For those following a ketogenic or low-carb diet, finding suitable condiments can be challenging. Many store-bought options are laden with sugar and unhealthy oils. However, there's no need to forgo flavor. Keto bread and butter pickles offer a delightful solution, providing a sweet and tangy addition to meals without the carbs.
Why Keto Bread and Butter Pickles?
Traditional bread and butter pickles are known for their sweet flavor, achieved through a combination of vinegar, sugar, and spices. To make them keto-friendly, the sugar is replaced with a granulated sweetener, allowing you to enjoy the taste without the blood sugar spike. These pickles are incredibly versatile, complementing cheese, cold meats, burgers, and hot dogs. They're also a great way to add tang and sweetness to your meal, especially with bunless burgers and hot dogs.
Finding Keto-Friendly Pickles in Stores
It can be difficult to find pickles at the supermarket with clean ingredients. While Ceres organic pickles can be a good option, they are not always sweet. If you prefer a sweet pickle like bread and butter pickles, making your own with sweetener is the best option.
The Key to Crisp Pickles: Preparation and Technique
Achieving the perfect balance of flavor and texture in homemade pickles requires attention to detail. Here's a breakdown of the key steps:
Selecting the Right Cucumbers
Choose pickling cucumbers, often labeled as "Kirby" or "salad" cucumbers. These varieties are specifically bred for pickling, offering a firm texture and fewer seeds. Avoid cucumbers with a waxy coating, as this can interfere with the pickling process.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Preparing the Cucumbers and Onions
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly to remove any dirt. Slice them into rounds approximately 1/4 inch thick. Peel the onion and slice it into 1/4-inch thick slices as well, separating the onion rings.
It's crucial to remove a thin (approximately 1/16 inch) slice from the blossom end of each cucumber. This is because of an enzyme in the blossom end that can cause pickles to be too soft. Removing that tiny slice helps prevent mushy pickles.
The Importance of Salting
Place the cucumbers and onions in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Toss to distribute the salt evenly. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for two hours. This process draws moisture out of the vegetables, resulting in crisper pickles. After the standing time, drain the cucumbers and onions in a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain again. Spread the vegetables on a double thickness of paper towels and pat dry.
Preparing the Pickling Liquid
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, turmeric, pickling spice, Stevia, and celery salt. Bring to a boil. Add cucumbers. Bring to a boil again, Pack cucumbers in quart jars, pour brine in to 1 inch of the top of the jar. Add lids and rings. 3 quarts. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.
Sweetener Selection
Through trial and error, it has been found that THM Stevia works the best for pickles. Sugar Alcohols tend to make soft mushy pickles.
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Canning and Storage
If you want to store the pickles in the pantry, you must process them using the boiling water process. This process heats the jars to temperatures adequate to destroy any microbes that might cause spoilage and forms an airtight seal to prevent further microbes from entering the jar. If you want to skip the boiling water process and just keep these pickles in the refrigerator, you’ll follow the recipe through filling the jars and then skip the instructions to heat water in the canner. After filling the jars, allow them to cool completely and then store them in the refrigerator. The pickles will last, unopened, up to 6 months in the fridge. After opening a jar, keep it stored in the fridge and use it up within two weeks.
Keto Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
- Pickling salt
- 2 ½ cups white vinegar
- 1 ¼ cups sugar substitute (such as Allulose or Stevia)
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves
Instructions:
- Prepare the Cucumbers and Onions: Wash cucumbers, remove the blossom end, and slice. Peel and slice the onion.
- Salt the Vegetables: Place cucumbers and onions in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for 2 hours.
- Rinse and Drain: Rinse the cucumber and onion mixture thoroughly and drain.
- Prepare Jars: Clean and sterilize jars.
- Make the Pickling Liquid: Combine vinegar, sweetener, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and cloves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Add Vegetables to Brine: Add the cucumber and onion mixture to the boiling pickling liquid.
- Pack Jars: Pack vegetables into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Ladle pickling liquid over the vegetables.
- Process Jars (Optional): For shelf-stable pickles, process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.
- Cool and Store: Let jars cool completely and check for a proper seal. Store in a cool, dark place.
Quick Refrigerator Pickles
For a faster, refrigerator version:
- Slice cucumbers and onions and place them in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine sweetener, vinegar, water, and salt. Whisk until dissolved.
- Add pickles and onions to jars.
- Pour brine over cucumbers and onions.
- Cover jars with plastic lids.
- Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before enjoying.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these keto bread and butter pickles in a variety of ways:
- As a side with burgers and hot dogs
- On cheese and crackers
- With cold cuts
- In salads
- As a snack straight from the jar
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