# Imitation Crab Cakes Gardein's Crab Cake Appetizer is Plant-Based and Vegan-Friendly By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2016-02-23 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crab-cake-appetizer References: [gardein](http://gardein.com/recipes/crabless-cakes-with-lemon-habanero-tartar/) & [gardein](http://gardein.com/products/crabless-cakes/) These crab cake appetizers from [Gardein](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gardein-ultimate-plantbased) provide a satisfying way for non-meat eaters and omnivores alike to enjoy the comforts of a familiar seafood dish. Gardein's Mini Crispy Crabless Cakes are made with a breading that wraps around an imitation meat filling made of recognizable plant-based ingredients like red bell peppers, green onions and roasted garlic puree. The Mini Crabless Cakes are sold frozen and only take minutes to prepare once removed from the freezer, making them an extremely quick and easy appetizer to make. To further enhance the dish, Gardein also provides recipes for sauce that may be used as flavorful embellishments. There are now plenty of convincing vegan versions of pork, beef and chicken on the market, but there are fewer items that have been successfully recreated from the seafood category. However, these Mini Crabless Cakes join Gardein's Golden Fishless Filets, further expanding the [fishless options](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plantbased-fish-product) available. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 0.4/10 - Popularity: 1% | Activity: 3% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Plant-based Seafood Alternatives:** The rise of plant-based seafood alternatives presents disruptive innovation opportunities for food manufacturers to create new and improved products for vegans and environmentally-conscious consumers. - **Convenience Foods:** There is a growing demand for quick and easy appetizers like Gardein’s Mini Crispy Crabless Cakes, opening up disruptive innovation opportunities for food manufacturers to create innovative and convenient options for consumers. - **Vegetarian/vegan Options:** As more consumers adopt vegetarian and vegan diets, there is a need for plant-based protein options like Gardein’s Crab Cake Appetizers, offering disruptive innovation opportunities for the food industry to create more alternatives. ### Where This Applies - **Food Manufacturing:** The food manufacturing industry can explore innovative plant-based seafood options like Gardein’s Crab Cake Appetizers for a rapidly growing market of vegetarian and vegan consumers. - **Frozen Food Industry:** Manufacturers in the frozen food industry can create more options similar to Gardein’s Mini Crispy Crabless Cakes, tapping into the convenience food trend and providing more plant-based options on supermarket shelves. - **Casual Dining Restaurants:** Casual dining restaurants can attract vegetarian and vegan consumers by offering plant-based seafood alternatives like Gardein’s Crab Cake Appetizers, opening up a new market segment and offering more menu options. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sea-Sourced Vegan Crab Cakes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegan-crab-cake.md) - [Plant-Based Crab Cakes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mind-blown.md) - [Lemony Mushroom-Based Bites](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fungitarian-crab-cakes.md) - [Plant-Based Crab Cake Sandwiches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crab-cake-sandwich.md) - [Plant-Based Crispy Fried Shrimps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fried-shrimp.md) - [Plant-Based Squid Appetizers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plant-based-squid.md) - [Crispy Coconut Shrimp Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crispy-coconut-shrimpz.md) - [Cost-Conscious Crab Meat Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegan-zeastar.md) - [Frozen Seafood Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/frozen-seafood-alternatives.md)