9 Reasons To Buy Nutritional Yeast Right This Instant

Nutritional yeast is a lot easier to find these days, now that consumers have advanced past the hippie-dippy advertising of the 1960s and '70s. With a rich golden hue and a nutty, salty, umami flavor reminiscent of cheese, nutritional yeast is more than just a seasoning. Not to be confused with the active yeast used in baking, nutritional yeast is a dried, inactive form of yeast marketed in flake form. Don't be put off by the seasoning's vague resemblance to fish food—it's a delicious, nutritious, affordable pantry supplement that tastes great on pretty much everything.

Our favorite salad recipes speak for themselves, but you can't go wrong by adding a little nutritional yeast. Not only does it boost the protein, vitamin, and mineral content of your salad, but it also adds a welcome bit of texture to a bowl of greens. And if you'd rather not add actual cheese to your lettuce wedge, nutritional yeast adds a pleasant cheesy flavor without the dairy.

Vegan marinara is a dime a dozen, but creamy, cheesy vegan sauces are a little harder to master. With a little ingenuity and a lot of nutritional yeast you can nail vegan alfredo. Techniques vary, but food bloggers like this one advocate for adding avocado, cashews, and hemp seeds alongside the yeast. The result is a creamy, dairy-free delight.

This is probably the most common use for nutritional yeast (search TikTok for "popcorn nutritional yeast" to see what we mean), and it's well worth a try. Just chuck a handful of nutritional yeast onto your popcorn in lieu of mysterious cheese-flavored seasonings. The texture and flavor are both vastly superior to the ultra-processed "cheese" blends you'll see at the multiplex; plus, it tastes great alongside a handful of M&Ms. Trust us on this one.

Whether you're advancing into glazed veggie territory or just looking to level up your Brussels sprouts, nutritional yeast is the easiest way to improve your roasted vegetables. You can add the yeast before or after roasting for a rich, crunchy, umami flavor that works well with other add-ins like olive oil and garlic.

Nutritional yeast is unassuming, but it packs an absolute wallop of, well, nutrition. An average serving contains between five and eight grams of protein, about as much as a whole egg or two tablespoons of peanut butter. It's also classified as a "complete protein," meaning it contains all essential amino acids. It also contains calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamin B12. Now, that's a fungus.

Nutritional yeast lends itself perfectly to crispy, air-fried potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, and loaded baked potatoes. Really, if you're working with an earthy carb or a root vegetable, adding nutritional yeast is a safe bet. Sprinkle it on top, mix it into the center of your mash, or bake it right into your tater.

Migas are a forgiving entree for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, not to mention an excellent use for stale tortillas. All you need is a tortilla base, eggs, onion, cilantro, and maybe some avocado or cotija for garnish. But if you really want to feel like a pantry-cooking superstar, whip out the nutritional yeast. It'll add a touch of crispiness alongside a whisper of cheesy goodness.

You don't need any sort of As Seen On TV-style contraption to make great eggs. All you need is a generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast to beef up your fried eggs and add texture to your scrambles. Works great in Garth's Breakfast Bowl, too.

Avocado toast? Great, fine. Very tasty. Almost certainly not preventing anyone from paying their mortgage. Avocado toast with nutritional yeast? Excellent. Superb. Good enough to make you forget about your mortgage altogether. Same goes for a bagel with a bit of nutritional yeast atop the schmear. We're happy! We're healthy! We're thriving! And it's all thanks to yeast.