Pantry Staples
Nutritional Yeast (Flakes) Conversion
Nutritional Yeast (Flakes) weighs 60g per US cup.
| Amount | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 60.0 g | 2.12 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 30.0 g | 1.06 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 15.0 g | 0.53 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 3.8 g | 0.13 oz |
| 1 tsp | 1.3 g | 0.04 oz |
| 100 g | 100.0 g | 3.53 oz |
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Nutritional yeast flakes weigh 60 grams per cup — light for its volume, reflecting the flaky, airy texture of deactivated yeast that's been dried and flaked rather than compressed into a denser product.
Despite the name similarity, nutritional yeast is a deactivated (dead) yeast, genuinely different from the live, active yeast used in baking — it's grown specifically to be harvested, deactivated with heat, and dried into flakes as a food product, not to leaven bread, and it won't make dough rise no matter how much is used.
Its distinctly savory, cheese-and-umami-adjacent flavor (often described as "nutty" or "cheesy") comes from its naturally high glutamate content, and it's become a defining ingredient in vegan cooking specifically for that reason — sprinkled on popcorn, blended into a dairy-free "cheese" sauce, or stirred into a sauce for a savory depth that a plant-based dish might otherwise lack without dairy or meat.
Its flakes dissolve more readily into a warm liquid than a cold one, worth keeping in mind when blending it into a sauce.
Nutritional yeast's dry, deactivated flakes have essentially no moisture for anything to grow in, so a sealed jar mainly protects its fortified B-vitamin content and cheesy flavor from fading, not from spoiling in the usual sense.
A sprinkle over roasted vegetables or air-popped popcorn is one of the simplest ways to use it, adding a savory, cheese-adjacent flavor without needing to build it into a more involved recipe.
Beyond its use as a cheese-flavor substitute, nutritional yeast is sometimes used to make a vegan "cheese" sauce for pasta, blended with cashews, a bit of plant milk, and seasoning into a genuinely creamy, savory sauce that mimics a cheddar-style flavor.
It's sold both as flakes and as a more finely ground powder, and the powder form is more concentrated by volume, so a recipe specifying one form isn't necessarily interchangeable 1:1 by volume with the other.
Frequently asked questions
Can nutritional yeast be used to make bread rise?
No — it's a deactivated (dead) yeast, genuinely different from active baking yeast, so it has no leavening power regardless of how much is used; it's a flavoring and nutritional ingredient, not a leavening agent.
Why does nutritional yeast taste cheesy?
Its naturally high glutamate content produces a savory, umami-rich flavor often described as nutty or cheesy, which is exactly why it's become a staple in vegan cooking as a dairy-free way to add that kind of savory depth.
Is nutritional yeast the same as brewer's yeast?
They're related but not identical — brewer's yeast is a byproduct of beer brewing and tends to taste more bitter, while nutritional yeast is grown and processed specifically as a food product, with a milder, more pleasant savory flavor.
Is nutritional yeast a significant source of vitamin B12?
Many commercial nutritional yeast products are specifically fortified with B12 (a vitamin otherwise mostly found in animal products), which is part of why it's often recommended as a useful addition for vegan diets — checking the label confirms whether a specific product is fortified.
Why is nutritional yeast sold as flakes rather than a powder?
The flake form is simply how the deactivated yeast is dried and packaged; some brands also sell a more finely ground powder version, which is more concentrated by volume than the flakes, so the two aren't interchangeable 1:1 by volume.