I went around and around about how to title this recipe. You see, it was inspired by one for Vegan Crab Cakes. The truth of the matter is, when searching for vegan recipes, the search is often for a traditional recipe with the word ‘vegan’ in front of it. However, I opted to go for Vegan Artichoke Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce, as that accurately describes this recipe. And what a recipe it is!
I absolutely LOVED these little cakes and my non-vegan mother ate them saying she wished I had made more. Success! 🙂 Taking the basic concepts of the abovementioned inspiration recipe, I also drew from the traditional non-vegan crab cake. For instance, the inclusion of Old Bay Seasoning. The tartar sauce includes vegan mayonnaise, dill pickles (or pickle relish), white wine vinegar, capers, grainy mustard, salt and pepper. I have to say, this recipe would not be the same without that tartar sauce!
The artichoke cakes themselves contain a secret ingredient. I didn’t want to go with a flavorless flour. Instead I chose original Ritz Crackers. Did you know that they are “accidentally” vegan? True story! They add a nice buttery saltiness to this recipe.
The artichokes are drained and patted dry with paper towels but I did reserve some liquid to give back moisture as needed to form the cakes. I added pimento to mine along with celery, shallot, lemon juice, sugar, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley.
Just look at all of that texture….and flavor! At first glance, you may think you need more liquid. Resist the urge. Once you press this mixture in your hands to form the cakes, you’ll see that there is plenty.
It’s important to note that the cakes are just as fragile as their traditional crab cake counterpart and require time to cook prior to flipping. They do firm up a bit as they cool. The texture is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
The recipe I’m providing makes six 2-1/2″ cakes. I suggest doubling the recipe if it’s for more than just one person. They are very light and low in calories. An entire can of artichokes is only about 75 calories!
I will definitely be making this recipe over and over again. And maybe again this week if we are being perfectly honest. They were THAT good! I hope you give them a try. I think you’ll really love them as much as we did.
If you make this recipe for Vegan Artichoke Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce, leave a comment below and let me know what you think! You can also snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @theveglife1
Vegan Artichoke Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- OIL FOR COOKING
- *
- FOR THE ARTICHOKE CAKES:
- 1 C canned Artichoke Quarters or Hearts finely chopped (reserve juice)
- 2 Tbl finely chopped Shallots or Green Onions Scallions
- 1/4 C finely chopped Celery
- 1 Tbl of the reserved juice from the Artichokes
- 1/2 C Ritz Crackers crushed into small pieces
- 1-1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1-1/2 tsp Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Pepper
- 1-1/2 tsp Pimento
- 1 Tbl freshly chopped Italian Parsley
- *
- FOR THE TARTAR SAUCE:
- 1/4 C Vegan Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbl Dill Pickles finely chopped
- 1-1/2 tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1-1/2 tsp Capers chopped
- 1/2 tsp Grainy Mustard
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the artichoke cakes. Set aside.
- Preheat a skillet on medium high heat.
- While the pan is heating, combine all of the ingredients for the tartar sauce. Set aside.
- Add about 1 Tbl of oil to the hot pan.
- Create the patties (I used an ice cream scoop to help keep them consistent in size), pressing firmly and then forming into shape.
- It's important not to flip until they are golden on the first side. They will still be fragile at this point, so take care when turning.
- Drain on paper towel. They will set up as they cool.
- Serve with the prepared tartar sauce and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Deb says
Ritz Crackers are really unhealthy. They contain transfats. Too bad, because this recipe otherwise looks terrific.
aimee says
Well thanks for your sweet comment Deb. You are welcome to substitute whatever you deem appropriate or “healthy” based on your particular views and/or dietary concerns and I am sure the recipe would turn out just as well.
Brittany says
Delicious! I substituted breadcrumbs for the ritz and red pepper for the pimento. Will definitely make again.
aimee says
Wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
maria says
Good news! Trader Joe carries these crackers and they are just as delicious and without the bad ingredients!
aimee says
That’s really good news! I don’t ever think to shop there – now I’m going to 🙂 Thank you for sharing this info!
Rebecca Bochenek says
I used Whole Foods 365 organic crackers and organic tortilla chips and made a few substitutions, put it in my food processor and they came out like salmon cakes, but vegan! Yummy.
Lisa says
Did I miss this in the recipe? Are the artichoke hearts in oil or water? (I’m pretty sure oil would make them more interesting and adhere better).
aimee says
You could use either. Mine were packed in brine water. You’ll need to reserve 1 tablespoon or so to add back to the mixture. They held together really and even better after cooking.
Sue S says
These artichoke cakes are the BOMB! My meat loving friends beg me to make them all the time. I was having trouble with flipping them withou breaking them apart, so I added a bit of vegan mayo, baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes and then broiled them for a few. Made the tops nice and crispy and I made the sauce for the first time and it too was fantastic! Thank you Aimee!
aimee says
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed them. As far as flipping them, the trick is to make sure they are completely browned on the first side. Gently flip and allow to brown on the other side and allow to cool slightly where they will set up even further. 🙂
Sue S says
I LOVE this recipe! As others have mentioned, my meat eating friends beg me to make these. Easy and tasty are the best recipes! Thank you for posting!
Tree says
Tried this recipe today for my wife (I’m juice fasting so I couldn’t try the)….but she absolutely loved them!!!
aimee says
That’s great news! Good luck with the juice fast. I have always wanted to try one 🙂
Holly says
We, my adult daughters and I, had these for dinner tonight. I made everything up this afternoon and when dinner time came I formed and fried the cakes. I made them per your recipe, the only thing I did which is not in the instructions (right or wrong) is I gave each artichoke a little squeeze to make sure most of the water was out, I was afraid they would be too wet otherwise. We will definitely make these again. I doubled the recipe but next time I will only make a single batch of the tarter sauce, we had plenty left over.
P.S. We love anything with artichokes. I was raised10 miles from the artichoke capitol of the world, Castroville, CA
Lillith says
Do you have an estimate on about how many cakes this recipe makes, if day they are about 1/4 cup each?
Also could they be frozen? Pre-cooked perhaps?
aimee says
Hi Lillith, I’ve never tried to freeze these but if I am being honest…I think they would be best fresh. They do reheat well however. We got about a dozen little cakes out of this recipe but it can be easily doubled.