vegan cheese: Red Star Nutritional yeast is used when making homemade vegan cheeses, for those who are interested.|||The short answer is: Yes. :-) Brewer's Yeast and Nutritional Yeast come from a similar type of yeast, and have a very similar nutritional profile - both are terrific sources of the B Vitamins. If you taste them side by side, many people notice that Brewer's Yeast has a slightly bitter taste to it compared to the Nutritional Yeast. But if I had to - I would be fine with substituting Brewer's for Nutritional in a recipe like "Gee Whiz" (My all-time favorite recipe for fake cheese spread!) Brewer's Yeast is a by-product of beer making but Red Star Nutritional Yeast was grown on molasses for the express purpose of being a foodstuff and vitamin supplement. I have seen people refer to real Red Star Nutritional Yeast as "brewer's yeast" and I think sometimes the stores get them mixed up in the bulk bins, too. I hope that helps, BTW - try it on popcorn, it adds a terrific flavor. With some melted Earth Balance margarine - OMG!|||For its purpose - yes, for its flavor - no. I would never use the two interchangeably. I use brewer's yeast in smoothies and protein shakes. I use nutritional yeast more for cooking. The nutritional yeast makes an awesome "cheese" sauce and is great sprinkled on pasta, popcorn, salads, etc.|||Brewer's and nutritional yeast are both high in B12, but brewers yeast doesn't taste good unless it's in draft beer :-P