Got Juice Pulp? (Or, how to make raw crackers.)
Hi guys,
Thanks for the sweet responses to my fear of falling post. I’m happy to report that the back is all better! Phew.
I think you guys know by now that I have a love hate relationship with my dehydrator – with all dehydrators, in fact. As grateful as I am to have one, and as cool as they are, I always remind clients that eating raw doesn’t have to entail the use of a dehydrator, which are usually used to re-create the cooked or baked foods (breads, crackers, pizza crusts, cookies) that people miss on a raw diet. This is great, but I like to help my clients adjust to the magic of simplicity (a massaged kale salad, say, or a simple raw soup, or a tasty nut pate), rather than aid them in replicating old favorites. The trick in transitioning to a high raw diet, I think, is to look forward, to a new world of freedom and freshness, rather than backwards, with a sigh for what you’ve given up.
But I can’t deny that dehydrators come in handy. And if you’re lucky enough to have one (as I do) it’s sort of a shame to go months at a time without touching it (as I also do). Dehydrators are especially good for texture: dearly though I love mushy food, I’m in the mood for some crunch once in a while, and I don’t mean carrots.
A few days ago, I posted pictures of the delicious broccoli tahini pate I’d made. Alongside these were a batch of one of my few dehydrator staples: juice pulp crackers. I produce a lot of juice pulp in this little apartment, and I’m proud to say that I try to put it all to good use. It goes in soups and guacamole for a dose of texture and fiber; I eat it plain, drizzled with vinaigrette (yeah, I know, I’m weird), and I use it in raw breads and crackers.
My original juice pulp crackers were inspired by the lovely Diana, who in turn had been inspired by my raw muse and good friend, Kristen. Her recipe (found here) is one of the simplest and most tasty I’ve tried, and my own recipe is only a few small modifications away from it.
The basis of any juice pulp cracker is (typically) juice pulp and ground flaxseed in a 2:1 ratio, and spices/seasonings. Simple, eh? Of course, you can get creative: you can add sundried tomato and basil for Italian crackers, cumin for Mexican-inspired crackers, and so on; you can adjust the ratio to make the mix more “bread” like, or keep the flax minimal for a slightly softer cracker. It all depends on what you’re craving and how involved you want to be.
My own mix is fairly neutral: mild seasonings (curry and coriander), a touch of acid (lemon), and a bit of nama shoyu. I alter it depending on the type of juice I have, but the standard mix (because it’s what I juice most often) is carrot, celery, cucumber, and kale pulp. The result is predictably tasty, and the process is super easy. Best of all, I never feel wasteful about the produce that’s gone into my juicer!
Gena’s Juice Pulp Crackers (Inspired by Kristen of Kristen’s Raw)
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups juice pulp
½ cup ground flaxseed
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp curry
1 tbsp nama shoyu
1 tbsp lemon juice
Procedure:
Mix all ingredients well, by hand. (You could use a food processor, but you don’t need to.) Add water if needed; I usually find that I don’t need any (especially with cucumber and celery pulp, which is moist), but if you want the crackers to be less dense, go ahead and add ¼-1/2 cup of water to the mix. It should be malleable but still hold together.
Spread the mixture on a dehydrator tray lined with a Paraflex sheet. Spread to about 1/6-1/4 inch thickness. Score the sheet of dought lightly into cracker-sized squares, and put it in the dehydrator at 115 degrees. Dehydrate for about two hours, then gently break the crackers apart and flip them. Dehydrate another two hours or so.
At this point, check the consistency. Sometimes (if I spread them thin), they’re almost ready at this point. Sometimes they need a few hours more. Keep flipping and just let them be if you think they’re not crunchy enough—I definitely like to err on the side of crunch!
When they’re done, let them stand in the air for fifteen minutes or so, then put them in an airtight container. They should stay nice and crispy for at least a week or ten days.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you could probably bake these at 150 or 175.
Everytime I make these, I think to myself, “See, self? Dehydrating is easy. Dehydrating is fun. You should dehydrate more often.” And though I know that holiday madness will impose on my ability to have some foresight (which is really all it takes to dehydrate—the process itself demands no effort), I’m doing my best to dehydrate more often.
Before I crawl into bed, I wanted to share my RWR (Raw Wednesday Report). It was a scant week on photos, but my friend Aletheia sent me a lovely photo of her “Five Green Salad”: Kale (of course), brussel sprouts, collards, escarole, and spinach. Topped with sliced red peppers, carrots, chopped cauliflower and pickles. The photo made my mouth water!
And my friend LC wrote with a tempting challenge:
Hi Gena!
I noticed you commented on Amber’s post about the raw restaurant and wanted to put in my request for a raw jalapeno popper recipe! Bonus – you can serve it with your guac!!
Cheers,
LC
Hmmm. Come to think of it, I do need recipes to go with my guac. But I have to admit: I’ve never actually tried a jalapeno popper! So I have no idea what it tastes like. So, LC (and all of you) please describe a jalapeno popper to me. And I’ll do my best to re-create. OK?
And, with a willingness that I may regret later, I’m pimping myself out to more such challenges! Henceforth on Raw Wednesdays, I invite you to email me (or comment with) recipes you’d like to see me raw-ify on the blog. I may not always succeed, but by God, I will try.
And here I was just lecturing you all about not focusing on food replication. Ah well. Life is full of contradictions. Bottom line? Whatever gets you excited about eating raw is music to my ears!
Gnite, all.
xo
64 Responses to “Got Juice Pulp? (Or, how to make raw crackers.)”
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Perfect timing…I just completed a mini juice feast and I have lots of pulp:) Your recipe sounds so good!
Thank you for saying that your don;t NEED a dehydrator for a raw diet. I had no idea and thought it was 100% needed. Granted, I would probably need one to recreate some favorites, since veggies arent one of those faves.
Absolutely not needed, but if you’re not into veggies, raw life will be hard without it!
I was just making some juice and thinking how wasteful it is to throw out the pulp! Thanks!!!
I love that you’re making good use of the pulp. So maybe you can help me with a problem I’m having: what do you do with the pulp left over from making nut milk? Preferably without a dehydrator as I don’t have one. Any other recipe ideas? I hate throwing it all out.
cinnamon rolls! no dehydrator needed.
http://goneraw.com/recipe/cinnamon-rolls
Those look really good! So leftover almond pulp for the almond meal?
Yes ma’am — from making almond milk.
when i didn’t have a dehydrator i just ended up buying lots of raw dehydrated things. i figure i am still transitioning for a few years and i need denser items. it does seem that people who are more successful with the diet have a dehydrator. it keeps life less boring.
This line is how I feel about juicing/juicer cleanup:
““See, self? Dehydrating is easy. Dehydrating is fun. You should dehydrate more often.” ”
I actually like dehydrating and think it’s easy and fairly foolproof. Just made kale chips with nooch, red peppers, and cashew paste today that will hit the blog tomorrow.
I LOVE the looks of your crackers. See it looks more like bread to me than crackers and after being gluten free and not having a single bite of bread for 5 years, sometimes the look of bread-like food just really makes me say, oh yeah baby!!
I’ve always wanted to make raw crackers. I don’t have a lot of juice pulp to go around, but I’m sure I could throw other stuff into the mix to substitute? I’ve never had a jalapeno popper, either! I can’t wait to see your raw rendition though (if it comes to fruition, lol). :]
I looooove jalapeno poppers! Their key ingredient, I believe, is the cream cheese. It’s basically a crispy cream-cheesy spicy little nugget thing. (That sentence confirms all suspicion that I should never pursue a career as a food critic…)
I will definitely try these when I get a juicer and a dehydrator (both will happen by the first of this year)!
I think I will take a go at these. I’m really so much about the textures of food, so I think making juice-pulp cracker-bread would be an exciting adventure in food texture land. And as always, I love how simple and approachable your recipes are…and I always want to do something with my juice pulp so I loved that you shared your non-dehydrating uses for them!
I don’t have a dehydrator though (which I love that you welcome), so I think I’ll try them on low heat on the oven. Thanks Gena!
Gena, I love your writing style so much. Honestly, I could read almost anything form you and enjoy it! Great post yet again xx
I’ve never had a jalapeno popper either, but I think the Stuffed Anaheim Chillies in Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Kitchen are an approximation.
I just wish dehydrators weren’t so expensive! I would have gotten one a long time ago!
The crackers look great and I love this new challege! I’ll have to think up some new recipes!
Thank goodness your back is better!
Ahh the dehydrator – great tool, but I definitely have “love-HATE” (haha) relationship as well.
The crackers look perfect – just like the Lydia’s raw crackers! Great usage of the pulp.
Delicious-looking food from Aletheia! And I can’t wait to see the results of your challenge from LC
Love how you ‘recycled’ the pulps.
What do you usual have for breakfast? I often crave for carbs in the morning (less so in the evening) so not sure if a vegetable juice would sustain me for long. Thanks.
Hey Kim,
I typically have juice till lunchtime, but I eat if I feel the need.
If juice isn’t ideal for you, I recommend sprouted bread with sliced avocado, bananas with almond butter or a small serving of almonds, raw granola with nutmilk, a baked yam, or — if you’re used to grains in the AM — steel cut oats or quinoa or brown rice.
G
So glad you are feeling better!
I love those crackers, YUM! I have to admit, I made my hubby buy me a dehydrator for Xmas last year and I have only used it a handful of times. I love kale chips, but I am too lazy in the morning to get them going. I will, however, have to try those crackers, they look great!
P.S. Banana soft serve is featured on my blog today.. twice!
Gena.
All this time I thought FLAX came from fish. I was confused since you follow a vegan diet and googled. Flax seed. Who would have thought? I feel thoroughly educated now.
For some reason flax seed really bothers my belly when added to foods and I don’t like the rough taste of it either. I wish I did though because it seems to be added to a lot of “health” foods these days, even the nut butters I recently got.
In other news, I like my guacamole most with simple carrot slices. I have tried other things and I also thoroughly enjoy it on top of a big salad, but carrots win all the time.
I am still slowly reducing my dairy intake but as soon as I get it down to just a couple of servings a week my body starts craving yogurt again and I buy Oikos by the handful. I am trying. It all takes time I suppose!
Have a great weekend.
Oh gracious, why did you think that? Because both fish and flax oil have Omega-3s?
Flax is great — so sorry it upsets your tum! Maybe if you grind it REALLY finely, it’ll be OK?
But don’t push it — there is no reason you should *have* to eat it.
xo
I’m also trying to reduce my dairy intake too, but sometimes, that’s the only ‘protein’ available, so I had no choice. But I do crave good Greek yogurt sometimes.
Hey Kim!
There are many vegan proteins you can eat, and moreover, it’s not necessary to have a high protein food at each meal — not so long as you’re getting enough OVERALL and you’re getting plenty of vegetables.
G
Phewf, so glad you’re ok! Awesome that you were able to do the headstand- way to go girl!
Pulp crackers….you make me want to go out and buy a dehydrator
As a person who is trying to avoid gluten these would really hit the spot right now. Thanks for the super useful post!!
Hey Gena, thanks for the shout! I probably never would have tried kale if it weren’t for you. =D
And what a timely post! My friend just recently lent me his brand spanking new Excalibur dehydrator (he says it’s been idle since the day it arrived), so I’ve been looking around for simple but cool recipes finally to put that thing to good use! And well, what to do you know – I’ve been itching to try raw crackers! It’s never really been a possibility before, but I’m pretty darn excited to try this recipe. Thanks again! And good on you for keeping at that yoga pose – practice, perseverance, and peace!
I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog.
I always use up my juice pulp as well (seen here in my old blog: http://deniadeniadeniadenia.blogspot.com/2009/11/jimmy-dean.html).
I’m getting a dehydrator for Christmas, so I can’t wait to make these crackers!
I have yet to make the pludge and buy a dehydrator but I know that it is in my future. I love the idea of making crackers with juice pulp. I always add pulp to salads and wraps but I have never thought to make crackers. Great idea!
Yeah, so you are inspiring me to go back on raw. Although, when it is less than 30 degrees outside, a dehydrator starts to seem like essential equipment! I also checked out the link in the comments to the cinnamon rolls – they sound like they would be great! That was something I was going to experiment with and now you have saved me the trouble.
Blessings,
Amy
ooo yum! those are so beautiful! times like these i wish I had a dehydrator!!!
That certainly requires patience, affordability, and time
I hope you enjoyed. I am afraid I would not be inclined to venture into that territory, but it is always interesting to read about things and of course try new things if presented with the opportunity. Pictures are pretty. Enjoy your weekend.
What an awesome way to use up what most would consider waste. I haven’t yet invested in a juicer yet so I have a question. Does one juicing session yield enough pulp for a batch of crackers? Or do you save up a few days worth of pulp and then dry a batch? If so, how do you save the pulp til you’re ready to dry (freeze, fridge, etc.)? Thanks for the resourceful idea!
Thanks for the shout-out, Gena! Also, I can’t believe it took me this long to find you on twitter. Here’s the link to Amber’s post about the poppers – http://www.ambersnotebook.com/2009/11/look-of-day-raw-reworking.html
Looks like they’re filled with maybe something similar to your cashew cheese? I’m wondering how to get the crispy breadcrumb-ness around the jalapeno.
Without a dehydrator, I’m sticking to purchasing raw cracks
The trick in transitioning to a high raw diet, I think, is to look forward, to a new world of freedom and freshness, rather than backwards, with a sigh for what you’ve given up.
Hello? Let’s emblazon this on every raw food forum out there! If folks in transition would really get this, it would save them so much anguish and backsliding.
I probably dehydrate about as often as you do. Well…maybe a little more often than once every couple months. But, about the only thing I do in the dehydrator is make juice pulp crackers. Now that the season’s changing again, I like to keep them on hand to enjoy with blended soups, which I have just about every day during the winter months.
Okay, you asked for it…
Girlfriend, if you can figure out how to recreate Hungarian paprikash, raw vegan style, I will love you forever and a day!
i love how this reuses the plant pulp, so that nothing gets wasted. FABULOUS! i have been browsing your recent recipes and may just be tempted to homemake my first raw meal ever. stay tuned – i will be sure to let you know how it turns out
Can’t wait to jump on these when I get home to my 9 tray/ when I bring it back to NYC.
Cassie’s reaction to me owning a 9-tray….
“WTF do you need a 9 tray for? You don’t have a raw family?”
“I go all the way, or not at all!”
Im trying those crackers this weekend! I have a dehydrator too but im always too lazy to use it, or im very intimidated by it. But your crackers recipe is one of the easiest that I have ever seen – and with my new found way to make flax meal I am good to go!
Your not weird about eating the pulp plain either, i love to eat right with a spoon right out of a bowl with a little nut milk and an apple chopped up and thrown it. Sounds really gross, but in reality is so tasty.
Hooray for three day weekends (well for me anyway!) I hope you enjoy yours.
Oh, you’re taking requests now? Haha–Gena, I’d like to introduce you to my friend, the open can of worms. I am very excited to see what comes of this challenge, though. You are so ambitious!
So glad to see your recipe for crackers, as I love them dearly and am still out of my supply. High priority for when I get home! For those of your blogience that don’t have dehydrators, the oven method that works for me is to bake (on a cookie sheet lined w/ parchment) at “warm,” which is something a little less than 200*, for an hour, at which point crack the oven door and let bake for another hour, then flip the crackers and bake for a third hour with the door still cracked. Seems to do the trick right fine. You should know!
I have been having alot of bloating and digestive problems for the past week. I was thinking that it could be the nut butters or gluten, but I haven’t changed my diet at all lately are eaten anything different. Do you think I just need to drink more water, or that I should try cutting gluten or nuts out of my diet for a while just to see what happens?
This looks great and now I’m really hoping I get that juicer for Christmas
Thanks!
Love: The trick in transitioning to a high raw diet, I think, is to look forward, to a new world of freedom and freshness, rather than backwards, with a sigh for what you’ve given up
Great reminder! It’s not about what you can’t have, it’s about all the amazingly delicious things you can have! Like those forbidden fats in mainstream diets and delicious dates!
Ha! We have similar posts.
Still, I’ve never tried adding juice pulp into a cracker. Next batch!
These look good. I am always wondering what to do with the juice pulp.
Yay for the juice pulp crackers! Thanks for sharing my work with your readers.
Can I just say that I always love your pictures. They make me drool! In fact, your post is pushing me into my kitchen to make a nice (huge) salad. 
Love you and miss you!
PS… should be sending you another client soon.
XOXO,
Kristen
I have never splurged on the counter/cabinet space for a dehydrator… but I always wondered: why would you eat the pulp, if it’s the thing you spend all the effort of juicing to remove?
I haven’t had a jalapeno popper in years, but I think it was like a mild jalapeno, stuffed with cheese (Maybe cream cheese?) breaded, and fried. It’s been a long time though, I don’t remember too well.
And I have a challenge for you, I really like snacks, I snack a lot throughout the day, and when I do my occasional raw food days, I tend to find myself missing all my daily snacks. The meals are always great, and wonderful, but i don’t seem to have enough snacks.By the way I do have a dehydrator.
I’d love to see a pasta-type dish such as the classic mac and cheese with a raw take or even just more tahini recipes! (Boy do I love tahini!)
My goodness just checking up on blogs now but the poppers I had (a mock of cheese stuffed jalapeno’s) were cashews filled jalapenos topped with cumin…not sure what else…..
here is my post on them:
http://www.ambersnotebook.com/2009/11/look-of-day-raw-reworking.html
Hi Gena, Just thought I would mention what I do with my raw juice pulp and it has nothing to do with dehydration. You see I have a bin that I keep fruit and veg. peels in along with a host of composting worms. I think they really like it when I treat them with my vegeepulp.
Cheers
Hi! Looks great , but I don’t have any juice pulp. Any suggestions? Could I puree some veggies instead? Thanks!
You could, but I don’t think it’ll be as uniform a texture
Gena, I just found your blog and I LOVE it! I’m a newbie to the whole raw food thing and find your advice to be really super helpful for the budding raw foodie. Thanks for all the recipes and advice. I would love to see more details about what you prepare on Sundays for the week.
I’m trying these crackers right now! Just threw them into the dehydrator. I didn’t have curry, just corriander… Hoping they taste ok. May need to salt.
Thanks for coming up with a great way to use all the juice pulp! I hated throwing it away when I first started juicing. Next up, conservation burgers!