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Nutritional yeast has to be one of my favorite ingredients to play with when creating recipes. It has that magic power that gives food a cheese flavor. Through the years, I have taste tested several different brands, and my favorite hands down is the Red Star Brand. You can sprinkle nutritional yeast on salads, soups, use it in dehydrated crackers, kale chips, cheese sauces, and more. It’s a terrific food, providing nutrition, enhancing flavor, and adding taste to your favorite meals and drinks.
Nutritional yeast is rich in vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins. A lot of vegans turn to it because it is a good source of vitamin B12.
It is an excellent source of protein (52%), containing essential amino acids, as well as folic acid, which is necessary for the formation, growth, and reproduction of red blood cells.
Nutritional yeast has a very cheesy flavor. Think of it as a vegan dried cheese in a flake form. In large measurements, it can give a recipe a real strong cheese flavor, or in small amounts, it is a great flavor enhancer. I like to keep a shaker of it on my countertop for the ease of sprinkling it on most of my meals.
Don’t confuse with baker’s yeast. Because it is inactive, it doesn’t froth or grow as baking yeast does, so it has no leavening ability. And for those who have to watch their yeast consumption due to Candida… you should be just fine using nutritional yeast. But always do your homework and do what is right for you.
I grew up reading Adele Davis’ books. If the B-vitamins need to be proportional, why would Red Star add more of the cheaper ones (B1, B2, Niacin, etc.) so that they are several hundred percents’ worth of the DV and the more expensive, hard-to-attain (Biotin, Choline, Inositol, etc.) remain a few percents’ worth? I wonder if it would be best to not supplement this natural product at all? I’m concerned about causing a deficiency of the second group, as Davis used to say.
Hi Bella, I am afraid that I don’t know how to answer this… I need time to research and absorb. :)
March 2013 – are you still researching this question ?? It’s been a year !!
No, it is not raw. amie sue
Hi Amie-Sue,
I love your web-site, congrats! Does it influence the taste of chips, if I leave out the yeast? I’m not sure, that here, in Hungary where I can find nutritional yeast to buy. So, if I make my chips without it, would it make a main difference in any way?
thank you,
Anna
Hello Anna,
Yes, nutritional yeast do influence the taste, it give a “cheesy” flavor to them. you can omit it if you are not able to find it, but it will change the flavor profile from how I made the recipe. Doesn’t mean that it won’t taste good, just different :)