Foods That Do and Don’t Contain Yeast
Diet & NutritionFood & Ingredients

Foods You Can and Can’t Eat With a Yeast Allergy

Foods You Can and Can’t Eat With a Yeast Allergy
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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Some people experience allergic reactions when they consume foods or drinks that contain yeast. Having a yeast allergy or intolerance may mean that you have to cut yeast out of your diet. As can be the case with other food allergies, that may be easier said than done. Yeast is surprisingly common.

But it’s not impossible to do. There are many foods and beverages that are yeast-free and ready to be featured in a diet that excludes or limits it. The degree to which you’ll need to cut down on products containing yeast depends on how sensitive you are to it.

What Is Yeast?

Yeast is a simple fungus that plays a key role in baking and fermentation processes. The two most common forms of yeast are baker’s yeast and brewer’s yeast. Both strains originate from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species of fungus.

The way yeast breathes makes it an important ingredient in products like bread and beer. It can breathe without oxygen. However, when yeast receives both sugar and oxygen, it reproduces exponentially. In the absence of oxygen, yeast ferments carbohydrates, which results in the production of ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide.

Yeast is quite healthy, and some people even take it as a supplement — also known as nutritional yeast — because it’s a good source of protein and of B vitamins like folic acid and niacin.

Which Foods Can You Eat if You Have a Yeast Allergy?

Keeping a yeast food list handy and checking food labels can help you avoid this organism if you’re sensitive or allergic to it. Generally, these foods do not contain yeast:

  • All plain cooked meats, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, and fresh tofu, except for dishes containing mushrooms, vinegar, breadcrumbs, beer, or tempeh
  • All sauces and gravies, except for soy sauce and any sauces containing mushrooms or vinegar
  • All starchy vegetables
  • All pasta
  • All rice
  • All vegetables, except for mushrooms and sauerkraut
  • All soups, except for those containing mushrooms
  • Salads and dressings that are not vinegar-based and do not contain mushrooms, mustard, mayonnaise, or pickles
  • Yeast-free breads, such as some flat breads and wraps (be sure to check the label)
  • Rice and corn cakes
  • All breakfast cereals
  • Butter, margarine, jam, honey, and peanut butter
  • All fruit
  • All yogurt
  • Desserts, except those that are made with bread or yeast, such as yeast-based cakes, cookies, or doughnuts
  • All milks and cheeses, except for aged cheeses
  • All beverages, except for yeast-brewed beers, kombucha or kefir,

     ciders, and wines
  • Miscellaneous foods, such as salt, pepper, nuts, and seeds, except for miso, tamari, and natto
Any food sitting on the counter that has exposure to moisture and air may also have yeast grow on it while it spoils. Most fruits and vegetables are among the foods that don’t contain yeast, as long as they are fresh and are not starting to spoil.

 However, some mushrooms may have traces of yeast.

Which Foods Contain Yeast?

Depending on your level of sensitivity to yeast, you may need to avoid:

  • Foods that contain yeast
  • Foods that producers have fermented with yeast
  • Foods that carry a high risk of yeast contamination
Some common foods with yeast include the following:

Baked Goods

  • Breadcrumbs
  • Breads, excluding specifically yeast-free breads
  • Rolls
  • Desserts made with bread
  • Yeast-based cakes
  • Doughnuts
  • Coffee cakes

Most baked goods, as well as wheat items like crackers, contain yeast. But baking powder and baking soda can now replace yeast in some baking recipes, and you should be able to find yeast-free baked goods. Be diligent about checking food labels.

Some Types of Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages like beer and cider usually contain yeast.

 Wine production also involves yeast fermentation.

However, alcohol only contains low levels of yeast. Your tolerance for yeast will dictate whether you’re able to drink the above, spirits, or other alcoholic beverages.

Fermented or Cured Foods

Many fermented foods, such as the following, include both bacteria and yeast in the fermentation process:

  • Vinegar
  • Tempeh
  • Sauerkraut
  • Mustard
  • Mayonnaise
  • Pickles
  • Dressings made with vinegar
  • Yeast spreads, such as Vegemite
  • Aged cheeses, like Parmesan
  • Miso
  • Kombucha
  • Kimchi
  • Tamari
  • Natto

Yeast Allergy and Intolerance

Food allergies are not the same as food intolerances, which don’t involve the immune system.

A true yeast allergy is rare, although you may have an allergic reaction to a product that contains yeast and other common allergens. For example, many breads contain wheat as well as yeast, and baked goods often contain eggs and milk. All three are among the most common allergens.

Talk to your doctor if you think you may have a yeast allergy, because it can have severe consequences. Your doctor can confirm whether a yeast allergy is causing your symptoms and rule out other conditions.

People with a mild yeast allergy may be able to manage their symptoms by using antihistamine medications if they notice a reaction.

Should You Cut Out Foods That Contain Yeast?

If you have yeast syndrome, which is a condition caused by excessive growth of a fungus-like species called Candida albicans in the digestive system, some alternative medicine practitioners advise sticking to foods that don’t contain yeast.

Known as a candida cleanse diet, this regimen involves eliminating yeast and foods like sugar, cheese, and white flour.

No clinical trials show that eliminating foods with yeast can improve the effects of yeast overgrowth in the body or treat any other medical condition. However, anecdotally, people do notice that their health gets better on a candida cleanse diet, as it cuts out a lot of ultra-processed foods.

Despite this, the diet shows little direct impact on candida overgrowth in the gut, and healthcare providers will instead prescribe antifungal medications to treat this condition.

The Takeaway

  • Individuals who are allergic to yeast must avoid foods that often contain or are fermented with yeast, such as breads, certain alcoholic beverages, and fermented foods like vinegar and sauerkraut.
  • You can maintain a yeast-free diet by focusing on fresh fruits, vegetables, plain meats, and certain yeast-free bread options. Just remember to check food labels to ensure that anything prepackaged does not contain yeast.
  • A yeast allergy may lead to a severe reaction, including anaphylaxis. Consult a healthcare provider for a diagnosis and to discuss the appropriate dietary adjustments.
  • Although some alternative medicine practices recommend a yeast-free diet for managing conditions like yeast syndrome, there is not much scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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  13. What Is a Candida Cleanse Diet and What Does It Do? Mayo Clinic. June 28, 2025.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
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Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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