Serve these healthy, baked gluten-free crab cakes with spicy southern Greek yogurt dipping sauce and a side of cornbread muffins and guests will be talking about it for years to come!
Gluten free crab cakes baked and broiled to crispy perfection! Maryland or Dungeness lump crab cakes are a favorite dish that can be easily made at home in as little as 30 minutes!
Why this crab cake recipe works
- low fat – traditionally crab cakes are fried, but these are baked and broiled, reducing oils and keeping it a low fat dish.
- gluten-free – the ingredients are made with gluten-free breadcrumbs and recipe tips for a tasty patty that doesn’t skimp of flavor!
- healthy – these gluten-free crab cakes are loaded with vegetables, made without cornmeal, and come with a healthy Greek yogurt dipping sauce that takes crab cakes to a whole new level while staying healthy!
- crab meat is packed with protein – crab meat and the sauce provides 16 grams of protein per serving.
- rich in omega 3 – Crab, per 3.0 oz, contains 351mg per serving of omega 3 fatty acid. Omega-3 fats also lower blood pressure and heart rate, improve blood vessel function, and, at higher doses, lower triglycerides, and contribute to reduce inflammation.
Ingredients
If you happen to live by the beach you lucky to enjoy delicious fresh seafood anytime right at your fingertips – lucky you! And if you do not live by the beach you are still lucky because this recipe is made with lump crab meat from a container (or can), which is still tasty and provides the convenience of not having to disassemble shelled fish. You just got 1 hour of extra time!
How to make baked crab cakes
STEP 1: Preheat the oven😊.
STEP 2: In a small bowl whisk together the egg, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Set aside.
STEP 3: In a medium size bowl combine the lump crab meat, onion, red peppers, bread crumbs, parsley, mustard powder, black pepper, salt, Old Bay Seasoning, baking powder, chives and cayenne pepper. Break up the chunks of lump crab meat first or as you mix. Blend until all the ingredients are combined then add the egg and mayonnaise mixture. Combine well.
STEP 4: With a spatula section the crab cake mixture into four sections. With your hands, form each section into a patty and place on the prepared baking sheet.
STEP 5: Bake for 15 minutes then flip the crab cakes. Then bake the other side for 10-15 more minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned. Garnish with extra chives and serve with Spicy Greek Yogurt Aioli Sauce.
How to make the sauce
The base of aioli sauce is normally made with mayonnaise, lemon juice, spices, garlic salt and minced garlic. But for added protein and probiotic compounds, we use nonfat Greek yogurt instead of the mayonnaise. Here’s what goes into a good sauce to use for baked crab cakes:
- Creamy base such as mayonnaise or Greek yogurt.
- Acid such as lemon or vinegar.
- Sweets and Spice such as honey and cayenne pepper.
Sauce Step: Whisk together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, spices & seasonings, salt, pepper, honey and vinegar. Add the melted butter and mix together until blended. The butter adds a delicious creaminess to compliment the tart Greek yogurt flavor. Once it is fully blended, let the sauce chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to allow the flavors to settle.
This crab cake sauce is wildly delicious and takes as little as 5 minutes to prepare. It is the kind of sauce that gets your tastes buds bouncing all around, finishing off with the flavor of crispy crab cakes.
What sides to serve with crab cakes
- This savory southwest sauce is is fantastic on any fish!
- Greek yogurt aioli (recipe in recipe card with crab cakes)
- Delicate Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
- Add it as an addition to this Kale Detox Salad
- Serve it with Gluten-free Cornbread Muffins
Making crab cakes at home is a total different story than ordering out since you can control this ingredients and how they are cooked. Just make them baked not fried for a healthier indulgence!
Frequently Asked Questions and Tips
Crab cakes are made with breadcrumbs, which are not gluten-free, unless the breadcrumbs and all ingredients are labeled gluten-free and in a gluten-free facility. If buying premade cakes, make sure the package says gluten-free. When making these gluten-free crab cakes at home, make sure the breadcrumb package is labeled “gluten-free”.
Broiling these gluten free crab cakes (after they are cooked) crisps the outside but keeps the inside perfectly tender and delicious without extra oil used in frying. Manytimes, the oil in frying can overpower the flavor but baked or broiled crab cakes has a wonderful crab meat and herb flavors!
Broil varies on different ovens. Some are 500 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, and others are 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. For broiling crab cakes, set the oven to broil and check it at 1-5 minutes, until lightly browned. If you do not have a broil setting, turn the oven up to cook at 500 for 1-5 minutes, until crispy.
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Gluten Free Crab Cakes With Spicy Greek Yogurt Aioli
Ingredients
Gluten Free Crab Cakes
- 8 ounces crab meat canned
- ¼ cup onion diced
- ¼ cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup gluten free bread crumbs such as Panko brand
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives or 1 teaspoon of dry chives
- 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- sprinkle of black pepper and Himalayan salt
Spicy Greek Yogurt Aioli Sauce
- ½ cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon butter melted (can use vegan butter)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
Instructions
Spicy Greek Yogurt Aioli Sauce
- In a small bowl whisk together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and oregano. Blend in the melted butter. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Gluten Free Crab Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a medium size bowl combine the lump crab meat, onion, red peppers, bread crumbs, parsley, mustard powder, black pepper, salt, Old Bay Seasoning, baking powder, chives and cayenne pepper. Break up the chunks of lump crab meat first or as you mix. Blend until all the ingredients are combined then add the egg and mayonnaise mixture. Combine well.
- With a spatula section the crab cake mixture into four sections. With your hands, form each section into a patty and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes then flip the crab cakes. Then bake the other side for 10-15 more minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned. Garnish with extra chives and serve with Spicy Greek Yogurt Aioli Sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Side Note
I grew up living on the east coast where my mom and my sister would always order a delicious crab cake recipe at seafood restaurants.
My mom is not a fan of red peppers (which this recipe calls for), so she would always order hers without. Most traditional Manhattan crab cake recipes call for celery, though I made this recipe optional. If you are not a red or green pepper fan, use celery instead. If you are a pepper fan use red finely diced red pepper or a combo with celery.
Suzanne Sweeney says
Excellent recipe! I didn’t change a thing in the ingredients or directions. I did use 1/3 measuring cup to form the cakes and I pushed them in to compress-worked great.
I didn’t need to put under the broiler-oven browned them perfectly!
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Awesome, so glad you enjoy these crab cakes and thank you for sharing how you made them!
Michelle Hale says
Recipe lists 1/2 tsp of baking powder but not in Instructions.
Danielle | Delightful Mom Food says
Thank you, that is a misprint and is added in the instructions.
Karen says
These look great! Mine didn’t stick together at all after mixing with the egg mixture. I think I needed double the egg and bread crumbs.
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
Any extra water from the canned crab? Make sure to drain out all the liquid and when you are forming the patties give them a good squeeze too.
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
I spend most of my summer in Maryland, so I know a good crab cake when I see one! These look amazing! Full of limbs of crabmeat with only a little bit of GF filling 🙂