Simple vegan salmon made out of carrots.
This faux lox aka vegan smoked salmon is a surprisingly realistic vegan recipe. It’s savory, salty, smokey and the texture is on point. It could fool any meat eater, I mean fish eater. You can eat this faux salmon on toast, bagel or crackers, use for salads, soups, pasta and rice dishes, or just have as a healthy and light snack. It’s the perfect recipe if you don’t want to eat fish but miss its taste. Plus it’s also budget-friendly and ridiculously easy to make.
I have to start with a confession/disclaimer. I have never actually eaten smoked salmon in my life, or at least I don’t remember. So when I say these marinated carrots taste like real lox, it’s kinda misleading. However, other, more experienced folks say this tastes salmony, so let’s just go with that. Or I could also say, that nobody has ever complained to this recipe.
In the past couple of months the vegan German Facebook groups are filled with faux salmon recipes. I am not sure where the original idea comes from, but it is an amazing idea, so all respect to the inventors. After I tried carrot hot dogs, I was sure it would be great as a fish alternative too. It may sounds weird first if you think of the hard, crunchy carrots, but once marinated and baked, they transform into something totally new. So definitely give this recipe a try, it’s goooooood!
I simply drained a cup of soy yogurt to use as a cream cheese for this recipe, but you could use a cashew based one or obviously a store-bought cream cheese. Once your carrots cool down, store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or place in oily or vinegary marinade with more fresh dill or seasoning of your choice.
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would highly appreciate if you could leave a comment and rate it. Also don’t forget to take a picture and tag it on Instagram (use the hashtag #greenevi) or post it on Facebook! I love seeing what you come up with! ♥︎
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Vegan Salmon Bagel
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 4-8 1x
Ingredients
- 7 large carrots
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 2–3 tbsp white miso
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 handful of algae (I used wakame)
- dill and chives
- 1 tbsp caper
- 1/2 red onion
- vegan cream cheese
- 4 bagels
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- Preheat over to 200°C/400ºF.
- Peel carrots, then using a vegetable peeler cut carrots into long and thin strips. Try to cut them as thin as possible.
- Add water, apple cider vinegar, miso, liquid smoke, algae and freshly ground black pepper to a blender to combine.
- Place carrot strips into a casserole dish, add marinade, and stir so that everything is coated.
- Cover carrots with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn down heat to 100°C/210ºF and cook for about 45 more minutes.
- Baking time may vary depending on the thickness of your carrot slices. Carrots should be soft, but not mushy.
- Let carrots cool a bit, season with salt and pepper if needed, then serve over bagel with cream cheese, dill, chives, onion slices and caper. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main, Snack
- Cuisine: Vegan
You DID not!! But you did! And just so you know, Evi, I’m just jumping in my seat over how excited I am at this recipe. How cool is this? You straight up made vegan lox. WOW. Imagine me throwing roses on your recipe stage (is that a thing? It should definitely be a thing). Lol. I <3 how beautifully you peeled these carrots to resemble thinly sliced salmon. Amazing.
Super interesting idea on using drained soy yogurt for the cream cheese. Also, you've never tried lox? So funny that you made this recipe! Who cares though, it looks delicious! So thank you to you and the German Facebookers for introducing this to our lives. 🙂 Have an awesome week dear! 🙂
Thank you, Demeter <3
I don't know, lox always seemed weird for me. My mom and sister always ate it when I was small, and I just couldn't bare the smell 😀
But it was definitely on my list, especially coz my boyfriend used to love lox too.
And the drained soy yogurt is really so great, you have to try it! It's also a childhood recipe/idea, my mom made it all the time (with dairy yogurt). Vegan cream cheese is kinda expensive here, so I use this instead all the time!
Of course, Evi! <3
Oh, smell is a BIG one. Definitely. I think smell is such a huge component to enjoyment of food–it's probably why I primarily make sweets. Haha.
Your boyfriend is lucky! It's good though, right? Cooking/recipe-developing for our loved ones makes us try out things we wouldn't normally do. 🙂
Okay, I'm gonna put the drained soy yogurt on my list of things to try next. Such a good idea. Thanks for sharing, Evi! xoxo
Definitely! I wish I could bake, because there is nothing better than the smell of baked goods (Erik is so lucky)!
Wahhhh so good!!! Carrot creations!!! And…..I totally have another tab open with the same recipe…..is it carrot lox day????
Yes!!! I know! It’s everywhere! I am really not into lox, but I just couldn’t avoid making it anymore, coz it was all I saw 😀
OMG this sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What can I use instead of liquid smoke and white miso? I dont have them.
Hi Kim,
Sorry for the late answer, I missed your comment somehow.
You could use simply salt, soy sauce or tamari instead of the miso.
The liquid smoke is a more different question. If you fully omit it, you won’t get the smoked flavour, which is kind of key to the recipe….however, you could try using smoked sea salt, but I’m not sure if it’s going to be the same.
Let me know if you try the recipe 🙂
this is such a cool idea!! i’m still half/half on how much i like smoked salmon, so this is a perfect alternative
Thank you, Beverley 🙂
I love this recipe! I’m not gonna lie, I love smoked salmon… but I don’t love how salty it is (always makes me so thirsty). And I LOVE carrots even more so this is perfect for me! Thanks for the recipe pretty lady!
xoxo Cailee!
Thank you, Cailee 🙂
Let me know, if you try this recipe!
Making salmon bagel is an amazing idea. Love how stunning and vibrant these bagels look, Evi. Carrots are just so good. Beautiful share! 🙂
Thanks, Anu 🙂
um, this is a cool idea! It looks so deceptively like smoked salmon and I reckon it would taste amaaazing. there really isn’t much that vegans have to miss out on, when you think a little creatively! hope you have a super weekend xx
Thank you, Hannah 🙂
Have a great week too!!
These carrots look decieving – I didn’t recognize the actual carrots at first:) Great idea not only for people don’t eat fish. And with cream cheese (or even better cashew cream) – yes please!
Thank you, Ben!
I am happy you didn’t recognize the carrots first 😀
Evi, your food and photography are so enticing, I always feel like running into the kitchen and cook what you post. Funny but I bough thicker than usual carrots the other day with the intention of cutting them with one of the “gadgets” and making something other than the usual. This would be the perfect recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Dina!
I wish I could find those extra thick carrots too, they would look so pretty for this lox 🙂
Evi – what an absolutely beautiful idea! Also, your photography is stunning!
Thank you so much <3
Hey Evi! Wow these are just so stunning you’re such an artisan I love it!! 🙂
Thank you, Amy <3 <3 <3
do you use dry wakame or fresh? not sure that the quantity is the same for either
Hi Michele,
I used here dry wakame, but I have also tried the recipe before with dry nori and a fresh store-bought wakame salad.
They all tasted a bit different at the end, but in general fishy and salmon-y, so I guess you could use whatever you have on hand.
I am personally not really into the fishy/algae taste, so I only used a handful, but feel free to use more of it for a more realistic salmon taste 🙂
Let me know if you make the recipe!
planning to make it this week, and if it flies, then to serve to company next week. thank you for your creative and beautiful ideas!
I really hope you will like it 🙂
just wanted to let you know that this was very delicious
i really miss lox
but this recipe satisfied my cravins
used in a spinach and hard egg salad
thanks for the recipe
Hi Jess,
I am so happy you liked the recipe 🙂
What a great idea to use it in a spinach salad!
Have a great day!
That is what I hate about vegans. You put carrots on a fucking bagel and then call it salmon. No, it’s just carrot bagel. And it annoys me like hell
I’m so sorry I annoyed you 😀
This is such a silly question but what kind of peeler do you use?!!?
I’ve got mine from my mom many years ago, but it’s just a basic, handheld version. It should be this one, I’m not sure what’s the brand 😉
I made this for our New Year’s Day celebration. I used a crumbled nori sheet in place of algae but otherwise followed recipe. It was a big hit! Served it with crackers and kite hill cream cheese with chives. Yum! Not much to recommend it on its own but served with cream cheese and crackers was fab!!
Hi Roni, I’m so happy you liked the recipe!
Crackers and cream cheese sounds like a great combo 😉
Fab! Best one I made yet
I’m so happy to hear that 🙂