What Can I Substitute for Nutritional Yeast?

You're sprinkling it over pasta, popcorn or roast vegetables for a cheesy, savoury finish.

• finely grated parmesan — 15 ml finely grated parmesan for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (3 tsp)
• dried mushroom powder — 5 ml mushroom powder for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (1 tsp)

Parmesan is the only swap that covers both the umami and the cheesy flavour as a dry topping, so it is the first choice if dairy is fine; go easy on other salt. Mushroom powder is the vegan option and gives the savoury hit, but it tastes earthy rather than cheesy and turns food grey-brown.

You're whisking it into a dairy-free cheese sauce for mac and cheese, nachos or a bake.

• white miso paste — 20 ml white miso for every 60 ml nutritional yeast (1 tbsp)AU tbsp = 20ml
• finely ground raw cashews — 60 ml ground cashews for every 60 ml nutritional yeast (3 tbsp)AU tbsp = 20ml

Neither covers everything, so use them together: miso supplies the savoury, fermented depth and the cashews supply the nutty note and the body the flakes would have given. Neither adds the yellow colour, so a small pinch of ground turmeric is worth adding if the sauce looks pale, and hold back the salt until you have tasted it with the miso in.

You're adding a spoonful to a gravy, soup or stew to give it a deeper, brothy savouriness.

• vegetable stock powder — 2.5 ml stock powder for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (½ tsp)
• Vegemite (yeast extract) — 1.25 ml Vegemite for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (¼ tsp)
• white miso paste — 5 ml white miso for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (1 tsp)

Here nutritional yeast is mainly doing the umami job, and the cheesy flavour and colour hardly matter in a brown, long-cooked dish, so stock powder, Vegemite or miso all do the work. All three are far saltier than the flakes, so add the recipe's salt last and only after tasting.

You're stirring it through a tofu scramble to make it taste savoury and look eggy-yellow.

• vegetable stock powder — 2.5 ml stock powder for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (½ tsp)
• white miso paste — 5 ml white miso for every 15 ml nutritional yeast (1 tsp)

Stock powder dissolves into the tofu and brings the brothy savouriness, and miso adds a rounder fermented depth if you loosen it with a splash of water first. Neither gives the yellow colour the flakes provide, so add a pinch of ground turmeric for the egg-like look.

You're making something where nutritional yeast is the main flavour, such as a vegan cheese sauce built on half a cup of flakes or plain nooch popcorn.

Nothing really replaces it here.

When the flakes are the bulk of the flavour, colour and body all at once, no single swap covers all four roles, and combinations end up tasting of miso, mushroom or cashew rather than the toasty, cheese-like flavour the recipe is built around. It is better to buy nutritional yeast or choose a different recipe.

The sauce or gravy tastes far too salty after swapping in stock powder, miso, Vegemite or parmesan.

Why: All of these are much saltier than nutritional yeast, and if you measured with a 20 ml Australian tablespoon for a recipe written with 15 ml spoons you added a third more again.

Fix: Dilute with more unsalted liquid such as water or plant milk and scale up the other ingredients to match, then taste again before adding any salt.

Parmesan has gone stringy or clumped in the sauce instead of melting in.

Why: The cheese was added to a sauce that was too hot or tipped in all at once, so the proteins seized.

Fix: Take the pan off the heat, add a splash of warm liquid and whisk hard or blend with a stick blender until smooth; next time stir it in a little at a time off the heat.

The cheese sauce or scramble looks grey, beige or brown instead of yellow.

Why: Vegemite, mushroom powder and brewer's yeast all darken food and none of them adds the yellow tint of the flakes.

Fix: Whisk in a small pinch of ground turmeric to brighten it; it will not fully hide a brown colour, so in pale dishes use miso or stock powder next time.

The sauce tastes sour and raw, or it has started to foam.

Why: Dried baker's yeast was used in place of nutritional yeast, and because it is live and unprocessed it tastes raw and can ferment in warm liquid.

Can't be fixed — next time: The flavour cannot be cooked out, so start the sauce again and use miso, stock powder or parmesan instead.

Is nutritional yeast the same as brewer's yeast?

No, although both are deactivated yeast. Brewer's yeast is a by-product of beer-making and usually tastes bitter, while nutritional yeast is grown specifically as a food and has a mellow, toasty, cheese-like flavour. Brewer's yeast will do in a gravy or soup, but it tastes wrong in a cheese sauce or as a sprinkle.

Can I use Vegemite instead of nutritional yeast?

Yes, but only in small amounts and only where the cheesy flavour does not matter. Vegemite gives a strong savoury yeast flavour to gravies and stews, but it is very salty, slightly bitter and turns pale sauces brown. Use about a quarter of the amount of nutritional yeast and dissolve it in hot liquid first.

Can I leave nutritional yeast out of a recipe?

You can if it is only a spoonful for extra savouriness in a soup, stew or dressing. The dish will taste a little flatter, so a pinch more salt or a dash of soy sauce helps. If it is the main flavour of a vegan cheese sauce, leaving it out changes the dish completely, and it is better to buy some or pick another recipe.

How many grams is a tablespoon of nutritional yeast?

A 15 ml UK, NZ, US or Canadian tablespoon of flakes weighs about 4 g. A 20 ml Australian tablespoon holds about 5 g, so weigh the flakes or use a 15 ml measure when following a recipe from overseas. Powdered nutritional yeast packs more densely and weighs a little more per spoon.

Is nutritional yeast gluten-free?

Nutritional yeast is naturally gluten-free, because it is grown on sugar sources such as molasses rather than grain. Some products are packed in facilities that also handle wheat, so anyone with coeliac disease should look for a gluten-free claim on the label. Brewer's yeast is different and often contains gluten from the beer-making process.

Does nutritional yeast need to be cooked?

No, it is already deactivated and dried, so it can be sprinkled straight onto food. It also works stirred into hot sauces, where it dissolves and thickens slightly. It will not make bread rise, because the yeast is no longer alive.