Delicious Air Fryer Crab Cakes in just 10 minutes start to finish?
Yes, it is possible to make crabcakes in the air fryer and I make them weekly and have for at least 5+ years!
Air Fryer Crab Cakes Are So EASY!
Now, there’s a bonus idea in this recipe, which is not only unusual but perfectly palatable and that’s the fact that there are eggless crab cakes!
I love crab cakes, especially lump crab meat crab cakes and I love them without the oil that is needed for a frying pan so these are the healthier alternative for those watching everything you put into your mouth!
The air fryer makes crab cakes outstanding and it’s because you are not frying them in a puddle of OIL!
Instead, that delicate crab meat can be made into eggless crab cakes that are air-fried perfection!
You will love that the air fryer delivers fail-proof crispiness on the exterior with a moist, succulent, balanced rich crab meat interior.
For those that prefer eggs in their ingredients as a binder, this recipe works just fine too, it is super versatile, but for those who don’t like eggs as a binder, you’ll find my eggless ingredient option!
No more grease on the stove, splattering everywhere for a messy cleanup and delivering an oil-filled crab bake.
Nope, I’ve upgraded how to make these seafood cakes.
Crabcakes Air-Fried a.k.a. Egg-Free Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Dust off your air fryer, it’s time to take your culinary seafood skills to the next level and churn out delicious air fryer crab cakes.
My range of ingredients includes about 12 items.
You’ll find everything from Worcestershire sauce to Vegan Mayo in it (so we don’t add egg ingredients in).
Naturally, you can use eggs as your binder if you prefer and substitute regular Mayo for Vegan if you are not hating on eggs as I do!
I choose to eliminate eggs as much as possible in recipes I consume, however, my family loves eggs, so I make these both ways.
Knowing you don’t need an egg to make a crab cake or a frying pan is so freeing, isn’t it?
My recipe is the simple solution to crab cake preparation without oil, but with a BIG taste!
The Basics ~ Delicious Air Fryer Crab Cakes
If you want to amp this recipe up even more, you can add a bit more crab meat than I do, but I will say this, you will also need to add a bit more binder as well.
So consider the binder of your item that keeps everything together.
Also, I want to tell you that I would not add more Panko, as that then takes away from the idea of a really true, crab meat chunky crab cake.
My determination to use less breading, ‘filler’ if you will and a more full-bodied, rich crab cake shine through in the ingredients and you can play with the balance too.
Air Fryer Crab Cakes Vs. Premade & Restaurant Crab Cakes
Never buy the grocery store premade meat case crab cakes.
Why?
Most have so much filler in them, they can’t even qualify as crab meat.
Say NO to filler and YES to lump crab meat as MUCH as you want to put in a crab cake!
Fish fry crab cakes should not even exist, as they are a money maker filled with a lot of NOTHING.
Restaurants seem to add too much of everything to a crab cake and it is rare to find an outstanding restaurant crab cake.
Delicious Air Fryer Crab Cakes: No Soaking in Oil
See the air fryer basket and the crab cakes inside?
No oil puddles surrounding them!
Translated quickly it means that crabcakes in the air fryer are not soaking in oil, rather they are almost totally oil-free.
Fry oil, is the demon that takes away all the good in the flavor.
It does not matter if you use new oil, the oil overtakes the taste of the crab, plain and simple.
Since I love easy-to-prepare recipes this recipe gets my triple-star stamp of approval as my easiest recipe for air fryer crabcakes due to no frying oil!
But… I will tell you that I do brush (or spray depending on what I have ready) the crab cakes with olive oil, but that’s it!
Just as you see my crab cakes above, this is how your air fryer crab cakes will look too!
Cracking Up Over Eggless crab cakes that are air-fried perfection.
Did I tell you these are EGGLESS air fryer crab cakes?
NO egg in the recipe! YUP!
Could I use eggs? YUP!
I use an eggless binder and it is my go-to each and every time.
The air fryer crab cakes will blow away any crab cake you have tasted before.
You will taste the crab meat and the crab cake will be light and crispy.
Now, you can use eggs if you prefer, but I am not an EGG girl!
For those using eggs, do make sure your eggs are room temperature and not fresh out of the fridge.
Do so by running your tap to ‘burn your finger tap water temperature’ and put in a measuring cup and allow your eggs to sit in that for 10 minutes.
Now use your eggs if you are going this route!
Therefore, you can add in eggs and mayo if you want to, and yes the recipe turns out hot-diggity perfect, but I don’t use them in my plated crab cakes, just for my family.
Options are a beautiful thing, aren’t they?
Air Fryer Crab Cakes: Crab Meat Purchases
Head to your seafood department and purchase a can of lump crab meat.
Don’t go el cheapo on this crab, if you want a tasty plate of crabcakes air-fried.
Don’t stop and buy the little cans found in the canned tuna area, they are not the right crab for the task.
Large, succulent chunks of crab are part of the key to success in air fryer crab cakes.
Plus, if you were buying these out, you would pay a starting price tag of $24 for 2, so a can that is 35-and up will generate a generous amount and is more or less a bargain IMO!
Done right, your air fryer crab cakes will take about 3 minutes to prep, and 5 minutes to cook.
You’ll never go to a fish fry and ordered crab cakes again and your summer haul of fresh seafood will surely include fresh lump crab meat.
These egg-free air fryer crab cakes or with egg crabcakes air-fried will make you a total crab cake snob and rightfully so!
Eggless crab cakes that are air-fried perfection need this to happen
Air Fryers are incredible small kitchen appliances in case you don’t already know that!
However, the appliance is only as good as the home chef behind it.
Did you know I have written over 275+ recipes for a massive online small kitchen appliance dealer?
Many of them were on air fryer recipes.
Chances are, you have downloaded my recipes, videos, and pictures and had no idea!
So what I am about to share is a verified tip and I don’t care who says different, if you don’t do this you are doing it wrong!
Today, I am going to share what I know to help you become the best at air frying.
Ready……. drumroll, please.
Always preheat your air fryer, it is that plain and simple.
Did you really think there was more to this?
Preheating your air fryer is so important and once you try it, you will understand the difference it makes.
Always preheat and bring the air fryer to temperature and your food will always be outstanding and what everyone talks about in a GOOD way for weeks!
Air Fryer Crab Cakes ~ A Tip Before you Start.
This is not a made-up tip and it does not matter that your air fryer is nonstick.
What matters is that you do this, or you may still stick to a nonstick. Can I get a ‘HEARD’?
After you have preheated the air fryer, make sure to spray the nonstick basket (cause it still lets stuff stick trust me) with a brush and some canola oil or coconut oil, etc.
Now you are all set to cook.
I also leave room between the food so all edges cook.
Unlike so many others, that write about air fryers and flipping, I don’t turn crab cake over!
Why?
The air fryer is hitting the prepared food in the basket with the cooking cycle from ALL angles.
Don’t do it.
Let the food cook.
End of story.
I’ll show you my food, and you can decide.
~ Prep ~ Air Fryer Crab Cakes
My lump crab meat never needed drained.
If you have water in yours do drain that out, because it should NOT have water in the crab meat.
As I add my ingredients together sometimes I add in a drop or 2 of water, but that is due to the egg replacer more or less.
The recipe will be on the ‘less’ side and you can always add more, wet crab cakes are not going to stick together nor will they fare well during frying, most likely they will fall apart.
If you add too much water, you’ll end up adding in more panko and well, you get the idea, suddenly you are at a grocery store level crab cake and not at the air fryer crab cake level!
Just know you have room to play.
Also, I added celery, you may not have seen that before, but I love celery in mine.
I look at adding celery in as the crunch you need to diversify the moist and meaty crab.
Panko will be your breadcrumb of choice in this recipe.
Mixing Up My Air Fryer Crab Cakes
So in my hand is soon to be air fryer crab cakes and I’ve done this to show you the realistic size, as these beauties are filling!
The key to this recipe is making sure to mix the liquid ingredients very thoroughly.
I don’t use Old Bay Seasoning, I am simply NOT a fan, instead, I use smoked Paprika and Frank’s Hot Sauce.
That said, you can change my recipe as the spices will only add more flavor, so do what YOU like!
Truly, you want to FOLD in the crab meat and the panko without over-mixing.
If you mix too much the lump crab meat turns into shredded snippets of crab meat and the whole concept of the lump is gone.
Once I have everything mixed up nicely in a large bowl, I form the cake.
The spoon does most of the work for me and I try not to break down the lump crab.
Generally, in my round air fryer basket, I fry them three at a time.
Remember, I preheated my air fryer so that the temperature is perfect.
Before I close the air fryer basket, I lightly swipe each crab cake with a little oil (Canola, olive, etc)
After 5 minutes or so, they are done.
These are so easy to make, I can’t wait to hear how YOU turn out. ~ Enjoy! Dana XO
Recipe for Eggless Crab Cake That Are Air-Fried Perfection ⇓
Delicious Air Fryer Crab Cakes .So Easy To Make!
Ingredients
- Egg-Free Egg Replacer 2 eggs prepare per package instructions
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire
- 4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise (vegan) unless you want EGG in your recipe
- 3-4 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- Dash of Sea Salt
- 2 Teaspoons of Smoked Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon of Franks Hot Sauce optional
- 2 sticks of celery deveined and chopped.
- 1 Pound Can Fresh Lump Crab Meat drain if necessary
- 1/2 C Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil or Canola Oil brushing air fryer and tops of crab cakes
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 390° F
- In a large bowl mix together egg replacer, Worcestershire, mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard, lemon juice, sea salt, smoked paprika, and celery.
- Make sure it is well combined.
- Once mixed well, fold in lump crab meat and panko.
- Fold again until combined.
- Use a large serving spoon and portion into 6 while still in the mixing bowl.
- Now take each portion into the palm of the hand and shape a crab cake, allowing the serving spoon to gently shape. Or yiu can use the palm of your hand for a general sizs overview and form that amount into a patty in the air fryer basket. Do not press too hard or the lump crab will crumble.
- Brush air fryer basket with oil.
- Add in 3 crab cakes at a time, evenly spaced.
- Brush the top of each cake with a little of the oil reserve.
- Program Air Fryer to 5 Minutes and do not open until the cycle is done.
- Remove the crab cakes, as they will be golden brown and fully cooked.
- Repeat the process for the other 3.
- Serve Warm
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