Simple Paleo Crab Cake Recipe (2024)

Paleo crab cakes are simple, delicious and made with less than 8 ingredients. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a great light appetizer for your next party! These low carb, Whole30 friendly crab cakes are made with almond flour and cook up perfectly crispy in just minutes.

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Why this recipe works:

• This recipe is a fantastic appetizer or quick and light dinner! Deliciously crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside, this recipe is great for feeding a crowd and can easily be doubled or tripled!
• No expensive crab meat needed to make these crab cakes! All you need is canned crab meat (that you can find in most grocery stores near the canned tuna). Feel free to take it up a notch with good quality lump crab meat for special occasions!
• Crab cakes are traditionally full of fillers and less than quality ingredients! Get everything you love about crab cakes without any of the junk!
• These paleo crab cakes are easy to make and great for company! They are keto, gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. These can even be made nut free (check the substitutions below).
• These are even great the next day, so this recipe is perfect for meal prep!

Tips on buying canned crab

• Crab meat offers lots of goodness including Vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and zinc but can be expensive and hard to find, which is why I suggest finding a canned crab meat you enjoy!
• I really love Crown Prince Fancy White Crab Meat. It’s wild caught and you can actually see the lumps of crab meat (unlike some other brands).
  • Tip: You can actually find Crown Price Fancy White Crab Meat Cheaper on Thrive Market! I buy most of my pantry items on Thrive Market, it’s usually less expensive than Amazon or the grocery store!

Tips on Preparing Crab Cakes

Since you will be using canned crab meat to make this recipe, be sure to take the time to drain off excess liquid!

You can really make this recipe as fancy as you would like! To increase the flavor and quality of the crab, choose lump crab meat or crab claw meat.

If you are short on time: You can combine the crab cake mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Form the crab cakes right before cooking. TIP: Allow the crab mixture to come to room temperature for a few minutes before cooking.

How to make Whole30 Crab Cakes

Step 1: Open the canned crab and squeeze out all the liquid. You don’t want the water to be in the recipe. Pick through crab meat to ensure no shells remain. Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and stir well to combine.

Step 2: Divide the mixture between evenly sized 6 patties.

Step 3: Preheat the pan over medium heat. Once hot, spray pan with coconut oil or avocado oil. Add the crab cakes and cook 3 minutes.

Step 4: After cooking for 3 minutes, carefully flip the crab cakes and cook 3 more minutes.

Step 5: Let sit for 1 minutes off the heat with a lid to ensure all the egg has cooked through.

What other seasonings could you use in this recipe?

• Old Bay (about 1/2 tablespoon)
• Finely chopped scallions (2-3 tablespoons)
• Smoked Paprika (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• Chili Flakes (between ¼ and ½ tsp depending on how much heat you enjoy)

Simply add these ingredients to the crab cakes when mixing the ingredients for the recipe in step 2.

What goes well with Paleo Crab Cakes?

Simply pair with your favorite side dish!

• Creamy Kale
• Sauteed Broccoli 4 Ways
• Cruciferous Crunch Salad with Lemon Tahini
• Creamy Lemon Tahini Broccoli Salad
• Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

FAQ’s

How long can you store these gluten free crab cakes in the fridge?

Store cooked crab cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Gently reheat in a hot skillet, just until heated through.

Can you freeze these crab cakes?

While you could make the crab cakes ahead of time and freeze them before cooking, this recipe comes together so quickly, it’s really best made fresh!

Because of the limited ingredients, these crab cakes do not retain their texture if cooked and then frozen. It would not be ideal to freeze these gluten free crab cakes.

Substitutions:

• Almond flour: Ground sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can be used to keep this recipe low carb and nut free!
  • Gluten Free Crackers: If you cannot have almond flour or do not have them on hand, you can also use gluten free crackers (dish will not be low carb with this substitution).
  • Grain free crackers: You can also use grain free crackers like Simple Mills crackers to keep these low carb if you don’t have almond flour on hand.
• Canned Crab Meat: If you cannot find canned crab meat or don’t have it on hand, you could also use canned salmon in this recipe.
• Lemon juice: You can also use fresh lime juice to give this recipe a fun twist!

If you love this recipe, you should try:

• Everything Bagel salmon
• Simple Salmon Bites
• Curry Salmon Cakes
• Teriyaki Salmon Sheet Pan Meal
• Greek Salmon Sheet Pan Meal
• Grilled Shrimp

What you need to make this recipe:

• Cast iron skillet or stainless steel skillet

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in February of 2016, but was published again in November 2019 to include step by step directions, recipe notes and new photos