• It’s the inactive/pasteurized form of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, more commonly known as “brewer’s yeast.” While its active strains ferment grains into beer or leavened bread, nutritional yeast can’t and won’t.
• It’s nutty, a little bit cheesy and often a dietary supplement for those on a plant-based diet. Toss over cooked pasta, or mix into your go-to pesto recipe.
• For the first timer, try it out on a bowl of fresh popcorn. (If you’re air popping, the flakes may struggle to stick, so mix in a bit of oil or butter if desired and toss.)

In colder months, it can be used as the main flavor of a dairy-free “cheese” sauce for mac & cheese.

For the holidays (or during the week), it’s a powerhouse for an animal-free gravy: Combine vegetable broth, soy sauce or tamari, a little Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, and your thickener of choice (flour, cornstarch, arrowroot, etc.), and you’ll have a plant-based topping for protein or your favorite starch.