Low-Carb Refrigerator Gherkins
Martina Slajerova- Ready in 5d
- 1.9 g net carbs
- 16 kcal
- Serves 12
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Pickled cucumbers and gherkins are a great condiment for burgers, sausage rolls, and even on top of keto pizza. The reason I make my own is that most store-bought products contain sugar and other unhealthy additives. My mom preserves gherkins and makes them in batches of 40-60 jars - they last for months without refrigeration.
I prefer making refrigerator pickles because they are easier to prepare and less likely to get soft. I followed my mom's recipe but used a healthy low-carb sweetener instead of sugar. If you want to make pickles in batches and preserve them, The Kitchn has a great step-by-step guide.
Note that these pickles are not too sweet. If you prefer more sweetener, double the amount of Erythritol, or follow this refrigerated pickles recipe instead.
Nutrition facts in this recipe are estimated as most of the ingredients are only used for pickling.
Step-by-step
Depending on the size and your preference, you can use whole cucumbers, sliced cucumbers or cut them into spears (sliced cucumber may get soft so keep that in mind).
Prepare the pickling brine. In a small saucepan, heat up 2 cups of water and a cup of vinegar. Once simmering, take off the heat and add Erythritol and salt. Stir until dissolved and set aside. Peel and slice the onion and garlic.
Place all the spices (sliced onion, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, bay leaf and dill seeds) at the bottom of a large jar (I used a Fido jar).
Pack the cucumbers into the jar, add fresh dill (if used), and pour in the prepared brine. Let it cool to room temperature, cover with a lid and place in the fridge for at least 2 days to infuse with the spices.
Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Low-Carb Refrigerator Gherkins
★★★★☆4.2These quick and easy refrigerator gherkins are sugar-free and packed with flavor from herbs and spices.
- Hands on
- 20m
- Overall
- 5d
- Servings
- 12
- 1.9 g
- Net carbs
- 0.5 g
- Protein
- 0.2 g
- Fat
- 16
- kcal
Ingredients makes 1-quart/ 1 l jar
- Other spices you can use (optional):
Instructions
Depending on the size and your preference, you can use whole cucumbers, sliced cucumbers or cut them into spears (sliced cucumber may get soft so keep that in mind).
Prepare the pickling brine. In a small saucepan, heat up 2 cups of water and a cup of vinegar. Once simmering, take off the heat and add Erythritol and salt. Stir until dissolved and set aside. Peel and slice the onion and garlic.
Place all the spices (sliced onion, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, bay leaf and dill seeds) at the bottom of a large jar (I used a Fido jar).
Pack the cucumbers into the jar, add fresh dill (if used), and pour in the prepared brine. Let it cool to room temperature, cover with a lid and place in the fridge for at least 2 days to infuse with the spices.
Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Nutrition per pickle, 50 g/ 1.8 oz g
Carbs 65%Protein 18%Fat 17% of calories
- Net carbs
- 1.9 g
- Total carbs
- 4.1 g
- Fiber
- 0.6 g
- Sugars
- 1.1 g
- Protein
- 0.5 g
- Fat
- 0.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 0 g
- Calories
- 16 kcal
- Sodium
- 197 mg · 8.57% RDA
- Magnesium
- 10 mg · 2.46% RDA
- Potassium
- 102 mg · 5.09% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
| Per pickle, 50 g/ 1.8 oz g | Net carbs | Protein | Fat | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumber, fresh | 0.7 g | 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 6 |
| Pepper, black, spices | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Mustard seed, whole, spices | 0 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 1 |
| Allspice, dried, spices | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Bay leaf, dried or fresh | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Spices, dill seed | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Onion, white, fresh | 0.4 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 |
| Garlic, fresh | 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener) | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Salt, sea salt | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Water, still | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Apple cider vinegar | 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 4 |
| Total | 1.9 g | 0.5 g | 0.2 g | 16 |
Serving size pickle, 50 g/ 1.8 oz g
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Nut free
- Pork free
- Avocado free
- Coconut free
- Fish free
- Shellfish free
- Beef free
- Pescatarian
- Low FODMAP
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
Serve it with
Dishes that go well with a condiment.
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Comments & ratings (12)
Can you please share where you can buy these baby cucumbers for pickling in the UK. I can only find long cucumbers in the supermarkets.
Hi Olena, they are always seasonal. I get them from local farms, Abel & Cole or Ocado. The availability may vary.
These pickles came out terrible 😞 They were super bitter and had that bad Stevia aftertaste. I kept them in the fridge for 5 days before trying them. The brine, thankfully, did not soak in all the way like a normal pickle. It was just the initial outside that had any 'pickle' flavor.
However, I'm pretty sure I could have just dipped them in vinegar and they'd have tasted the same. They definitely needed less vinegar and way more salt. I followed the recipe to the letter. I even made 2 separate batches and both are too sour to enjoy
That's interesting and I wonder what went wrong. Mine were fantastic and I made them a few times. I bet it was the stevia. Did you use just stevia? Was it powder or drops? I'm not a huge fan of stevia so I never use it alone. I used 4 tablespoons of erythritol and about 10 drops of stevia. It was the perfect balance for me but my hubby doesn't like sweet pickles and said they could have been less sweet. It really depends on what you like. I've had pickles with no added sweetener and didn't like them but that's what my hubby likes.
I'm sorry you didn't like these pickles. They are based on an Eastern European recipe that is not too sweet but if you prefer your pickles really sweet you will like this recipe: Quick & Easy Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
I hope the next batch comes out great!
I love pickles- I've never tried making them, though. I guess I always thought it was harder? Also, I love Bubbies dill pickles- they're fermented versus just pickled. I might try making some though, seeing how easy it is. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot. They were perfect!!
Love them and easy to make.
On my way to making a batch of pickles, Thank you!!
I hope you like them! I make them every July-August when cucumbers are in season 😊
Hi Martina'
I make a fermented countertop pickle that is super simple. In a clean 1 litre jar add 1 tbsp pickling salt, 2-4 large cloves of peeled garlic, fresh dill weed heads and leaves. Pack the jar with small pickling cucumbers or larger ones cut into spears. Pack the top of jar with more dill weed leaves and tops and additional garlic if desired. Fill the jar with cool previously boiled water so all the cucumbers are completely covered-- approximately 3 cups. Loosely cover the jar and leave on the counter top for 2-4 days until the desired sourness is achieved. Once fermented to taste, store in the refridgerator. You can add other spices but I like the simple garlic dill flavour.
Thanks for letting me share.
Fermented pickles are even better - thank you for sharing! 😊