Vegan smoked salmon, made with natural ingredients. It's low in fat and the texture is on point. We served it on crackers with vegan cream cheese.
When you live in a Mediterranean country, you eat fish all the time, so when I went vegan, I craved fish more than meat. I was obsessed with smoked salmon, especially served with cream cheese and bread and as we haven't shared any fake fish recipe on the blog before, here it is our first one.
This vegan smoked salmon is to die for, tastes so good and is pretty similar to the real one. Besides, it's so healthy and made with easy-to-get ingredients. Our version is low in fat, but if you add some extra virgin olive oil on top just before serving it will taste even better.
Being vegan is pretty easy because you can make a plant-based version of any recipe you like and enjoy your favorite foods in a healthier and more conscious way during the Holidays and all year long.
Vegan smoked salmon is perfect for salads, sushi, sandwiches (especially with vegan cream cheese) or for any recipe that calls for real salmon. Hope you try it, you're going to love it!
Looking for more plant-based alternatives to seafood dishes? Try my Vegan Ceviche, Vegan Calamari, and Vegan Tuna for a delicious ocean-inspired meal with a unique twist!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Smoked Salmon
Ingredients
- 3 carrots, ½ pound or 225 g
- 2 nori sheets, chopped
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.
- Wash the carrots, add some salt to taste, place them onto a lined baking tray and bake for 40 minutes. You don't have to peel them.
- In the meantime, you can make the marinade. Just add the nori, water, tamari, syrup, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder and pepper and blend until smooth.
- When the carrots are ready, remove from the oven, let them cool a little bit and slice them into strips with a knife, peeler or a mandoline.
- Transfer the carrot strips into a sealed container and massage with some salt to taste.
- Cover with the marinade and leave for at least 24 hours in the fridge.
- We spread some vegan cream cheese onto crakers and topped them with the vegan smoked salmon, dried dill and chopped red onion.
- Keep the vegan salmon in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Nori can be replaced for any other seaweed or just omit it if you want, although the vegan salmon won't have a fishy flavor.
- Use any sweetener or vinegar (or even lemon juice) you have on hand.
- To make the salmon tastes even better, top with some extra virgin olive oil before serving.
Mommy Wolfe says
I made this recipe and tried it with a group of meat-eaters, and they said that they preferred this recipe over actual salmon! Mind blowing and so healthy and inexpensive!
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 So glad even meat-eaters liked the recipe!
Julie says
Hi, I want to make this as a substitute for smoked salmon in a potato and celeriac dauphinoise, should I still bake them before or can they be marinated and baked along with the other ingredients?
Iosune Robles says
Hi Julie! I think it is better to bake them before 🙂
Sara Lee Naddaf says
I'm planing on making this recipe this Christmas but I wanted to ask first if I peel and slice the carrots before baking should, I still bake them for 40 minutes?
Iosune Robles says
Hi! You don't have to peel them!
Aurelie McBrearty says
Hi! I am trying this recipe next week for a potluck dinner with some vegan and non vegan friends. I was wondering how long do you cook the carrots? do they have to still be crunchy or tender?
Thank you!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Aurelie! You have to bake them for 40 minutes 🙂 Lender better!
Mello says
I am going to try and make this on the weekend. I am scouring the internet to see if slicing the carrots into thin strips before will still work out. I am also wondering if a few drops of liquid smoke would give this dish a bit more of a smokey flavor.
I should actually write this comment after making the recipe but I am hoping someone will read my comment and let me know if they’ve tried slicing or adding liquid smoke and give me suggestions.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! I haven't tried to slice the carrots before baking them, but I think it could work 🙂 Also, feel free to add some liquid smoke!
Reese says
If I have wakame flakes instead of nori sheets, how much should I use? Thank you.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Don't know the exact amount, sorry! I would say about 2 tbsp 🙂
Izzy says
I made this for Christmas nibbles served on baguette slices, cream cheese, chives and dill... I have been vegetarian for over 15 years and th craving for smoked salmon never left... Today, I was DELIGHTED by these. Made 3 days ago for ultimate seaweedy/fishy flavour. This will remain a staple forever. Thank you so much!
Iosune Robles says
Hi! I'm so glad you liked it ☺️
Emily says
Hello 🙂 I'm just about to make this and am wondering if the nori sheets you use are full size? The ones I've bought are half cut sheets so I might need 4 but I've never cooked with nori before so don't want to get it wrong! Thanks!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Emily! Yes, we use full-size nori sheets 🙂
Maryanne says
Hi, that looks so good and i cant wait to try it, but quick question, can you freeze it?
Iosune Robles says
Hi! I haven't tried it myself but feel free to freeze it 🙂
Amina says
Hi I made this recipe and it was delicious but I have some marinade left over and I feel it would be a waste to pour it down the drain any suggestions on how to use it
Kristina Block says
Maybe in a stir fry?
Avital says
I can't believe how good this recipe is!!!! turned out really really well.
Next time I'll peel the carrots before baking because I had some hard time slicing them with the peel on. Other than that- this is a recipe to keep.
Thanks for sharing it!
Iosune says
Hi Avital! So glad you liked it 🙂
Morgan says
Hi there, thanks for this recipe! We tried it three days ago and we're still letting it marinate... I do think the flavor is quite good but I was thinking it'd be stronger. I still very much taste the sweet carrot flavor - is this to be expected? I was wondering if I should up the marinade ingredients and/or salt next time, or try to get the carrots thinner... any suggestions would be super helpful as I'm planning on serving this at a brunch for my baby's first birthday coming up! 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Morgan! You're so welcome 🙂 I would get the carrots thinner, or add more tamari or soy sauce and maybe less water. Hope it works!
Mia says
I was a huge fan of smoked salmon in my former life so was excited to see this and try your recipe out. Oh my......adding extra fresh squeezed lemon to the marinade the night before AND as usual with black pepper just before eating, with cashew cream 'cheese'..... Heavenly! (And I feel virtuous - the secret ingredient!) Thank you so much. Veganism has changed A LOT since I last ventured into it and it's recipes like this that prove it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Iosune says
Hi Mia! You're so welcome 🙂 I'm so happy for you!
Leena Barnard says
This recipe worked perfectly. I adapted it by only using one nori sheet and I used soy sauce and maple syrup. Thank you.
Iosune says
Hi Leena! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Nicholas Trew says
I made this for my vegan partner for our Christmas breakfast. She's allergic to garlic so that was omitted but we both loved this recipe. It's going into our personal recipe book. Great texture, great flavour and best of all its carrot so you can make a lot for super cheap. It's less oily than real salmon and has a great balance of sweetness and salty.
Iosune says
Hi Nicholas! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Lucia says
I love when I find addictive healthy recipes. This one is definitely one of them! I made it for Christmas table, as some of my friends are vegan, and everyone loved it. I added more of everything, and some dill. I will surely make it more often.
Iosune says
Hi Lucia! So glad you guys loved it 🙂 Have a nice day!
Dana says
Oh my gosh! This was wonderful! Instead of the oven, I actually put it in our veggie smoker with some hickory chips. Sooooo goood! Thx for sharing your creative cooking!
Iosune says
Hi Dana! Thank you for making the recipe 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Hero Takahashi says
BtwI wish I Can have a taste those are recipe salmon.... I want feel it how taste thsn mine...
Iosune says
Hi Hero! It tastes really similar to salmon 🙂
Hero Takahashi says
Yes. It was giod recipe and so helpful for me... I been tring to make three times and its still learning and not easy for me...
It's even I am chef......
Iosune says
Hi Hero! If you follow all the steps and use the same ingredients is really easy 🙂
Caroline says
Hello Iosune and Alberto! My carots are now sitting in their marinade and I look foward to trying them out tomorrow. I have a question about the carot strips: What consistency should they ideally have? Mine were still kind of firm and I hope not too firm.
Iosune says
Hi Caroline! They should be not too soft, but not too firm, something in between, but it's up to you!
Kristi says
Hi! This looks beautiful! I just have a few questions. First, what is the function of the syrup? Carrots are already quite sweet for me, so flavour-wise, I feel like the syrup is unnecessary. Is it more to add grippiness to the sauce?
Also, has anyone experimented with cutting the carrots first? I feel like a spiralizer or mandoline would handle a raw carrot more handily than a cooked one. Any insight?
Thanks!
🙂
Iosune says
Hi Kristi! I think the vegan smoked salmon tastes better if you add syrup, but it's up to you. Have a nice day!
Ramona says
Can't wait to try this!!!!!
Iosune says
Hi Ramona! Hope you like it 🙂
ilaria montaguti says
I made this yesterday and it was the most mind-blowing vegan alternative I have had this year! I love your blog and your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing!
Iosune says
Hi Ilaria! You're so welcome 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it so much!
Freya says
How incredibly inventive! You're right, being vegan is actually pretty easy - there's a recipe/alternative out there for basically everything these days!!
Iosune says
Hi Freya! Thanks a lot 🙂 Have a nice day!
Milen Moodie says
Hello, Iosune!
Thank you for the perfect recipe!
This looks so yummy and delicious! I'm definitely going to give it a try!
Milen
Iosune says
Hi Milen! You're so welcome 🙂 Hope you like it!