Treat pulp as fresh food
Pulp is damp, finely chopped produce, and it spoils fast. If you plan to cook with it, refrigerate it in a covered container right away and use it within about a day, or freeze it. Only cook with pulp from produce you washed well and from a clean juicer. Pulp that smells sour or looks moldy belongs in the compost or the trash.
Sort it first
Pulp that is good to cook with comes from produce you would eat raw: carrots, apples, beets, cucumbers, pineapple, kale. Keep it separate from peels, cores, pits and seeds. If you juice in batches, empty the pulp bin between kinds of produce so you can keep the carrot pulp apart from the citrus.
Baking
Fine, fairly dry pulp works in many baked goods. Use it where you would use grated produce.
- Carrot or apple pulp in muffins, quick breads and carrot cake.
- Vegetable pulp in savory crackers, pressed thin and baked until crisp.
- A spoonful of pulp in pancake or waffle batter.
- Squeeze extra liquid out of wet pulp in a clean cloth first, or the batter may turn heavy.
Start by swapping pulp for part of the grated carrot or zucchini in a recipe you already know, then adjust.
Savory cooking
- Stir vegetable pulp into soups, sauces, chili or meatballs.
- Mix pulp with egg, flour and seasoning, then pan-fry it as fritters.
- Add a little to veggie burgers to help bind them.
Vegetable stock
Pulp from carrots, celery, fennel and greens makes a light stock. Simmer it in water with an onion, a bay leaf and some peppercorns for about half an hour, then strain it well through a fine sieve or cloth. Cool it quickly and refrigerate or freeze it. Skip beet pulp unless you want red stock, and leave out sweet fruit pulp.
Freezing pulp
Freeze pulp in measured portions, such as half a cup, in labeled freezer bags pressed flat. Flat bags freeze and thaw quickly and stack well. Thaw in the fridge and use it in cooked dishes.
Composting
Fruit and vegetable pulp is great compost material, peels and cores included. Mix it with dry browns like leaves or shredded paper, because wet pulp alone can turn slimy and smelly. Citrus peel and onion are fine in moderation. If your town collects food scraps, pulp usually goes in that bin; check the local rules.
Making less pulp
Slow juicers and presses usually leave drier pulp than fast juicers, which means more of the juice ends up in the glass. Running wet pulp through a second time can squeeze a little more out. See the juicer types page for how each design works.
Pets: some fruit and vegetable scraps are harmful to dogs and cats, including grapes. Ask a veterinarian before sharing pulp with pets.