Home cook sparks conversation on how to make the most of common produce: 'This might actually be the perfect use for them'

If you're juicing oranges at home, don't toss that leftover pulp — there's a smarter, zero-waste way to use it. A Redditor's question about reusing orange pulp sparked a wave of genius ideas that are budget-friendly, gluten-free, and surprisingly versatile.

The scoop

One Reddit user turned to r/noscrapleftbehind for help repurposing a pile of leftover orange pulp from juicing.

"I already have plans to candy the peels, so now I'm just left with the dry pulp," they wrote, adding that they're gluten-free, so traditional baking ideas might be tricky.

That didn't stop fellow Redditors from chiming in with creative suggestions. Recipes ranged from blending the pulp into smoothies or chia pudding to using it in savory marinades for meat or tofu. Others recommended turning it into a citrus vinaigrette or baking it into muffins (gluten-free included), especially paired with frozen fruit. For any pulp that couldn't be repurposed in the kitchen, composting was the backup plan.Photo Credit: iStock

How it's helping

Reusing leftover ingredients like orange pulp can help stretch your grocery budget and reduce waste in one go. Instead of tossing scraps, turning them into new meals or snacks means you get more value from each item you buy. It's also a way to shop smarter; by building meals around what you already have, you're less likely to overbuy or let food go uneaten.

This kind of kitchen habit also supports a healthier food system. Food waste is one of the top contributors to methane emissions from landfills, especially from fruits and vegetables. Repurposing or composting food scraps keeps them out of the trash and puts their nutrients back into the soil. Food-saving services like TooGoodToGo, FlashFood, and Misfits Market are also great ways to prevent perfectly good food from going uneaten.

What everyone's saying

Commenters had plenty of ideas — and enthusiasm — for putting orange pulp to good use.

"Use in marinades for meat and tofu, blend into smoothies, add to chia pudding, make a citrus vinaigrette for salads," one user suggested.

Another took the zero-waste route, saying, "I'll take this opportunity to shill for vermicomposting: if you find that you have fruit/veggie scraps you just can't use, feed them to some composting worms and enjoy having excellent organic matter for your garden."

In a moment of fruity fate, when someone suggested orange cranberry muffins, the original poster responded, "Oh my god yum, I've got some mulberries I've been saving frozen since last year, this might actually be the perfect use for them!!"

What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food? Bought more than I could eat 🛒 Went bad sooner than I expected 👎 Forgot it was in the fridge 😞 Didn't want leftovers 🥡 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

For folks who want to save money, reduce food waste, and maybe even discover a new favorite recipe, orange pulp just became your new MVP.

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