Crispy Crab Cake Bites (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Crispy crab bites are a spot on Cheesecake Factory Copycat of their small plate crab cake ball offering. This appetizer delivers big restaurant flavor in a fun, bite-sized package that’s perfect for an appetizer or even a main course.
Crispy crab bites are a fun, miniature way to bring Cheesecake Factory flavor right into your own kitchen.
They’re absolutely delicious and packed with rich crab, seasonings, and just the right amount of crunch.
Served with a side of mustard dipping sauce, these crab bites are a dippable, delicious appetizer perfect for parties.
Or serve them with salad or even over pasta for a restaurant style main course guaranteed to wow!
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise– Full fat mayonnaise not low fat or Miracle Whip.
- Egg– For binding
- Dijon mustard– Use a good quality mustard for best flavor
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Lemon juice– Fresh
- Crab meat– Lump crab since the crab is the predominant flavor in this.
- Bread crumbs– Both panko and plain, fine bread crumbs
- Canola oil– For frying
And for the dipping sauce you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise– Real, full fat mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Seasonings– Granulated garlic, lemon juice, and salt
How to Make
Believe it or not, these crab bites are very easy to make!
Just stir the mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, Old Bay, and lemon juice together in a large mixing bowl.
Then add the crab and bread crumbs to the bowl, stirring everything gently together again until evenly combined.
Roll roughly 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture into a 1″ ball.
Put it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Repeat this until all the meat mixture has been used.
Freeze, laying the cookie sheet flat, for 10-15 minutes.
While the balls are freezing whisk the ingredients for the mustard sauce together in a small bowl.
Spread the bread crumbs out on a shallow plate.
Take the crab cake balls out of the freezer and roll them in the bread crumbs until they are coated completely, reshaping as needed.
Freeze them for another 15-20 minutes.
Then heat the oil over medium heat and fry the crab cake balls in the hot oil, working in batches of 5-6.
Cook them, turning as needed, until they’re golden brown and crispy.
Once the crab cakes are crisp and golden, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon to drain off excess oil.
Serve warm with chilled mustard sauce for dipping.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover crab bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in a hot oven until warmed through.
Store any leftover mustard sauce in a separate airtight container.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip the freezing times! Freezing these prevents the crab balls from falling apart when you fry them.
- As written the recipe will make roughly 18 balls, but can make more or less depending on how large you make them.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying or the crab cakes won’t cook evenly.
Other Easy Appetizer Bites
Crispy crab bites are a delicious appetizer inspired by the Cheesecake Factory.
Make them for your next gathering and enjoy!
Looking for other easy appetizers?
Try these:
- Creamy Hot Crab Dip
- Fried Banana Peppers
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Crabbies
- Creamy Chicken Caesar Dip
If you’ve tried these CRISPY CRAB BITES, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Crispy Crab Cake Balls (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Ingredients
For The Crab Balls
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 16 oz lump crab meat
- 2/3 cup plain panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup plain fine bread crumbs
- canola oil for frying
For The Mustard Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, Old Bay, and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl. Stir everything together until evenly combined.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 large egg, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Add the crab and bread crumbs to the bowl, stirring everything together again until evenly combined.16 oz lump crab meat, 2/3 cup plain panko bread crumbs
- Roll the mixture into 1" balls (roughly 1 1/2 tbsp mixture) and transfer them to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the meat mixture has been used. Freeze, flat, for 10-15 minutes.
- While the balls are freezing add the mustard sauce ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk together to combine and then refrigerate to chill.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tsp lemon juice, pinch salt
- Spread the bread crumbs out on a shallow plate. Remove the balls from the freezer and roll them in the bread crumbs until coated completely. Reshape into balls, as needed, then return them to the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for another 15-20 minutes.1 cup plain fine bread crumbs
- Fry the balls in hot oil, working in batches of 5-6, and turning as needed until they're golden brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon transfer the crispy crab balls to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.canola oil
- Serve warm with chilled mustard sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Don't skip the freezing times! Freezing these prevents the crab balls from falling apart when you fry them.
- As written the recipe will make roughly 18 balls, but can make more or less depending on how large you make them.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying or the crab cakes won't cook evenly.
Nutrition
