Debittered brewer’s yeast: use it to flavor your dishes!

Among the most versatile things that the vegan cooking to his repertoire is the beer yeast. It’s light, can be eaten flaked, keeps beautifully, and is easy to find.

But what is it and what would we want to use it for? The beer yeast is a fungus called Saccharomyces cerevisiae widely used in the manufacture of beer, wine, and bread (hence its common name). Preparations are fermented with this fungus and in the case of liquids, once used, inactive, it is withdrawn from production.

This “waste” or by-product is what we find, dried, as brewer’s yeast flakes.

Brewer’s yeast in the vegan diet

brewer’s yeast it is rich in protein and B complex vitamins (except B12, unless it has been fortified) and contains other vitamins and minerals. It has a light tan color and a rather bitter taste, which is why it is often used in small amounts as a condiment when serving, for example, creams and soups.The brewer’s yeast used to flavor “cheese” is debittered. It is the same, but with a much milder flavor that can be reminiscent of certain types of cheese. It can be used in larger quantities because it is not bitter, it is more pleasant. It contains a small amount of glutamic acid that is formed in the deactivation process (when the yeast dies), which gives it a slight “umami” flavor, which can highlight the flavors of the preparations in which we put it.

Where to buy brewer’s yeast

You can find normal and debittered brewer’s yeast in herbalists, health food stores, vegan stores and some stores on-line. In general, it is cheap because it is used in small quantities.

There’s also brewer’s yeastsuch as dressings and condiments, but if you want to save, it is best to do it at home. It is as simple as mixing brewer’s yeast with spices.

Brewer’s yeast (regular or debittered, or nutritional yeast) is not suitable for leavening. It is yeast that is already dead, it will not ferment anything. For biscuits, cakes, etc., use pastry yeast (it’s an acid plus bicarbonate), and for breads and similar doughs use bakery yeast (It is yeast that, dry or fresh, is alive).

Tips for using brewer’s yeast

You can use it to sprinkle

Many dishes can benefit from the extra flavor of brewer’s yeast. You only have to sprinkle a small amount on top when serving (usually 1 teaspoon). For example, in all kinds of vegetable creams.

It adds more flavor and is a good complement to these preparations. You can also put one or two teaspoons on your pasta, rice or legume dishes to enhance their flavor.

In snacks, such as homemade popcorn or French fries, it also looks great. Just sprinkle brewer’s yeast on top and mix to serve.

When making seitans, sauces (for example Bolognese), mashed potatoes, homemade burgers, etc., add one or two tablespoons of debittered brewer’s yeast and mix it very well. In addition to the flavor, it will thicken a little more.

It is very good to do savory yogurt-based sauces (use natural unsweetened and unflavored soy yogurt) and vegetable pates. Try adding a teaspoon or two of debittered yeast with hummus when you’re doing it.

The easiest to make is Parmesan: you just have to grind cashews with debittered brewer’s yeast and you will have a topping exquisite for your pasta dishes. put it on the lasagna béchamel, over roasted vegetables, on top of avocado toast, etc. With a small amount, the flavor is already noticeable.

If you want it in format dipenough with mix the debittered brewer’s yeast with vegetable cream and a little salt. In this way you will have a liquid sauce very quickly and with a slight cheese flavor.

For pasta dishes You can mix the debittered brewer’s yeast directly with the pasta, in the same saucepan, and gradually add a little bit of the cooking water to give it creaminess.

Other perfect combinations

There are many dishes, like the ones I’ve mentioned before, that improve with a little brewer’s yeast. Also there are certain combinations that enhance its flavor (and vice versa, yeast enhances the flavor of other ingredients) and can be used for more things.

These are some examples:

Brewer’s yeast plus sweet paprika: Put one part paprika for every 3 parts brewer’s yeast and it will have a cheddar aroma.Brewer’s yeast plus ground cashews: Mix it in a 1:1 ratio and a pinch of salt, homemade Parmesan.Brewer’s yeast plus mashed potatoes: Add approximately one tablespoon of debittered yeast per cup of mashed potatoes.Brewer’s Yeast Plus Roasted Pumpkin: Grill the sliced ​​squash and sprinkle on top while it’s still hot.Brewer’s yeast plus breadcrumbs: Put one part of debittered yeast for every three of breadcrumbs. Try this mixture when you make croquettes, Nuggetsonion rings, etc.Debittered brewer’s yeast plus kala namak salt: Mix two parts of debittered yeast for each part of salt. kala namak. Sprinkle it over your tofu scrambles for an impressive omelette flavor.