Vegan Carrot Lox - Best Brunch Recipe - Crowded Kitchen (2024)

Published: Dec 26, 2019 · Modified: Aug 12, 2020 by Lexi

Homemade vegan carrot lox is a show-stopper. This dish is just as smoky and flavorful as the real thing. Get ready to surprise your friends at your next weekend brunch!

This completely vegan carrot lox has all of the delicious umami, salty, briny flavor of smoked salmon, without the seafood!

We love serving it with bagels and all of the fixings; cream cheese (vegan), pickled onion, fresh veg, dill, capers and lemon. Such a fun brunch for the holidays or any entertaining occasion!

Ingredients

There are only a few simple ingredients in this recipe. And no fancy equipment. All you'll need is a vegetable peeler, an 8x8 inch baking dish and your oven.

The first step is to peel your carrots down into thin ribbons that resemble thin pieces of lox. You can do this easily with a regular vegetable peeler.

Or, you can use a handy mandolin to get super paper-thin strips. Both tools work equally well. Just be sure to use a hand protector if you're using a mandolin. Safety first!

Make the brine

Next, add the flavorings to your thin carrot ribbons. Here's how we build the smoked salmon flavor in this vegan lox recipe:

• Soy sauce is the secret to subtle, umami saltiness. It's not overpowering in this recipe at all. If you're gluten free, opt for tamari.
• Maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness. It also helps to coat the carrot ribbons like a glaze.
• Rice vinegar bring some acid to this vegan lox dressing. No recipe is complete without a hit of acid!
• Liquid smoke is the ultimate secret ingredient. A little goes a long way, so be sure to measure this one out. You can find liquid smoke at many grocery stores and online.

Slow roast the carrots

Once you've coated your slippery carrot ribbons well, put them in a small baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. This will ensure that the carrot lox get nice and soft, rather than crispy.

Roast them for 20 minutes, which should be plenty of time for the carrots to soften up. Then, drop the oven temp to 350°F and remove the tin foil cover.

Stick the baking dish back in the oven for another 10 minutes. This will help dry out some of the excess sauce in the baking dish. The carrots may get a tiny bit crispy on the edges, so if you want to avoid crispiness altogether, you can skip this step.

Dress the carrot lox & serve

Finally, dress your carrot lox with plenty of fresh dill. You'll have a beautiful orange and green dish to offer your brunch guests!

We love to spread a toasted bagel with a generous amount of vegan cream cheese. Then, add a sprinkle of briny capers, sliced tomatoes, vegan lox, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

If you have a few extra minutes, whip up a batch of homemade quick pickled onions for an extra pop of color and flavor.

This easy vegan recipe also makes an impressive (read: looks fancier than it is) topping for a crostini appetizer. Or, make cute vegan tea sandwiches with thin pieces of bread and vegan cream cheese.

More vegan brunch favorites

You can't ever have too many brunch recipes. Here are a few more favorites in the Crowded Kitchen.

• Vegan Frittata
• High Protein Vegan Breakfast Bowl
• Vegan Tofu Shakshuka
• Spicy Breakfast Potato Tacos

Have another delightful way to serve vegan carrot lox? Show us your creations by tagging us on Instagram @crowded_kitchen!

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