Hearts of Palm Cakes

Hearts of Palm Cakes are a simple and crunchy cake served with delicious garlic aioli. Perfect as an appetizer or vegetarian entrée, these vegetarian crab cakes will blow your mind!

Hearts of Palm Cakes are crunchy cakes made with hearts of palm, artichokes, garlic and panko served with a zesty garlic aioli.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reese® Hearts of Palm.

I live in the heart of crab cake country on the Chesapeake Bay. Folks around here are serious about their crab cakes; little filler and jumbo lump crab.

The Hearts of Palm Cake was developed as a solution for our vegetarian friends not having a similar option. Essentially, it is the vegetarian crab cake! My go-to brand is always Reese® Hearts of Palm.

Hearts of Palm offer a similar texture to crab, smooth and buttery. Most, as I did, also add artichoke hearts and additional seasonings. As with any good crab cake, hearts of palm cakes are not dense, in fact they are fairly loose and fragile.

Crispy panko, mayonnaise and lightly beaten egg are just enough to bind the ingredients. A quick trip to the freezer helps solidify even more before being lightly pan fried in olive oil, spritzed with lemon and dipped in a zesty garlic aioli.

So what are hearts of palm? Many seem to associate them with artichokes, but they come from a completely different plants. Hearts of Palm come from trees, palm trees in fact, hence hearts of palm.

Known as a delicacy around the world since palm trees can’t be grown just any place, they are a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees.

Reese Hearts of Palm are low in cholesterol, rich in potassium, contain vitamin C and are non-GMO project verified, making them ideal for adding to your favorite family dishes.

Toss them into a leafy green salad, pasta salad, pasta dishes, on top of pizza, in omelets, dips and spreads, casseroles or even blend into homemade salad dressings to thicken. They are shelf stable, so you can always keep a few cans in the pantry to use in a jiffy.

They may not be harvested from the same place, but hearts of palms best friend are the artichoke. Reese Artichoke Hearts add another unique flavor profile, texture and are just as versatile as Hearts of Palm.

Pick up a few cans of both to give yourself options!

Here are some other easy vegetarian recipes:

• Butternut Squash Pizza
• Chile Relleno Monte Cristo
• Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Tools for making Hearts of Palm Cakes:

Heavy Bottom Frying Pan– this will be one of your most used kitchen tools. Having something that is heavy bottom will distribute heat better and prevent burning whether you are using an electric or gas range.

Wood cutting board – wood won’t dull your knives like plastic and if treated properly, has natural antimicrobial properties.

Good knife – Global is my favorite! They are worth the price, I promise. I am kind of obsessed with them and store them tucked away so no one else can use them. Including hubby. Hands off my good stuff!

5 from 7 votes

Print

Hearts of Palm Cakes

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Hearts of Palm Cakes are crunchy cakes made with hearts of palm, artichokes, garlic and panko served with a zesty garlic aioli.

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hearts of palm recipes, vegetarian crab cakes

Servings: 8 cakes

Calories: 225 kcal

Author: Jessica Formicola

Ingredients

For the cakes:

• 14 oz Reese Hearts of Palm drained, dried and chopped
• 14 oz Reese Artichoke Hearts drained, dried and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons Italian parsley minced
• 2 tablespoon dried onions
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• light extra virgin olive oil for frying

For the Panko Crust:

• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

For serving (optional):

• Garlic Aioli
• Lemon wedges
• Fresh bean sprouts

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for hearts of palm cakes, mixing well.

2. In a shallow dish or pie plate, mix together ingredients for panko crust: panko bread crumbs, sea salt and ground black pepper.

3. Divide hearts of palm cake mix into eighths, form into patties. Patties will be loose.

4. Place in panko crust mix and pat on both sides. Transfer to a large plate or baking sheet. Repeat with all.

5. Freeze cakes for 20-30 minutes.

6. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

7. Working in two batches, fry cakes in olive oil for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.

8. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

9. Serve immediately with garlic aioli and lemon wedges.

10. If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was! 

Recipe Notes

Notes: Using dried onions is important in this recipe because they help soak up some of the moisture from the cakes. If you were to use fresh, they would add moisture, making them even more challenging to keep together.

Nutrition Facts

Hearts of Palm Cakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 225 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11g 17%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 23mg 8%

Sodium 642mg 27%

Potassium 949mg 27%

Total Carbohydrates 26g 9%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 10g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 11.2%

Vitamin C 18.9%

Calcium 5.1%

Iron 10.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Try Reese Hearts of Palm and Artichoke Hearts! Download the Ibotta app to earn rebates on Reese products. Visit bit.ly/ReeseIbotta now!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reese® Hearts of Palm.