7 Easy Sustainable Recipes That Use Food Scraps
Are you looking to minimize waste in your kitchen and make the most out of every ingredient?
In this blog post, we have gathered 7 of our favorite tastiest, healthy recipes that transform your meal-making into mindful cooking! Instead of throwing away scraps, there are a bunch of innovative and delicious ways to use everything from peels to stale bread to herb stems. Not only do these recipes reduce food waste but also add unique flavors and textures to your meals. From crispy potato peel chips to savory salads, discover how you can elevate your cooking while contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Let’s turn trash into treasure and get inspired by these 7 easy zero waste recipes to cook with scraps!

1. Carrot top pesto
Don’t throw away the green tops after using your carrots! The stems, mixed with the right ingredients, make a delicious pesto – and it’s super simple too.
Add the carrot tops to a blender with other greens if you need more volume (spinach and basil work well), 1-2 cloves of garlic, the juice of half a lemon, a couple of tablespoons olive oil, half a cup of nuts (walnuts and pine nuts are great in this), plus salt and pepper.
Blend, taste, adjust according to taste, and enjoy!
This pesto works great on bread, in salads, as a dip, or whatever your heart desires. Extra sustainability points: store cool in a reusable glass container.
2. Chinese greens
This is a savory, umami dish great as an appetizer or light meal, making use of the veggie leaves you normally discard.
Ingredients:
- Leftover leaves from a cauliflower head, kohlrabi, broccoli, or beets
- Neutral oil (vegetable or rapeseed)
- Sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic
- Soy sauce
- Ginger and chili (optional)
Instructions:
- Wash the greens and trim if needed, depending on your choice of leaves.
- Heat a pan and add neutral oil. Add the garlic (+ ginger and chili if using) and fry for half a minute until aromatic. Add the greens and fry for a minute or two until cooked.
- Add a teaspoon or more according to preference of soy sauce, and stir. Lastly, add a splash of sesame oil.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately as a side dish or appetizer.
Enjoy!

3. Potato peel chips
Potato peel chips are a delicious and eco-friendly snack, saving the potato skins from the bin. Here’s a simple recipe to turn those peels into crispy, tasty chips.
Ingredients:
- Potato peels (from 4-5 large potatoes)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- Fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
Wash the potatoes thoroughly before peeling to remove any dirt. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins, aiming for long, even strips.
Pat the potato peels dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel to remove excess moisture.
In a bowl, toss the potato peels with olive oil until they are evenly coated. Add salt, pepper, and any optional seasonings like garlic powder, paprika, or chopped fresh herbs.
Spread the seasoned potato peels in a single layer on a lined baking sheet, making sure they aren’t overlapping.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the peels are golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the potato peel chips cool for a few minutes. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
Serve on their own or with your favorite dipping sauce. They are best enjoyed fresh but can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days. Enjoy!

4. Vegan mayo
Did you know that the water from chickpeas, also called aquafaba, can be used as a substitute for egg whites? From meringues to mayonnaise, it can help make many non-vegan things vegan. Here is a great recipe on how to make vegan mayo, which can be modified with different ingredients like garlic or pickles to make a variety of yummy dipping sauces. Combine with the potato peel chips for the ultimate waste-saving snack!
5. Vegetable stock
Freeze your onion skins, carrot peels, and any other vegetable scraps for up to 6 months, keep adding as they come (avoid potato peels, broccoli, and cauliflower – they make a bitter taste). Fill a pot with water until the scraps are covered and start to float and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for half an hour. Strain the broth into a container and freeze or keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Congrats! You just saved waste and made a delicious base for soups or any other recipe you like!
P.S. This recipe is part of our popular free sustainable living guide for beginners. If you are curious about more zero waste and green living methods, you can download the guide here.

6. Breadcrumbs
What to do with stale bread? Breadcrumbs! This recipe makes use of your bread and turns it into the perfect coating for any kind of fried food.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. If your bread is not fully stale, you can dry it out further by placing the slices on a baking sheet and baking in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. The bread should be dry and crispy but not browned. Let it cool completely.
Tear the dried bread into smaller pieces and place them into a food processor. Pulse until you reach your desired breadcrumb texture.
Use the breadcrumbs immediately or store them in an airtight container. They will keep for up to two weeks at room temperature, or longer if stored in the freezer. For extra flavor, experiment with different spices mixed with the crumbs.
Have fun!
7. Broccoli stem salad
We’ll be honest: it took us way too long to realize you can cook perfectly delicious things with broccoli stems! For this zesty, summery salad, cut the stem into 1 cm thick slices and cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain and place them on a plate. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, sprinkle some dried chili flakes, and crack fresh salt on top.
Bon appetit!

So, there you go! Seven easy and waste-saving sustainable recipes. Hopefully, these inspired you to see new creative possibilities in the kitchen and try something new with the things that normally get overlooked! Who knew that green living could be so delicious? 😉
Thank you for exploring these delicious ideas with us. Happy cooking, and remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
Feeling inspired and ready to explore more? Download our free sustainable ebook, then check out sustainable brands and products here.