Gluten Free Maryland Crab Cakes | with Sauce Recipes

These gluten-free, Whole30, & keto crab cakes are a healthier version of the classic Maryland favorite. Features 3 dipping sauces, & oven, or air fryer cooking options!

This post is a long time coming! After living in Maryland for the last 20+ years (minus a brief stint in Charleston, SC), crab cakes have become one of my favorite foods. Crab cakes & football – it’s what Maryland does!

The Eastern Shore is the ONLY place to get a good crab cake. I’ve ordered them in other cities (pre-Celiac diagnosis), and nothing compares! If you’re missing the Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay area, love Maryland-style crab cakes, or just have a hankering to try an unbelievably good recipe, this one is it! Also, if you’ve been intimidated to make homemade crab cakes, don’t worry. These are incredibly simple to make!

What Makes This Maryland Crab Cake Recipe so Great?

Since having to eliminate gluten from my diet, it’s been tough to find a crab cake that I can actually eat. Most are made with bread or bread crumbs, which help to bind everything together. I decided to create a recipe that is not only gluten-free but completely Whole30 compliant, Paleo, and Keto-friendly, too! These are truly the best crab cakes!

These crab cakes are still as delicious as our favorite Maryland ones, but with little filler, gluten, and carbs! They are made with simple ingredients and taste fresh and delicious. Also, if you’re looking for sauces with your crab cakes, I’ve got you covered! This recipe features three crab cake sauces: Cocktail Sauce, Tartar Sauce, and Lemon Garlic Aioli! Yum!

What Type of Crab Should I Use for These Crab Cakes?

This is definitely going to depend on where you live and what is available at your grocery store! Make sure to look for “hand-picked” or “fresh-picked and use the freshest crab meat you can find. For my Maryland crab cakes I use a combination of jumbo lump crab meat and sometimes backfin, which I found in a plastic container at the seafood counter (at Safeway).

Jumbo Lump Crab Meat: The most expensive crab meat. It comes in larger chunks of crab meat, but is pricey because it’s more scarce on the crab and requires many crabs to get the most meat.

Lump: Moderately priced crab meat. It is smaller chunks of crab than jumbo lump, but still holds together very well.

Backfin: the least expensive of the three crab meats. Has a finer texture, but is still great for crab cakes!

Many people ask about using canned crab meat for crab cakes, but I would not recommend it, unless it is the type that is refrigerated at the seafood counter. I also wouldn’t recommend any fake or imitation crab meat for this recipe. If you have a hard time finding fresh crab meat, you can use canned.

Ingredients for Gluten Free Crab Cakes

• Crab meat: lump, or backfin – the most important ingredient and star of the show! I love getting my crab meat from Costco or the seafood counter at my local grocery store. It is important to use fresh lump crab meat vs canned for this recipe. Also, we use blue crab!
• Egg We use whole eggs – not just egg yolks.
• Mayo: My favorite Whole30 compliant brand is Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo. I get a big jar at Costco.
• Fresh parsley
• Old Bay Seasoning or Primal Palate New Bae Seasoning
• Dijon mustard
• Coconut aminos This is my favorite substitute for worcestershire sauce.
• Almond flour: You can also sub coconut flour – just use 1 tbsp. You can also sub gluten-free bread crumbs – same amount as the almond flour!
• Fresh lemon juice I prefer to use fresh juice as opposed to lemon juice concentrate.
• Ghee or Vegan Butter

How To Make Gluten Free Crab Cakes

Prep

1. Whisk the egg, mayo, old bay seasoning, lemon juice, coconut aminos, dijon mustard, and parsley in a large bowl. Add crab meat and almond flour and use a spatula to gently fold the mixture together. You want to be careful not to break the crab pieces apart. 
2. Chill the crab cake mixture in the fridge for minimum 20 minutes (up to overnight) – this will ensure it stays together when you form the cakes!

Oven Method Crab Cakes

1. Preheat the oven to broiling. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Brush ½ of the melted ghee onto the baking sheet.
2. Use a ⅓ measuring cup to scoop the mixture into 6 cakes and place on the baking sheet. Use your hands to shape them/gently press down and secure any loose pieces of crab. Mine were about 1.5 inches thick and 3.5 inches wide. Brush the top of each one with the remaining melted ghee. 
3. Broil for 9-11 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the sides are crispy. For extra crispy crab cake, broil for 1-2 additional minutes. Serve with a wedge of lemon and my homemade crab cake sauce (also Whole30!).

Air Fryer Crab Cakes

1. Place cakes in the air fryer basket (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of the air fryer).
2. Spray the tops of the crab cakes with oil.
3. Cook at 375 for 10-12 mins – no flipping needed!

Check Out These Crab Recipes, too!

Maryland Crab Soup | Whole30

Paleo Crab Dip

Hot or Cold Maryland Crab Dip Recipe

The BEST Sauces for Crab Cakes

Dipping crab cakes into sauce makes them even more delicious! There are a few types of sauces that work well with crab cakes, but these three below are my absolute favorite.

Pick one (or all three!) and enjoy your crab cakes with sauce!

Homemade Tartar Sauce

• Mayo
• Hot sauce
• Pickles - I love Grillo's! They are Whole30, too.
• Apple cider vinegar

Combine all tartar sauce ingredients and mix well. Can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Whole30 Cocktail Sauce

• ½ cup compliant Ketchup (make sure to find Whole30 compliant ketchup!)
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp coconut aminos

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve with crab cakes. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Lemon Garlic Aioli

• ½ cup mayo
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 clove minced garlic
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. You can also make this up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Mary’s Tips & Tricks

Batter: It’s important to not over-mix your batter. You want the lump crab to remain intact so you get those delicious juicy chunks in every bite!

Chill: The crab mixture is best to work with when chilled. It forms the best patties. Chill the mixture for at least 20 minutes, or overnight for best results.

Appetizer: To make these crab cakes as an appetizer, spoon the mixture out to form 12 smaller crab cakes. These will take less time – keep an eye on them until the tops are browned and crispy.

FAQs

Great Crab Cakes Sides!

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Potato Wedges

Lemony Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

Mexican Street Corn and Tomato Salad

Soy Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Everything Roasted Potatoes

Or, if you’re looking for another delicious seafood meal, try my Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Lemon Caper Butter!

Originally published on December 1, 2021 and updated with new helpful content on November 2, 2023.