Air Fryer Crab Cakes
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Air fryer crab cakes are so crabby and delicious – you’ll never want them in a restaurant again! Plus – they’re fast and easy to make! I love making them at home because I can put tons of crab meat in them.
What You Will ❤️ About Air Fryer Crab Cakes
- Crab Filled – I love crab meat and don’t skimp! I buy the good stuff (not in a can) and use a lot!
- Easy to Make – Mix it all together in a bowl and you’re ready to air fry! And since you’re not frying on the stove – it’s less mess!
- Steakhouse Fancy – Crab cakes are a steakhouse staple and one of my favorite apps to get – but at home – I just have them for dinner!
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Crab Cake Ingredients
The important part of the crab cake is of course the crab! The rest of the ingredients are a binder to hold it together, seasoning to add more yum and finally a little filler which will also help hold it together.
- Lump Crab Meat – Here’s the pricey part of the menu! I buy two 8 oz containers – one of the expensive stuff and one of the mildly expensive. It’s not a cheap meal – but really don’t cheap out. Don’t use fake crab and don’t use canned – it just won’t have the same flavor as the steakhouse.
- Binding Ingredients: Mayonnaise, Egg, Dijon Mustard
- Seasoning Ingredients: Old Bay Seasoning, Hot sauce, Salt & Pepper, Fresh Dill
- If you want it spicier, swap Old Bay for cajun seasoning
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Panko Bread Crumbs – you can also use regular bread crumbs
- Tartar Sauce – you’ll use this along with a few more ingredients from above to make a remoulade sauce for the crab cakes!
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How to make Air Fryer Crab Cakes
These are so easy to make! They are fried but you are just using cooking spray – so it’s not much oil! Easy Peasy! Let’s do it!
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper
- In a medium batter bowl, lightly stir together both kinds of lump crabmeat, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and dill.
- Delicately fold in mayo mixture, being careful not to break up the crab meat too much.
- On a cutting board, lay a round cookie cutter. Spoon crab-cake mixture into cookie cutter, press lightly and form patty. Slip the cookie cutter off and make your next patty. Repeat 8 times.
- Using a thin spatula, delicately lift crab cakes into air fryer basket. Don’t manhandle them too much so they stay together.
- Spritz with olive oil spray and air fry at 375 for 4 minutes
- Flip and spritz again. Air fry 4 minutes more until golden brown.
- You can use an Instant Read Thermometer to check the insides of the crab cakes to be sure they are up to temp at 145º.
- While crab cakes are air frying, whisk together all Remoulade ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve
- Serve crab cakes with lemon wedges, fresh parsley or chives and a drizzle of remoulade sauce
This recipe was made using the Paula Deen Air Fryer.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
How do you store and reheat leftover crab cakes
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the air fryer at 250º for 4 minutes.
Can you air fry store bought crab cakes?
Definitely! Just skip down to the air fryer portion! If buying frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Steakhouse Recipes to Serve with Crab Cakes
My Favorite Air Fryer Recipes with Fish & Seafood
Best Air Fryer Accessories
Here’s my ultimate list of best air fryer accessories – whether you have a basket- or oven-style! I’ve also included a price guide as well as my favorite recipes for those accessories.
Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Air fryer crab cakes are so crabby and delicious – you'll never want them in a restaurant again! Plus – they're fast and easy to make! I love making them at home because I can put tons of crab meat in them.
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Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- zest from one lemon
- 8 oz jumbo lump crab meat
- 8 oz wild caught white crab meat
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Remoulade Sauce
- 1/2 cup Tartar Sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 juice from lemon
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, egg, mustard, Old Bay, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 egg, 3 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- In a medium batter bowl, lightly stir together both kinds of lump crabmeat, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and dill.1 tbsp fresh dill, zest from one lemon, 8 oz jumbo lump crab meat, 8 oz wild caught white crab meat, 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- Delicately fold in mayo mixture, being careful not to break up the crab meat too much.
- On a cutting board, lay a round cookie cutter. Spoon crab-cake mixture into cookie cutter, press lightly and form patty. Slip the cookie cutter off and make your next patty. Repeat 8 times.
- Using a thin spatula, delicately lift crab cakes into air fryer basket. Don’t manhandle them too much so they stay together.
- Spritz with olive oil spray and air fry at 375 for 4 minutes
- Flip and spritz again. Air fry 4 minutes more until golden brown.
- You can use an Instant Read Thermometer to check the insides of the crab cakes to be sure they are up to temp at 145º.
- While crab cakes are air frying, whisk together all Remoulade ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve1/2 cup Tartar Sauce, 1 tsp hot sauce, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 juice from lemon, 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Serve crab cakes with lemon wedges, fresh parsley or chives and a drizzle of remoulade sauce
Notes
- You can also use fresh crab meat – you’ll need about 2-3 cups
- You can also serve these just with tartar sauce or even just a squeeze of lemon juice!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cakeCalories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 12gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 1276mgPotassium: 178mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 96IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This is super delicious. Yum Yum Yum. Have to try making my batch. Happy Meal for sure.
Such a great idea! We loved making these in the air fryer! Much healthier than traditional frying.
My daughter and I are going to love this recipe! This looks so yummy and making my mouth water! So excited to try this!
OMG these sound amazing! I am hosting a small party for my friend’s birthday and was looking for some appetizers. He would absolutely love these. I love the addition of Worcestershire sauce too. Can’t wait to try it!
The more crab meat the better. Loving the sound of the remoulade sauce.