I'm here to make the case for why you should consider sprinkling nutritional yeast on all the things — well, almost all the things. Yes, the name is totally disconcerting, and yes, it sounds like something you might consume for health reasons but certainly not for taste. News flash! It's actually darn tasty and has downright magical powers. Commonly used in vegan cooking, nutritional yeast manages to approximate both the taste of cheese (amazing) and the coveted umami flavor found in broths and other savory sauces.
This deactivated yeast is grown on a food source, like molasses for instance, before getting harvested, heated, dried, and crumbled into the form you see sold in stores. Unlike baking yeast, it is inactive and does not make dough rise. As a so-called complete protein, nutritional yeast is a good source of essential amino acids, fiber, and B vitamins that help your body get the most energy from the foods you eat. In addition to its health benefits, nutritional yeast is favored by vegans for its uncanny ability to replicate the flavor of cheese.
Nutritional yeast isn't just for hippies or vegans or hippy vegans. Once you start incorporating it into your food, you'll soon discover how much better your favorite dishes taste. Don't be shy! To get you started, here are some easy and delicious ways to start using nutritional yeast ASAP.