Turmeric Juice Pulp Crackers
I’m a big fan of juicing at home. Store bought juices are convenient, I’ll admit, BUT they can have a lot of sugar.
Even the healthy juices that don’t contain added sugars can be really high in natural sugars.
That’s ok every now and then (I do love a good fresh squeezed orange juice when we go to Greece) but I prefer to have a juice with more vegetables and just a little fruit.
When you make your own juice at home you can decide what goes in, and you can make something really delicious that’s also great for detoxing!
I actually make green juices (and non-green juices ☝️) at home using a juicer I got at a YARD SALE a few years ago for 10 dollars. I’d love to upgrade to one of those super fancy juicers one day, but for now my thrifted juicer gets the job done!
Don’t throw out your juicer pulp!
One thing I don’t really love about juicing is how you end up with a bunch of pulp that usually gets thrown out.
I was composting it, but I wanted to find a way to use it up — and that’s how these turmeric juice pulp crackers were born!
If you juice, you can save your pulp in a container that you keep in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch of crackers.
I’ve found that these crackers turn out the best if I have a lot of carrot pulp (which I usually do, because carrot juice is one of my favorites). I don’t juice a lot of fruits, and I think the crackers turn out better when the pulp is mostly from veggies.
You can also add almond pulp if you make homemade almond milk (or another nut milk). Just toss the pulp into your container with everything else.
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s not really a recipe. Every batch will come out a little different based on which fruit and vegetables you use–and that’s ok!
Experiment and see what you like best.
You can also experiment with the flavorings by adding different spices. I of course used turmeric in these.
It gives the crackers a great color and we know turmeric has so many health benefits.
If you use turmeric in your crackers, add some black pepper too!
Curcumin (the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compound found in turmeric) is most effectively used by the body when it’s paired with black pepper. One study showed that the alkaloid in the pepper boosted the availability of curcumin in turmeric by 2,000 percent. (source)
So here’s how to make the juice pulp crackers:
You’ll want to send your juice pulp through the food processor first to really break up all those fibers.
After that, you will add your remaining cracker ingredients and pulse everything together in the food processor.
Something pasty: You’ll need something pasty to keep everything together in a cohesive cracker unit. I chose tahini (sesame seed paste) but feel free to drop in a dollop of your favorite nut/seed butter. A little olive oil or coconut oil helps here too.
Something crunchy/nutty: I added some hemp seeds for extra crunch and nutrition. I also love adding ground flax for added nutrition and to help keep the crackers together.
Something to flavor: I like to add turmeric, black pepper, minced garlic or garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and chili powder. If you juice mainly veggies, a little bit of honey helps sweeten the dough up just a tad.
Adjust for your taste preferences!
Depending on how watery your juice pulp is, you’ll need to add anywhere from a tablespoon to 1/4 cup of water. Start low and see how much you need. I’ve made the crackers before and didn’t need any water. Again, it depends a lot on the efficiency of your juicer.
Important: getting the right dough consistency and cracker thickness
Your dough should be malleable, but still able to hold its form.
Drop the whole ball of dough into the middle of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then start flattening it into a thin layer. I start with my hands, working out from the center and keeping it in a square or rectangle shape.
A good cheat is to cover the flattened dough with another sheet of parchment paper. Then stack another baking sheet on top and press down. That really helps to get a uniform thickness.
If anything, you’ll want the inside crackers to be slightly thinner than the outside, since they’ll bake up slower inside the oven.
Next, score the sheet of dough using a pizza cutter. (A knife works too if you don’t have a pizza cutter.)
Pop the sheet into a 350 degree oven for about half an hour.
After that, you can slide the sheet of crackers and the parchment off the baking pan by holding both sides of the parchment paper.
Carefully add the cracker sheet directly back onto the oven rack and bake for another 10-15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes so they don’t burn. This helps the crackers crisp up on the bottom as well as the top.
When the crackers are done, just let them cool and break them apart!
I served my last batch up with a dip that was sort of an afterthought for this recipe, but ended up being key for the photos. (Juice pulp crackers may not take the prize for most beautiful food photography subject matter.)
Using a dehydrator vs baking your crackers
The reason I didn’t use a food dehydrator to make these juice pulp crackers, is because I don’t have one.
If you do have a dehydrator, you can make the dough in the same way and spread it out thinly over a teflex sheet and dehydrate until the crackers are crisp.
This is a good option if you want to keep the recipe raw. Although personally I think the oven makes a dang tasty juice pulp cracker! 😋
Turmeric Juice Pulp Crackers
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups juice pulp
- 2.5 tablespoons tahini (or your favorite nut butter)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast or grated parmesan (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, minced or a few dashes of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- few grinds of black pepper
- drizzle of olive oil or coconut oil
- water (enough to thin the dough out - you may not need any, see notes)
- 1-2 teaspoons honey (optional - I often leave this out. Taste your batter before you add and see if you think it needs to be sweetened up just a bit)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350.
- Add the juice pulp to a food process and pulse until smooth. You will likely need to push the pulp down with a spatula several times to get it going.
- Add the remaining cracker ingredients and process until smooth, adding water if needed if your batter is very dry. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference - including adding honey if you desire. You should have a "dough" that you can form into a ball.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread pulp mixture evenly, forming a rectangle. I like to spread it out very thinly and consistently with my hands, then cover with another sheet of parchment paper, and press down on the top with another baking sheet to get an even distribution. You want the cracker to be quite thin. The middle should be thinner than the outside, since the outside will cook faster.
- Make scores in cracker dough with a pizza cutter or knife.
- Add crackers to oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the baking sheet, take the parchment paper by both ends and transfer directly to the oven rack. This allows crackers to crisp up on the bottom. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes.
- Remove crackers from oven when they begin to brown and feel cooked through. If the outside crackers are done, but the inside isn't, remove the outside crackers and add the rest of the crackers back to the oven for a few more minutes.
- The crackers will continue to harden up as they cool. Break or cut into individual crackers and serve with your favorite dip.
Notes
The crackers are best eaten straight away, while they are still crunchy. If you have leftover crackers that have lost their crunch, warm them up under your oven's low broiler for a few minutes.
If you have a very efficient juicer, your pulp will have very little water and you probably will need to add a bit to get the batter to the right consistency. If you have more liquid in your juice pulp, you may not need any water at all!
13 responses to “Turmeric Juice Pulp Crackers”
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What amazing colours! I was just reading about the health benefits of tumeric today, so it is a must try for me!
Hope you love them!
This recipe is pure genius, Allyson! I have been lusting after a juicer for ages now, and this just makes me want one even more. I try to avoid buying too many store-bought juices, except in-house ones that have an expiration date on them. I do make a lot of smoothies and such, but fresh veggie juice is something I just crave sometimes. I’ve also been dying to get more turmeric into my diet, and crackers seem like the perfect place for a big spoonful of it.
Can we just talk about that dip for a minute, too? I adore beets, and that color is out of this world. I’m pretty sure this is the prettiest chip and dip combo I’ve ever seen!
I love that you can just throw in whatever you’re craving, there’s really nothing as refreshing!
[…] 4. Turmeric Juice Pulp Crackers If you juice on the regular, you’re probably always looking for ways to use up that gorgeous pulp so you don’t have to waste the fibery goodness. Try these turmeric crackers with black pepper, tahini, hemp seeds, honey (if you want), olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. […]
[…] 4. Turmeric Juice Pulp Crackers If you juice on the regular, you’re probably always looking for ways to use up that gorgeous pulp so you don’t have to waste the fibery goodness. Try these turmeric crackers with black pepper, tahini, hemp seeds, honey (if you want), olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. […]
[…] 4. Turmeric Juice Pulp Crackers If you juice on the regular, you’re probably always looking for ways to use up that gorgeous pulp so you don’t have to waste the fibery goodness. Try these turmeric crackers with black pepper, tahini, hemp seeds, honey (if you want), olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. […]
Hey! I tried this recipe and all was going well until I moved the parchment paper directly onto the rack at the end of the 30 minutes. Within a couple minutes my crackers burnt to a complete black crisp. Did I do something wrong or do you have any suggestions? I was so excited for these and def want to try again
Thank you!
Hi Karrie, dang it! This recipe will vary a lot just based on the type of pulp you have! If you try it again I’d just watch it very closely once you transfer it directly to your oven rack! Hope that helps 😊
Hi Allyson! Just came across this recipe, and I’m excited to try it. How does it work if there’s a mix of fruit and veggie pulp? Or is it better if that fruit pulp is separated out?
Hi Nicole! I usually only juice veggies, so I haven’t tried it with fruit. Since fruit has a higher natural sugar content I’m not sure if the crackers will cook the same (or if they will burn) but you could give it a try and just watch them closely to be sure they aren’t getting too crisp!
I really want to try these. I juice beets and carrots regularly. Can you add any flour to these? I hate wasting any of the pulp.
Hi Wendy! Yes, I think you can definitely make these and add a variety of flour types. It’s kind of a “no recipe” recipe since the pulp will vary greatly. If you have mainly sweeter fruits/veggies just be extra careful to watch the crackers towards the end of cooking so they don’t burn. Low and slow as far as oven heat will work best — you could even use a dehydrator if you preferred. I’ve also had luck mixing pulp into other baked goods like muffins or flatbreads, if you’re looking for other ways to use it up. Good luck!