It’s very easy to cook Frozen Crab Cakes in the Air fryer! This simple air fryer recipe only takes about 15 minutes, and your frozen crab cakes will be cooked perfectly, with a flaky interior and crispy outside.
Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes
You can buy pre-made crab cakes from the freezer section of Aldi, Sam’s Club, or almost any large supermarket. Today I’m air frying Phillips brand Maryland-style crab cakes, but the Aldi Frozen Crab Cakes are particularly popular and delicious!
The cooking directions on the back of the box suggest pan-frying the frozen crab cakes after thawing them or baking them from frozen.
Both are good options I suppose, but the air fryer will both bake and fry frozen crab cakes at the same time! It gives us the best of both worlds and the most perfect texture!
You do not need to thaw frozen crab cakes before cooking them in the air fryer, so there’s no need to plan ahead. Dinner will be ready in just 15 minutes!
Serve air fryer crab cakes with fresh lemon wedges, and remoulade or tartar sauce for dipping!
If you’d like to learn how to make crab cakes from scratch instead of frozen ones, check out my Air Fryer Crab Cakes Recipe! It will walk you through the process of making the best homemade crab cakes.
Ingredients Needed for Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes
Crab Cakes – This recipe works best with regular-sized crab cakes that are about 3 ounces each. You can cook as many as you like, but I’m making 4 of them!
Spray Oil – Use an oil mister or your favorite natural olive oil spray. You can also apply the oil with a brush if you prefer.
Butter – Adds flavor and moisture to the crab cakes, ensuring that they won’t dry out.
Lemon – Fresh lemon juice makes any kind of seafood taste even better!
Parsley – Just because we’re making frozen food in the air fryer, doesn’t mean that we can’t be a little bit fancy! Fresh parsley is a beautiful garnish.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP
How to Make Frozen Crab Cakes in Air Fryer
- Fill the Air Fryer: First, spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil. Then place the frozen crab cakes in, and spray the tops with more olive oil spray. Cook in the air fryer at 350ºF/175ºC for 5 minutes.
- Flip: Carefully turn over the crab cakes and top each one with 1/2 teaspoon of butter.
- Continue Cooking: Turn the heat up to 400°F/200°C, and continue air frying the crab cakes for 6 minutes, or until they are hot all the way through and golden brown on the inside.
- Serve: Squeeze lemon juice over the crab cakes, and garnish with fresh parsley.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making frozen crab cakes in the air fryer, please see the recipe below.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe should work with any brand of frozen crab cakes. If yours are more or less than 3 ounces each, you may need to adjust the cooking time a bit.
- Use a kitchen thermometer to check that the crab cakes have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F/74°C. At this temperature, they can be considered fully cooked and ready to eat!
- Spray both the air fryer basket and the frozen crab cakes with oil before cooking. This is how they get nice and crispy! I used olive oil spray for this recipe, but any type of cooking oil will do.
- A pat of butter on top of each crab cake makes them taste extra rich, and keeps them from drying out.
- Don’t overfill your air fryer basket! I was able to fit all four in my Cosori square air fryer basket, but if you’re working with a smaller machine, you may need to cook these two at a time.
- Enjoy your crab cakes fresh from the air fryer if at all possible. If needed, you can refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.
What To Serve With Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes
Crab cakes cooked in the air fryer are very versatile and can be served as a main dish or an appetizer.
For a light dinner or lunch, these crab cakes are perfect with a side salad or french fries or on a toasted bun!
You can also put a crab cake on top of a beef filet for a shortcut Steak Oscar!
If you’re hosting a dinner party, try crab cakes along with other hot air fryer appetizers, like Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms and Air Fryer Calamari.
I even found a recipe for vegan crab cakes, and I know that you could cook these in the air fryer too.
You can use more than one air fryer (I have several!), or serve each dish as it’s ready, cooking one appetizer at a time.
FAQs
There are many ways to make a spicy remoulade, but the most simple version can be made with 1 cup of mayo 1/4 cup of mustard, 1-2 tablespoons of Cajun or Creole Seasoning, and some hot sauce. You can add prepared horseradish, pickle juice, and minced garlic too!
With this air fryer cooking method, you should not thaw frozen crab cakes before cooking them. They will thaw while they are cooking, and be perfect! If you try to air fry thawed crab cakes, they will end up overcooked.
You can, but you’ll need less time in the air fryer to cook them perfectly. Start by cooking for 5 minutes, then checking them and adding more time only if needed. You can skip the butter on the mini cakes, and just add it at the end.
Pro Tips
More Perfect Air Fryer Seafood Recipes
If your family loves fish and seafood, you should know that the air fryer can cook almost any kind, and it does it well, and quickly!
Fish of all types comes out wonderfully flaky in the air fryer. Try crispy breaded Air Fryer Tilapia or healthy Air Fryer Salmon.
You can even make Air Fryer Catfish, Air Fryer Mahi Mahi, and Air Fryer Tuna Steaks!
Want even more air fryer seafood recipes? Try my Air Fryer Scallops, Air Fryer Shrimp, and Air Fryer Salmon Patties.
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Air Fryer Frozen Crab Cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 frozen crab cakes about 3 ounces each
- Olive oil spray or 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 wedges of lemon for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley for serving
Instructions
- Lightly spray your air fryer basket with olive oil spray or brush it with olive oil.
- Place the crab cakes in the air fryer and then spray the tops with olive oil spray.
- Cook at 350ºF/175ºC for 5 minutes.
- Flip the crab cakes and place ½ tablespoon of butter on each one.
- Cook again at 400ºF/200ºF for 6 minutes, or until the crab cakes are hot all the way through and golden brown on the outside.
- Squeeze over the lemon wedge and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy immediately. These crab cakes are perfect with a side salad or french fries or on a toasted bun! You can also put them on top of a beef filet for a shortcut steak oscar!
Notes
- This recipe should work with any brand of frozen crab cakes. If yours are more or less than 3 ounces each, you may need to adjust the cooking time a bit.
- Use a kitchen thermometer to check that the crab cakes have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F/74°C. At this temperature, they can be considered fully cooked and ready to eat!
- Spray both the air fryer basket and the frozen crab cakes with oil before cooking. This is how they get nice and crispy! I used olive oil spray for this recipe, but any type of cooking oil will do.
- A pat of butter on top of each crab cake makes them taste extra rich, and keeps them from drying out.
- Don’t overfill your air fryer basket! I was able to fit all four in my Cosori square air fryer basket, but if you’re working with a smaller machine, you may need to cook these two at a time.
- Enjoy your crab cakes fresh from the air fryer if at all possible. If needed, you can refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.
