Creamy Nutritional Yeast Dressing
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Published Apr 22, 2019, Updated May 16, 2022
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Nutritional yeast, alongside apple cider vinegar and garlic, gives this dressing an umami-rich flavor you can’t resist. You’ll find yourself wanting to drizzle it on everything!
I’m a huge fan of homemade dressings and have posted a ton over the years! One of my favorites has always been this oil-free zesty tahini dressing with nutritional yeast. And this nutritional yeast dressing is a spin-off of that one, only without the tahini and even more nutritional yeast. I originally created it as a dressing for my kale and cabbage salad, but honestly it’s delicious on just about anything. I like using it as a drizzle for steamed veggies and as a dip for baked chicken tenders.
What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast made from molasses. It’s yellow in color and sold as flakes, granules or powder and can be found in the spice section or bulk bins of health food stores. I typically buy Bob’s Red Mill large flakes from Thrive Market.
Nutritional yeast has the word “nutritional” in its name for a reason! It is a complete protein – meaning it has all nine essential acids that we need! It is also high in protein (2g per tablespoon) so is a great way for vegetarians and vegans to add high-quality protein to their diet.
It’s also is high in B vitamins, specifically vitamin B-12! Vitamin B-12 is needed for a variety of body functions, including red blood cell creation, DNA production, energy metabolism and healthy nervous system functionality. It’s naturally found in animal products, so vegans can become deficient if they aren’t supplementing (or eating nutritional yeast).
How to Make Nutritional Yeast Dressing
Making a homemade dressing with nutritional yeast is super easy! For this dressing, we’re simply adding the nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic and ground pepper to a blender and blending until smooth. Slowly add in the olive oil with the blender on low. If you don’t have a blender, you can mince your garlic really well and whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl!
More Homemade Dressings You’ll Enjoy
- Oil-Free Zesty Tahini Dressing
- Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- Tomatillo Avocado Dressing
- Avocado Caesar Dressing
- Chili Almond Dressing
- Healthy Caesar Dressing
- Raspberry Vinaigrette
Be sure to check out my healthy salad dressings as well as my favorite healthy store-bought salad dressings.
Creamy Nutritional Yeast Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos, or low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- pinch of sea salt
- ground pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil*
Instructions
- Combine all dressing ingredients except olive oil into a blender. Blend until smooth and slowly add in the olive oil, with the blender on a low setting.
- I prefer making this dressing in a blender because it gets extra smooth and creamy, but if don’t have a blender you can easily make it by whisking all the ingredients together as well. Just make sure you mince your garlic really well.
Notes
- For an oil-free dressing you can use water in place of the oil. The dressing won’t be as creamy, but still delicious.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, will this dressing keep for long once made?
Great question. It should keep for about 5-7 days in the fridge.
Great dressing! Definitely will be a good one to give things a bold depth of flavor. Tried it today and loved it.
I have to say that this dressing is addictive. It tastes so good.
I was looking for a way to get a daily portion of nutritional yeast and this is it! It is almost identical the the dressing I make but creamy and I can’t taste whatever it is I don’t like about nutritional yeast. THANKS!!
I have tried twice and I can’t get this creamy at all. Just a thick liquid. I like the taste but I can’t get the texture!!!
hmmm!!! I wonder why! Are you following the recipe exactly or making any changes at all?
New favorite dressing. I’ll put this s**t on anything.
Hi Al. I am so happy to hear you are loving this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me!
Hi! Can you give me some ideas on what to use this on? Can it be cooked in casseroles or used as a marinade?
Hi Peytn! This dressing is very versatile and can be used on a variety of different dishes. It can be used as a salad dressing, pasta sauce, or dip for veggies, fries or protein. It can also just be drizzled on a sheet pan dish, casserole or steamed veggies. It can really be used with any recipe! Some of my favorite dishes to use this on are: Kale and Cabbage Salad, Baked Paleo Chicken Tenders, Vegan Power Bowl, and Crispy Baked Tofu.
Beyond delicious – will make this every week. Absolutely love. Only change – might use less / no water for thicker dressing.
Yayyy! So glad you tried this dressing and loved it. It’s one of my all-time faves. And yeah, you can definitely use less or more liquid depending on the consistency you are looking for. Thank you for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it, Sophie! <3
I absolutely love this dressing and all of your recipes! I’m currently working to overcome HA, and I appreciate your site so much!!
Awww, I am so happy to hear that you’re loving the recipes, Ann. 🙂
This recipe is absolutely delicious! However, I think you might need to adjust the liquid amounts (as another reviewer suggested). Maybe blender differences matter, but using your figures, mine was so watery that I had to add more than a cup of nutritional yeast and additional oil to make it a creamy , regular dressing consistency. I made it a second time and removed all the water and still needed to add nutritional yeast and extra oil. I wonder if you might revisit your amounts?
What would be a good substitute for coconut aminos?
You can use tamari or soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos if you prefer!
The taste is great, but mine also is very watery- I did not even add the 1/4 cup of water. I s it possible that there are different densities of nutritional yeast? How many grams are in the cup you used?
Thank you so much for this feedback, Sarah. I will test the recipe again to make sure the water content is correct.
Am I missing something? Where does the recipe list water as an ingredient?
I retested the recipe and removed water from the ingredient list because it turned out watery for quite a few people!
Ty!
I love how savory this dressing is and it pairs really well with kale. I added a little water to thin it out. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed this dressing, Sherry! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
Absolutely love this recipe! I sub out the olive oil for tahini and added the juice of a lemon and it was amazing!! Thanks again!
Woot woot!! So glad you enjoyed this dressing, Caroline. Thanks for sharing the tahini sub you made and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It’s super helpful for other readers. 🙂
So delicious!
I did not change a thing!
I am a culinary institute of America grad and I LOVE this.
Thank you for sharing this.
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this dressing, Judy. Thanks for the review!
SOS! I was excited to try this recipe, and I’ve made it twice and have the same problem: a super thick consistency. I’ve added 3x the olive oil, and it’s still super thick.
I’m puzzled by the references to water amongst some of the reviewers, as I didn’t see water in the recipe (unless one subbed out oil and replaced it with water).
Please enlighten me! Thanks
Hey Marie – I originally had water and oil in the recipe, but it was too thin. If your dressing is too thick for you, you can always add water to thin it out. I’d start with 1 T at a time until you reach the consistency you’re looking for.
To say this salad dressing changed my life would be an understatement. I feel like a vampire tasting human blood for the first time. I completely eyeballed every measurement but it turned out perfectly. I would rate this 6 stars if I could.
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Darcy!! I’m pumped you loved this dressing. Thanks so much for the review. I appreciate it!
This is the greatest dressing ever….OMG!! It is so tasty my socks have blown off!!
Ahh that makes me SO happy to hear!! I’m glad you loved this dressing, Matthew. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
I am definitely a nutritional yeast connoisseur. But I hadn’t even thought of turning it into a dressing until I stumbled across this recipe while doing research for my own blog post! I just know this is going to be a staple recipe for me. Thank you for sharing!
I only used 1/2 the coconut aminos and then added extra salt for flavor, I used tahini instead of the olive oil and I think the ACVinegar was too tart for meso I would use only 1/2 and added water for the other half of the quantity
This dressing is INCREDIBLE. I don’t even like nooch but I am in love with this dressing. Holy moly
Woo! That makes me so happy to hear, Margot. So pumped you love this dressing! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Question…I don’t usually keep garlic in the house because any foods from the alum family (onions, garlic, leeks) make me sick when I eat them. Could I sub out with garlic powder? Thanks!
It should be fine, but the flavor of the dressing might not be as strong.
When I was reading the ingredients I though “Nah. No way this is going to be good.” I was making the kale & cabbage salad, though, and this is the dressing it calls for, so I made it. I’m so glad I did, it’s delicious! I used 1.5 tsp. garlic powder because that’s the only kind of garlic I had. I left out the pepper because black pepper is inflammatory and that’s a no-no for me.
Woo! So glad this dressing was a hit, Jasmine! Thanks for the review 🙂
I love this recipe! It has become our #1 go-to for salad dressing, et al. It is so tasty and SO versatile- so many ways to adapt and spice it up. I substituted the olive oil with aquafaba (canned chickpea water) and it turned out great with a nice creaminess.
Yay!! Happy to hear this dressing was a hit, Jenn. Thanks so much for making it and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I plan on making this soon. How long will this last in the refrigerator?
Hi, Sherry! This dressing should keep in fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container. I usually keep my dressings in a mason jar or weck jar. I hope this helps!
Just made this and put it on a simple salad. Interestingly delish
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this salad dressing, Barbara. Thank you for trying it and leaving a review!
This dressing is a staple for me! I am always looking for ways to use this dressing because I want to eat it everyday! I like to use Bragg’s liquid aminos in place of coconut aminos. Thanks for this go-to!
So glad you like this recipe, Krystal! I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment and review!
I love nutritional yeast, and I’m always looking for a new salad dressing. This one’s delish. I was out of apple cider vinegar, so I used plain white vinegar, and added the tiniest pinch of sugar. So good. It’s salads all week! Thank you.
Woo!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, EllenMarie! Thanks for making it and for leaving a review. I so appreciate it!
Was looking for a recipe with these ingredients (except canola oil instead of olive oil) because of a dressing that has now been discontinued….so I made this with canola oil and the tamari option. Mine turned out a little thick (like mustard) but had a nice zing and tang. I’ll add water to get it to be more dressing than sauce. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Ah yay! I am excited to hear that you are enjoying this recipe, Alicks. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.
hmm turned out thin but probably just me!!!! did water and oil together
Hmm, I have not tried this recipe with water, the oil is really what makes it nice and thick. That is most likely the cause of it being too thin. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it.
Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe! How long would it last in the fridge?
Hi! Looks delicious, Can’t wait to try it! How long would the dressing last? Should it be kept in fridge?
Hi Sofia – Yes, keep any leftovers in the fridge. The dressing should last about 1 week.
can you make this without the olive oil or by getting rid of some of the yeast so it’s liquidy? I want to incorporate nooch into my salads but lower calorie.
I haven’t tested this, but I have read that you can replace oil in dressing recipes with a flax or chia egg instead of oil. I am not sure how thin it’ll make the dressing as I haven’t given it a try. Let me know if you try this out and how it turns out for you!
excellent recipe. I made mixed greens, red cabbage, sweet peppers, pineapple, cucumber, chopped dates and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a dinner party. There were no leftovers. Also great as a sandwich spread in lieu of mayo.
Amazing! I am SO glad you are loving this dressing and it turned out amazing for you, Suzi. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!