Baked Crab Balls Recipe (Crab Bites Appetizer)

Baked Crab Balls are a fun twist on mini crab cakes. This scrumptious crab bites appetizer recipe is easy to prepare and sure to impress!

Looking for a delicious appetizer for your next party, gathering, or a cozy night in? Elegant little crab balls to the rescue!

With a crispy outside and very little filler, these easy crab cake bites perfectly balance texture and flavor. So naturally, your guests will beg you for the recipe!

How do I know?

We offered crab cakes at our make-ahead meal stores. Around holidays and for special occasions, we suggested turning our Maryland-Style Crab Cakes recipe into a bite-sized appetizer. And they were a big hit.

This option stretches the budget, especially if you use pricy lump crab meat. The little balls of crab are a perfect size and become finger food that can be served with toothpicks. You can do the same thing with baked salmon cakes!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Directions with Pictures
• Storage and Make-Ahead
• Sauces for Crab Balls
• More Amazing Seafood Appetizers
• 📋 Recipe

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make the best baked crab balls:

• Crab meat - Use the best type of crab meat you can afford. The quality of the crab will shine through, and these crab bites will only be as good as the ingredients used. We used lump crab meat. Jumbo lump crab meat has a delicate taste and is usually the priciest choice. Claw meat is often more affordable but has a stronger flavor.
• Saltine crackers have a neutral flavor that doesn't overpower the fresh crab taste. Crush the crackers until they are coarse, not fine. Ritz crackers can be used instead but have a buttery flavor that shines through. Panko breadcrumbs will work too.
• Mayonnaise - Use your favorite brand, the thicker and creamier, the better. You can also use mashed avocado like we did to make Avocado Crab Cakes.
• Spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard adds a slight zing.
• Egg helps hold the ingredients together. This ingredient can be left out if your mayonnaise is thick and creamy.
• Onion is very finely diced.
• Celery is finely diced too. Red bell pepper is a colorful alternative.
• Old Bay Seasoning gives the crab cake bites the signature flavor you expect. Use Cajun seasoning for a spicy version.
• Optional: Brush with melted butter or spritz with cooking spray to promote browning if desired.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.

Directions with Pictures

Here's how to make oven-baked crab balls:

1. Combine egg, mayonnaise, mustard, and Old Bay seasoning in a medium bowl.
2. Add diced onion, celery, and cracker crumbs to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix to incorporate.
3. Add crab meat to the bowl, breaking up large lumps of crabmeat and removing any stray shell pieces. Fold the crab meat into the cracker mixture just until combined. I like to leave some small clumps of crab so it's obvious how much crab is in these delicious little balls.
4. Scoop crab mixture into little mounds, then compress to form small, bite-sized balls. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
   • We used a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to portion and then used damp hands to firm them up.
   • Note: This crab cake recipe can be made into larger patties as well.
5. Bake uncovered for approximately 25 minutes or until the crab bites are golden brown. Turn halfway through the baking process, if possible, so that all sides are brown.

This recipe yields about 24 crab balls.

Storage and Make-Ahead

• Leftovers - Store cooked crab bites in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.
• Reheat cooked crab balls in the oven or air fryer at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
• Make-Ahead - Prepare crab balls, but don't cook them. Store them in the refrigerator or freeze them. Keep balls in a single layer until frozen solid. When you're ready to enjoy them, defrost overnight in the fridge. Recompress, if necessary, and cook as usual. Add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time if baking from frozen.

More Amazing Seafood Appetizers

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📋 Recipe