4 Ways to Use Leftover Ginger

So, you've got a stir-fry recipe that calls for a teaspoon of fresh ginger, but all you can find at the store are big whopping chunks of the stuff. We've all been there! But ginger is delicious and healthy, so it would be terrible to let the extra go to waste. No problem! Here's 4 delicious ways to put it to good use!

Put it in a Smoothie

Ginger gives your smoothie a healthy anti-inflammatory boost, and it tastes great with the fruity flavors that you find in lots of smoothie recipes. Simply cut a piece of ginger, peel it, and toss it into the blender with the rest of your ingredients. The flavor of fresh ginger can be intense, so start small -- ½ inch cut is plenty. If you can take the heat, add some more next time. If you want some smoothie inspiration to get started, try our cherry ginger smoothie or kale ginger detox smoothie.

Bake with It

Plenty of recipes for baked goods call for powdered ginger, but you can use fresh too! If you're swapping out powdered ginger for fresh in a recipe, you'll need to use a bit more, since powdered ginger is dried out and therefore more concentrated. Tripling the amount is a good place to start -- so if your recipe calls for a teaspoon of powdered ginger, go with a tablespoon of fresh. Generally, the flavor you get from fresh ginger will be a bit mellower than powdered. I tend to favor recipes that call for a bit of each, like these triple gingersnap cookies, or these ginger peach scones.

Brew It In Tea

A few years ago I had an extra piece of ginger laying around, so I decided to throw a couple of slices into my evening cup of tea, and since then it's become one of my favorite things. I find ginger goes best with fruity or floral blends. Simply cut one or two very thin slices, and throw them in with your teabag. You can also skip the teabag altogether and make straight up ginger tea, like this lemon ginger tea.

Pickle It

If you make your own sushi (or even sushi bowls), why not make your own picked ginger to go along with it? It's surprisingly easy! This pickled ginger recipe takes just about 20 minutes of active time, followed by a brief chill in the fridge. If you're not a fan of sushi or the pickled ginger that's normally served with it, try adding ginger to other pickled produce instead, for a little added zip. Fresh ginger is the perfect compliment to pickled peaches in this easy pickled peaches recipe.

Ginger image via Shutterstock.