How to Use Pulp from a Juicer

A juicer separates the juice of a fruit or vegetable from its cells; the remaining pulp consists of cell walls, peel, and the squeezed part of the flesh. Most of the juice is gone, but the flavor, color, and texture remain, so pulp is not a dry crumb but a moist and dense ingredient. Its amount and moisture vary with the type of juicer and the fruit being juiced, so recipes should be adjusted by consistency rather than by measurement. Choose how to use the pulp based on which fruit or vegetable it came from.

Carrot and apple pulp are the easiest to use. Both are sweet and slightly moist, and can directly replace grated carrot or apple in cake, muffin, and cookie batter. Because pulp is drier than grated produce, it draws moisture from the batter; if the batter looks dry, add a little milk or yogurt and check the consistency. Carrot pulp used with cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins gives carrot cake its full flavor and leaves an orange color in the cake. Apple pulp keeps the inside of a cake soft.

Vegetable pulp goes into savory mixtures. Carrot, celery, beet, and spinach pulp can replace grated vegetables in fritter batter; unlike grated zucchini, it does not need to be squeezed because its juice has already been removed. Mixing the same pulp into meatball or ground-meat mixtures helps bind them and holds the liquid released by the meat during cooking. Adjust the amount of pulp according to the mixture’s consistency: it is enough if the mixture holds together in your hand. Vegetable pulp can also be added to soup to thicken it; it will not be noticeable in blended soup.

Keep citrus pulp separate. When oranges, mandarins, and grapefruit are juiced, membranes, seeds, and white pith mix into the pulp; these are bitter and make an entire cake taste bitter when added to the batter. Do not add this pulp to desserts. You can remove the seeds, but the bitterness of the membranes remains. For citrus, use the peel that is grated before juicing, not the pulp: grate and set aside the colorful outer peel of the fruit to use its aroma in cake and cream, and the pulp will no longer be a problem.

Pulp does not keep. Because it is moist and broken down, it darkens quickly and loses flavor; apple pulp turns brown as it is exposed to air. So use pulp as soon as juicing is finished, or set it aside for a mixture you will cook that day. If you will not use it right away, divide it into small portions and freeze it; how long it can be kept is a storage question. Portion pulp for the recipe; put pulp for sweet and savory mixtures in separate bags. Remove any stems and seeds that got into the pulp during juicing before adding it to a mixture. Do not use pulp that has darkened or smells sour.