I have been making almond “milk” for many years now. The first few times I made it I didn’t know what to do with the soggy almond pulp left after straining the liquid. Not knowing what to do and learning that others just threw it away, that’s what I did. As someone who tries to live a sustainable life, I just couldn’t justify throwing out an edible substance. Over time, I discovered many ways to preserve and use it. The value in almond pulp just can’t be ignored.
Nutritional value in almond pulp even after making almond milk
While the nutritional value has decreased some from making almond milk, there is still much to gain from consuming the pulp itself. The remaining pulp provides the essential macronutrients to include fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fat. Of the micronutrients, you’ll get calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, vitamin E, and zinc. The macronutrients, mainly fat, help to increase the absorption of said micronutrients. In addition, almond pulp is a quality energy source that can sustain satiety.
What can you do with the fresh almond pulp just after straining the liquid?
Edible Almond Spread
Fresh almond pulp can be made into an edible almond spread for crackers, raw vegetables, or used in sandwiches. Here’s a simple spread idea you can make today.
- Strain out as much liquid from the pulp as you can.
- Scoop the almond pulp into a food processor.
- Depending on the amount of almond pulp you have, you will need less or more than the following suggested ingredients for a spread.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of oil (olive oil, avocado oil, etc.).
- Put in a small handful of fresh herbs; choose any combination you like (basil, cilantro, rosemary, sage, etc.).
- Add 1-2 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.
- Pulse the ingredients until you reach an acceptable spreading consistency. Enjoy!
Almond Pulp Face and Body Scrub
- Strain out as much liquid from the pulp as you can.
- In a small bowl, add all of the almond pulp.
- Depending on the amount of pulp you have, may need more or less than 1-2 tablespoons of almond oil (olive oil or melted virgin coconut oil). Start with less and add more to reach a consistency that isn’t too oily. Mix well.
- As an option, you can add 5-7 drops of essential oil (lavender would be nice) for scent, though it is not necessary. You may want to start with 2-3 drops and mix well. Add more to reach your scent preference.
- Once mixed well, apply to the face or body as you would a regular face or body scrub. If using as a body scrub, you may want to apply it in the shower, let it set for a few minutes and rinse.
- Store in a glass jar in the fridge for several days.
Dry and toast almond pulp for amazing toppings and additions to savory and sweet dishes and bakes!
- Strain out as much liquid from the pulp as you can.
- Scoop the almond pulp out onto a cookie sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone non-stick baking mat (like Silpat). Warning! Do not use foil, the almond pulp will stick to it as it dries making it almost impossible to remove.
- Spread out the pulp evenly using a rubber spatula.
- Place the cookie sheet in the oven set at 175˚F / 80˚C (no need to preheat, just place the cookie sheet with pulp in the oven and set it).
- Set the timer for 4 hours and walk away; there’s no need to check it at all. Allow the pulp to dry and toast. You can dry it out in as little as 2 1/2-3 hours, but it won’t be quite as toasted, your call!
- Once the 4 hours (or less, if you choose) have passed, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and just let the pulp cool for a bit. Use a spoon, fork, or knife and lightly scrape up the pulp from the paper or mat. You can easily break up the larger pieces after scooping it; the pieces break up very easily.
- At this point, you can just scoop the pulp in a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for future use. It will last for months in the freezer.
What can you do with dried, toasted almond pulp?
I prefer to toast my almond pulp for that extra flavor it provides in dishes, that’s why I allow mine to remain in the oven for 4 hours. Of course, you can remove it sooner.
Differences between Almond Flour and Almond Meal
Almond flour and almond meal are NOT the same. Almond flour is made of blanched almonds where the skins have been removed and the almonds have been dried (not toasted) and pulverized into powder. Blanched almonds provide a lighter, smoother textured flour because the skins have been removed. See my video or blog on how to make almond flour.
Almond meal is heavier and has a grainier consistency compared to almond flour due to the skins that remain. These ground almonds are basically just almond pulp that has been dried and pulverized into powder. I love that you get a two-for-one deal when you make almond “milk” because the pulp automatically comes with it and that becomes our almond meal.
What if the almond pulp is too grainy and has chunky pieces?
If you find your dried almond pulp has some larger pieces than you want, simply put it into a high-speed blender like a Vitamix and pulse it until it’s a powdery (sandy) consistency. Your almond pulp has now become a fine almond meal that is like the texture of whole wheat flour. You can use this almond meal to replace some of the flour in baked dishes like cookies.
Here are some ideas for using the dried almond pulp (WITHOUT pulverizing it into “flour”)!
The bit of chunkiness that remains adds both texture and flavor (from the toasting) to enhance many savory and sweet dishes and bakes. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it.
Try dried, toasted almond pulp as a topping.
- Sprinkle desired amount over breakfast foods. Add it to your oatmeal, cold cereal, or yogurt with fruit.
- Sprinkle it over fruit or veggie salads.
- Mix it with grated Parmesan cheese and some fresh herbs to top casseroles. Think of it as a Panko bread crumb or crumbled cracker replacement.
Use dried, toasted almond pulp to bind or encrust your food.
- Replace bread crumbs with the almond pulp in equal amounts as a binder for your hamburgers, meat or veggie.
- Use the dried almond pulp in place of bread crumbs to encrust baked chicken or other meat where you want an exterior crust.
Add dried, toasted almond pulp to baked dishes.
- Replace some of the oats (1/4 -1/2 of them) in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with the dried almond pulp.
- Add the dried, toasted almond pulp to any cookie, biscuit, or scone recipe. No need to sub for any flour, just add 1/4-1/2 cup in as you would oats or other optional ingredient like chocolate chips or dried cranberries.
- In place of 1/4 of the flour, add dried almond pulp to pie crust or pizza crust.
- Add some dried, toasted almond pulp to your pancake or waffle batter as a mix in.
- In homemade bread, for every 3 cups of flour, add 1/2 cup of dried almond pulp.
- Use it in place of flour for homemade crackers. Mix pulverized almond meal with 1-2 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp of dried herbs, 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Mix well adding in more oil or water to reach thick cookie dough consistency. Flatten or roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick. Place flattened dough on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Score with a knife to desired cracker size (don’t cut all the way through). Bake at 350˚F / 177˚C for 15 minutes, check for doneness and continue baking another 5-10 minutes until dry. They will crisp up as they cool. Once cooled, break along the scored lines and enjoy!
Almond pulp take away
Wow! Who knew you could benefit so much from saving and consuming the almond pulp from making almond milk. It’s cost effective, provides quality nutrients, adds texture and flavor, and can replace gluten ingredients in some foods; now that’s value in almond pulp. With so many options, why would you ever throw out such a valuable food component?
For a visual of drying and storing almond pulp, see my video entitled “Almond Pulp: Drying, Storing, & Using“. You’ll also get a description of the above mentioned uses for almond pulp.
Interested in other posts about almonds?
German Stollen using Almond Flour
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