Recipe: Not-So-Crabby Lion’s Mane Cakes (Oil-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan)

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It has been a while, but we are back with another recipe! The video for this one was actually filmed back in March 2022 when we rented out an Airbnb in Rochester, MN to film at for a week. We filmed SO many great new recipes for you, but life has gotten in the way and thrown us a few curveballs since then. Do not fear! We will still be sharing all of the recipes, just at a slower pace than originally planned.

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These “Not-So-Crabby” Cakes are actually made with Lion’s mane mushrooms, which is one of our favorite ingredients to work with. We are very lucky to have a local place in St. Louis called VL’s Urban Farm that sells amazing, VERY high quality mushrooms, including these giant beauties. They actually have an online shop where you can buy grow kits for some of their mushrooms, so check them out here even if you aren’t in St. Louis!

It’s hard to believe this giant fluffy thing is a mushroom, but when you cook it with the proper techniques, it turns into the tastiest completely plant-based, vegan, oil-free “Not-So-Crabby” cakes you’ll ever have!

We do realize that Lion’s mane can be hard to find and VERY expensive, so we did some experimenting with other ingredients and found a substitute that is more readily available and a whole lot cheaper.

If you CAN get your hands on some Lion’s mane, we recommend trying it at least once. It’s definitely a special treat, but so worth it in our opinion. But if not, the best swap we found was frozen artichoke hearts, which you can find at Whole Foods. You can used canned as well, but they are usually packed with lots of salt.

The first step is to pull apart the Lion’s mane. When you start gently pulling by hand, it will shred almost like pulled chicken or pork. This is what will give you that crabby texture. We did try using a food processor for this step, but we do not recommend that because it’s a lot more difficult to control. It’s also a good idea to vary up the size of your pieces a bit.

After you’ve pulled your Lion’s mane, your goal is to get as much moisture out as possible. First up, add it to a large skillet and sauté.

You want to let the moisture start to cook out and have the mushrooms take on a bit of a golden color. They will stick easily, so be sure to continuously stir and add just a splash of water here and there as necessary. Once they start to release their own liquid, you’ll be set!

Up next, you need to transfer to a cloth or paper towels, and once it is cool enough to handle, wrap it up and squeeze out even more liquid. The drier your Lion’s mane is, the better this recipe will turn out.

After that, stir in a blended mixture of pumpkin seeds, water, lemon juice, vegan Worcestershire sauce, white miso paste, capers and dijon mustard. This is followed by some bread crumbs, parsley and other seasonings, and you’re ready to form your cakes!

There are two methods you can use to form the cakes. One of my favorites is to jam as much of the mixture as possible into a 1/4 cup measuring cup and then turn it out onto my hand. This forms the perfect size cake and really helps it all pack in together and stick nicely.

You can also use a large 3 Tbsp cookie scoop and get a heaping scoop and then just roll it up and flatten until you get your desired shape.

We included directions to cook using a regular oven as well as an air fryer. They do get nice and crispy in the air fryer.

Just look at that pull! I challenge you to try it and tell me it doesn’t look and taste a whole lot like a traditional crab cake. I actually never really cared for seafood, so I think these taste even better!

Be sure to watch the video to see us make the recipe and get even more tips!

Not-So-Crabby Lion's Mane Cakes

Servings: 2
Difficulty: easy
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RECIPE BY KROCKS IN THE KITCHEN

Ingredients

– 1lb Lion’s mane mushrooms
– OR 1 x 12oz bag frozen artichoke hearts *SEE NOTE BELOW

Add To Blender:

– 1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds (30g)
– 1/4 cup water
– 1 Tbsp lemon juice
– 1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
– 1/2 Tbsp white miso paste
– 1/2 tsp capers, strained from brine (rinse if desired)
– 1 tsp dijon mustard

Other Ingredients:

– 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (we make our own by toasting Ezekiel bread, letting it cool and blending in a blender or food processor)
– 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely diced
– 1/2 tsp reduced sodium Old Bay seasoning
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– 1/2 tsp onion powder
– Dash of cayenne pepper

Optional Tangy Dill Sauce:

– 1 x 5.3oz container of vegan yogurt (we like Kite Hill’s Plain Unsweetened Greek Style)
– 6oz soft silken tofu (1/2 box)
– 1 Tbsp lemon juice
– 1/4 cup packed fresh dill (can swap 4 tsp dry)
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1 tsp dry dill (reserve to stir in at end)
– Salt to taste (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F (if using; can also use air fryer).
Shred the Lion’s mane, using your hands to gently pull apart into small pieces.
Heat a large skillet to medium-high. Sauté Lion’s mane for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has cooked out. Add a splash or two of water if it sticks. Set aside and let cool.
Add pumpkin seeds, water, lemon juice, vegan Worcestershire sauce, miso paste, capers and dijon mustard to a small blender cup (Magic Bullet or similar) and blend for 30-60 seconds until fully combined. Set aside.
Once Lion’s mane is cool enough to handle, wrap in paper towels or a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Transfer Lion’s mane to a large mixing bowl. Add mixture from blender and stir. Add bread crumbs, parsley, and remaining seasonings. Stir.
Portion into “crab” cakes using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or 3 Tbsp cookie scoop. Gently place onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes. You can also air fry at 375°F for 10-12 minutes.
While cakes are cooking, make the dill sauce (if desired) by adding all sauce ingredients to a small blender (like a Magic Bullet or similar) and blending until smooth.
Serve with dill sauce on a bed of greens & enjoy!

Makes approximately 6-8 cakes.

NOTE:

– If using frozen artichoke hearts, pour into a microwave safe bowl and microwave covered for 6 minutes, stirring halfway through.
– Drain out as much liquid as possible and let artichoke hearts cool. Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop into smaller pieces.
– Use chopped artichoke hearts in place of Lion’s mane, following the steps above.
– Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. You can try to flip after 20 minutes, but they are a bit more fragile than the Lion’s mane ones. You can also air fry at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.

Our favorite way to serve these up is with some our Tangy Dill Sauce we showed you how to make alongside the Quinoa Falafel Burgers.

Another great way to eat these is on a bed of greens with some of the Tangy Dill Sauce as the dressing!

We tested this recipe SO many times during development, and it quickly became a favorite! I can’t wait for you to try it out.

As always, we’d love to hear from you if you make the recipe. You can find us on Instagram and Facebook – don’t forget to tag us if you post a photo!

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