Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes

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Just put frozen crab cakes in the air fryer and it will cook them perfectly! Simple air fried crab cakes are so delicious, and so easy to make in the air fryer for a quick lunch or dinner.

hand holding box of frozen crab cakes in front of air fryer

Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes

Do you enjoy crab cakes but don’t want to go through the trouble and time of preparing your own? Now you can cook crab cakes right from frozen in your air fryer!

Imagine biting into these mouthwatering crab cakes – they are so yummy! The air fryer is great for cooking frozen crab cakes in no time!

You can even keep these in your freezer so they are available when you get a craving for them. Perfect on their own or paired with a nice salad or some pasta! They are also a perfect appetizer if having guests over.

hand holding air fryer basket with 2 frozen crab cakes inside

If you want to make extra crab cakes, just make sure they fit in a single layer in your air fryer. I made two because that is how many came in the package I bought.

I used the SeaPak brand of frozen crab cakes, but you can use whatever brand is available in your local supermarket.

air fryer basket being inserted into air fryer with 2 crab cakes inside

History of Crab Cakes

Do you know where crab cakes originated?

If you didn’t know, crab cakes are a popular type of fishcake in the U.S. usually composed of crab meat, bread crumbs, mayo, mustard, eggs, and seasonings.

They are traditional to the east coast Chesapeake Bay area, but can also be found anywhere that crabs thrive. This includes the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, New England, Gulf Coast, Pacific Northwest, and even Northern California.

The term “crab cake” dates back to a 1939 publication in the New York World’s Fair Cook Book, although earlier versions of the dish can be found as far back as 1891 in Cookery with a Chafing Dish.

hand holding air fryer basket with frozen crab cakes

How to Prepare Frozen Crab Cakes in the Air Fryer

Step one is to buy your package of frozen crab cakes. That’s all you need for this recipe!

Then place the crab cakes in the air fryer basket separated from each other.

close up of crab cakes in the air fryer

Next, place the basket in the air fryer itself and set the temperature to 390F for 15 minutes.

close up of two air fried crab cakes in the air fryer basket

About halfway through cooking or around 7 minutes, remove the basket from the air fryer. Using a spatula, flip the crab cakes over to the other side.

This way both sides of the cake will be nicely browned on the outside.

two air fried crab cakes on a plate with one cut in half

Then return the basket to the air fryer to let it finish cooking.

When done, remove the crab cakes with the spatula onto a serving plate.

Serve immediately and enjoy! Don’t forget the dipping sauce!

fork holding piece of crab cake over plate with rest of crab cakes

Cooking Tips

  • No need to defrost these before cooking, you can cook right from frozen!
  • If serving to children, cut in half first to let cool slightly.

air fried crab cakes on a plate with fork holding half of one

What to Serve with Air Fried Frozen Crab Cakes

Yum! I love crab cakes so much! They are great on their own and also topped with some tartar sauce.

To make a full meal out of these, serve alongside some other sides, such as these below. You can go all out and serve a 3 course meal!

close up of individual air fried crab cake on a plate

More Air Fryer Recipes

The air fryer is such an easy tool to have in the kitchen! I always have something on hand that I can toss in and have dinner on the table in minutes! Try out some of my other go-to recipes below:

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Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes

Just put frozen crab cakes in the air fryer and it will cook them perfectly! Simple air fried crab cakes are so delicious, and perfect for a quick lunch or dinner paired with some salad or pasta.
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crab cake
Cooking Method: Air Fryer
Servings: 2
Calories: 240kcal

Recipe Video

Ingredients

  • 1 Package frozen crab cakes

Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)

Instructions

  • Take the crab cakes out of the package and place in the basket of the air fryer next to each other but not touching.
  • Set the temperature to 390F and the cook time for 15 minutes.
  • Halfway through cooking or around the 7 minute mark, take the basket out and use a spatula to flip the crab cakes over to the other side.
  • Return the basket to air fryer and let them finish cooking.
  • Serve immediately.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1cake | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1.5g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 830mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 0.72mg
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