How to achieve BBQ flavours in plant-based protein alternatives

As consumer demand grows for plant-based products that deliver on taste, manufacturers are under pressure to replicate the deep, savoury complexity of meat - without using animal ingredients. Yeast-based solutions offer a clean-label, versatile way to meet this demand, bringing authentic roasted and meaty notes to a wide range of applications. Find out how yeast-based solutions can help deliver the satisfying taste that consumers would usually expect from meat. 

What are the benefits of using yeast-based ingredients for BBQ flavours?

Yeast-based ingredients are a great way to help create authentic, irresistible plant-based products. Known for their ability to emphasise meaty flavours, yeast-based ingredients are especially valuable in non-meat formulations to bridge the flavour gap often experienced with plant-based alternatives, delivering depth, umami, and the savoury notes typically associated with meat. Yeast extracts can impart meaty notes, provide juicy mouthfeel, and bring balance to a variety of applications.

Taste improvement

Yeast-based ingredients are rich in glutamic acid, a natural source of umami that delivers distinct meaty and savoury notes. Ideal for vegetarian and vegan formulations, they help replicate the depth and complexity of meat, and they bring the juicy, fatty mouthfeel. They can also help to mask off-notes which sometimes occur when using plant-based proteins. Whether you're aiming for roasted notes or caramelised flavours, yeast extracts offer key functionality for taste improvement, making them a go-to solution for authentic, meat-like flavours. 

Visual appeal

Visual appeal plays a key role in the overall sensory experience and yeast-based solutions can help to create products that both look and taste good. Yeast-based solutions will also serve to naturally enhance the rich brown colour of formulations, giving products a caramelised, roasted look.

How do yeast-based ingredients work in plant-based BBQ applications?

Yeast-based solutions complement both meat and plant-based products, but they’re especially powerful in plant-based formulations where meaty depth is often lacking. Yeast has a natural umami flavour, so it’s a great way to build savoury complexity, and mimic the rich, roasted notes of meat, helping to give plant-based products that authentic taste.

Plant-based burgers and meat alternatives

Yeast-based ingredients are ideal for crafting plant-based burgers that actually taste like the real thing. Thanks to glutamic acid, yeast has a natural umami flavour which provides that savoury base profile and essential meaty notes. They help mask off-notes from plant proteins, and they can even deliver that juicy, fatty mouthfeel to build a satisfying burger experience, without the need for artificial additives or animal products.

How can yeast-based solutions be used in other formulations?

Yeast-based solutions are not only applicable for plant-based protein alternatives: they can also be utilised in a range of formulations to enhance flavour and improve mouthfeel. In sauces and marinades, yeast-based ingredients bring richness and depth. Whether it’s a smoky BBQ glaze or a creamy mushroom sauce, these ingredients add meaty base notes and lingering umami to help balance flavours making them a smart, natural way to round out the overall flavour profile. In dry blends like seasonings and rubs, yeast extracts provide the savoury backbone. A pinch adds body, boosts umami, and helps deliver complexity without overpowering other spices. Perfect for vegan snacks, meat alternatives, or even roasted veg, they help create satisfying, full-flavoured profiles that stand up to grilling, roasting, and frying.

Plant-based flavour solutions for protein alternatives from Ohly

At OHLY, our yeast-based solutions are designed to provide complex flavour, particularly across plant-based protein alternatives. OHLY FLAV-R-MAX is great for bringing out key flavour notes in plant-based products as well as masking off-notes from plant-proteins. Its clean taste and low usage levels mean it can be effective in a variety of formulations, including soups, seasonings, sauces, dressings and meat alternatives.