Recipe

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Baked in the oven, these healthy salmon patties are flavorful and high in protein. A delicious alternative to crab cakes.

These healthy salmon patties are baked, not fried, and made with flavorful ingredients. It's a simple seafood recipe your family will love!

three salmon patties with lettuce, sauce and lime slices around

Gluten-Free Potato Salmon Patties

When I made this recipe for the first time, I told my family we had salmon cakes for dinner. When we sat down to eat, they still did not believe it was salmon. My daughter said, “Mom, you mean crab cakes!” because apparently, “they don’t taste fishy at all!”.

These healthy salmon patties are made with mashed sweet potato instead of breadcrumbs for a paleo and gluten-free option that’s tasty and better for you.

Ingredients

To make this recipe, I use canned salmon (boneless, skinless is better). If you have leftover cooked salmon, use it. Mashed sweet potato helps bind the ingredients and gives the patties a soft center, like crab cakes, without a ton of butter or gluten. You’ll also need onion, fresh cilantro, eggs, Creole seasoning, and my homemade chipotle sauce (made with mayo, lime juice, adobo sauce, and spices).

How to Make Healthy Salmon Patties

Here are the steps to make these salmon patties, and you’ll also find a video below:

Cook the sweet potatoes.
Before making the patties, cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave, oven, or slow cooker (I prefer baking since it adds great flavor and the potato gets super tender) so that the sweet potato is soft enough to mash with a fork.
Prepare the sauce.
Whisk mayo with chipotle pepper salsa, lime juice, garlic powder, and salt until smooth.
Make the salmon patties.
Combine the salmon, chopped onion, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the mashed sweet potato and gently mash to combine. Finally, add the egg, chipotle mayo sauce, and seasonings to the mixture.
Scoop into the muffin pan.
The muffin pan helps them hold their shape and saves you time since you don’t need to shape each patty.
Bake for 16 minutes.
Or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Allow them to cool down for 5 minutes before serving.

Prep-ahead tip: prepare the mixture the night before you plan to cook. Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap.

How to Keep Salmon Patties from Falling Apart

You can get salmon cakes to stick together using a mayo-based sauce like the chipotle sauce in this recipe. It helps the salmon mixture stay cohesive while cooking and adds incredible flavor. Cooking the patties in a muffin pan also helps. It’s lighter than frying, and they’ll bake evenly.

How to Serve Salmon Patties with Chipotle Sauce

Serve these healthy salmon patties over a bed of salad greens topped with the chipotle mayo, or try tasty side dishes like roasted sweet potato cubes, roasted fingerling potatoes, carrot fries, or Southwest quinoa salad.

Easy Salmon Patties (Paleo & Gluten-Free)

salmon cakes on a plate with lettuce and sauce

Servings: 4 servings (3 salmon cakes with 1 tablespoon sauce)

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 16

Baked in the oven, these healthy salmon patties are flavorful and high in protein. A delicious alternative to crab cakes.

5 from 128 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

For the chipotle mayo:

⅔ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chipotle pepper salsa
2 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt

For the salmon patties:

14- ounce can salmon*, drained or 3 5-6 ounce cans
½ small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed
2 large eggs
⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, or your favorite

Instructions

Make the chipotle mayo:

In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate to chill and store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Prep the salmon patties:

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 12-muffin pan with oil or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the salmon, onions, and cilantro. Add the mashed sweet potato and stir to combine.
Add the eggs, chipotle mayo and creole seasoning. Using a large fork or your hands, mix the ingredients until the salmon is thoroughly combined with the sweet potato.
Fill each greased muffin cup with 2 tablespoons of the salmon sweet potato mixture. Press down with the back of a spoon.

Bake:

Bake the salmon patties for 16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Allow the patties to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan.
Serve the salmon patties with the chipotle mayo.

Notes

You can make this sauce for salmon patties lighter and use ½ cup plain Greek yogurt and ¼ cup mayonnaise.
If you have leftover cooked salmon from a previous meal, you can use it. You will need about 2 cups of finely flaked or chopped salmon, about 8 ounces.
Nutrition information is calculated without the chipotle mayo.