My sugar-free bread & butter pickles will be your salvation if you miss sweet pickles on keto!
I was never a sweet pickles person, but I know what they are supposed to taste like. However, while I think the flavor and sweetness were spot-on, mine were a bit mushy. Seeing as it was my first time trying this recipe out, I’m not sure what I did wrong… so my recipe could use some tweaking (see the Notes section) so if you try it out and have better success than I did, I welcome your feedback!
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds pickling cucumbers
1 large onion
1 sweet bell pepper (red or orange)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups allulose
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon peppercorn
Handful of whole cloves
1-2 large bay leaves or grape leaves (per jar)
DIRECTIONS
Wash and then slice the bottoms and tops off each cucumber, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Slice the onion and bell pepper into small pieces.
In a large bowl, place the cucumbers, and onion & pepper slices and pour the salt over all. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Remove the cucumber/onion/pepper mix from the fridge and drain and rinse the salt water off of them very well.
Let them drain in a colander/strainer, and also pat them with a paper towel to dry further.
Combine the vinegars, turmeric, and spices into a large saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir. Add in the Allulose and stir to dissolve while heating, bringing it to a boil. Add in the cucumber/peppers/onion mixture and stir well while heating the vegetables through, simmering for about 3 minutes.
If not canning:
Let your pickles cool down a bit and funnel them into containers or jars, and refrigerate. You can keep them refrigerated for up to 4 weeks.
If canning:
Funnel hot mixture into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, then cover and process jars for 15 minutes in your standard water bath setup, then remove the jars to a towel-lined counter top and let them rest undisturbed for 12-24 hours. After they have rested, remove the rings and check your jars for a complete seal, and store in a cool, dark place. They will keep preserved for at least 1 year.
NOTES:
If you have pickling spice blend, use it:
Pickling spice also usually includes caraway or dill seed, along with sometimes cardamom and chopped bay leaf, so you can use 2 tablespoons of that + the whole cloves in place of the last 6 ingredients, if you prefer not to have to go and buy all those.
About brining/Allulose, and texture:
According to two different standard (non sugar-free) recipes I combined to create my own sugar-free bread & butter pickles, you can brine these in the salt for 2 hours or overnight, but mine turned out very mushy after letting them go overnight, so I can only imagine it was either due to that. However, it could also be because of using Allulose, which does tend to soften things, but I usually haven’t had a problem with it because I have only previously canned things like jams and chutneys using Allulose, and those don’t need to be crisp!
