If you’ve been keeping up with my vegan eating blog, then you’ve no doubt heard me mention nutritional yeast before.
“Nooch,” as it’s often called in the vegan community, are dried yeast flakes that you can sprinkle on almost any food to give it a cheesy, savory, or umami flavor profile.
The only question is… Where can you buy nutritional yeast?
If you’ve been wondering where to find nutritional yeast, I recommend going to any one of the following suppliers:
- Amazon
- Whole Foods Market
- Harris Teeter
- Walmart
- The Vitamin Shoppe
Thankfully, nutritional yeast is a relatively common product and is readily available in most grocery stores that offer vegan specialty foods. As I mentioned, I’ve even seen it in Walmart before (although their’s isn’t exactly the highest quality).
If you’ve just heard about nooch for the first time and you’re looking to try it, then this is the post for you. Below, I’ll provide you with a quick breakdown of what to look for when you’re buying nutritional yeast.
Then, I’ll give you a full rundown of where to find nutritional yeast, so you can try it for yourself!
Are you ready to take your vegan cooking to the next level?
What Should I Look For In Nutritional Yeast?
For the most part, nutritional yeast is a simple product. It’s the same yeast that’s used for bread baking and beer brewing, except it’s been dried, dehydrated, and deactivated.
It’s typically sold in small jars or seasoning shakers and has a deep golden color, similar to turmeric or ginger seasoning.
Here’s a quick table breaking down what you should look for the next time you’re trying to buy some nooch:
| What To Look For In Nutritional Yeast | Why It Matters |
| Fortified Nutritional Yeast | Fortified nutritional yeast contains added vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin B12 and folic acid. These ensure that you’re getting the most nutritional value out of your yeast. Non-fortified nutritional yeast typically has very little nutritional value, in terms of vitamins and minerals. |
| Shaker Top (optional) | I love sprinkling nooch on top of foods like popcorn, tofu, or rice to give it a savory bite. It’s a lot easier if my nutritional yeast comes with a shaker top so I can sprinkle it like my other seasoning. |
| Organic Nutritional Yeast | Organic nooch is made using organic grains, meaning that it will be more nutritious and won’t contain any chemical traces or by-products. In my experience, organic nutritional yeast also tastes a lot more savory than non-organic nooch. |
| Rich, Golden Color | When it’s fresh, nutritional yeast should have a deep golden-yellow color. However, when it starts going bad, it may turn into a darker shade of brown or muddy yellow. To ensure that you’re getting the best quality nooch, always make sure that it looks bright and golden. |
If you want to learn more, check out Dr. Eric Berg’s video on nutritional yeast:
He’s one of my favorite vegan doctors and has lots of great information on vegan dieting. If you have some time, his other YouTube videos are well worth watching!
What Does Nutritional Yeast Taste Like?
Nutritional yeast is one of the most popular vegan seasonings on the market because it tastes almost exactly like cheese.
Before going vegan, one of my favorite ways to make my food more savory was to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. After finding out about nooch, I decided to give it a try.
To my surprise, I found that it tastes very similar to parmesan cheese, and is actually more flavorful, in my opinion! It’s a great topping for soup, vegan burgers, and anything in between.
Is Nutritional Yeast Expensive?
Although it sounds fancy, nutritional yeast is very affordable! You can get a small shaker for as little as $4 or $5. If you plan on using a lot of nooch, you can get a larger container for around $15 to $20.
The price typically varies depending on the brand you’re looking at, how much you’re buying, and whether or not the nutritional yeast is organic.
Where To Find Nutritional Yeast: Top 5 Places
Now that you have a better idea of what to look for the next time you’re shopping for nutritional yeast, it’s time to show you where to find nutritional yeast.
Above, I listed off my top six places to buy high-quality nooch; now, I’ll give you a quick rundown of each of my favorite nutritional yeast suppliers, their average price range, and the pros and cons of each supplier.
1) Amazon Online
Average Price Range: $7 – $20
Prior to the pandemic, I rarely (if ever) purchased groceries online. As somebody who isn’t very patient, I didn’t like the idea of waiting around for days at a time to receive an everyday kitchen staple.
Today, though, I find myself buying around half of my groceries online from Amazon.
Amazon really stepped their game up during the pandemic and most of their groceries can be delivered in two days with Prime shipping. Some brands also offer next-day delivery if they’re in stock at your local Amazon warehouse!
The great thing about Amazon is that you’ll have a chance to compare brands side-by-side and figure out which one is best for you.
You can read individual reviews written by previous shoppers, which offer insight into the overall flavor and quality of the nooch before you pull the trigger and buy it.
The other thing I love about Amazon is that they sell bulk nutritional yeast. While they don’t offer many small options, they sell large quarter-pound, half-pound, and one-pound bags of nutritional yeast in bulk at great rates.
Since nutritional yeast naturally has a year-long shelf life, I’ve found that buying in bulk is the best way to go and saves me a lot of money in the long run.
Pro Tip: To make sprinkling nooch on my food easier, I just scoop the yeast from my bulk bag into a small empty shaker jar that I have!
To see a complete list of my top five favorite nutritional yeast brands from Amazon, check out this piece I wrote a couple of months ago.
Pros:
- Offers bulk nutritional yeast.
- Amazon allows you to compare and contrast brands and read customer reviews.
- Amazon offers competitive pricing, since there are multiple brands.
- If you have a Prime membership, you may be eligible for two-day or next-day delivery.
Cons:
- Amazon doesn’t offer many options if you’re looking for a small shaker-sized bottle of nutritional yeast.
- If you don’t have Prime, you may have to wait three or four days for your nooch to come in the mail.
2) Whole Foods Market
Average Price Range: $6 to $16
Other than Amazon, Whole Foods Market is one of the best places to buy high-quality organic nutritional yeast at. They offer several different brands of nutritional yeast, including:
- Red Star Nutritional Yeast
- Bragg Nutritional Yeast
- Frontier Co-Op Premium Nutritional Yeast
- Whole Foods Market Brand Nutritional Yeast
My favorite nutritional yeast product that Whole Foods Market sells is Frontier Co-Ops. It’s 100% organic nutritional yeast and happens to be some of the best-tasting yeast I’ve ever found in a grocery store.
Another thing I really like about Frontier Co-Op is that they offer a couple of different nooch “blends” that include additional seasonings like himalayan salt, apple cider vinegar, and even nacho spice!
These blends are great if you’re looking for a full-fledged seasoning to take your vegan meals to flavor town.
For the most part, Whole Foods Market only sells smaller shaker-sized jars of nutritional yeast. The one exception is their own brand, which comes in a large half-pound container.
The only downside of buying nutritional yeast from Whole Foods Market is that it is a bit more expensive than buying from Amazon or a discount store like Walmart.
That being said, their nooch is premium quality and the overall shopping experience at Whole Foods is unlike going to any other grocery store. So, in my mind, the extra few bucks are well worth the customer service.
Pros:
- Offers several organic nutritional yeast brands.
- Sells Frontier Co-Op nutritional yeast in several different flavor blends.
- Whole Foods Market sells its own brand of bulk nutritional yeast available in half-pound containers.
- Whole Foods Market has amazing customer service. They also offer curbside pickup.
Cons:
- Whole Foods Market is known for being more expensive than Amazon or other discount grocers.
- Unlike Amazon, Whole Foods Market doesn’t have as many options for bulk nutritional yeast.
3) Harris Teeter Grocery Store
Average Price Range: $7 to $10
Harris Teeter is one of the most common grocery stores in the Southeastern US, and has lots of locations spread throughout the country.
They’re known for offering a nice mix of products and include organic, vegan, and local options alongside cheaper and more well-known name brands.
The main brand of nutritional yeast sold by Harris Teeter is Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional Yeast. It comes in a small five-ounce bag that’s sold for anywhere between $5 and $8, depending on the store you go to and any special that they may be running.
Overall, Bob’s Red Mill makes some great-tasting nooch. The one thing I particularly enjoy about it is that the flakes are extra-large.
In my experience, larger flakes tend to taste better. So, while the price is a bit expensive, the product itself is top-notch.
Depending on the Harris Teeter you’re visiting, the store may also offer smaller local varieties of nutritional yeast as well.
The main downside of buying nooch from Harris Teeter is that they don’t offer anywhere near as many brand options like Amazon or Whole Foods Market.
You also won’t be able to find any flavorful blends like those offered by Frontier Co-Op. If you’re in a pinch and looking for something fast, though, Harris Teeter is worth checking out.
Pros:
- Harris Teeter is a popular grocery store, so you shouldn’t have to travel far to find one.
- Harris Teeter sells Bob’s Red Mill nutritional yeast, which is a great-tasting nooch with extra-large flakes.
- Harris Teeter typically has a good stock of items, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it being out-of-stock.
- Harris Teeter offers curbside pickup if you’re trying to avoid the lines in-store.
Cons:
- Harris Teeter only sells one brand of nutritional yeast.
- Harris Teeter doesn’t offer any bulk nutritional yeast.
4) Walmart
Average Price Range: $6.50 to $17
In the past, Walmart wasn’t known for offering vegan food options and seasoning. Today, though, vegan products are all over Walmart! They even sell Beyond Meat and Impossible vegan meat options.
If you’ve been wondering, “Does Walmart sell nutritional yeast,” then I’m happy to tell you that they do. Now, with Walmart, you have two options:
- Ordering online.
- Buying in-store.
Personally, I recommend buying in-store, as Walmart’s online shipping can take several days.
At that point, Amazon is faster and more practical. The Walmart that’s closest to me only sells two shaker-size bottles of nooch; one by Red Star and their own Great Value brand.
In my travels, though, I’ve seen several different brands of nutritional yeast at different locations. Personally, I don’t recommend the Great Value nooch, as I’ve found it lacks flavor.
If it’s available, go for one of the organic options! I promise you it’ll taste better.
Pros:
- Walmart is everywhere, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding one close to you.
- Walmart offers grocery pick-up if you want to skip the lines and avoid personal interactions.
- Walmart typically has at least one or two brands of nutritional yeast in-stock.
- Walmart has affordable prices for nooch.
Cons:
- Walmart’s Great Value nutritional yeast doesn’t taste that great.
- Walmart doesn’t sell any bulk nutritional yeast in-store.
- Walmart’s online ordering tends to take a lot longer than ordering online from Amazon Prime.
5) The Vitamin Shoppe
Average Price Range: $6.50 to $30
The Vitamin Shoppe is a chain store that sells vitamins and supplements. If you’re a vegan, who’s trying to create a healthy balanced diet, then this is a great spot to get your supplements, vitamins, and vegan protein from. They also sell two different brands of nutritional yeast:
- KAL nutritional yeast (available in bulk powder and pre-packed supplement capsules).
- Bragg nutritional yeast seasoning jar.
Their products are definitely on the more expensive side, but the people who work there are very knowledgeable and will give you their honest opinions on the products.
The Bragg nooch they sell is a great brand. Personally, I haven’t tried the KAL brand yet, but it seems to get good reviews, so I assume it’s a similar quality product.
Pros:
- The Vitamin Shoppe offers both bulk and shaker-size bottles of nutritional yeast.
- The employees at The Vitamin Shoppe are typically very friendly and knowledgeable.
- The Vitamin Shoppe also offers other vegan supplements that are worth checking out while you’re at the store.
Cons:
- The Vitamin Shoppe is more expensive than Amazon or other grocery stores.
- The Vitamin Shoppe only sells two brands of nutritional yeast, so you don’t have much of a choice.
How Long Does Nutritional Yeast Last For?
Nutritional yeast has a great shelf life. Since the yeast is fully deactivated, dried, and dehydrated, you don’t have to worry about bacteria that much. Plus, most containers of nooch come with a light preservative which provides added protection.
I recommend storing nutritional yeast in a cool, dark place like your kitchen cabinet. You can also store it in the refrigerator (although that can result in it becoming clumpy).
As long as it’s stored correctly, it can easily last up to a year or more!
Conclusion
Whether you end up buying your nooch from Amazon or a local grocery store… If you haven’t tried nooch before, then you have to!
I promise you it will make your most boring meals come to life and make them far more savory. In addition to tasting great, it’s also very healthy and is often fortified with B vitamins and folic acid.
If you want to learn more about nutritional yeast, what it tastes like, and how you can incorporate it into your vegan diet, be sure to check out my recent post that’s all about nooch!
