Bagels and Lox Vegan Recipe

This bagels and lox vegan recipe transforms carrots into smoky, savoury lox-style ribbons served on chewy homemade poppy seed bagels with creamy cashew spread, sliced red onion, capers, and fresh dill. Featured on VEGANnotvegan with hosts Maddie and Kiki Longo, this creative plant-based brunch delivers the familiar combination of smoky, creamy, briny, tangy, and fresh flavours in a completely vegan dish.

The Inspiration

Bagels and lox are known for their contrast of chewy bread, rich cream cheese, savoury cured filling, sharp onion, briny capers, and fresh herbs. This vegan version from VEGANnotvegan, hosted by Maddie and Kiki Longo, recreates that satisfying combination using carrots, cashews, vegan yogurt, nori, fresh herbs, and homemade bagels.

The completed vegan bagels and lox recipe combines recognizable brunch flavours with plant-based ingredients and several traditional bread-making techniques.

Ingredients

For the Smoked Carrot Lox

4 jumbo carrots, not peeled
2 cups kosher salt
8 sheets of nori
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Zest from 1 lemon
Black pepper
Wood Chips, for smoking (Mesquite, Hickkory or Apple)

For the Cashew and Aquafaba Cream Cheese

2 cups of raw cashews
1 cup of high protein vegan yogurt
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
1/3 cup of capers, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Black pepper

For the Bagels

2 1/4 cup water, lukewarm
2 tbsp agave syrup, plus 1/2 cup (divided)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
6 1/2 cups of bread flour
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup of vegetable oil, to grease baking sheet
1 cup of poppy seeds
2 tsp baking soda
Toppings (sliced red onion, dill sprigs)

Method

For the Smoked Carrot Lox

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Tear the nori sheets into small pieces.
Place them in a spice grinder and pulse to make a powder.
Mix the nori powder with the salt. Spread 1/2 cup of the salt mixture in the bottom of a baking dish. Place carrots over the top. Cover carrots with the remaining salt. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven. Let cool to room temp with the aluminum foil still on. Remove the carrots and dust off the excess salt. Delicately rinse them under cold water.
Refrigerate the carrots. Once chilled, still the carrots thinly with a sharp knife.
Place the carrot ribbons in a large sealable bag on a wire rack over a small baking sheet.
Using a smoking gun with wood chips, fill the bag with smoke and seal shut.
After 30 minutes, remove the carrot ribbons from the bag.
In a small bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, paprika and pepper.
Brush the carrot ribbons with the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.

For the Cashew and Aquafaba Cream Cheese

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with 3 cups of boiled water.
Let them soak for 30 minutes.
Strain cashews and place them in a high-powered blender with, yogurt, olive oil, salt and vinegar.
Blend until fully smooth. Add aquafaba, vinegar and salt.
Transfer contents of the blender to a bowl.
Mix in capers, chives, lemon juice and black pepper.
Adjust seasoning with salt.

For the Bagels

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush with oil.
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of water with 2 tbsp of agave syrup and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast starts to foam.
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt and make a well in the center.
Pour in the yeast mixture and the remaining water.
Using a fork, bring the dough together slowly.
Once you have a shaggy dough, start kneading with your hand. Knead for 12-15 minutes, adding a little bit of flour or water to adjust the consistency if needed.
Shape into a ball, place in a bowl, dust with flour and cover with a damp towel.
Let it rise at room temp for 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and transfer to a work surface.
Cut into 12 equal pieces. With the palm of your hand and your fingertips, roll each piece into an 8 inch rope.
Wrap the ropes into circles and pinch ends together firmly.
Work each piece until they are even in size.
Place the circular doughs on the baking sheet.
Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel.
Refrigerate for 6 hours. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil with remaining agave syrup and baking soda.
Peel bagels off the parchment paper one at a time, and add to the boiling water.
Work in small batches, do not overcrowd the pot.
Boil for 1 minute and remove from the pot.
Dip the top side of the bagel in the poppy seeds.
Return the bagels to the baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest to room temp.
Slice the bagels open. Spread the Cream Cheese over the bottom part.
Top with Carrot Lox. Garnish with sliced red onion and dill. Add the top part of your bagel and enjoy.

Serving Suggestions

These vegan bagels and lox are perfect for weekend brunch, a special breakfast, holiday entertaining, or a plant-based brunch spread. Serve the homemade bagels with generous bowls of cashew cream cheese, smoky carrot lox, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh dill so guests can assemble their own.

The rich cashew spread balances the smoky and savoury carrots, while capers contribute briny flavour and red onion adds a sharp, fresh bite. Fresh dill completes the classic bagel-and-lox presentation and brings an herbal finish to every bite.

Since the recipe produces 12 bagels while the stated yield is four servings, extra bagels can be served on the side or saved for another meal.

Final Thoughts

This vegan bagels and lox recipe shows how thoughtful plant-based cooking can recreate the experience of a familiar brunch favourite while giving vegetables, nuts, seaweed, and homemade bread their own starring roles.

Find more recipes from VEGANnotvegan here!