How to Use Nutritional Yeast

Co-authored by Claudia Carberry, RD, MS

Nutritional yeast is a relatively low calorie ingredient that is highly nutritional. It's high in protein and B vitamins, including B12. It's also vegan and gluten free. It can be found in the health section of most grocery stores and has a yellow, flaky appearance.^{[1]
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Research source} Top foods like salads, roasted vegetables, and popcorn with nutritional yeast. Substitute nutritional yeast for cheese to make non-dairy pizza or “cheesy” mashed potatoes. Get creative with nutritional yeast by using it to thicken sauces or make gravy.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Topping Foods with Nutritional Yeast

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Sprinkle nutritional yeast on salads. Nutritional yeast will add a mild, savory flavor. The high water content of many greens, like lettuce, can reduce the natural dryness of the yeast.^{[2]
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Research source} Layer the yeast atop salads to suit your tastes.
- If you enjoy using nutritional yeast as a salad topping, you might want to store the yeast in a wide-holed shaker, like the kinds used for parmesan cheese.^{[3]
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2
Garnish roasted vegetables. As soon as the vegetables are done roasting, if they are dry, drizzle or brush them lightly with olive oil. After that, dust the veggies with nutritional yeast. This will give the roasted veggies a cheesy quality.^{[4]
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Use nutritional yeast as a popcorn topping. Transfer your popcorn to a large bowl. If it doesn't already have butter on it, drizzle the popcorn lightly with olive oil and toss the popcorn to distribute the oil. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast while continuing to toss the popcorn to distribute the yeast evenly throughout the popcorn.^{[5]
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- Feel free to add other toppings to the popcorn. Popular choices include garlic, dried thyme, rosemary, pepper, and lemon pepper.^{[6]
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- Nutritional yeast has zero sodium. If you’re watching your salt intake, leave out the salt when making your popcorn and add nutritional yeast instead.^{[7]
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4
Season kale chips with nutritional yeast. Kale chips are already a pretty healthy snack, but they can be made even healthier by substituting nutritional yeast for salt. If salt consumption isn’t a concern of yours, try sea salt, cracked black pepper, and nutritional yeast together on kale chips.^{[8]
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- Create a spicy topping for your kale chips by combining the following in a food processor:
  - 2 tbsp (30 ml) of nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp (5 ml) ground chipotle pepper, ½ tsp (2.5 ml) of sea salt, ¼ cup (59 ml) of cut red bell pepper, 1 cup (237 ml) of cashews (soaked in water for 2 hours), a pinch of cayenne pepper. Add these processed ingredients to your kale before baking it.^{[9]
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Enrich fried foods with nutritional yeast. Fried foods are notoriously unhealthy. Season foods like French fries and onion rings with nutritional yeast to add a significant amount of protein and vitamins to the dish.^{[10]
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- Nutritional yeast has a somewhat nutty flavor that goes along well with many different kinds of fatty foods, like fried foods, meats, salad dressings, and more.
- Fried foods should still be an “every once in awhile” food, even with the addition of nutritional yeast.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Substituting Nutritional Yeast for Cheese

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Use nutritional yeast in place of cheese in recipes. Many vegan sauces, especially those with cheese in them, use nutritional yeast as a substitute. Replace equal amounts of nutritional yeast for shredded cheese in recipes.
- For non-dairy versions of cheesy dishes, like cheesy rice, cheesy pasta, or cheesy vegetables, mix in nutritional yeast to the food immediately after it is removed from the heat. If the dish is dry, drizzle olive oil over it before mixing in the yeast.^{[11]
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2
Make pizza with nutritional yeast. When preparing a store bought or homemade pizza, leave out the cheese. Instead, lightly sprinkle nutritional yeast on top of the pizza. When the pizza comes out of the oven, the yeast will have melted to a cheesy consistency.^{[12]
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Whip up some vegan cheesy mashed potatoes. Make mashed potatoes as you would normally. When the potatoes are well mashed, mix in nutritional yeast. The more yeast you use, the nuttier the flavor and the stringier the consistency.
- You may be able to achieve a richer consistency in your “cheesy” mashed potatoes by adding a tablespoon (15 ml) of butter to the potatoes. Adding butter will make the mashed potatoes not vegan or dairy-free, so you could add oil instead to keep it vegan.
- Dishes of a similar consistency to mashed potatoes, like scrambled eggs, can also be made into vegan-friendly “cheesy” recipes in the same fashion described for mashed potatoes.^{[13]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Getting Creative with Nutritional Yeast

1
Substitute nutritional yeast for breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are often called for in recipes to help firm up mixtures. Nutritional yeast is a low carb, savory substitute for breadcrumbs. Use yeast in veggie burgers and other patties.
- Breadcrumbs are used to bread chicken. Use nutritional yeast in place of breadcrumbs to create a crispy outer layer around the chicken when it finishes cooking.^{[14]
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Thicken sauces and soups with nutritional yeast. Stir nutritional yeast into hot sauces and soups. As you stir in the yeast, the mixture should thicken. Continue adding yeast to the mixture until you reach the desired consistency.^{[15]
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- Savory sauces, like red sauces, and hearty soups, like clam chowder, often have flavor profiles that are suited for the nutty flavor of nutritional yeast.
3
Add nutritional yeast to salad dressings. Add a tablespoon (15 ml) of nutritional yeast to salad dressing to give it a vitamin and protein boost. Thicken dressings that are thin by stirring in yeast.
- Many kinds of vegan dressings use nutritional yeast to add a non-dairy cheesy quality to the dressing.
4
Make gravy with nutritional yeast. Position a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup (118 ml) of nutritional yeast to the skillet and toast the yeast while stirring constantly until you can smell the yeast. Then:
- Add 1/3 cup (79 ml) of vegetable oil to the yeast. Whisk the mixture. It should bubble and brown. When golden, add 1½ cups (355 ml) of water to the mixture while continuing to whisk.
- Stir in 2 tbsp (30 ml) of soy sauce into the mixture when it reaches gravy thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste.^{[16]
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Warnings

The high phosphorus content of nutritional yeast may lead to the depletion of calcium if consumed in high doses. If you have issues with low calcium or if you have chronic kidney disease, you may want to avoid consuming too much nutritional yeast.^{[17]
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