With cow milk sales dropping by more than $1 billion in 2019, more and more people are opting to make their own milks at home. (And no, you don’t need a cow.) It’s surprisingly easy to make plant-based milk out of a variety of nuts, seeds, and oats. From almond and cashew milk to pumpkin seeds and rice, at-home, plant-based milk possibilities are endless (and delicious). Of these plant-based milks, coconut, hemp, pea protein, and oat milk generally produce the lowest impact on the environment. But one thing at-home milks have that milk bought from the store does not? Excess pulp.
No, not the pulp you find swirling around in your orange juice, either. If you’ve ever made your own plant-based milk at home before, you know that one of the steps requires squeezing out the liquid, therefore separating it from the excess, which is called pulp. The pulp is the soft, wet, and fleshy part of the process that’s leftover and most people don’t know what to do with it. Not all plant-based milks produce pulp either; cashew, macadamia nut, brown rice, oat, and coconut milk generally only produce a tiny bit of pulp, whereas almond, pumpkin, and hemp seed milks tend to make a lot. While you can easily compost the pulp, it can also be better served by using it in various recipes.
Not sure what to do with your leftover almond or oat pulp? Keep reading!
What can you do with leftover almond pulp?
Leftover pulp from homemade almond, oat, or other plant-based milks does not have to be trashed or even composted (which, of course, is the better and zero-waste option of the two). You can actually incorporate pulp from milk into a few different cooking and baking recipes. At least by repurposing the pulp for a recipe, you will be using every part of the milk.
Cookies
Many cookie recipes that incorporate almond or oat pulp require you to dry it out first. This cookie recipe — by A Virtual Vegan — doesn’t, which is what makes it so easy.
You will need spelt flour, rolled oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, ground flax, salt, vanilla extract, coconut oil, the pulp of your choice, chocolate chips, and ½ cup of your plant-based milk. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, then combine all of your dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add them together, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then form little balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake them at 350 for 20-25 minutes, then let them cool.
Flour
Spread the wet pulp out on a baking sheet in one even layer. Preheat your oven to its lowest setting, then let the pulp dehydrate for anywhere from four to six hours on this low setting. You’ll know the flour is done baking once it is devoid of moisture and dry and crumbly in texture. Next, add it to a food processor or blender to blend it into a fine powder. There you have it: flour!
Once you turn the pulp into flour, you can make it into anything: pizza crust, crackers, or even add it to pancake and waffles instead of store-bought mix.
Freezer Fudge
Adapted from The Conscientious Eater, you will need the following ingredients to make freezer fudge: oatmeal, almond pulp, cocoa powder, agave nectar, almond milk, coconut oil, applesauce, and sea salt. Blend ½ cup of rolled oats into oat flour using a food processor or blender. Add in the rest of the ingredients and keep blending until you’ve got a smooth mixture. Pour the whole mixture in an 8×8 baking dish lined with wax paper, then freeze for two to three hours. After it’s cooled in the freezer, your fudge should be ready to cut!
Granola
Pulp lends itself to making some picture-perfect granola. To transform your leftover pulp into granola, you’ll need cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, olive oil, sunflower seeds, and coconut flakes in addition the pulp. Combine all the ingredients together and spread it into a thin layer on a baking tray. Bake the granola mixture for 60 minutes on the oven’s lowest setting. If you don’t eat all the granola right away, make sure to store it in an airtight container.
Hummus
Making hummus from nut- and oat-based pulp? This recipe may seem more out of the box than others but trust us, you don’t need chickpeas to make it work. In addition to the almond pulp, you will also need a clove of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, water, and sea salt. Blend all these ingredients together in a food processor or blender until it’s smooth.