The pros:Â Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast is relatively new and has the vegan community excited. This item is well priced for the size that you get.
The cons: If you have never had this or have no idea what to do with it, you might not end up liking it.
The verdict: Â I feel like this could be the tale of two reviews. If you are vegan and if you are non vegan you might end up with vastly different opinions of this product. I'm not vegan, but I'm more than willing to give anything a go. If you are vegan and you would love to compare brands, please leave me a comment below as I have nothing to compare this against. Your input is appreciated.
So back to the tale of two reviews. As a non vegan I had no idea what this was or what I could use it for. In fact, it sat on my shelves for several weeks. I opened it up and took a quick taste. It was sorta cheesy, but not cheesy. The taste was right, but the texture is so very far from cheese. The nutritional information on back looks stellar. But what to use it for. Again, it sat.
Enter last Christmas. I went to see family in Connecticut. I was given one request: My cousin Jessica was bringing her boyfriend to the party. He was vegan. Now, most of my family is like the very famous scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The scene goes something like this: "He's a vegetarian. He doesn't eat meat. What do you mean he no eat no meat? ::silence:: That's ok, I make lamb." Anyways, we had meat for dinner, but in the spirit of being inclusive, I made Minimalist Baker's Roasted Vegan Queso. And yes, it is as pourable as the pictures indicate.
I did not take pictures to document that cooking experiment. I still had some left in the bag and I've been craving Trader Joe's Nacho Kale Chips. However, while I really liked that product my biggest complaint was the price. On the shelf it appears cheap. When you do the math and know it would be cheaper to have a lobster dinner by the pound, you calculate your options. So with one big bag of Trader Joe's Organic Kale, Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast, a handful of pantry items, and this 30 minute kale chip recipe I was good to go.
Not only was that recipe really good, it was easy and could easily be tinkered with to make other flavors with the simple addition of various spices. It hit the spot. Best of all, for a fraction of the price I can enjoy a big pile of kale chips that taste cheesy without having any cheese. Therefore it was gluten-free and vegan.
As for the tale of two reviews, vegans, you already knew all of this. Odds are it is a likely staple and a good one in hand.
For $2.99 this is a pretty good deal from what I hear. It's still cheaper than Parmesan cheese, but a whole lot healthier. With the right recipe this can be a welcome addition to the pantry for vegans and non vegans alike.
The bag of Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How Trader Joe's describes this:
After being baked with some kale using this Kale Chips recipe you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Nutritional Yeast again. As a non-vegan, this was pretty good with the right application. It's not something that will go into my cart on a weekly basis, but is awesome with the right recipe.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for an alphabetized list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Dagmar says
Thanks for your review on this product. I've been wondering about nutritional yeast. I caught the very end of a Dr Oz Show one day and he was with his grandkids sprinkling nutritional yeast on warm popcon. They seemed to love it.
becomebetty says
I made the kale chips pictured. I don't have kids to feed that too, but I had my mother in law try it. Needless to say, she left my house with the bag of kale chips and a request to get two more bags of the nutritional yeast. I call that a success. To be honest, it sat on my self for a long time. I just did not know what to do with it. Now, that I've tried it a few different ways, it's worth experimenting.
Dagmar says
I don't have kids either but the popcorn idea sounds like it could be good. I will definitely need to make the kale chips.
Andrea says
I had this on my shelf for a while and was apprehensive to try, but wow - I really feel like I was missing out! I’m a vegetarian. I put the nutritional yeast on popcorn (after buttered), and also on baked potatoes. I want to try it on pasta yet. I love the taste and texture and the price is great too!
becomebetty says
Hey Andrea! I've only explored the dip and the kale chips. I was underwhelmed with a taste right out of the bag, but if you can find the right use for this, it's actually a really awesome product. Thanks for mentioning popcorn. I didn't even think about trying it there! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
judilyn says
Very interesting! I've been wanting to try it, and this is just the incentive I needed.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judie! It always sounds like you have such awesome recipes, but everyone is telling me how good it is on popcorn. Totally worth a try! Thanks as always for stopping by!
MLyons says
I love a big spoonful of nutritional yeast sprinkled into a bowl of buttered popcorn. It is super delicious! You should definitely try it.
becomebetty says
Hey MLyons! That's what I keep hearing from everyone is about how good it is on popcorn. I'll absolutely have to give that a try. Thanks so much for the tip and for stopping by!
Lynn says
Anyone tried it in pizza dough? Red Star yeast has a recipe using it & was searching to see if trader Joe's carried it when I came across this page. I fell in love with it on popcorn but never experimented. This & Bragg's liquid amino acids (basically soy sauce but not as salty) have to be the 2 easiest most delicious ways to add scads of nutrition to a meal.
becomebetty says
Hey Lynn! I'm not vegan, but I do like this product. I've used it to make my own kale chips, but in regards to your question, here is a recipe for vegan pizza using the nutritional yeast. I hope it helps! https://minimalistbaker.com/my-favorite-vegan-pizza/