Want some great nutritional yeast recipes? If you have ever wondered what nutritional yeast (aka nooch) is or how to use it, this post is for you. It includes everything you ever wanted to know about this golden powder, plus over 30 nutritional yeast recipes that you'll love!
Nutritional yeast is a yellow flaky powder with a cheesy flavor. Also referred to as nooch, this stuff is like magic in vegan cooking. Nutritional yeast is the only vegan ingredient that tastes cheesy. It also has an umami flavor that will give your meals a richer depth of flavor! Not only is it delicious, but it's packed with protein and vitamins too!
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❤️ Why use nutritional yeast
Nutritional yeast has a cheesy and slightly nutty flavor that's delicious on popcorn, pasta, rice, bread, and more. Use it in savory dishes to give your meals a rich umami flavor. It's an easy way to add protein and vitamins to your meals. Most kids love the taste of it, so it's a great way to get extra nutrients in picky eaters.
🧾 How nutritional yeast is made
Nutritional yeast is made by growing yeast in a glucose solution and then heated to deactivate it. (This kills the yeast and makes it inactive, so you can't use it for baking.) Nutritional yeast is then washed, vitamins like B12 are added and it's then dried and packaged.
🥄 What is nutritional yeast used for?
Nutritional yeast is used as a cheesy flavoring in many vegan recipes, especially vegan cheese. It's also delicious sprinkled on popcorn or used in place of parmesan cheese on pasta dishes. My kids love to sprinkle it on bread or tortillas and I use it to season vegan cheese crackers for snacks.
🏪 Where to buy it?
You can buy nutritional yeast at most large grocery stores and natural food markets. You can find it in bulk in natural food stores or the natural foods section of most grocery stores. If you can't find it near you, it's easy to buy online and have it shipped to your house.
👍 Favorite brands
There is a slight difference in flavor between brands of nutritional yeast. I've found that the more yellow the color, the more flavorful the Nooch. You can find it in bulk at many coops and natural foods stores, but if it has sat out exposed to the air for too long, it will lose some of its flavor. I prefer to buy it in small bags at Trader Joe's or in a sealed container like the KAL brand or Anthony's brand for the freshest and cheesiest flavor.
❓ Frequently asked questions
If you are allergic to yeast or are on the candida diet, you will want to avoid nutritional yeast, but otherwise, it adds vitamins and protein to foods.
In just 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, there are 8 grams of protein and it's packed with B vitamins. The amount of vitamins varies by brand, but most contain about 400% of your RDA of B12.
There is very little difference between flakes and powder other than the size. It will measure slightly more with powder than flakes due to the lack of air space, but this won't make a difference in most recipes, since Nooch is just for flavor and is not an active yeast that will change the outcome of the recipe.
Yes, nutritional yeast is gluten-free! I would avoid bulk nutritional yeast, however, since there could be some cross-contamination.
Yeast is a type of fungus and not an animal. There are no animal products used in the production of nutritional yeast, so it is vegan.
🥡 How to store nutritional yeast
Keep your nutritional yeast in a cool dry place. If you buy it in bulk, store it in a sealed glass container in the pantry. You can also keep it in the fridge or even the freezer if you won't be using it up in the next month or so.
🌟 Recipes that use nutritional yeast
Vegan Cheeses
Nutritional yeast is the key ingredient in most vegan cheeses. If you leave it out of these recipes, they just won't taste like cheese. Here are just a few of the vegan cheese recipes that I make with it. You can see all of my free vegan cheese recipes here or check out my guide to vegan cheese-making cookbook.
Soups and Sauces
Nooch is great for flavoring soups and sauces too. Sprinkle it into anything that you want to have a cheesy umami flavor.
Vegan meats
Nutritional yeast gives a rich umami flavor to vegan meat substitutes too. I use it in lots of my seitan recipes to give them a meatier flavor.
Vegan eggs
Nooch also gives egg substitutes a more realistic umami flavor. I use it in all of my egg-like recipes.
Roasted Vegetables
Nutritional yeast gives veggies a cheesy flavor. Sprinkle it on anything that you would put parmesan cheese on.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Monica, question re fortified vs. nonfortified nooch. Fortified is more flavorful and a lot cheaper, and nonfortified is crazy expensive but lacks the factory-added vitamins, so seems like the healthier choice. What's your opinion?
I use the fortified nutritional yeast. I like the taste and the extra vitamins, but it's a personal choice. I'm not a medical professional, so I'm unable to comment on nutritional benefits.
Thanks for your reply.
I make myself a smoothie almost every day. It includes half an avocado, a stalk of kale, a handful of konjac noodles for fibre, some protein powder and if not fruity, a couple of tablespoons of yeast. The result is filling and very tasty. my choice of milk is soy fortified with protein so the result is lovely and creamy.
Enjoy!!
That's an interesting use of it. I usually put it in savory dishes, I'll have to try it in a smoothie too.
I like macaroni and herbed tomatoes - nutritional yeast gives it a nice bump. Also sprinkle it on popcorn