Cold-press juicing is one of the healthiest ways to stay hydrated. The problem is those bowls of leftover juice pulp. Throwing them away will be a waste of food and money, though.
Composting and feeding them to livestock are apparent solutions. However, non-gardeners or farmers can still repurpose nutrient-rich pulp into something creative and delicious.
Read on to learn how.
What is Juicer Pulp?
Pulp is the by-product after extracting the juice from fresh fruits and vegetables.
Produce with high water content will likely yield about 80% juice, while the rest is pulp. Leafy greens have less water, with approximately equal parts of juice and pulp.
Leftover juice pulp contains mostly fibre with some nutrients and calories. It’s truly a waste if these go in the bin or landfill.
So, how can we save and use it?
How to Handle and Store Juice Pulp
After making your favourite cold-pressed juice, transfer the leftover juice pulp to an airtight jar or resealable plastic bag, then place it in the fridge.
Remember to use your chilled pulp in 2 days.
For extended storage, place the pulp in a freezer-safe container. You can also put it in ice cube trays, let it set, and then transfer the pulp cubes into a freezer bag.
Your frozen pulp should stay good for 6 months.
However, I suggest using your juice pulp immediately for optimum benefits and nutritional value.
6 Things to Make Using Leftover Vegetable Juice Pulp
Start repurposing your vegetable pulp to avoid wasting food and money. Here are a few ideas.
1. Make a Pot of Vegetable Broth
If you can make broth with food scraps, you can do it with juice pulp. Use vegetable juice pulp only since fruit sugars might make your broth weirdly sweet.
To make your broth:
- Put a cup or two of leftover vegetable pulp in a large pot.
- Cover the pulp with enough water and allow to boil for an hour.
- Strain your veggie broth, and season it with salt, pepper, spices, and herbs to taste. You can also leave it unstrained.
Your homemade veggie broth is ready for soups, sauces, or stews. If you plan to use it later, store your cooled broth in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Freeze and portion your large batch of pulp broth in an ice tray so you don’t have to use a lot in one go.
Tip: You can skip broth-making and sauté the pulp instead with other aromatics when making soups or sauces.
2. Toss It in Your Fried Rice
Fried rice is a delicious one-pan (or wok) dish. However, it also involves a lot of chopping and mincing.
You can cut your prep time if you have ready-to-use veggie pulp. Half a cup of pulp should make your fried rice tasty and colourful.
Throw in some shrimp, chicken, or mushroom, and you have a complete meal to enjoy for lunch or dinner.
3. Add It to Your Egg Dishes
Having vegetables for brekkie is easy with leftover juice pulp on hand. All you need is a few tablespoons added to your omelette filling, scrambled eggs, or frittata.
I also love using pulp for making vegetable fritters or pancakes. That way, I can skip the tedious grating task.
It’s also a good technique for sneaking vegetables into your kids’ morning meal.
4. Whip Up Party Dips or Spreads
A vegetable stick platter is not complete without a tasty dip. Instead of store-bought dips, make it homemade with your leftover juice pulp.
Try stirring a fourth cup of veggie pulp to your Greek yoghurt with cottage cheese, hummus, salsa, or guacamole.
The pulp adds extra texture to creamy dips. It makes them more flavourful, too.
Here’s another idea. Try mixing some juice pulp with plain cream cheese in a 1:2 ratio. Season your cream cheese dip with salt and pepper.
I like flavouring it with some garlic and onion powder, too. Refrigerate it for a few hours, then serve with bagels, vegetable sticks, potato wedges, or crackers.
5. Bake Crisp Pulp Crackers
Pulp-based dips are best with crunchy pulp crackers. These homemade crackers are healthy and easy to make and customise.
Mix your leftover vegetable juice pulp with other ingredients for extra crunch and flavour. Seeds like chia, sunflower, and flax are popular add-ons.
After chopping the ingredients in a food processor, add water or oil to turn the mixture into a spreadable paste.
Spread the cracker dough as thinly as possible on a baking sheet. Finally, in a preheated oven (175C), bake the cracker sheet for 30-40 minutes or until crisp.
After baking, cool it down, then cut it into smaller pieces using a knife or pizza cutter.
You can also use a food dehydrator for making juice pulp crackers.
6. Add It to Meatballs, Meatloaf, or Burgers
Veggie burgers are probably the tastiest way to repurpose your juice pulp. These are perfect for increasing your fibre intake or enjoying a good burger without the guilt.
Mix your pulp with some key ingredients when making pulp-based burgers or meatballs. These include:
- meat alternative: mashed potatoes, tofu, or beans
- binding agent: eggs, oats, or breadcrumbs
- flavouring: herbs and spices
- liquid: oil and water
If veggie burgers are not your favourite, mix a few tablespoons of juice pulp into your minced meat mixture. The pulp should give your meat extra flavour.
You can also freeze your veggie burger patties or balls for cooking or grilling later.
Tip: Juicer pulp can also go to your egg roll or dim sum meat filling.
5 Things to Make Using Leftover Fruit Juice Pulp
Fruit pulp is naturally sweet, making it perfect for snacks and desserts. Try making these easy treats.
1. Blend It with Your Smoothies
A few tablespoons of fruit pulp to your smoothie should ramp up its nutrient and fibre content. High-fibre smoothies should make you feel full longer.
I especially like how the added pulp thickens the drink, giving a delightful milkshake consistency.
Use this idea to experiment and modify your favourite smoothie recipe. Try it with your portable blender, too.
2. Use Pulp for Baking Quick Bread or Pies
I love using fruit in baked goods. The problem is that preparation can be time-consuming. Also, some fruits are too watery, making your final product soggy.
The solution? Use leftover fruit juice pulp. With this on hand, you can skip the tedious peeling, chopping, and grating – perfect for making homemade fruit pie filling.
Plus, leftover pulp gives the right amount of moisture to cakes, muffins, and loaf bread.
When adding fruit pulp to your batter, balance it with the other wet ingredients in the recipe.
3. Jazz Up Your Drinks with Ice Cube Pulp
Here’s a fun way to boost your water intake. Mix your fruit pulp with water, pour it into an ice cube tray, then freeze.
Then, pop a few pulp cubes to sweeten your plain water. These fruit ice cubes can also go into your punch, mocktails, and smoothies.
4. Beat the Heat with Refreshing Popsicles
Alternatively, you can turn your fruit ice cubes into homemade popsicles, or should I say “pulp-sicles”?
Just stir some leftover juice pulp into your fruit juice or yoghurt, pour it into the mould, and pop it in the freezer to set.
The kids will love these frozen treats in summer. Also, the “pulp-sicles” is a clever technique to make desserts delicious and healthy.
5. Make Some Fruit Leather
This one is the fruit version of our baked pulp crackers. Instead of crisp treats, you can make stretchy, chewy fruit leather using fresh fruit pulp.
Start by lining your dehydrator tray with a silicone mat (or parchment paper for oven drying). Spread your fruit pulp thinly and evenly on the tray or cookie sheet.
Put the tray in the dehydrator to dry or in a preheated oven at its lowest setting, about 65C. Do not overcook the fruit leather, as it might turn into chips.
The goal is to dry it considerably and make the top lose its shine. When ready, allow it to cool for a few minutes before cutting the sheet into delicious fruit leather strips.
Add lemon juice, sugar, honey, or agave syrup to your fruit pulp before drying to adjust the sweetness.
Final Thoughts
Cold-pressed juicing is a good habit. It gets even better when you turn leftover juice pulp into something you can eat and enjoy.
With kitchen creativity, you can make the most of your fruits or vegetables and reduce food waste. Best of all, you get optimum health benefits.
So, don’t throw the pulp away the next time you make a batch of cold-pressed juice. Try one or two of our suggestions above. Have fun experimenting and discovering a new pulp recipe.
Read our cold-press juicer reviews next to start making your healthy juices and pulp-based snacks.
