. A little goes a long way, 1 ½ teaspoon is all we need. They are widely available at supermarkets as well as online on Amazon.
- Tabasco - I love using a splash of Tabasco sauce to add a bit of heat and extra flavor to my crab cakes. You can omit it or use your favorite hot sauce instead. Adjust the amount to your taste.
- Lemon - Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to add some brightness and punch to your crab cakes. Avoid using bottled lemon juice.
- Panko - I cover my crab cakes with panko instead of adding them to the mixture. They add extra crispness and color to crab cakes.
- Spring onions - They add some fresh flavor and bright green color to crab cakes. You can also use chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, or coriander instead.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making these delicious Air Fryer Crab Cakes is very easy, and you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
Make the Crab Cake Mixture
Place crab meat, spring onions, mayonnaise, Tobasco, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl.
Mix together until well combined using a fork or your hands.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
Shape the Crab Cakes
Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts of 60 grams each, or 6 equal parts of 80 grams each if you want bigger portions.
Shape the mixture into patties using a ring cutter or your hands. I use a 5 cm (2") cutter for 60 grams of crab cakes and a 6 cm (2.5") for 80 grams of crab cakes.
Cover the crab cake in panko breadcrumbs, and reshape it if necessary.
Repeat the process for the rest of the crab cakes.
Set them aside on a plate.
And Cook
If you want your crab cakes deep brown color with extra crispiness, I suggest pan frying them on a very hot pan for a couple of minutes on each side before placing them into the air fryer basket.
Simply heat your pan on high heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and sear your crab cakes for 2 minutes on each side.
Place them in your air fryer basket and cook them for 8 minutes at 200° C (390° F).
If you are not after that deep brown color and extra crispness, simply spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray, or line it with parchment paper.
Place the crab cakes, spray them with some oil, and cook for 12-13 minutes at 200° C (390° F).
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
How to Serve Air Fryer Crab Cakes?
These crab cakes are delicious as they are, but they are even better when served with a dipping sauce such as Tartar Sauce with Capers, Thai Style Tomato Chili Jam, or sweet chili sauce from your favorite brand.
If you want to serve crab cakes as a main course, below are some of my favorite side dishes that pair perfectly with them:
Frozen Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts, Orzo Pasta Salad, Ratatouille Nicoise, Avocado Deviled Eggs Without Mayo, and Crispy Sauté Potatoes with Garlic.
Top Tips From the Chef
- Crab meat might contain some water and it is important that you squeeze out as much water as you can before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
- Let your crab cake mixture chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- Grease the bottom of your air fryer basket with oil, or line it with parchment paper before placing the crab cakes to avoid them sticking.
- If you want your crab cakes deep brown color with extra crispiness, I suggest pan frying them on a very hot pan for a couple of minutes on each side before placing them into the air fryer basket.
- Spray the top of the crab cakes with oil to create golden color and crispness on them.
- Make smaller crab cakes and serve them as finger food for your parties.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the crab cake mixture and shape them for up to 24 hours ahead and keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer.
To reheat the leftover crab cakes, you can use your air fryer or oven.
If using an air fryer, reheat them at 175° C (350° F) for 5 minutes, or until they are thoroughly reheated.
To reheat them in the oven, preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F) and reheat them for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are thoroughly reheated.
Related Recipes
For more delicious and easy air fryer recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these delicious Air Fryer Crab Cakes as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 450 g white crab meat
- 4 spring onions (finely sliced)
- 100 g mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Tobasco
- 1 ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 40 g panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
Making the Crab Cake Mixture
- Place crab meat, spring onions, mayonnaise, Tobasco, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl.
- Mix together until well combined using a fork or your hands. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts of 60 grams each, or 6 equal parts of 80 grams each for bigger portions.
- Shape the mixture into patties using a ring cutter or your hands.
- Cover the crab cakes in panko breadcrumbs, and reshape them if necessary.
Cooking the Crab Cakes
- If you want your crab cakes deep brown color with extra crispiness, I suggest pan frying them on a very hot pan for a couple of minutes on each side before placing them into the air fryer basket.
- Simply heat your pan on high heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and sear your crab cakes for 2 minutes on each side.
- Place them in your air fryer basket and cook them for 8 minutes at 200° C (390° F).
- If you are not after that deep brown color and extra crispness, simply spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray, or line it with parchment paper.
- Place the crab cakes, spray them with some oil, and cook for 12-13 minutes at 200° C (390° F).
Notes
- Crab meat might contain some water and it is important that you squeeze out as much water as you can before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.
- Let your crab cake mixture chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
- Grease the bottom of your air fryer basket with oil, or line it with parchment paper before placing the crab cakes to avoid them sticking.
- If you want your crab cakes deep brown color with extra crispiness, I suggest pan frying them on a very hot pan for a couple of minutes on each side before placing them into the air fryer basket.
- Spray the top of the crab cakes with oil to create golden color and crispness on them.
- You can make the crab cake mixture and shape them for up to 24 hours ahead and keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Make smaller crab cakes and serve them as finger food for your parties.
- You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer.
Nutrition
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Lena
They turned out just perfect! and it was so easy to make..