Spent grain, or Brewers Spent Grain is by-product of brewing. When you are done brewing, you always have a huge amount of grain leftover. It's a lot and it smells a bit funny. But don't throw it away! There are many ways to use spent grain in a sustainable way.

How to use spent grain?

Using spent grain in cooking or baking. Spent grain is actually very healthy to eat. During the brewing most of the sugar is taken out of the grain, which leaves you with mostly fibers and protein.  You can use spent grain to bake healthy snacks, like spent grain crackers, cookies or granola, or use it to make pasta, pizza dough or bread. You can use wet spent grain or dry it first and make spent grain flour.

Make compost from spent grain. Spent grain can be used as a fertilizer, for example for flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Place a small amount of spent grain in the ground and cover with dirt. I found articles saying that it's even possible to use spent grain as a base to grow mushrooms.

Make spent grain dog treats. A healthy homemade treat for your four-legged friend! I came across various recipes for safe spent grain dog treats. Spent grain is safe to eat for dogs, just make sure that the spent grains haven't been mixed with hops. Hops are very poisonous to dogs.

Use spent grain as food for chicken, cows, pigs, sheep. If you are not using your spent grain, it can be a good idea to donate it to a local farm. The farmer can mix the spent grain with the normal feed.

Spent grain recipes

Spent grain doesn't contain many carbs and is rich in protein and fiber. A perfect ingredient for a healthy meal! I have been experimenting with spent grain in cooking and baking, and many more experiments will follow. So check out these spent grain recipes for insipriation.

• Spent grain flour recipe
• Spent grain pasta recipe
• Spent grain chocolate chip cookies recipe