These Air Fryer Crab Cakes are so easy to make thanks to the Air Fryer. Every bite is full of delicious juicy crab meat.

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There is nothing like a delicious golden on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside crab cake. And thanks to the Air Fryer, I can make delicious crab cakes with less mess and less stress.
I call myself a bit of a crab cake snob as I have eaten a ton of crab cakes over the years. If I see it on a restaurant menu I order it and sample it. Here’s what I’ve learned:
- The best crab cakes taste like crab, lol. Meaning you don’t want too many fillings or ingredients that overpower the taste of the crab.
- Less bread crumbs and more crab makes a supreme crab cake.
- Use lump crab or jumbo lump crab meat when making crab cakes. You should be able to find this in the seafood section of your local grocer. It ain’t cheap (Mine was $14 for 8 oz) but it’s so worth it.
- No eggs needed for this recipe. You want a moist crab cake but crab meat by itself is moist and since it’s made in the Air Fryer, you won’t need to flip it and you’ll still get that nice golden crust.
How to make Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Start by finely chopping your red bell pepper and green onion.
Next, add your crab meat, red bell pepper, green onions, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, breadcrumbs, and old bay seasoning to a bowl. Stir until combined.

Gently form 4 patties with your crab meat mixture. Don’t smoosh them together too hard. Just a light and gentle squeeze to ensure they are together.

Place them in your Air fryer basket. I use these parchment paper liners to line my basket first. It makes for easier clean up and it ensures my basket is non-stick.

Please make sure you place the crab cakes on the liner before starting the Air Fryer. You need the weight of the crab cake to hold the liner down so it does not fly up into the fan and heating element.
Slightly spray the top of the crab cakes with your favorite cooking oil. I used canola but vegetable, avocado, olive oil will all work.
Close your Air Fryer basket and cook on 370 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Once done, open air fryer and remove crab cakes and paper liners if using.

That’s it! So easy. For the perfect dressing for this crab cake, I recommend this homemade remoulade sauce.
I love how these crab cakes are made from scratch so you control all the ingredients.
Looking for more Air Fryer Recipe appetizers? Try these out:
- Air Fryer Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Avocado Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Korean Sweet and Spicy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Air Fryer Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Find the full Video tutorial on Youtube. Don’t forget to click the thumbs up button and Subscribe on Youtube for more recipe videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyBebZnZ8KA&t=71s
Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Ingredients
- 8 Oz lump crab
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper chopped
- 2 green onion chopped
- 2 Tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoon bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- Oil for spraying
- Squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- Place lump crab, red bell pepper, green onion, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and old bay in a bowl and stir until combined.
- Gently form 4 patties with mixture.
- Place in Air Fryer basket and lightly spray tops with oil.
- Air fry on 370 degrees Fahrenheit 10 minutes. Open and Squeeze a bit of lemon over the tops before serving.
Beth
Saturday 7th of January 2023
Nice but please eliminate the onion and red bell pepper if you want to make “real” Maryland crab cakes. (And everyone knows although Virginia is for Lover, Maryland is for Crabs.) Plus out with the breadcrumbs, in with just a scant amount of Saltine cracker crumbs. Enjoy!
MrsSC
Saturday 31st of December 2022
Wow! These are the best crab cakes! So flavorful & delicious. I’ve tried other recipes but hands down this is the best . I doubled the recipe & added a bit of hot sauce. The remoulade sauce was also delicious !
Tanya
Tuesday 3rd of January 2023
Thanks so much MrsSC! Glad you enjoyed the recipe :)
Kris Marie
Sunday 25th of December 2022
Made these last night for Christmas Eve dinner, they were absolutely delicious! And I made your remoulade sauce too! A keeper and Merry Christmas! Thank you!
Tanya
Sunday 25th of December 2022
Thanks Kris! So happy you liked the crab cakes.
Amy Klare
Thursday 15th of December 2022
Great recipe, Tanya! Mine tuned out perfect! ❤️
Tanya
Saturday 17th of December 2022
Thanks Amy! So happy you like the recipe.
Tammy
Sunday 7th of August 2022
What kind of bread crumbs do you use? Also, is the parchment paper necessary? Thanks!
Tanya
Monday 8th of August 2022
Hi Tammy, I use plain breadcrumbs. It's not necessary, just makes the crab cakes easier to remove from the air fryer.