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    Home » Recipes

    Keto Crab Cakes

    Jul 16, 2018 · 47 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These easy Keto Crab Cakes are gluten-free and served with a quick homemade tartar sauce. Eat them as an appetizer, main dish, or even as a burger!

    Keto Crab Cakes in tray with sliced lemons and sauce

    How much salt do crabs like on their food? Just a pinch! But seriously Keto Crab Cakes! This calls for a shell-abration.  These are so delicious we must be dreaming...somebody pinch us.  Shore-ly we're over the claw-ful limit of crustacean-related puns,  This can't conch-tinue.  Okay, okay, okay that was the last one, we promise.  We were all-in on shell-abration, but by the time we got to conch-tinue, we knew if we kept going we'd end up at crab-ohydrates, and that's a little too cheesy, even for us.

    Crabmeat is a delicious protein option rich in B vitamins, phosphorus, selenium, copper, and omega-3’s.  One thing to be cautious of when shopping for crab meat is the imitation stuff. Always opt for real crab as imitation is a highly processed food that can contain all kinds of starches, sugar, and even MSG. Plus, it's actually made of white fish and usually wheat as well.  This is especially useful information for keto-dieters because of all the added starches a single serving of imitation crab meat can contain up to 20g of carbs.

    Check out these other resources to read more about the awesome nutritional benefits of crab meat and more reasons to avoid imitation crab:

    • 7 Incredible Crab Benefits
    • Benefits in Crab Meat
    • Mystery Meat: Imitation Crab

    Ingredients in Keto Crab Cakes

    • crabmeat
    • onion
    • bell pepper
    • almond flour
    • egg
    • mayonnaise
    • Old Bay seasoning

    See how simple the ingredient list is?!

    How to serve

    • on top of greens as an appetizer
    • tucked into our Keto Rolls with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce for a Keto Crab Cake Slider
    • on top of a salad
    Keto Crab Cakes in tray with sliced lemons and sauce

    Keto Crab Cakes

    These easy Keto Crab Cakes are gluten-free and served with a quick homemade tartar sauce. Eat them as an appetizer, main dish, or even as a burger!
    4.66 from 70 votes
    Print Rate Pin Recipe
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: 30-minute, keto, low carb, seafood
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 520kcal

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces lump crab meat
    • ¼ onion diced
    • ¼ cup diced red pepper
    • ¼ cup almond flour
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
    • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for frying
    • Greens for serving

    Tartar Sauce:

    • ¼ cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ tablespoon chopped dill pickle
    • ½ tablespoon minced onion
    • 1 teaspoon Swerve
    • ½ teaspoon yellow mustard
    • ½ teaspoon paprika

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl mix together the crab cake ingredients, form into 6 patties.
    • Place all of the sauce ingredients in a small jar with a lid, shake to combine.
    • In a cast iron skillet heat the butter over medium heat. Fry each crab cake for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve with tartar sauce, greens, and a wedge of lemon.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Keto Crab Cakes
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 520 Calories from Fat 468
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 52g80%
    Saturated Fat 13g81%
    Cholesterol 131mg44%
    Sodium 382mg17%
    Potassium 90mg3%
    Carbohydrates 7g2%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin A 1324IU26%
    Vitamin C 28mg34%
    Calcium 52mg5%
    Iron 1mg6%
    *

    Nutritional values are estimates only and do not include carbs from sugar alcohols.

    # Hashtag with us!Don't forget to mention @castiron_keto or tag #castironketo on Instagram with your creations! We love seeing what you're making.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cris says

      July 16, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      Silly question. I’ve bought crab meat. If there is no fresh seafood department in your grocery store where do you find it? In a can?

      Reply
      • Alex Lester says

        July 19, 2018 at 6:33 am

        Hey Cris, yes typically it would be in a can where they have the canned tuna. We've made these with fresh lump crab and canned crab and both turn out great.

        Reply
      • Michele says

        June 01, 2020 at 7:27 pm

        Costco carries canned lump crabmeat. It's awesome!

        Reply
    2. Cris says

      July 16, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      I meant to say- I’ve never bought crab meat.

      Reply
    3. Tom Murel says

      July 20, 2018 at 4:37 pm

      Are calories, etc shown per serving or ??

      Reply
      • Alex Lester says

        August 02, 2018 at 2:59 pm

        Yes, calories are shown per serving.

        Reply
    4. Dena says

      August 19, 2018 at 4:12 am

      How many cakes per serving? 1 or 2?

      Reply
      • Alex Lester says

        August 27, 2018 at 2:30 pm

        This recipe serves 2 and makes 6 patties so there would be 3 patties per serving.

        Reply
    5. Julianna Parham says

      February 12, 2019 at 11:20 pm

      Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! Thanks for a great recipe!

      Reply
    6. Emily says

      February 27, 2019 at 2:31 am

      Is the nutritional info including your suggested sauce?
      I made this recipe with salmon and it was amaze!

      Reply
      • Alex Lester says

        March 02, 2019 at 1:42 pm

        Yes!

        Reply
    7. Leanne says

      April 15, 2019 at 10:25 pm

      Love these crab cakes! I tried 3 times to paste your URL into Carb Manager with no success. Is this something that you can do? Thanks in advance!

      Reply
    8. rachel says

      May 22, 2019 at 3:42 pm

      I don't like tartar sauce. Without the sauce, what do you think the net carbs woukd be for a serving?

      Reply
      • Alex Lester says

        May 22, 2019 at 5:25 pm

        Hi Rachel, without the sauce it would be 2.4 net carbs per serving. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    9. James l says

      September 24, 2019 at 10:32 pm

      Can you do the Nutritional information for the crab cake and the sauce separate please.

      Reply
    10. Brenda says

      October 13, 2019 at 5:23 pm

      You can purchase lump crab canned in the refrigerated seafood at Winco. Can you convert this to coconut flour? I do not like the grainy texture of almond flour

      Reply
    11. Kimberly says

      March 06, 2020 at 4:05 am

      5 stars
      Great taste!
      I softened the red pepper and onion in a skillet for 4 min with a pinch of butter before adding them to the recipe.

      FitnessPal shows a serving with 647 calories.
      Which is correct? (520 or 647)

      Reply
      • Cast Iron Keto says

        March 07, 2020 at 7:08 pm

        Hi Kimberly, we use the nutritional calculator through our recipe card which pulls standard data for each ingredient. As always, you'll want to double-check your specific ingredients for the most accurate calculation.

        Reply
    12. Patty Kauffman says

      April 08, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      5 stars
      It was delicious!!!

      Reply
    13. Tina says

      April 14, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      5 stars
      These crab cakes are amazing and they are keto friendly which is a plus. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Awesome!!!

      Reply
    14. Liss says

      April 27, 2020 at 6:00 pm

      Hello,

      Wondering if I can use coconut flour in place of the almond flour? Would I use less or equal amount?

      Excited to try this recipe!

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Cast Iron Keto says

        May 08, 2020 at 2:29 pm

        It would not be equal amounts and I don't recommend using coconut flour in this recipe for taste reasons. Is there another nut flour you could use?

        Reply
        • Orlean Lay says

          October 22, 2020 at 3:35 pm

          Pecan flour has fewer carbs than both almond and coconut flour. I believe we could experiment with. Nothing beats a failure but a try right!!

          Reply
    15. Janet says

      April 28, 2020 at 2:51 am

      5 stars
      This keto crab cake recipe is amazing!!! I used lump crab which is pretty expensive so I was thrilled that the flavors were right on. I cannot eat red bell pepper so I replaced it with celery. I also sautéed the onion and celery in butter for five minutes first. Great job! 👌🏼

      Reply
    16. Carol says

      May 11, 2020 at 11:55 am

      4 stars
      I liked these but would recommend using half of the recommended amount of Old Bay. I thought it over[peered the crab. Otherwise great.

      Reply
    17. Kathy Cooke says

      May 24, 2020 at 6:00 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe for restaurant-worthy crab cakes! It made five, 1/3-cup cakes. I subbed diced celery for the red bell pepper, which complemented the old bay, and I sautéed the onion and celery in a little butter before making the cakes, which worked out well. The sauce was excellent, and added a lot. I served it with buttered, steamed broccoli and sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil. We all loved this.

      Reply
    18. Cami Nail says

      June 02, 2020 at 5:37 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe!

      Reply
    19. Fifi says

      June 02, 2020 at 6:57 pm

      Can I use imitation crab?

      Reply
      • Cast Iron Keto says

        June 03, 2020 at 1:06 pm

        Oh please don't. Imitation crab will not taste good at all in these crab cakes and typically is filled with junky ingredients. I'm not sure that it would even form into a patty either.

        Reply
    20. Devin says

      June 07, 2020 at 2:16 pm

      5 stars
      Loved these. I did sub crushed pork rhinds for the almond flour because I hate almond flour, and increased the amount to 1/3 cup. I also added a clove of minced garlic.

      My husband went bonkers. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Cast Iron Keto says

        June 10, 2020 at 1:23 pm

        Pork rinds are a great sub for almond flour, we'll have to try that ourselves! Thanks for sharing, glad you and your husband enjoyed them!

        Reply
    21. Leslie Bryers says

      August 14, 2020 at 10:43 pm

      5 stars
      We made these tonight and added some Jalapeno. They were delicious! Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
    22. Claudia says

      September 03, 2020 at 1:54 am

      These were very tasty but a disaster while trying to cook. They totally fell apart in the frying pan. The almond flour and egg weren’t enough to keep them together. I had another recipe that called for crush up pork rinds. I think I will try adding some of those next time and just adjust the nutritional value. I served them with (not on) a mixed salad and made a siracha aioli with a bit of bite. Good combination of tastes! Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Haileigh says

        January 01, 2021 at 11:25 pm

        4 stars
        The first batch fell apart in the skillet. The second batch came out nicely. I think that you need to let the skillet get extremely hot before frying them. I put the first batch in when the butter began to sizzle, but that must not have been hot enough. They have a delicious, non-fishy flavor, and the tartar sauce was yummy too. I'll probably make this again someday.

        Reply
    23. Rachel Cooper says

      November 10, 2020 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      Turned out amazing!
      I put the crabcakes over cauliflower rice with tomato sauce.

      Reply
    24. Courtney Richardson says

      November 13, 2020 at 4:24 am

      5 stars
      My non-keto family LOVED LOVED them. I made them about two weeks ago and I made a comment that I would make them again. Everyone cheered. Odd, huh? But I get it. The crab cakes are so good.

      Reply
    25. Jade says

      December 29, 2020 at 8:37 pm

      5 stars
      I had to substitute the lump crab cake for ground. I substituted the regular onion and peppers for shallots. I sprinkled a little garlic powder and paprika. The results are amazing.

      Reply
    26. Iris says

      January 08, 2021 at 3:07 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious!!! I make a double batch to have a second day of meals

      Reply
    27. Tom says

      January 15, 2021 at 1:25 am

      5 stars
      Made these for my wife who is on a keto diet. I try to make things that I will like as well and these crab cakes certainly made the grade. Delicious! Yes, they tend to fall apart, but just be careful flipping. Will make again.

      Reply
    28. Mariann Madden says

      April 18, 2021 at 11:00 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe!!!! Thank you!!! I used Creole seasoning and celery seed instead of the old bay (I don't like old bay). Quick, easy and delicious!!!

      Reply
    29. Nicole says

      June 19, 2021 at 10:06 pm

      My crab cakes kept falling apart in the pan and seemed to take forever to brown. Any tips?

      Reply
      • Perry says

        June 21, 2022 at 7:31 pm

        5 stars
        I just formed them into balls and kinda threw them into the pan, make sure the pan is HOT so they immediately start to cook, and it seemed to work fine. 🙂

        Reply
    30. Lynn says

      July 02, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      5 stars
      We love this recipe. They are even better with a bang bang sauce

      Reply
    31. Shelly says

      January 04, 2022 at 3:56 am

      5 stars
      Just made these today. So delicious!! It’s definitely the best Keto crab cake recipe out there! Thanks for sharing and love your site

      Reply
    32. Stacy says

      June 10, 2022 at 11:42 pm

      Can you post the macros for Fat, Carb and protein separately for the crab cakes and the tartar sauce?

      Reply
    33. Perry says

      June 21, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      Sooooo good and easy!

      Reply
    34. Marcelle says

      January 11, 2023 at 2:39 pm

      Has anyone tried making these in an air fryer?

      Reply

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