Tuna Cakes
Tender flaky tuna and a colorful mix of fresh veggies are formed into the most flavorful Tuna Cakes and fried to perfection. They’re a budget-friendly alternative to crab cakes that are healthy and satisfying.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Easy Tuna Cakes Recipe
- Tender flaky tuna and fresh colorful veggies
- Made into flavorful cakes
- Quick and easy to make, perfect for busy weeknights
- Great prep ahead dinner
- Budget friendly alternative to crab cakes
- Serve with a Garlic Aioli or dipping sauce of your choice
If you’re tired of the same old boring tuna and are looking for a new way to enjoy it, you’re going to love these tuna cakes! They’re quick and easy to make, using healthy, Keto friendly and easy to find ingredients that you can feel good about feeding your family.
They’re absolutely loaded with great flavor, but what takes the to the next level is the Garlic Aioli dipping sauce. It’s even easier to make and SO tasty! Not a fan of garlic aioli? No worries, I’ve recommended other dipping sauce ideas down below for you to check out.
Give these tuna cakes a try and they’ll quickly become your new go to easy dinner for busy weeknights.
🛒 Ingredients for Tuna Cakes
- Canned tuna
- Almond flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Red bell pepper
- Scallions
- Eggs
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Hot sauce
- Salt
- Olive oil
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
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🔪 How to Make Keto Tuna Cakes
Add all of the ingredients, except for the olive oil, into a large mixing bowl.
Mix until well combined.
Using an ice cream scoop, form each cake and place them on a baking sheet or platter lined with parchment paper. You should get about 10 cakes total.
Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium and add in the olive oil.
Fry the tuna cakes for several minutes on each side, carefully flipping them over halfway through. Cooking times could vary depending on how thick or thin your cakes are. Thicker/smaller cakes will take a little longer to cook all the way through, while thinner/larger cakes will cook faster.
Drain any excess oil on paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt while they’re still hot.
Serve with your favorite sauce or this Garlic Aioli, which is how I served mine.
☑️ Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze.
🍴 What to Serve with Tuna Cakes
As I mentioned, I like to serve them with my Garlic Aioli, but here are some other dipping sauce ideas to try:
💡 Tips for Making Gluten-Free Tuna Cakes
- Using an ice cream scoop to form the patties helps to ensure they are all the same size. Be sure to flatten each cake out consistently, so they will fry, flip and be ready at the same time.
- You can use a smaller skillet if you need to, and in that case you’ll need to fry them in batches. Just make sure whatever pan you choose to use, is nonstick to make flipping them easier.
- Be sure to chop the red bell pepper and scallions into small pieces, so they are more evenly distributed throughout the cakes.
- If you want to prep everything in advance you can do that, just form the cakes, place them on parchment paper and cover in the fridge until you are ready.
- Sprinkling the salt over the tuna cakes right when they come out of the oil helps the salt stick better. This is something I typically do with most anything that I fry.
🔄 Substitutions and Additions
- If you don’t have red bell pepper, you can use orange, yellow or even green bell pepper instead.
- For a more Tex-Mex flair you can use poblano peppers and a small amount of jalapeño peppers. Then whip up a batch of my Chipotle Ranch Dressing to use as your dipping sauce. The flavors will be amazing!
- For a more cajun flavor, add in some Cajun Seasoning to the cakes.
- If you don’t have scallions, you can add in some finely diced red onions instead.
- If you don’t have parmesan cheese, you can use Romano or Asiago cheese instead. If you don’t have either, you can substitute with more almond flour.
- If you don’t have tuna or prefer canned salmon, you can certainly use it instead. Just be sure you use the same amounts so that the consistency remains the same.
What can I use to bind tuna patties?
Eggs, almond flour and parmesan cheese all help to act as a binder for these tuna cakes.
What ingredients do you put in tuna patties?
Traditionally you’d want some binding agents and some fresh veggies, in this recipe I use bell pepper and scallions. Hot sauce and garlic give an added punch of flavor.
What is the secret to crispy tuna cakes?
Getting a good sear on the cake without moving them for a few minutes. Then flip and repeat on the other side. When you continuously move them, they won’t develop that crunchy exterior.
How do I pan sear tuna cake?
Similar to what I mentioned above is really the key. Not adding the tuna cakes in the skillet until the oil is nice and hot really helps too
🍽️ More Keto Seafood Recipes
- Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce
- Keto Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
- Salmon Piccata
- Broiled Lobster Tails with Compound Butter
- Keto Coconut Shrimp
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Easy and delicious Keto recipes that anyone can make!
Tuna Cakes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces canned tuna, drained
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons scallions, chopped
- 2 whole eggs, beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except for the olive oil, into a large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, form each cake and place them on a baking sheet or platter lined with parchment paper. You should get about 10 cakes total.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium and add in the olive oil.
- Fry the tuna cakes for several minutes on each side, carefully flipping them over halfway through. Cooking times could vary depending on how thick or thin your cakes are. Thicker/smaller cakes will take a little longer to cook all the way through, while thinner/larger cakes will cook faster.
- Drain any excess oil on paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt while they’re still hot.
- Serve with your favorite sauce or this Garlic Aioli, which is how I served mine.
Recipe Notes
*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
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