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Vegan Jackfruit “Crab” Cakes

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Vegan Jackfruit “Crab” Cakes! They’re so close to the real thing and they’re easy to make! 

Two Vegan Jackfruit "Crab" Cakes on a bed of greens on a white plate with 2 lemon wedges and sriracha drizzled on top. There is a silver fork on the right edge of the plate and a yellow napkin and a burlap napkin under the plate, and a glass of beer behind the plate
Hi there! Thanks for visiting us, we’re so happy you’re here. If you’re looking for Southern inspired vegan comfort food recipes, you’ve come to the right place.

We love vegan comfort food and we’re really good at making it. Take a tour through our site and you’ll find all of the recipes that scream, stretchy pants required!

The good news, they’re all plant-based recipes, so you don’t need to feel guilty eating them. Now sit back, relax, and eat happy. 🙂

Also, in case you didn’t know, we’re published cookbook authors. We’ve written two vegan cookbooks that will help you make amazing vegan BBQ (you don’t even need a grill) and everyday meals, from breakfast to dessert.

Click on the titles to check them out. GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL and THE ULTIMATE VEGAN COOKBOOK.

VEGAN CRAB CAKES THAT EVERYONE WILL LOVE

You know you’ve hit a home run when you have to protect your food from a pack of hungry men and two little dogs.

I made the mistake of letting my son taste one of the vegan jackfruit “crab” cakes before I photographed them. Big mistake.

You see, I already knew that I had created a winner, because I was having my own issues with willpower.

Those little golden brown cakes had a slightly crunchy outer layer and were perfectly moist and meaty on the inside, just like the crab cakes that I remember eating before going vegan.

I could have eaten every one of them, but I didn’t. I dug deep and found the strength to share.

VEGAN CRAB CAKES THAT TASTE LIKE CRAB CAKES

Y’all, these taste like the real deal.

The medley of Old Bay seasoning, garlic, chives, and cilantro is the perfect blend of flavors to make these plant-based crab cakes taste perfect.

Additionally, the jackfruit has a texture that is so similar to crab.

Just ask my son and my husband.

They were skeptical when I told them what I was making. But the proof was in the pudding, so they say.

And after one bite , I had to ward them off from the platter by threatening them that I’d never make them again if they touched them.

It worked, but they lurked, and made my work difficult.

A close up shot of Vegan Jackfruit "Crab" Cakes on a white plate on a bed of greens with sriracha drizzled on top. There is a silver fork on the right side of the plate and a glass of beer in the background

HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN CRAB CAKES WITH JACKFRUIT? 

It’s really easy to make vegan crab cakes with jackfruit.

STEP ONE

Open two cans of jackfruit (in water, not brine), drain, rinse, pat dry, and chop until it resembles lump crab meat.

You could put it in a food processor if you prefer shredded crab cakes.

STEP TWO

Once that’s out of the way you’ll want to make two flax eggs, and combine the seasonings in a large bowl.

Then add the jackfruit, flax eggs, bread crumbs (use gluten-free if you want), and some minced chives and cilantro.

Use your hands to blend everything together. Really squeeze the ingredients together until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together. Once that happens you can start to form the cakes.

If you want to make these for an entrée, make large cakes. If you want them for appetizers, make little cakes.

CAN YOU MAKE VEGAN CRAB CAKES WITHOUT FRYING THEM IN OIL? 

If you’re trying to limit or cut out oil in your diet, I didn’t forget you.

I split up my cakes and made half in the oven without oil and half in a skillet with oil. There was a difference, but my son gave both versions a thumbs up.

Trust me, he’s picky, so that’s as good of a review as you’re going to get.

To forgo the oil, just put the “crab” cakes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with lemon juice, and bake in a 375° oven for approximately 10 minutes on each side, or until they’re golden brown and firm to the touch.

They’re a little drier than the pan fried version, but they’re still quite tasty, and definitely lower in calories.

The pan fried version doesn’t require a lot of oil.

I put a thin layer of canola oil on the bottom of an iron skillet (I totally recommend using iron) and cooked them until they were golden brown on each side.

These are not deep fried, although you could use more oil if you want. But why would you want to do that?

If you like aioli on crab cakes then go for it, but I live in a household where mayonnaise is considered to be the devil. LOL!

We drizzled a little sriracha on top of ours, and it complimented them perfectly. There’s nothing like a little heat, am I right?

Vegan Jackfruit "Crab" Cakes on a white plate on a bed of greens with sriracha drizzled on top. A silver fork is on the edge of the plate and the plate is sitting on a yellow napkin and a piece of burlap. There's a glass of beer in the background

Like I said, the wolf pack was circling me while I photographed those delicious vegan jackfruit “crab” cakes.

Once I turned my camera off those gorgeous cakes disappeared in a flurry of noshing and gnashing of crazed man teeth.

The poor dogs where looking up just waiting for crumbs to hit the floor. It was chaos of the best kind, because I had hit it out of the park, and there’s no better feeling than that.

What is Jackfruit and Why Should You Eat It?

Jackfruit is a tropical fruit (related to the mulberry) found in Southeast Asia. It has a mild, sweet flavor, but when packed in water, it becomes so mild that it can be transformed into “crab” cakes. or vegan pulled BBQ. It’s a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamin B-6 and C, and magnesium. Pretty awesome, don’t you think?

NOTE: Purchase jackfruit in water, NOT brine, or they’ll turn out too salty. 

Make these delicious vegan crab cakes and take a picture and tag us @veganosity on Instagram so we can see your beautiful creation!

 

Some of the products that I used to make these delicious vegan jackfruit “crab” cakes: Click on the picture to purchase.
                    

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3.75 from 4 votes
Vegan Jackfruit "Crab" Cakes on a white plate wth greens and lemon wedges and sriracha drizzled on top with a yellow napkin and a glass of beer in the background
Print
VEGAN JACKFRUIT "CRAB" CAKES
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Chill time
52 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Mild jackfruit is transformed into a delicious "crab" cake. Perfect for an entree or an appetizer.
Course: Entree, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 Crab Cakes
Calories: 165 kcal
Author: Linda Meyer
Ingredients
  • 24 oz young jackfruit in water (SEE NOTE), drain, rinse well, squeeze and pat dry, chop until it resembles lump crab meat
  • 2 tbsp ground flax seed plus 6 tbsp (90 ml) water, mix well and let sit for ten minutes (flax egg)
  • 1 tsp Colman’s Mustard powder plus 1 tsp water mix well
  • 2 tbsp Old Bay Spice see note
  • 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce we use Annie’s brand
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced, or 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground sea salt see note
  • 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp chives – minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro – minced
  • 1/2 cup classic bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Make the flax eggs and set aside
  2. Put all of the seasonings, mustard, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl and whisk together until completely combined.
  3. Add the jackfruit, flax eggs, herbs, and bread crumbs and combine with your hands until the mixture begins to stick together. Form into cakes. The amount that this recipe makes depends on how large you make the cakes.
  4. Place the cakes on a plate and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  5. To Bake:
  6. Preheat the oven to 375° and put the cakes on a cookie sheet. Squeeze lemon juice over the top of the cakes and bake for approximately ten minutes or until golden brown. Flip and squeeze lemon juice on the top of the cakes and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch.
  7. To Fry:
  8. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with a thin layer of oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) and heat on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the cakes and cook until golden brown (approximately 5 minutes). Flip and cook until golden brown and firm to the touch.
  9. Serve with aioli or sriracha and a lemon wedge.
  10. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

The Nutrition Facts are an Estimate Only.

Purchase jackfruit in water, NOT brine, or they'll turn out too salty.

We all have different taste buds, if you don't like salty food, add 1 tbsp of Old Bay, taste the mixture, and then add accordingly. the same goes for adding the salt.  

Nutrition Facts
VEGAN JACKFRUIT "CRAB" CAKES
Amount Per Serving
Calories 165 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Sodium 484mg 20%
Potassium 163mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 2.2%
Vitamin C 3.5%
Calcium 7.9%
Iron 5.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

A Pinterest Pin with an orange background with vegan crab cakes on a white plate with sriracha drizzled on top.
Vegan Jackfruit "Crab" Cakes

 

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Comments

  1. Briana says

    August 4, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    I loved this recipe, but I bought jackfruit in brine not realizing it would be different, so my crabcakes turned out very salty. If you're prepping to make this recipe, make sure you get jackfruit in water! I'll use the Amazon link next time!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      November 9, 2016 at 9:05 pm

      Hi, AndreaJoy! Wow! How cool, I'd love to find fresh jackfruit. From what I can see, it's much like a squash on the inside. Remove the seeds and the core and pull the meat of the fruit out and shred it. It should cook the same as the canned. Let me know how it goes.
      Reply

  3. Tawnya says

    March 22, 2017 at 9:59 pm

    Just made this, and while it was FANTASTIC, be sure if you use jackfruit in brine that you do NOT add any additional salt, as this was our only misstep. Made an amazing condiment to add, which really added to it's depth- mixed sour cream, horseradish and a splash of sriracha. Will make again, and thank you for the recipe!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      March 22, 2017 at 10:32 pm

      Hi Tawnya! Great tip, thank you. Jackfruit packed in brine is totally different than that packed in water. I'll add that to the recipe. :) I'm so happy you enjoyed them, and I love the toppings you put on them.
      Reply

  4. Angela A. says

    December 19, 2017 at 1:07 am

    Would be nice to put the note about the jackfruit in water at the beginning. About to fry mine and then i see the note. Ugh!!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      December 19, 2017 at 12:14 pm

      Hi Angela, our apologies. The instructions state, "2 17-ounce cans of jackfruit in water" in the ingredients, although I agree that we should put a, "See Note" next to the jackfruit. I hope your cakes turned out.
      Reply

  5. molly says

    February 4, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    What's the longest you would leave these in the fridge? I'm thinking about making the cakes the night before a party, wondering if they would dry out too much over ~12 hours
    Reply

  7. Nikki says

    June 2, 2018 at 5:49 pm

    Hi! Very excited to make this recipe. If I was to make this recipe with regular eggs instead of flax eggs, would you recommend using one egg or two? I’m not full vegan and would rather use the eggs I have on hand rather than buying flax seed. Thanks!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      June 2, 2018 at 9:12 pm

      Hi Nikki! I'd start with one egg and see how it binds. If you feel like you need to add another, whisk it in a separate bowl and add it slowly until the mixture is sticky enough. Let us know how you like them. :)
      Reply

  8. Alocasia says

    July 25, 2018 at 3:33 pm

    Baked these last night. Great recipe.. Love that it's oil free. I'm throwing away all my other jackfruit crab cake recipes now. This one is the best one we've tried yet. They did take longer to bake in the oven than directed. Delicious!!
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      July 25, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      Hi Alocasia! Thank you so much, we're so happy you liked our recipe. Baking times can definitely vary as ovens can be calibrated so differently, and if you don't have a convection oven, it could also take a bit longer. :)
      Reply

  10. Liliana says

    May 1, 2019 at 3:08 am

    Hello, I tried this recipe with jackfruit in water (not brine) and it was fine, but WAY too salty (and I LOVE salt). I actually think it's not the brine that is the issue (as we did not use jackfruit in brine), its the old bay spice. I will try it again soon to double-check, and will try the recipe again with at most half of the old bay spice.
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      May 6, 2019 at 5:49 pm

      Hi Liliana, thanks for your comment. We've had so many great reviews for this recipe, and a few who thought it was too salty, so we've added a note to taste the mixture before adding the salt. :)
      Reply

  11. DP says

    May 9, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    Lovely recipe. Have been searching for jackfruit crab cake recipe and ingredient list hit all the right notes. My only minor comment is that the amount of Old Bay spice was over-powering. So the freshness / taste of the cilantro and chives didn't come through. However, that is clearly one person's opinion and an easy adjustment. Going into the rotation. Thank you again.
    Reply

    • Linda Meyer says

      May 10, 2019 at 1:12 pm

      Hi DP! Thank you for your comment. We're happy you enjoyed the recipe. You're absolutely right, the amount of seasoning that goes into food will vary by each person's preference. This is why we love vegan food, you can safely taste it when it's raw and adjust according to your tastes. :)
      Reply

  12. Tracy Talley says

    June 17, 2019 at 12:55 am

    Wow!! Love these! So easy and so yummy. Thank you for such a delicious recipe! Will make these often. Excellent warm or cold.
    Reply

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