Do you hate to see food or nutrients go to waste? If you are an avid juicer, then you know all about the beautifully-colored arrangement of pulp that the machine spits out as the juice is squeezed out of each fruit and vegetable. Most people discard this pulp and get right to chugging their fruit & vegetable cocktail.

Unfortunately, no juicer can extract 100% of the nutrients out of the fruits and vegetables. Plus, what many people don’t consider is the fact that when you juice, you are essentially leaving behind all of the great fiber that the fruits’ and veggies’ skins and peels are so naturally high in.

Fiber serves a very important role in the diet… when consumed in whole fruits and vegetables it helps to slow the body’s breakdown and release of sugar from the produce, preventing blood sugar spikes and crashes; fiber can help you feel full longer; and fiber keeps your digestive system running smoothly and efficiently.

Bottom line, there is value in this often-neglected pulp!

Next time you make a juice, think twice before tossing the pulp! There’s no need for any nutritious part of the fruits and vegetables to go to waste. Here’s how you can transform your fibrous pulp into hearty and delicious Juice Pulp Crackers.

Juice Pulp Crackers – Ingredients

3C pulp vegetable/fruit pulp from juicer

¼C chia seeds

½C chickpea flour

1C water

Tips: Feel free replace the chia seeds with flax meal. Add garlic powder or some other of your favorite seasonings for added flavor. Make sure that if you plan to save and use the pulp, properly remove any inedible skin and seeds from the produce prior to juicing!

Juice Pulp Crackers – Preparation Instructions

1. Combine the juice pulp, Chia seeds, and chickpea flour in a food processor. Add some of the water and blend the ingredients together. Repeat until you have added all of the water. You really want to purée the pulp to break up the fibrous threads as best as you can, but let’s remember that it is essentially a bowl of roughage—embrace the raw and hearty texture.

2. Spread the mixture onto a nonstick baking sheet using a large spoon or a spatula. Spread the mixture as thinly as possible to allow your crackers to get nice and crispy.

3. Bake the cracker sheet in the oven at 350F for anywhere from 30 – 40 minutes, or until it is completely dried up and crisp.*

*If you prefer to keep your Juice Pulp Crackers raw, use a teflex sheet and dehydrate at 115F for at least 6 hours. You can even try letting them dehydrate overnight for extra-crispy crackers.

4. Once you have a crispy cracker sheet, remove the sheet from the oven or dehydrator and using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, break the sheet up into individual crackers. Once your crackers are all cut up, you can put the crackers back in the oven for an extra toast under the broiler, or go ahead and serve them as is.

Using the same recipe, you can also try making fruit and veggie pulp patties on the stovetop! Be creative. And if the pulp doesn’t look so appetizing to you, there are other ways you make use of it, like making it into garden compost to help your spring garden flourish.

If you know of other ways we can the most of our juice pulp, please share with us in a comment below.