How To Create A Lox And Bagel Brunch Board

You’ll be the hostess with the mostest when you learn How To Create A Lox And Bagel Brunch Board! Serve this creative and flexible breakfast with lox, bagels, herbed cream cheese, and fresh toppings when you want to impress guests or celebrate special occasions.

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Certain celebrations call for light, fresh, and comforting flavors. We can’t always rely on a charcuterie board!

That’s why I love this fresh and colorful lox and bagel board. Loaded with vegetables, cold-smoked salmon, cream cheese, and soft bagels, it’s the perfect meal or snack for morning celebrations, holidays, or when you’re hosting Sunday brunch. The best thing about this recipe is that there are no real rules, and it can be made for groups of all sizes!

This helpful guide will teach you all you need to know before creating your own bagel brunch with lox and cream cheese. Make sure to include a light and sparkly cocktail on the side, like my Citrus Rosemary Spritz or Pomegranate Tangerine Bellini to compliment the fun flavors. It’ll be a brunch your guests will never forget!

When to serve a bagel brunch board

You can serve this bagel board for a fancy brunch for the family or on special occasions. The fresh flavors are best first thing in the morning or early afternoon. It’s an out of the box option you can bring to baby showers, wedding showers, birthday parties, family get-togethers, for Mother’s Day, Christmas Day, or Easter.

What is lox?

Lox is taken from the belly of salmon and then cured in a salty brine or rub. It’s fatty, salty, and has a very strong flavor. Nova is a type of lox that’s been cured and then cold-smoked and is more common to find these days.

You can buy lox from seafood markets, but if you can’t find it, replace it with cold-smoked salmon.

What goes on a bagel and lox breakfast board?

This breakfast charcuterie board has all of your brunch favorites. You can include everything on the recipe card or add in any extras that you love:

The bagels

Give your guests some variety and serve different flavors, like everything, poppy seed, whole wheat, and onion bagels. The fresher, the better, so make sure you buy or make the bagels 1 or 2 days before serving the board.

I would recommend serving Montreal-style bagels rather than the New York-style because they’re thicker and have more room when you’re adding all of your toppings.

The lox

Buy your lox the day ahead of serving this board from a deli or seafood market. Fresh is best! If you can’t find lox, replace it with cold-smoked salmon instead.

The schmear

Bagels, lox, and cream cheese go hand in hand. Feel free to serve plain cream cheese and herbed cream cheese if you like variety. All you need to do is mix in fresh dill and chives into the plain cream cheese.

If you prefer bagels without cream cheese, you can serve soft cheese, tzatziki, hummus, or a seafood salad instead. For guests who prefer the sweeter things, include a batch of my berry compound butter.

The toppings

With your cream cheese and lox as a base, now you need an array of fresh toppings on your bagel. You can use anything you like, but these are some of the most complimentary options you could include along with herbed cream cheese and salmon:

• Lena’s Kitchen Pickled onions
• Ribboned cucumbers (use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons)
• Radishes
• Tomato slices
• Avocado slices or rosettes (click to learn how to make an avocado rose)
• Hard-boiled eggs or sunnyside eggs, optional
• Charcuterie meats (like salami, pepperoni, or prosciutto) for non fish lovers
• Capers
• Green olives
• Fresh dill and chives
• Microgreens or sprouts

How to assemble a bagel board

Grab your serving tray, wood board, a large plate, or a marble slab. Place some wax or parchment paper down so the smell from lox doesn’t absorb into the board. I prefer to keep the lox in the center of the board and surround it with fresh veggies and toppings. 

Pre-slice the bagels so they’re ready to be enjoyed. You can place them right on the board with everything else, or serve them in a basket on the side. Feel free to even place a toaster near the serving area in case your guests prefer their bagels toasted.

Place the herbed cream cheese, capers, pickled onions, and any other similar toppings in small bowls with utensils so everything is easy to access. Keep some extra utensils, plates, and napkins on the side for guests. 

Right before serving your bagel board, sprinkle the vegetables with flaky sea salt and Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, then fill in space on the board with garnishes of lemon slices, fresh herbs, or edible flowers. 

Tips and tricks

These helpful tips will help you create and serve the best bagel brunch:

How much should I serve?

This recipe is easy to customize based on how many people you’ll be serving. Keep the following amounts in mind when you’re out shopping:

• For the lox, plan to serve 2 to 3 ounces per bagel.
• For the cream cheese, serve 2 to 4 tablespoons per bagel.
• For the bagels, serve at least 1 bagel per person.

Making the bagel board ahead of time

Prepare the herbed cream cheese and place it in your serving bowl. Keep it sealed and in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the board.

Pre-slice the vegetables and assemble them onto your board up to 1 day ahead of time. If using peeled cucumber, make sure to dry it with a paper towel first. Wrap the board in plastic and keep it in your fridge until it’s time to serve. 

Place the cream cheese on the kitchen counter for around 10 or 20 minutes before serving to it has time to come down to room temperature (making it easier to spread). Lastly, right before it’s time to serve the board, add the lox, avocado, spreads, bagels, and anything in a small bowl to the board.

How to store leftovers

Everything on your tray can be wrapped in plastic or sealed in containers and stored in the fridge. Keep everything separate so the flavors aren’t compromised.

Leftover lox and cream cheese will last in your fridge for up to 8 days. A great way to use up leftovers is to make individual bagel and lox sandwiches in the mornings.

What to serve with brunch

These tasty brunch recipes would be perfect to go along with your lox and bagel board:

• Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)
• French Toast With Caramelized Bananas
• Loaded Deviled Eggs
• Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

Did this guide help you create your first Lox and Bagel Brunch Board? Don’t forget to tell me what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.