The BEST Baked Crab Cakes
The recipe for the best baked crab cakes is packed with fresh crab and pairs perfectly with a homemade lemon mayo sauce! Use fresh lump crab and skip the time over a frying basket.
As someone who grew up in Maryland, my love for crab cakes runs deep. I take them (and all my fresh seafood recipes) very seriously, which is why I’m excited to share this easy recipe with you!
No busy home cook wants to spend their time sitting over a hot stove frying food, especially crab. This is why baking them is truly the biggest game changer in the crab cake world.
What makes these homemade crab cakes extra special is the 3-ingredient crab cake sauce: lemon juice, mayo, and salt! This gives the crab cakes a hint of tartness and brightness that will just make your mouth water!
Watch how easy they are to make
Why are these crab cakes different from the rest?
- This baked crab cake recipe is incredibly easy to make and can be prepared in just 40 minutes or less. Most of the time is hands off!
- It uses simple ingredients like lump crab, spices, herbs, cornflake crumbs, and more that you may already have in your kitchen.
- The homemade lemon mayo sauce gives it a zesty tartness and brightness that takes the crab cakes to a whole new level of deliciousness.
- It’s perfect for entertaining or just a simple family dinner that can be served with your favorite side dishes!
Some Ingredient Notes
- Shallot – Yes, you can use onion too.
- Fresh Lump Crab Meat – Use the good stuff!! It’s worth it.
- Corn Flake Crumbs – This gives the crab cakes a nice crunch and helps elevate the texture.
The Home Cook’s Guide to Salt
Learn about the basics of salt, plus the best salt for cooking (hint: itβs Kosher salt!) with this easy-to-understand guide to salt for home cooks.
How to make baked crab cakes
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you use high-quality fresh lump crab meat for the best results.
- Ensure that the crab meat is fully drained in order to keep the patties from getting too wet.
- If the mixture is too wet, add additional cornflake crumbs to absorb the extra moisture and help shape the patties better.
HOT TIP: Spend the extra buck to get really good quality lump crab meat. It makes all the difference!
What kind of sauce to serve with crab cakes?
These crab cakes are topped with a dollop of my 3-ingredient crab cake sauce, which makes me a very happy girl. Itβs so easy, so good, and in my opinion, totally necessary.
What goes with crab cakes?
This dish is versatile because there are so many sides it pairs well with. Try these serving suggestions below!
- Crispy smashed potatoes
- Sauteed greens
- Creamy coleslaw
- Baked beans
- Rice Pilaf
- Caesar salad
- Mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes
Storing and Freezing
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Place any baked crab cakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until hard. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag and keep frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Reheating: The best way to reheat crab cakes is in the oven on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 375F and bake for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat them in a skillet over low heat, but this will take longer, and they may break apart in the skillet.
The BEST Baked Crab Cakes
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Oven baked
Description
This baked crab cake recipe is packed with fresh crab and pairs perfectly with a homemade lemon mayo sauce. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.
Ingredients
- 1 shallot (chopped)
- 2–3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 16 ounces fresh lump crab meat
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup corn flake crumbs
Lemon Mayo Sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- Juice from 1–2 lemons
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- SautΓ© shallot and garlic over low heat for about 5 minutes or until soft. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine crab meat, mayonnaise, salt, egg white, and corn flake crumbs into a large bowl. Mix together using a fork, slightly breaking up the crab meat until the mixture is well combined. If mixture is too dry, add a little more mayonnaise. If the mixture is too wet, slowly add a little more corn flake crumbs.
- Add the sautΓ©d shallot and garlic to the crab mixture.
- Form crab cakes into individual patties and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. About a half cup for each patty, or a handful. Place formed patties in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes on one side, then flip and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Cakes should be a nice golden brown color.
Lemon Mayo Sauce
- Scoop mayonnaise into small bowl. Mix in freshly squeezed lemon juice until you reach the consistency that you like. Add salt to taste.
These were so good! Definitely spring for jumbo lump – so worth it! Reheated in the air fryer the next day and they were still great!!
Yes, jumbo lump is a must!
Finally got around to trying this recipe Iβve seen Laney make on IG quite a few times and idk how we can afford this more often but these are a must do again!!! Perfection. So simple yet delicious. I made a crispy fried white rice and grilled marinated veggie skewers to eat along side as well as a second sauce : roasted red pepper aioli. Do waitβ¦.make these!
They are such a special treat!!! So glad you enjoyed them.
Hi, hoping to make these soon but don’t have cornflakes – what do you think the best substitution would be? I didn’t really want to buy a whole box of cereal just for this recipe, but I will if you think nothing else would compare! Thank you!
They sell actual cornflake crumbs but you can also use panko or regular breadcrumbs!
garlic and onion does not belong in a crab cake – not a true Maryland CC…oh and lemon juice NOOOOO only serve this on the side
The good news is, you can make them however you like! This is my take on a crab cake and I happen to love it. Do what makes you happy!
Can you make this with crabmeat that is already cooked? I made it with fresh once and it was really the star of the show. I want to make it again but canβt find fresh crabmeat.
I don’t recommend it. If you a Costco near by they sell a great fresh crab in a can.
Just made these with fresh Dungeness Crab that I bought at the docks. Easy recipe and they were amazing. Going to get more crab tomorrow to make them again.
Oh man, I’m coming over for dinner!
Thanks for sharing the recipe and I am really impressed. Use of mayo in making crab-cake is a customary recipe need, but I have replaced mayo with grass-fed ghee. It’s just a value added change as my ghee-cooked crab cakes are really tasty. It is a safer choice too as ghee is a safe oil, nutritious, and flavorful.
I prefer using Milkio grass-fed ghee for all my recipes.
Third time making these crab cakes! So easy and so delicious!
One of my favorites too! Thanks for leaving a review!
I loved this recipe. It was so easy to make ( I used canned crab) and reminds me of the great taste of crabs in a shack by the ocean!
Hooray! Thanks for leaving a review!
Thanks for the cornflake crumbs idea. Although I used my own version of other ingredients, I would not have thought of the cornflake crumbs. I tossed a bunch of cornflakes in a baggie, got out the rolling pin, and a minute later I had crumbs. We do have blue crabs here in Massachusetts, and I had crab meat left over from the last catch. Having eaten some steamed, and then some as crab salad on a roll, I figured I’d finish them off as cakes. (As the cakes were on the small-to-medium side, just 10 minutes at 400Β°F did it.) I’m giving 5 stars for two reasons: the brilliant use of cornflake crumbs and my evaluation of the recipe. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the awesome review! So glad you enjoyed them
I made this as an appetizer on Christmas with a garlic caper sauce. The recipe was easy to follow and delicious. Thank you, Laney! The entire family loved them! I did use the whole egg instead of just the whites and it worked for us.
Hooray! SO happy the entire family enjoyed it. Such a special treat!
So simple and easy!!!! Made for a fancy but simple Christmas Eve dinner tonight. Golden and delicious.
Hooray! So happy you loved them!
Delicious recipe…
Was planning to make these ahead of time for Xmas dinner. Can I freeze them and then bake them the day of?
Hi I made the crab cakes using can crab meat.
Followed your direction. Was wondering why my cakes never brownedπ€
You can try turning up the heat in your oven or putting them under the boilers for a min or two
The best! Hubby says better than any heβs had in a restaurant. I live in Northern VA, very near all of that yummy MD crab, so we get really good restaurant crab cakes. But these are the bomb! Thank you for sharing, will be making these often.
Iβm a Maryland girl too. I grew up in a little town called Stevensville, it sits right on the Chesapeake. I now live in MA and would trade a lobster for crabs in a second. Iβm definitely going to give your recipe a try…I was just wondering??? Whereβs the Old Bay?
No Old Bay needed! But always welcome!
Dee Mac in BC…. Makes the BEST EVER , MARYLAND CRAB CAKES!!! And, IM FROM MARYLAND.!!!
Yay!!
Do you use fresh or canned crab meat? Which brand if canned?
Fresh!
Made tonight with fresh caught crab in BC. Love that the recipe is simple, no fillers! Seriously, these could have been featured at a high end restaurant. Perfection!! Thanks for publishing!
I’m so happy you love them as much as I do!
Hi. Wand crab meat did you use: Jumbo or just Lump? Thx!
I just used lump!
Fellow Marylander here. Crab Claw was the best ever when I lived there. We used to slip in the back way by the steps. We would see Billy there at the steamers, hand him $20 and then go get a drink on the Main Street. When we returned Billy would have a table off to the side for us and couple dozen monsters, fire red and steaming hot!! FL now JO spice too.
Wow can’t wait to make!
We have some pretty darn good crab out in Washington and Oregon, home of the Dungeness Crab. May have to try the cornflake crumbs – we use soda cracker crumbs. Otherwise, this is the perfect recipe!
Thanks Janet! Mmmmm, would love to try some Washington and Oregon crabs one day! Let me know how you like the cornflake crumb twist!