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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish » Seafood

    Gluten free Crab Cakes

    Published: May 14, 2015 · Updated: Feb 4, 2024 · Post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These are the best gluten free crab cakes! Enjoy these rich, nutrient packed crab cakes with a few sides for dinner tonight for a healthy meal the whole family can enjoy. Easy to make ahead and great for entertaining & serving a crowd.

    Gluten free Crab Cake broken in half served over lettuce

    Why you should make Gluten free Crab Cakes

    I am a seafood lover through and through, so when I saw that Rouses had lump crabmeat on sale for $14.99 I immediately grabbed a container.

    Crab meat offers lots of goodness including Vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc.

    I have a hard time not making crab cakes when I have fresh crabmeat, but I've already made those and they are perfect.

    Then I thought about all the sad people who can't have crab cakes when they're made with crackers or bread crumbs.

    But I remembered that I have some almond flour leftover from my Blueberry Almond Muffins {you gotta check those out if you haven't yet!!}, and almonds are packed with Vitamin E. So I decided that I had to make gluten free crab cakes and use almond flour.

    Including the nutrients from the crab meat and almond flour, you have eggs with their nutrient-rich yolk. Egg yolks are full of lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc.

    Parsley & lemon juice add Vitamin C to the mix; plus they make the crab cakes taste extra delicious. Served over a bed of romaine lettuce bumps up the nutrients including zeaxanthin.

    Gluten free Crab Cakes in a skillet

    How to Make Gluten Free Crab Cakes

    These are easy enough to make. There are a few things you need to know to make the best gluten free crab cakes, and I listed them below.

    Basically, you stir together the binder which is the cream cheese and eggs along with the spices. Add in the almond flour, and once everything is mixed, you gently add the crab meat and form them into patties.

    When you're ready to cook, you cook them in a skillet with a combination of butter and oil to give them extra flavor.

    Gluten free Crab Cakes over lettuce and tomatoes

    Tips for Making Gluten free Crab Cakes

    Something to know about crab cakes: you really must make these ahead of time. They need at least one hour of refrigeration time before you cook them. They will hold together much better that way.

    Use lump crabmeat or claw meat. Don't waste your money on jumbo lump crabmeat because it will be broken up as you stir the mixture together. And if you cannot get fresh crab meat, frozen thawed crab meat will work.

    Oh and don't over mix; just carefully fold in the crabmeat until it is all combined.

    Gluten free Crab Cakes over lettuce with tomatoes

    Make Ahead Tips

    As mentioned above, these are great to make ahead of time. You can make as many as needed, and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to prepare.

    You can also freeze them at this point, and thaw in the refrigerator completely before cooking as directed.

    Variations & Substitutions

    If you need to make these dairy free, you can use dairy free cream cheese and use all olive oil instead of the combo of butter & olive oil to cook the crab cakes.

    If you don't have celery salt you can skip it and use regular salt in its place. Or you can use Old Bay seasoning instead of celery salt.

    You can cook these in batches. If you do, just use half of the butter & oil to cook the first 3 crab cakes. Then add the remaining butter and oil to skillet to cook the other 3 crab cakes.

    Gluten free Crab Cakes with lemon slices

    Serving tips

    You can serve these as mini crab cakes for an appetizer or as larger crab cakes for your meal. They are tasty no matter what their size is.

    Final thoughts:

    These crab cakes are super tasty! I love making extra to keep in the freezer to have a delicious yet nourishing meal that helps promote vision health.

    MORE SEAFOOD RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:

    • Spinach and Crab Dip
    • Salmon with Pesto Sauce
    • Crawfish Monica
    • Salmon Chickpea Patties
    • Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Avocado Salmon Burgers
    Gluten free Crab Cakes from Living Well Kitchen @memeinge

    Gluten free Crab Cakes

    These are the best gluten free crab cakes! Enjoy these rich, nutrient packed crab cakes with a few sides for dinner tonight for a healthy meal the whole family can enjoy. 
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 crab cakes
    Author: Meme

    Ingredients

    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 tablespoon cream cheese softened
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon creole mustard
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic from 3 cloves garlic
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon celery salt or salt
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
    • 1 cup almond flour
    • 16 oz lump crabmeat
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream cheese, lemon juice, minced garlic, fresh parsley, onion powder, cayenne pepper, celery salt, garlic powder, paprika, and nutmeg. Stir in almond flour. Once everything is very well combined, fold in the crabmeat. Stir only until crabmeat is completely mixed in.
    • Line a plate or baking sheet with wax paper, plastic wrap, or foil. Shape the crabmeat mixture into patties (about ½ cup each), and put on lined plate. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
    • When ready to cook, heat butter and oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Add crab cake patties, and cook for 8 minutes. Carefully flip and cook on the other side for 5-10 minutes until golden-brown on both sides. Enjoy!

    Notes

    *If you don't have celery salt you can skip it and use regular salt in its place. Or you can use Old Bay seasoning instead of celery salt.
    *You can cook these in batches. If you do, just use half of the butter & oil {½ tablespoon of butter and ½ tablespoon of oil} to cook the first 3 crab cakes. Then add remaining butter and oil to skillet to cook the other 3 crab cakes.
    *Make these dairy free by using dairy free cream cheese and dairy free butter or olive oil in place of butter.
    Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

    Meme

    Nutrition Facts

    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten free Crab Cakes
    Serving Size
     
    1 crab cake
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    254
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    17
    g
    26
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    3
    g
    19
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    104
    mg
    35
    %
    Sodium
     
    815
    mg
    35
    %
    Potassium
     
    197
    mg
    6
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    5
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    1
    g
    1
    %
    Protein
     
    20
    g
    40
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    550
    IU
    11
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    11
    mg
    13
    %
    Calcium
     
    94
    mg
    9
    %
    Iron
     
    1.6
    mg
    9
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Comments

    1. Emily Kyle

      August 02, 2018 at 8:02 am

      5 stars
      These crab cakes are the best ever! I love that they are gluten-free but still so delicious that everyone in my family still loves them too 🙂

      Reply
    2. Lorie

      August 02, 2018 at 8:44 pm

      Crab cakes make me think of vacations with my grandparents as a kid. These are happening when I start to miss grandpa xoxoxo

      Reply
    3. Robert Reinhardt

      April 16, 2019 at 1:05 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic recipe! Worked just fine with only 10 oz of fresh (not canned) dungeness crab.

      Reply
      • Meme

        April 16, 2019 at 6:45 pm

        Woohoo!!! So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to share 🙂

        Reply
    4. Kim

      February 07, 2020 at 8:08 pm

      5 stars
      Made these on the recommendation of a friend. Very yummy and (picky) husband approved. I’ll be adding this to my recipe book!

      Reply
      • Meme

        February 12, 2020 at 7:12 am

        YAYYYY!!! So so excited! Glad y'all enjoyed them, and thanks for coming back to share 🙂

        Reply
    5. Shanon

      April 28, 2020 at 12:28 am

      5 stars
      Just made these from last night's left over fresh crab and OMG! loved them! I didn't have almond flour so just used all purpose 1 to 1 gf flour and it all worked out just fine.
      I think next time I'll add diced onions and peppers!

      Reply
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    A thirty-something registered dietitian nutritionist here to help you enjoy food, make eating easier, and live free of diets & shame.

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