Whole30 Gluten-Free Crab Cakes

These Whole30 gluten-free crab cakes provide a great meal that will feel like a special treat! Thanks in part to gluten-free flour, thee crispy crust is golden and fried to perfection, all in under 15 minutes. 

The BEST Gluten-Free Crab Cakes

These Whole30 gluten-free crab cakes are easy to whip up and a fun change to typical Whole30 eats. Especially when you’ve eaten your max of baked chicken, even if it is our BEST roasted chicken or our Instant Pot gluten-free chicken wings. 

I mean, I love protein as much as the next girl but sometimes I want a RICH, unforgettable meal. These gluten-free Whole30 crab cakes always hit the spot. They truly are such a decadent meal.

Even if you aren’t doing Whole30, they are my favorite gluten-free crab cakes. They are nutrient dense and have such amazing flavor! If you like big flavor, our vegan tikka masala with roasted vegetables is another great option!

I love to serve them with fresh veggies or refrigerator dill pickles from Evolving Table. Apple Sage Turkey Meatloaf or homemade potato salad from Meaningful Eats or paleo Whole30 potato soup are other great addition to a delicious Whole30 feast.  

How are these crab cakes different?

I love the fresh approach to eating that Whole30 provides. Since the plan doesn’t include grains, I got creative with the ingredients. This made it easy to make them truly gluten-free crab cakes as well because we didn’t use grain flour to coat them with. 

They taste fantastic and hold up well while frying. We found that almond flour and an egg worked fantastically together! If you don’t eat egg, you can use a flax egg. Don’t know how to make one? Veggie Balance shows how to make a flax egg. 

Pro Tip: You can also use another nut flour like chestnut or tiger nut if you aren’t as fond of almond flour. You can also use coconut flour if you’d like. 

For the mayonnaise, you will need to use a Whole30 approved brand (like this Primal Kitchen one that I love) or make your own Whole30 mayo like Cheryl over at 40Aprons did. Everyday Maven also has a great recipe and shows you how to make homemade mayo. You can even go totally different with these paleo salmon cakes from Everyday Maven. 

Do traditional crab cakes and imitation crab contain gluten?

Yes, traditional crab cakes DO contain gluten as flour is almost always used as a binder. Almost all imitation crab is made using wheat flour. 

Pro Tip: To ensure your crab is truly gluten-free, only use real crab meat and not imitation. 

Can I use different vegetables in my crab cakes?

Feel free to venture out of your comfort zone and try chopping up any vegetables you like to make your Whole30 gluten-free crab cakes unique.

I used red and yellow peppers and celery as well as lime juice because they were what I had. However, they also add great crunch, flavor and color which I love!

I’ve tried cucumbers as well and they also taste great. Chopped jalapeños or jicama would also be yummy.

What would you serve with these?

Our gluten-free Whole30 crab cakes are great with fried plantains and sliced tomatoes as well as some fresh wedges of limes. I also like serving them on a bed of spring mix for a full presentation.

Our bacon cabbage salad, minus the feta also make a beautiful and delicious side dish to these gluten-free Whole30 crab cakes.

While you can enjoy these for any meal, I love them for lunch. For breakfast, my go-to is definitely our fauxtmeal paleo no-oats Whole30 ingredients used. We even have a Strawberries and Cream Paleo Fauxtmeal.

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Whole30 Crab Cakes Gluten-Free

4.5 from 6 votes

I’m loving these Whole30 gluten-free crab cakes because they are such a decadent meal. Since starting Whole30, I feel fantastic! I love the fresh approach to eating that it provides. Since the plan doesn’t include grains, I got creative with the ingredients in these gluten-free crab cakes so that they both taste fantastic and hold up.

PRINT RECIPE

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 15 mins

Course: Fish/Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crab cakes, gluten-free crab cakes, whole30 crab cakes

Servings: 6 crab cakes

Calories: 80kcal

Author: Chandice

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 can 6 oz. Crown Prince wild caught crab
• ▢ 1 T homemade Whole30 mayo or Primal Mayo
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/4 C chopped raw veggies I used celery and red & yellow pepper
• ▢ 1/4 C almond flour plus 1/2 C more for dusting
• ▢ 1/2 lime juiced
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. Real Salt
• ▢ 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
• ▢ 1 T dried parsley
• ▢ coconut oil for frying

Instructions

• Drain the crab and flake it using a fork
• Add all ingredients and form into patties
• Add additional almond flour as needed to keep your patties together
• Press both sides of the gluten-free crab cakes in more almond flour
• Meanwhile, heat 1 T coconut oil over medium heat
• Once the oil is hot, fry 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown
• Enjoy with more fresh squeezed citrus juice

Notes

These both taste fantastic and hold up well while frying. We found that almond flour and an egg worked fantastically together to achieve this. 

For the mayonnaise, you will need to use a Whole30 approved brand (like this Primal Kitchen one that I love) or make your own Whole30 mayo like Cheryl over at 40Aprons did. Everyday Maven also has a great recipe and shows you how to make homemade mayo. 

Feel free to venture out of your comfort zone and try chopping up any vegetables you like to make your Whole30 gluten-free crab cakes unique.

Pro Tip: To ensure your crab is truly gluten-free, only use real crab meat and not imitation. 

Pro Tip: You can also use another nut flour like chestnut or tiger nut if you aren't as fond of almond flour. You could also use coconut flour if you'd prefer.

Pro Tip: You can fry these gluten-free crab cakes in ghee or bacon grease for even more flavor. 

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 3.4mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.5mg

 Video by: Amie Pendle