Making keto crab cakes in your air fryer means less mess and less clean up. This air fryer crab cake recipe is easy to make and absolutely delicious. You wouldn’t know they are grain-free and healthy! Stovetop instructions included.
Air fryers have changed the game in the kitchen and these air fryer crab cakes are proof. They are fast and easy, with less mess, and they don’t splatter oil everywhere as you cook.
My husband and I have been making keto crab cakes at home forever. He loves them and often orders them in restaurants, but I have to abstain. Traditional crab cakes usually take bread crumbs or crushed crackers as a binder, and most restaurants don’t stray far from that formula.
So of course we came up with our own low carb recipe, and we adore them! I love cooking them in my air fryer. But don’t worry if you don’t own one, I also include instructions on how to cook them on the stovetop.
If you love air fryer crab cakes, be sure to check out these air fryer steak bites too.
Why you will love these
Making keto friendly crab cakes is pretty similar to traditional crab cakes. The only real difference is what you use for the binder. You want something that absorbs the moisture but doesn’t make the resulting cakes dry.
I have used almond flour and crushed pork rinds before and both work well. But I also really like the cracker crumbs from Real Phat Foods. I also use them in my Keto Meatballs and they add great flavor and texture.
These crab cakes hold together so nicely in both the air fryer and when fried in a pan. They develop a deliciously browned, slightly crusty outside, but are so tender and moist in the middle. And they have only 1.3g net carbs per cake. So you can afford to have two of them if you want to make a meal out of it.
The leftovers make a tasty breakfast or lunch, too! I like to eat one with a fried egg and some avocado on top. It’s a perfect brunch recipe.
Reader reviews
“These are delicious and easy to make. My entire family (including the picky ten year old) love them. Thanks for all your amazing recipes!” — Amy
“Delicious! This is the best tasting low carb crab cakes i’ve ever made and that includes a high carb version! Carolyn you are a genius and I love your recipes! I already own 2 of your cookbooks and will be buying more for sure. Thank you!” — Carole
“Perfect adaptation if traditional recipes which use bread crumbs or panko. I don’t have an air fryer so sauté them stove top. But now I use butter instead of oil!” — Pat
Ingredient notes
- Lump crab meat: Use good quality crab meat, as it will make a difference. You don’t have to buy expensive fresh crab meat, but get good canned crab. If it doesn’t say “lump crab meat”, then it’s finely shredded crab and won’t have the right flavor or texture.
- Keto cracker crumbs: I used Real Phat cracker crumbs and it worked so well. But you can also use almond flour or crushed pork rinds. Don’t use coconut flour, it makes them too dry.
- Egg: An egg helps the cakes hold together properly.
- Mayonnaise: Mayo adds moisture and a little tanginess to the keto crab cakes.
- Dijon mustard: This adds some zing to the flavor!
- Butter: Brushing the crab cakes with some melted butter before adding them to the air fryer helps brown the exterior nicely.
- Old Bay seasoning: You can also use any other fish seasonings or some Cajun seasoning.
- Fresh herbs: Parsley and green onion add a bit of color.
- Salt and pepper: Go easy on the salt, since the pork rinds and the seasoning often contain a fair bit.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the mixture: In a large bowl, break up the crab meat with a fork. Stir in the cracker crumbs (or almond flour), parsley, green onion, seasoning, salt, and pepper until well combined. Stir in the egg, mayo, and mustard until the mixture is well moistened.
2. Form the patties: Use your hands to form into 4 patties, each about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick.
3. Refrigerate: Place on a waxed paper lined plate and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. This allows them to firm up a bit before cooking.
4. Air Fry: Spray or brush the air fryer rack with oil (I used avocado oil spray). Brush melted butter over both sides of the crab cakes and place on the rack. Air fry at 350F for 10 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through cooking.
5. For the spicy mayo: Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve the crab cakes with lemon and a dollop of spicy mayo.
Expert Tips
If you are using canned crab, be sure to look at the DRY WEIGHT on the label, rather than the total weight. The total weight often includes some liquid and you need to know the true weight of the meat.
The mixture will be quite wet and soft when you form it into patties, and so you want to refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before air frying. An hour is even better.
Be sure to brush or spray the rack with oil to keep things from sticking. Brushing the air fryer crab cakes with butter on both sides also helps them crisp up nicely and adds additional flavor.
Stovetop Directions: To fry these crab cakes in a pan, simply melt the butter over medium heat and fry the crab cakes for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Frequently Asked Questions
With a few easy substitutions, you can enjoy crab cakes while following a keto diet. Instead of using breadcrumbs, swap out with almond flour or crushed pork rinds. And use real crab meat! Don’t use imitation crab, as it contains a surprising amount of carbs.
Store cooked crab cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them. Once they’re completely cool, place them in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months.
This keto crab cake recipe has 2.4g of carbs and 1.1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 1.3g net carbs per crab cake.
More delicious air fryer recipes
Air Fryer Pork Chops
These Air Fryer Pork Chops are juicy, tender, and utterly delicious. Top them with brown butter and crispy sage leaves for an out-of-this-world low carb meal.
Keto Mug Brownie
This keto mug brownie is gooey and decadent, and serves just one person. It’s the perfect single-serve dessert when you need chocolatey goodness but you don’t want the leftovers.
Air Fryer Crab Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
Crab Cakes
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) lump crab meat , (canned is fine, but drain well)
- 1/4 cup (28 g) keto cracker crumbs, (can sub almond flour or crushed pork rinds)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 (1) green onion, sliced
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Old Bay seasoning, (or other fish seasoning)
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp ) salt
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp melted butter
Spicy Mayo
- 1/4 cup (56 g) mayonnaise
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Cajun seasoning , (more to taste – it can be very salty)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, break up the crab meat with a fork. Stir in the cracker crumbs, parsley, green onion, Old Bay, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Stir in the egg, mayo, and mustard until the mixture is well moistened. Use your hands to form into 4 patties, each about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick. Place on a waxed paper lined plate and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Spray or brush the air fryer rack with oil (I used avocado oil spray). Brush melted butter over both sides of the crab cakes and place on the rack.
- Air fry at 350F for 10 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through cooking.
- For the mayo, whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve the crab cakes with lemon and a dollop of spicy mayo.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I absolutely love this recipe! Very easy and tastes great.
These are delicious and easy to make. My entire family (including the picky ten year old) love them. Thanks for all your amazing recipes!
Have you ever tried Pork Panko or crushed pork rinds instead of almond flour?
Please read the how to section as I already address that.
Perfect adaptation if traditional recipes which use bread crumbs or panko. I don’t have an air fryer so sauté them stove top. But now I use butter instead of oil!
So glad you like them!
Tried this with fresh shrimp. I pan fried but the cake was too loose and broke apart. Next time I will add a bit more flour. Great flavor husband really enjoyed them even though they turned in to bites.
Fresh shrimp doesn’t flake the way cooked crab does, so yes… I imagine that they would fall apart.
Delicious! This is the best tasting low carb crab cakes i’ve ever made and that includes a high carb version! I used the plastic container crab from Costco which to me taste fresher then the one in the canned. I will also not add the salt the next time as mine came out just a tad saltier than I would like, but still good though. Carolyn you are a genius and I love your recipes! I already own 2 of your cookbooks and will be buying more for sure. Thank you!
So glad they turned out so well!
Absolutely loved these crab cake
Thank you for this recipe! I agree about using top quality crab meat. I’ve been using crushed pork rinds for binding and pork rind/Parmesan mixture to coat–haven’t tried using almond flour, so I’m going to try that. Sounds delicious.
Best tip I ever had for making crab cakes was to put the crabcake mixture in a sieve over a bowl when refrigerating to drain out the liquid that accumulates–either refrigerate for several hours to overnight or press on the mixture in the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible. Helps make them cook up super crispy!
Great idea!
Just found your website this morning quite by accident. I cannot wait to try these crab cakes!!! Will be back to spend a lot of time browsing around for sure. Was just put on a low carb regime and I’m finding it a happy challenge. So glad I found yo.
I’m glad you like what you see!
What would the cooking time be in a convection oven?
I’m really not sure, this recipe was developed for an air fryer.
I love this recipe! I have a question. I read the nutrition disclaimer. I just wanted to ask what the percentage daily value is based on in the Nutrition Facts? I’m guessing Keto would have a higher percent daily value for fat than a regular diet?
Keto has a much MUCH higher percentage of fat and much much lower percentage of carbs. I don’t think that the daily values for a standard American diet apply here at all. I just ignore them. I can’t remove them from my recipe card so just ignore that part altogether.
I hate to ask about substitutions, but do think this could work with tuna or salmon. The recipe looks amazing, but serious shellfish allergy here. 🙁
It should! Use the search box to see my tuna patties recipe. I can’t see why they couldn’t be made in the air fryer too.
I’m piggybacking onto this… I make salmon croquettes with basically the same ingredients and they are yummy! Have never tried tuna but bet that would be good, too.
Hey! The serving listed there is for 2 cakes and 1 tbsp of butter used for cooking. If you use butter spray or something you could cut down the calories a good bit and you’d be looking at closer to 150-200 calories per crab cake.
I have no idea what you mean. The serving is 1 crab cake and it’s already down below 200 calories per cake.
These look amazing! I just made crab cakes the other night; they are a family favorite. As someone from Maryland (which makes me a crab snob) I SO agree about using good crab meat. You get the best taste and texture from lump, unless you can afford backfin. And I find that they stay together better if you really blot the crab dry before assembling the recipe. I pour mine from the container onto paper towels and get it as dry as possible before adding the eggs and seasonings. Another great recipe, Carolyn!
That’s a great tip! I don’t pretend that these are true Maryland Crab Cakes but they are really tasty!
I’m obsessed with my air fryer and these amazing crab cakes!
My hubby loves crab cakes. Totally making this for his birthday!
My kids loved them! Really flavorful!
so delicious! love them!
Oh my, these sound amazing!! I can’t wait to try this recipe!! My family would LOVE this!!
Which air fryer do you use? Am currently shopping for my first…????????????❤️
I have the Cuisinart air fryer/toaster oven. it’s pricy but it’s been insanely useful to me. https://amzn.to/2KIp4w6
Thank you! Cuisinart products are very good, I have several… ❤️