Cucumber peels don’t need to be thrown away and, in fact, can be used in multiple recipes.
The great thing about the peel is that it’s rich in vitamins and it also contains most of the cucumbery taste.
The cucumber peel recipes I’ll show you are pretty versatile and include refreshing drinks, salads and even noodles! You can technically use cucumber peels in any recipe that calls for cucumbers as long as you adjust the amounts.
A medium-sized cucumber weighs about 1/2 pounds so you’d just want to use that much cucumber peels instead of the pulp.
Still, most of the recipes I’ll list in this post were crafted with cucumber peels in mind specifically.
So let me show you how you can use your veggie leftovers with these clever cucumber peel recipes!
Cucumber Peel Recipes
Cucumber Peel Sandwich Spread
This cucumber-peel sandwich spread recipe smartly combines the refreshing taste of cucumber peels, with cream cheese and Dijon mustard.
It’s a great way to use up any leftover peels into a quick meal and it’s one of my favorite cucumber peel recipes.
All it takes to make is mixing the ingredients in a large bowl. It’s a really fantastic breakfast for a strong start to a hot summer day!
Get the recipe at: The Kitchn
TMB Green Juice Recipe
This refreshing green juice is something you need to try even if you’re not into juices in general.
You’d be surprised how uplifting the taste is. The recipe itself uses a whole cucumber, some celery for additional freshness, an apple, and a lemon as its main ingredients.
To replace the cucumber with cucumber peels you’ll need about half a pound of peels to achieve the same serving size.
After that, it’s as simple as juicing all the ingredients together which makes this extremely easy to make.
Get the recipe at: The Mindful Blonde
Cucumber Mint Bath Soak
I realize this Cucumber Mint Bath Soak is not technically something you can eat but it’s still a recipe.
The mix is intentionally made with cucumber peels and, all in all, only three ingredients are needed.
The ingredients are blended and then laid over some wax paper to dry out for 2 days.
After that, you collect the salt and store it in a jar for when you’re about to use it.
I like how simple this bath soak recipe is and the soak that you end up with is pretty fancy!
Get the recipe at: the Nerdy Farmwife
Green Hand-Pulled Noodles
Alessandro over at the Spicy Moustache Youtube channel has found a really creative way to make use of any leftover cucumber peels.
The peels are blended alongside some water and then mixed into flour to make the dough for the noodles.
Some skill is required to form the noodles from the dough, so keep that in mind.
After that, you add chili, jalapenos, and seeds of your choice and your Zero Waste Hand-Pulled Noodles are ready.
If you like experimenting give this dish a try. It’s amazing!
Get the recipe at: Spicy Moustache Youtube Channel
Cucumber Jelly
This Chinese cucumber jelly recipe is very similar to the previous one in terms of preparations.
The only difference is that instead of flour you’d be using pea starch and boiling the cucumber peels to form a jelly.
The jelly itself is neutral in taste but you can use a grater to end up with noodles, which you can then use in any ramen.
I recommend checking out my post on the best spices to add to ramen noodles for some variations and ideas.
Get the recipe at: kittengabby_cook Instagram profile
Cucumber-Melon Jam
This Cucumber-Melon Jam recipe is another very creative way to use cucumber peels instead of wasting them.
The process here is not complicated at all – you’d first want to prepare some calcium water and then blend it alongside the fresh produce. The mixture is then boiled and the sweet ingredients are added.
The fresh jam could be stored in the fridge for up to a month but you can also can it for up to a year of storage.
An overall very versatile and delicious recipe!
Get the recipe at: Bittersweet Blog
Cucumber Peel Chutney
This cucumber peel chutney is ready in just a couple of minutes.
The ingredients are smartly picked, as you have chili, cumin, and onions among other flavors that go together well.
You simply blend everything and are ready.
The chutney ends up mildly spicy and is ideal for any burgers or even as a sandwhich spread.
Get the recipe at: Cookpad
Mint Stem Cucumber Peel Water
This rather simple Mint Stem Cucumber Peel Water is another refreshing drink made with just two ingredients and some water.
You simply add the cucumber peels and mint stems to some water and let them rest in the fridge overnight.
During the rest, the water gets imbued with the flavors and makes for a great morning drink for the summer days! Try it!
Get the recipe at: Eat Or Toss
Cucumber Peel Raita
If you’re into Indian cuisine you will probably love this Cucumber Peel Raita recipe.
It’s made with the traditional curd, which is a type of yogurt, cucumber peels, some onions, and seasonings.
It seems like a rather versatile dish, as it is similar to our Bulgarian Tarator, so I’d recommend experimenting and maybe adding some fresh garlic and dill in the mix.
Get the recipe at: Cookpad
Cucumber Lemonade With Ginger and Basil
Cucumber peels are not the star of this Cucumber Lemonad With Ginger and Basil recipe but they’re still being used.
You can completely replace the cucumber with similar amounts of peels and still end up with the same taste though.
The other key ingredients of this drink are lime juice, zest, ginger, and basil.
It’s a great summertime drink and you can even add some gin to it, as per the recommendations of the cook.
Get the recipe at: Eatery Berlin
Cucumber Peel Ginger Limeade
This is another variation of a Cucumber Peel and Ginger drink that you can try at home.
However, it’s more sugary than the previous one, so if you are into the refreshing sweetness you can make this one instead.
It’s fairly simple to make but the recipe includes refrigeration overnight so plan ahead if you want to enjoy it as it’s supposed to be enjoyed!
Get the recipe at: Food Service Director
Mean Green Cucumber Juice
This Mean Green Cucumber Juice is made with just cucumbers, a little bit of sugar, and water.
You simply bring the sugar and water to a boil, add the cucumber’s pulp, and simmer for a while.
After that, you just blend the cucumber peels and the syrup together.
The juice is ready in about 25 min and should be consumed cooled.
Depending on how many peels you’ve put aside you can completely replace the cucumber pulp!
Get the recipe at: Food Network
Pickled Vegetable Leftovers
This cucumber peel recipes list would not be complete without an entry about pickling any leftover veggies.
Rini over at HealingTomato.com does a fantastic job at walking us through the process.
She did not list cucumber peels in the ingredient list, but she did not need to.
The peels can be pickled as successfully as any other vegetable leftovers.
The brine is simple and the spices are cleverly put together.
This is actually one of my favorite ways of using up cucumber peels.
Get the recipe at: Healing Tomato
How should you store cucumber peels before you use them in a recipe?
Cucumber peels will naturally spoil quickly, especially if organic.
To store them up for use just seal them in a plastic bag with as little air as possible and toss them in the fridge.
Make sure to put the peels to use in no more than two days after that.
You can also freeze them but this will somewhat neutralize their refreshing cucumbery taste.
Wrap up
Although at first, it may seem that cucumber peels will not fit any recipes but that’s not actually the case.
You can employ the peels in all sorts of refreshing drinks, appetizers, and salads.
You just need to be creative, or simply bookmark this page for further reference!
