Vegan Carrot Lox – the delicious vegan alternative to lox made with carrots! A trendy recipe to make vegan smoked salmon!
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You are going to love this vegan carrot lox recipe! It’s such a delicious alternative to lox, very easy to make, and healthy too! Tasting smoky, fishy, and even the color matches the original.
I am sure some do not understand why we need to have a vegan alternative to almost every product, but let’s just celebrate that there is an easy way not to miss lox when following a vegan diet. Yay! 🙌
Carrots are healthy, contain essential vitamins, and can be sliced into long pieces, which is perfect for imitating lox. But the more important part is actually the marinade, which is responsible for its fishy and smoky taste.
Nori, the sheets you know from sushi, is a seaweed with a fishy flavor. You need Nori to imitate the fishy taste. Non-negotiable is also liquid smoke, giving the carrots an intense smoked flavor.
Liquid smoke is an ingredient that is quite popular in vegan recipes, such as vegan bacon or vegan spaghetti carbonara. There are different types of liquid smoke, I always go for liquid smoke hickory (the most popular one – and the only one available in Switzerland to be honest 😉).
The best way to serve vegan carrot lox is with homemade bagels, vegan cream cheese, horseradish, capers, shallots, and fresh dill. Undeniably delicious, and you almost won’t notice any difference to a real lox bagel!
In the blog post, you will find very detailed information, inclusive step-by-step pictures to make this vegan lox recipe perfect the first time. Feel free to read through or skip right to the recipe card at the end of the post if you are in a hurry and don’t need extra information!
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
- Carrots → Main ingredient!
- Nori Sheet → For the fishy taste!
- Liquid Smoke → For the smoky flavor! Use this liquid smoke hickory!
- Other marinade ingredients such as olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brine from capers, and lemon juice!
Instructions
This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner!
- Wash and peel carrots, then slice carrots lengthwise into thin strips using a vegetable peeler.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Stir in sea salt and add carrots. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat until carrots are slightly soft but still have a bite. Drain over a colander and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix all ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
- Add slightly warm carrots to the bowl with the marinade and toss gently.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to overnight. The longer it’s marinated, the more flavorful it will be.
Hint: I recommend refrigerating the carrots in an airtight container. Turn the container from time to time to make sure the marinade is evenly distributed.
Substitutions
Essential ingredients for vegan lox can’t be substituted, unfortunately. But here are some substitutions for less important ingredients.
- Lemon Juice – instead of lemon juice, you can use lime juice.
- Olive oil – substitute with vegetable oil.
- Rice Vinegar– use apple cider vinegar instead.
- Gluten-Free – substitute soy sauce with tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).
- Brine from capers – can’t be replaced but omitted. It’s not essential for the taste.
Storage
Store carrot lox in an airtight container in the fridge. Good for up to one week. The flavor will become even more intense over time. Can be served right out of the refrigerator.
I don’t recommend freezing vegan lox!
