Salt roasted carrot lox (vegan smoked salmon)

Brightly colored lox is a staple at Sunday brunch. Served open-faced on bagels, it’s awash with color.

Now obviously, salmon isn’t vegan.

But that doesn’t mean that vegans have to go without salty, smoky, and briny flavors.

Carrots do a bang-up job of being a homemade, plant-based version of smoked salmon.

By roasting whole carrots with salt, peeling it into long ribbons, and soaking it in a flavorful marinade, you can have a bagel topping that is sure to delight your brunch guests.

In this post:

This carrot lox recipe comes from the brand new cookbook, The Herbivorous Butcher Cookbook by Aubry & Kale Walch.

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of The Herbivorous Butcher. It’s a Minneapolis-based business that makes artisan vegan meats and cheeses. 

Whenever I’m in the Twin Cities, I stock up on their seitan pepperoni, pastrami, jackfruit shredded chicken, and whatever other vegan goodies are calling to me. 

But now it’s even easier to get their products close to home by way of their hardcover cookbook. Their renowned vegan meats are just as far away as my own kitchen.

This beautiful cookbook includes over 75 recipes. 

Some recipes show how to make your own plant-based meats. While others offer creative ways to use homemade or store-bought vegan meats for complete meals.

I’m especially excited to try the recipes for vegan pork chops, pepperoni, bratwurst, and fish sticks.

Plus, the cookbook includes their vegan fried chicken recipe!

Whenever I get the opportunity, I love getting it at their fast food restaurant, Herbie Butcher’s Fried Chicken. I can’t wait to make it for myself at home!

Carrots: Choose whole large carrots. The bigger the better. Baby carrots won’t work here. 

Olive oil: Olive oil gets double duty as cooking oil for the carrots (so that salt will cling to them). Plus, it’s part of the marinade. 

If you don’t have olive oil, any neutral flavored oil will work here.

Coarse sea salt: Chunky, kosher-style salt is used to coat the carrots before roasting.

Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar has a mild flavor that adds tang to the marinade.

Look for it in the center aisles of the grocery store. You can find it by other vinegars, or near the soy sauces.

Lemon juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds acid.

Smoked paprika: Instead of using liquid smoke like some recipes, smoked paprika gives this vegan lox its signature smokiness. 

Don’t replace with sweet or hot paprika.

Kelp granules: These seaweed flakes make the carrots taste fishy.

Look for it near the sushi ingredients in the center aisles of the grocery store. They usually come in a shaker.

White miso paste: White miso paste adds salt and umami. It’s a fermented soybean paste that is sold in tubs in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. 

Granulated garlic: A little granulated garlic adds a bit of bite.

Bagels: Obviously, you’ll need a vessel to hold the bright orange carrot lox. Everything Bagels are especially nice here.

To keep this dish vegan, be sure to read the ingredients & make sure the bagels weren’t finished with an egg wash.

To make this dish gluten free, use gluten-free bagels.

Fresh dill: A smattering of fresh dill brightens this dish both figuratively and literally.

Vegan cream cheese: There are so many vegan cream cheeses on the market. Miyoko’s scallion cream cheese or Kite Hill chive flavored are terrific options.

Or go classic with plain non-dairy cream cheese.

Capers: Sprinkle on a few capers for even more briny flavor.

You can find them in jars in the center aisles of the grocery store. They’re often by the artichoke hearts.

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

1. Put washed and unpeeled carrots in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

2. Drizzle with olive oil, and coat with coarse sea salt. Roast for 45 minutes at 450 degrees.

3. Once the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork, remove and cool for a few minutes. Rub off as much salt as you can from the carrots.

4. Place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

5. Cut off the salty skin of the carrot with a paring knife (or you may even be able to use your fingers). 

6. Then use a sharp vegetable peeler to cut the carrots into long strips following the length of each carrot. 

7. Toss in a marinade made with:

• Olive oil
• Vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Smoked paprika
• Kelp granules
• White miso paste
• Granulated garlic

8. Let the carrot ribbons marinate in the bowl for up to 4 hours. Then drain, if necessary. 

(Depending on the size of your carrots, there might not be much or any marinade to pour off.)

Since the roasted carrots are very tender, a sharp peeler is a must.

A dull blade isn’t going to give you smooth edges, which completes the look.

When peeling the carrots, I found it was the easiest to just remove the rough skin on the front of the carrot. 

Then keep peeling in the same spot again and again until you’ve reached the back.

Smoky, salty carrot lox fits right in on a toasted bagel.

Add a schmear of vegan cream cheese, fresh dill, and a smattering of capers.

Thin slices of red onion and some cracked black pepper would not go amiss!

You could also finish it out with thinly sliced tomato, cucumber, and/or arugula.

This full-flavored bagel is filling enough to be a meal on its own. 

Or you can serve it alongside any of these breakfast dishes:

• Air fryer breakfast potatoes
• Chickpea scramble
• Tofu scramble 
• Vegan Bloody Mary (for maximum brunch vibes!)

Carrot lox will keep in a covered container in the fridge for about 4 days. 

If it seems dried out, add a light drizzling of olive oil & stir before serving.

Vegan lox is ideal for making ahead of time.

Add it to your meal prep on Sunday for quick morning meals throughout the week. Or make it in preparation for a brunch get-together.

Because of its tender texture, I do not recommend freezing it.

Looking for more plant-based takes on fishy flavors? 

Check out these vegan seafood recipes:

• Vegan caviar
• Vegan fish tacos
• Vegan fried shrimp
• Vegan crab cakes
• Vegan tuna salad
• Vegan crab rangoon
• Vegan ceviche