WHAT EXACTLY IS “NOOCH”?
Nooch is the nickname for Nutritional Yeast which is a very popular staple in most plant-based kitchens. It has the amazing ability to make foods have a cheesy, nutty, savory, umami flavor. Humans, in addition to being able to taste salty, sweet, bitter and sour, can taste umami (also known as the fifth taste). It has been described as having a taste sensation of savory.
WHAT IS NUTRITIONAL YEAST?
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast and a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Brewer’s, Baker’s and Nutritional Yeast are made from same type of yeast; however, the products are very different.
- Brewer’s Yeast is a live yeast and is used for brewing beer. The leftover bi-product can be used as a nutritional supplement and is very bitter.
- Active Dry Baker’s Yeast is also a live yeast and is used as a leavening agent which causes the dough to rise when you’re baking bread.
- Nutritional Yeast is grown specifically as a food product. It is yellow and comes in flakes or powder and sometimes granular form. So, despite being called ‘yeast’ it is an inactive form and cannot be used for baking or brewing beer.
HOW DO THEY MAKE NUTRITIONAL YEAST?
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are grown for several days on a sweet food source, such as molasses or sugarcane. Then it is harvested, heated, dried and flaked. This process deactivates the yeast and creates a savory, cheesy, nutty delicious product!
WHY IS IT CALLED NUTRITIONAL YEAST?
It’s called nutritional because it is just that – full of good stuff (fortified with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and protein). The flakes are unsweetened, gluten-free, non-GMO, plant-based, deliciousness. My favorite brand is KAL and here are the supplement facts for that brand. Click on the image for a larger view.
WHERE CAN I BUY NUTRITIONAL YEAST?
You can buy Nutritional Yeast at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Trader Joe’s and others. There are also many places you can find it online (Amazon, Bob’s Red Mill, etc.). It can be purchased in a package or in bulk. I suggest getting just a small amount in the bulk aisle at first, until you go crazy over the stuff like me and start buy it in big containers. 😊
NOOCH CHALLENGE
I challenge you to give Nutritional Yeast a try – who knows, you may fall in love with the stuff too! Here are a few recipes I’ve made recently as well as other ways you can use “nooch”.
RECIPES WITH “NOOCH”
Cheezy Sauce
Mushroom Gravy
Cheezy Hash Brown & Spinach Bake
Add nutritional yeast to:
soups and sauces
tofu scrambles
sprinkle on popcorn or on top of spaghetti
Thanks for the informative article on nooch, Julie. We’ve been using it for a while since we are trying to avoid dairy but still like the cheesy taste on our food.
I make a simple nooch cheese substitute that resembles ground parmesan:
3/4 cup cashews, either raw or roasted
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt (if not using salted cashews)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (we don’t use this as usually our food contains garlic)
Pulse all the ingredients in a blender until nuts are ground – not too long otherwise it may turn into more of a paste than a powder.
We sprinkle it on pasta, broccoli or cauliflower and on nacho chips with salsa.
Thanks Marc, I’m glad you found the the article interesting. Thank you too, for sharing the recipe for “nooch” parmesan!
I’ve tried similar recipes, but not recently. I think I’ll give your recipe a try the next time we have spaghetti. It sounds tasty! With your permission, I would love to share your recipe under recipes on my website.