Yeast Extract substitute

Best substitute

Marmite or Vegemite

Use the same amount as the yeast extract you are replacing

Best for gravies

Close match

If a recipe says yeast extract, reach for Marmite or Vegemite first at 1:1, because they are the same ingredient under brand names. No spread in the house? Use 1 tablespoon of white or red miso paste, or 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, for each teaspoon of yeast extract, and cut the salt elsewhere in the dish.

Other yeast extract substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Miso Paste
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp white or red miso for every 1 tsp yeast extract
The best all-round replacement, and vegan.
What changes
Yeast extract's job in a recipe is pure umami plus salt plus a dark roasted bitterness, and miso covers the first two beautifully. What changes is that miso is noticeably sweeter and rounder, has none of the malty-bitter edge, and clouds a clear liquid. A stew made with miso tastes gentler and slightly beany. A drop of molasses or a pinch of instant coffee closes most of the gap.
Best for
gravies, vegan cooking, soups and broths, marinades, braises
Whisk miso with a little of the hot liquid first so it does not clump, and stir it in near the end. Hard boiling flattens its flavour.
3Soy Sauce or Tamari
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp soy sauce for every 1 tsp yeast extract
The most likely thing to already be in your kitchen.
What changes
It delivers the same glutamate savouriness and the same dark colour, but as a thin liquid rather than a paste, and it tastes distinctly fermented and wheaty instead of malty and yeasty. In a gravy the difference reads as slightly Asian rather than slightly beefy. Tamari is the gluten-free option and tastes a little deeper and less sharp.
Best for
gravies and pan sauces, stir-fries, marinades, stews, roasted vegetables
You are adding a tablespoon of liquid, so reduce another liquid by the same amount in sauces and doughs. Skip the recipe's salt.
4Nutritional Yeast
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp nutritional yeast + ¼ tsp fine salt for every 1 tsp yeast extract
Made from the same organism but treated completely differently, and they are not interchangeable spoon for spoon.
What changes
Nutritional yeast is dry, mild, nutty and cheesy, with a fraction of the savoury punch and no salt at all, so it needs help. It also leaves visible yellow flakes and can go slightly grainy in a smooth sauce. Good for savoury depth in vegan dishes, poor at replacing the dark bitterness.
Best for
vegan cheese sauces, popcorn and seasonings, soups, dry rubs
Blitz it to a powder in a spice grinder if you need a smooth sauce, and add a small pinch of MSG if you have it for the missing punch.
5Mushroom Powder or Porcini Soaking Liquid
Different taste
Use 2 tsp mushroom powder, or 3 tbsp strained dried-mushroom soaking liquid for every 1 tsp yeast extract
Dried mushrooms carry a different savoury compound than yeast, and the two taste noticeably unlike each other even though both read as deeply savoury.
What changes
Mushroom powder brings a woodsy, earthy aroma that yeast extract does not have, and no salt, so salt separately. The soaking liquid is superb in braises and risotto but adds liquid, which rules it out for a dry rub or a thick spread.
Best for
braises and stews, risotto, vegan gravies, meat rubs, ragu
Strain soaking liquid through a paper filter or leave the last spoonful behind, because dried mushrooms carry grit.
6Worcestershire Sauce
Taste and texture differ
Use 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce for every 1 tsp yeast extract
Honest warning: most Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, so it is not vegetarian unless the bottle says so.
What changes
What it does bring is savoury salt plus tamarind sourness and clove-and-onion spice, which yeast extract does not have. That makes it a bright, tangy substitute rather than a faithful one, best where a little sharpness is welcome, such as in shepherd's pie, chilli or a beef gravy.
Best for
beef gravy, shepherd's pie, chilli, burgers and meatloaf
The added acidity can thin a sauce and curdle dairy, so add it to hot liquid off the boil rather than into cream.

What is Yeast Extract?

Yeast Extract is Yeast extract is the dark, sticky, intensely salty paste or powder made by breaking open brewer's or baker's yeast cells so their savoury compounds are released, and it is what Marmite, Vegemite and Bovril-style spreads actually are.

Cooking tips

Yeast extract naturally contains free glutamates, which is exactly why it tastes similar to MSG. That also means it multiplies savouriness rather than adding a new flavour, so half a teaspoon stirred into a bland vegetable soup makes the vegetables taste more like themselves rather than making the soup taste of yeast.
It is intensely strong. Start with 1/2 teaspoon for a pot of stew serving four, dissolve it fully, then taste before adding more. Too much and everything tastes bitter and salty in a way you cannot pull back.
Dissolve it in a few tablespoons of hot liquid before it goes into the pot. Dropped in as a lump it clings to the bottom, scorches and turns acrid.
It reads as brown, so it is one of the fastest ways to fix a pale vegan gravy or mushroom sauce that tastes fine but looks anaemic.
Do not use yeast extract to replace salt in a curing, pickling or fermenting brine. Those recipes rely on a tested salt concentration for safety, and swapping in a different salty ingredient changes it. Follow the tested recipe and the National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance instead.

Frequently asked questions

Is yeast extract the same as nutritional yeast?

No, and this trips up a lot of people. Both come from yeast, but yeast extract is a concentrated wet paste that is very salty and very savoury, while nutritional yeast is dried deactivated flakes that are mild, nutty and unsalted. You need about three times the volume of nutritional yeast plus added salt to get anywhere near the same effect.

Is yeast extract the same as MSG?

They are not the same ingredient, but they work the same way. Yeast extract contains naturally occurring free glutamates, the same compound that gives MSG its effect, alongside salt and its own malty flavour. That is why food labels sometimes use yeast extract where a manufacturer wants the savoury boost without listing monosodium glutamate.

Can I just leave yeast extract out?

Usually yes, because it is almost always a booster rather than a structural ingredient. Nothing will fail to set or thicken. The dish will simply taste flatter and less finished, so compensate by salting a little more assertively and adding another savoury element such as a Parmesan rind, a splash of soy sauce or a spoonful of tomato paste browned in the pan.

What is autolyzed yeast extract on an ingredients label?

It is the same thing. Autolyzed simply describes the method, letting the yeast's own enzymes break down its cell walls, as opposed to hydrolyzed yeast extract, where acid or added enzymes do the job. Both taste savoury and salty, and both are what you would replace with Marmite, miso or soy sauce at home.

Is yeast extract gluten-free and vegan?

It is vegan, since yeast is not an animal. Gluten is less certain, because much yeast extract is made from spent brewer's yeast grown on barley. Some brands test below the gluten-free threshold and some do not, so check the specific label if it matters, and use tamari or miso made without barley as a safer swap.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Yeast Extract substitute

Other yeast extract substitutes

2Miso Paste

3Soy Sauce or Tamari

4Nutritional Yeast

5Mushroom Powder or Porcini Soaking Liquid

6Worcestershire Sauce