Different Ways to Use Nutritional Yeast

Blurring the lines, braking the rules

The idea to share this topic was born from a real-life situation when, a while ago, I added a good dollop of nutritional yeast to a pasta dish I made for my child. The dish contained fried mushrooms, ground beef, homemade tomato purée, Mascarpone, chili powder, garlic, fresh rosemary, extra virgin olive oil, and grated Parmesan. I have shared the story and recipe in this post:

And now I thought you might be interested in getting some ideas, how else this umami-full ingredient can be used.

Thinking outside of the box

I'm pretty sure that veganism has even caused this delight to become known and used. Therefore, I decided to focus today on the endless possibilities for using it in non-plant-based recipes and share some great ideas to broaden the usage range of this flavorful condiment even more. After this half-playful, half-accidental addition to a family spaghetti and meat sauce dish, my daughter immediately began to love nutritional yeast. Now, she adds it to half of her meals, whether they are vegan or omnivorous.

According to MedicalNewsToday:

Nutritional yeast is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and high-quality protein. Typically, one-quarter of a cup of nutritional yeast contains:

• 60 calories

• 8 grams (g) of protein

• 3 g of fiber

• 11.85 milligrams (mg) of thiamine, or vitamin B-1

• 9.70 mg of riboflavin, or vitamin B-2

• 5.90 mg of vitamin B-6

• 17.60 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B-12

It also contains vitamin B-3, potassium, calcium, and iron.

Nutritional yeast is gaining popularity, and not just in vegan kitchens. This versatile ingredient adds a rich flavor that's hard to resist. Often hailed for its cheesy, nutty taste, it's perfect for various dishes, transforming everyday meals into something extraordinary. But how can non-vegan cooks incorporate this ingredient? Let’s explore some creative ways to do that.

1. Use in pasta sauces

And that means not only replacing the regular cheeses but adding to them so that you make your dish even richer in flavor. Even if you make the easiest pasta by …

… tossing your pasta in butter and maybe adding some fresh ripe roughly chopped tomatoes (if it's the season), salt, black pepper, and/or dried chili and herbs - the nutritional yeast adds on A LOT!

Just be careful not to be too gentle with it because the flavor is strong.

Here in this dish, as shown in the image below, I once again have used the nutritional yeast inside the pasta and then sprinkled it with Parmesan. The original dish is sausage meatballs with colorful pasta and tomato sauce, inspiration taken from Rachel Khoo, a rather early recipe by her, written years ago, but staying evergreen.

2. Thickening sauces and soups with nutritional yeast instead of flour-based thickeners

Nutritional yeast can also thicken sauces while adding flavor. Just stir in a few tablespoons to your cooking sauce and watch it transform into a rich, velvety mix. You can also add it to any type of curry (which are essentially also sauces). And again, not only to vegan curries, but any type. For example, I added it recently to a chicken curry that already was abundant in its nature because of a heavy spice mix and other flavorful condiments, but the yeast still made it even better!

3. Sprinkling to melted cheese to enhance the flavor and make it possible to reduce the cheese amount in the recipe if desired

After we started to introduce nutritional yeast to other dishes, not just vegan ones, its use in our kitchen skyrocketed. For example, if you make something that includes cheese and after sprinkling it on top or letting it melt into the sauce, you still feel that something is missing in the taste, then the nutritional yeast has its moment again!

4. Adding nutritional yeast to your morning omelet mix

The last time I made eggs, I whisked them together with seasoning and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Two large eggs, one tablespoon of liquid (such as water, dairy milk, vegan milk, or even heavy cream if you may), and one tablespoon of nutritional yeast would be a good proportion. The morning delight has a surprisingly deep nutty flavor and a new taste dimension!

5. Nutritional yeast for flavoring rice, quinoa, or other grains

When cooking rice or quinoa, add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast to the water or broth. This will infuse your grains with a delicious flavor that pairs well with any meal. Somehow, the result will be particularly delicious if the rice is served as a side to a fish dish. This happened by experimenting once again, as the best results in the kitchen often do. I added just a little bit of nutritional yeast along with sesame seeds to a fluffy portion of Basmati rice, which was meant to complement a beautiful Teriyaki Salmon. The dish was inspired by my favorite recipe creator, Nadiya Hussain: Nadiya's Teriyaki Salmon. And the dish looked like this (sorry for not being able to show the nutritional yeast itself because of the angle):

6. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on a nutritious lunch salad for this extra kick

And the final way is to sprinkle nutritional yeast to whatever salad you would like to. You can choose either light fresh vegetable salad or, if we stick to today's topic to add nutritional yeast to non-plant-based recipes, then why not:

• Egg salad, for example, the delicious egg-mustard-mayonnaise salad you put between your sandwich;

• Cheese salad, such as Burrata, Mozzarella, or Stracciatella salad;

• Tuna salad, especially if you don't have all the ingredients but you still want the flavor and umami.

Another related option is to make your pesto sauce with nutritional yeast. It can replace either cheese or nuts, or even both! You can also use all three ingredients to make it especially indulgent.

Conclusion

Do not be afraid to experiment. Try adding nutritional yeast to your meals and see how it can transform your dishes into something surprising. You don't have to be a vegan to enjoy this versatile condiment!

Don’t second guess to reach out if you feel like brain-storming even more ideas about how to use it!