Published: Oct 11, 2024 · Modified: Jun 4, 2025 by Tanya · This post may contain affiliate links · 111 Comments

Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes (Ready in Minutes!)

Name: Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
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

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

crab cake on a plate with remeloude sauce on top

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Full Recipe/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.

There is nothing like a delicious, golden-on-the-outside, moist, and flavorful crab cake on the inside. 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.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Crab Cakes

Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Lump crab meat: The main ingredient, providing rich flavor and texture. I recommend using lump crab meat instead of claw meat for optimal results.
Red bell pepper and green onion: not typical crab cake ingredients, but I like adding them for a pop of color and flavor.
Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard: Add moisture and help bind the mixture. Dijon provides a tangy flavor.
Breadcrumbs - for holding the crab cakes together.
Old Bay seasoning: Traditional seasoning for seafood, adding spice.
Non-stick cooking spray: Ensures the crab cakes don’t stick while air frying.

Tools Needed

Mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Air fryer
Non-stick cooking spray
Air Fryer Liners (optional)
Spatula or spoon (for mixing and shaping the crab cakes)
Small baking sheet or tray (to form crab cakes)

How to make Air Fryer Crab Cakes (Step-by-Step Photos)

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.

crab cake ingredients in a bowl stirred up

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.

crab cakes on a plateEasy and delicious crab cakes that are made in the Air Fryer with less mess and less stress. Nice crust on the inside with flakey and flavorful crab meat on the inside. #airfryerrecipes #airfryermeals #airfryerappetizers #crabcake

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.

If using a liner, please place the crab cakes on the liner before starting the Air Fryer. It would be best if you had 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. I recommend this homemade remoulade sauce for the perfect dressing for this crab cake.

How to Store

To store your air fryer crab cakes, place any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze uncooked crab cakes on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Tanya's Top Tips

Chill the mixture: Refrigerate the crab cake mixture for 30 minutes before shaping to help it firm up and hold together.
Don’t overcrowd: Leave space between crab cakes in the air fryer so they cook evenly and get crispy.

I love how these crab cakes are made from scratch, so you control all the ingredients.

Looking for more Air Fried Seafood Recipe appetizers? Try these out:

crab cakes on white plate with sauce being poured on top

Find the full Video tutorial on YouTube. Don’t forget to click the thumbs-up button and Subscribe on YouTube for more recipe videos.

If you have tried this or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

cooked air fryer crab cakes in an air fryer basket

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4.74 from 89 votes

Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes

Easy and delicious crab cakes that are made in the Air Fryer with less mess and less stress. Nice crust on the outside with flakey and flavorful crab meat on the inside.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer crab cakes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 123kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

8 Oz lump crab
¼ 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.

Suggested Tools

Air Fryer

Parchment Liners

Video

Notes

I suggest serving this crab cakes with remoulade sauce.

Nutrition

My Southern Air Fryer ECookbookFind all my Top Southern Air Fryer recipes in one place! My Southern Air Fryer ECookbook!

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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

This post was originally published on June 11, 2019. It has been updated with new information.