3 Substitutes for Nutritional Yeast (For When You’re in a Pinch!)

Nutritional yeast is a vegan diet staple, but what happens when you don’t have this vegan cheese alternative? We'll look at some substitutes for nutritional yeast.

Nutritional yeast, also known as nooch, is deactivated yeast. This means that the yeast is not alive. It comes in the form of either yellow flakes, granules, or a powder. Nutritional yeast naturally has a cheesy and nutty flavor, which is why it is often used in vegan recipes to replace cheese. 

Nutritional yeast has many delicious uses and works great in cheesy vegan sauces, as a vegan alternative to parmesan for sprinkling over pasta, or as a flavorful thickener in soups. This makes nutritional yeast a very popular ingredient in a lot of vegan cooking. 

But what do you do when you don’t have any nutritional yeast left in the house? Or what if you can’t afford this cheesy plant-based alternative, which can be on the pricier side? Read on to learn about substitutes for nutritional yeast, and keep cooking deliciously cheesy vegan meals. 

1. Nutty Cheese Parmesan

If you intend on using nutritional yeast as a parmesan substitute to sprinkle over your pasta dish, but don’t have any on hand, you can use nuts instead! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nuts (cashews or almonds work best here, but any nut will do)
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and pulse until a fine crumb is formed. Sprinkle this nutty cheese alternative over your pasta dishes, salads, or soups. 

2. Vegetable Bouillon

Vegetable bouillon has a deep savory and salty flavor and works as a great substitute for nutritional yeast in dishes like soups and cheese sauces. Simply substitute vegetable bouillon for nutritional yeast using a one-to-one ratio. Just keep in mind that vegetable bouillon is a lot saltier than nutritional yeast when adding it to your dishes.

3. Soy Sauce

Soy sauce has the same salty taste and rich flavor as nutritional yeast. Soy sauce can be added to soups, broths, or stews as a substitute for nutritional yeast. Soy sauce is saltier than nutritional yeast, and so less salt should be added to your meals when using this as a substitute for nutritional yeast. Replace one tablespoon of nutritional yeast with one tablespoon of soy sauce in your savory vegan dishes.

Read more:

• Is Yeast Vegan? Everything You’ve Got to Know
• 6 Easy (And Vegan) Parmesan Substitutes
• Making Your Own Vegan Feta Cheese

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Tags: Cooking Dinner Food Guide Vegan