Sugar Free Bread and Butter Pickles

Sugar free bread and butter pickles using sugar substitute. A delicious combination of cucumbers and onions in a tangy-sweet pickling solution.

One of the joys of summer for me is preserving some of the abundance of fresh produce for use throughout the year. The ritual of getting out the canner, the tools, the jars, lids, and rings makes me feel so productive.

I usually do several types of fruit preserves and a couple of kinds of pickles. The only thing I don't like about homemade preserves and sweet pickles is the amount of sugar that most recipes require.

Most fruit preserves call for as much, and sometimes even more, sugar as fruit. Typically an exact pound for pound measure. And the same with sweet pickles.

I just feel so guilty pouring all that refined white sugar over that gorgeous fresh produce! That's why I started looking around for a bread and butter pickle recipe without all the usual sugar.

I really love bread and butter pickles with their mix of cucumbers and onions in that sweet, tangy solution. They're one of my favorites! But my old standard recipe called for 2 ¼ cups of white sugar. Eeek!

I could just never feel good knowing I was eating all that sugar. So when I saw this recipe from Splenda that uses their substitute I thought I'd give it a try.

Now, it doesn't have the exact taste of a "B&B" made with sugar, but it's really darned close. If you enjoy bread and butter pickles but want an alternative, then these sugar free bread and butter pickles might be just what you're looking for, too.

How to Make Sugar Free Bread and Butter Pickles

Prepare the Cucumbers and Onions

First, you want to make sure that you use only pickling type cucumbers for your pickles, not the standard grocery store cucumbers. The cucumbers you typically find in your grocery store's produce department have had a waxy coating applied and that will interfere with the pickling process.

Prepare the cucumbers by washing them thoroughly to remove any dirt from the skin. Cut off a tiny 1/16 inch slice from the blossom end of each cucumber. Why? Well, actually there's an enzyme in the blossom end that can cause the pickles to be soft. Removing that tiny slice will help eliminate that problem.

Slice the cucumbers into rounds approximately ¼ inch thick. Peel the onion and slice it into ¼ inch thick slices as well. Separate all the onion rings.

Place the cucumbers and onions in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Toss so that the salt is distributed throughout the vegetables. Allow to stand at room temperature for two hours.

At the end of 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 with additional paper towels.

Prepare the Jars

Wash 3 pint (or 6 half-pint) standard canning jars in hot soapy water. Rinse the jars thoroughly with hot water. Prepare the lids and rings according to the manufacturer’s directions. Set the jars, lids, and rings aside on a clean kitchen towel.

Fill a canning pot ¾ full of water. Set the canner on the stove, add the jar rack, along with the clean jars and bring the water to a low boil.

Keep the lids warm in a separate small pan of water set over the lowest heat possible.

Make the Pickling Liquid

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar substitute, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and cloves in a large non-reactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the cucumbers and onions to the pickling liquid and allow the it to return to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.

Fill and Process Jars

For this part of the process, you will work with one jar at a time. Use a canning jar lifter to remove a jar from the boiling water in the canner, allowing the hot water to drain back into the pot.

Use a slotted spoon to remove vegetables from the pickling liquid and lightly pack them into the hot jar. Fill the jar so that about ¼-inch of space remains at the top. Ladle in pickling liquid to cover the vegetables. Use a canning funnel to make the filling process easier.

Wipe the rim of the jar with a moistened paper towel and apply a canning lid and ring. Rings should tightened just until resistance is felt. Do not overtighten the rings. Set the filled jar on the rack in the canner. Continue until all jars are packed.

When all the jars are filled, lower the jars on their rack into the boiling water canner. The water in the canner should cover the tops of the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover the canner and bring the water up to a gentle boil.

Once the boiling point is reached, process the jars for 15 minutes. Carefully remove processed jars from the canner and place on a clean, folded towel to cool completely. After the jars are cool, check to make sure the seals are complete.

Store in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Refrigerate jars after opening. Enjoy!

More Condiments and Extras on Never Enough Thyme:

• Quick Pickled Jalapeños
• Refrigerator Kosher Dill Pickles
• Pickled Okra
• Home Canned Tomatoes
• Strawberry Jam
• Tomato Jam

More resources for Low or No Sugar Canning:

• Canning Without Sugar from Pick Your Own
• Low Sugar Alternatives for Jams and Jellies from UGA's National Center for Home Food Preservation
• Sugar Free Jams and Marmalades from Healthy Canning

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Sugar-Free Bread and Butter Pickles

Sugar-free bread and butter pickles using sugar substitute. A delicious combination of cucumbers and onions in a tangy-sweet pickling solution.

4.29 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Canning and Preserving

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Inactive Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes

Servings: 3 pints

Calories: 41kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lb. pickling cucumbers
• ▢ 1 medium onion
• ▢ 3 tblsp. kosher salt
• ▢ 2 ½ cups white vinegar
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups sugar substitute cup-for-cup measure such as Splenda
• ▢ 1 tblsp. mustard seed
• ▢ 1 tblsp. celery seed
• ▢ 1 tsp. turmeric
• ▢ ½ tsp. whole cloves

Instructions

• Prepare the cucumbers - wash thoroughly removing any dirt from the skin of the cucumbers. Remove a thin (1/16 inch) slice from the blossom end of each cucumber and discard. Slice cucumbers into rounds approximately ¼ inch thick.
  
• Prepare the onion - peel the onion and slice into ¼ inch thick slices. Separate the onion rings.
  
• Place the cucumbers and onions in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Toss so that the salt is distributed throughout the vegetables. Allow to stand at room temperature for two hours. Drain the cucumbers and onions in a colander. Rinse thoroughly and drain again. Spread the vegetables on a double thickness of paper towels and pat dry with additional paper towels.
  
• Prepare 3 pint (or 6 half-pint) jars by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well. Prepare lids and rings according to manufacturer’s directions.
  
• Fill a boiling water canner ¾ full with water. Add the clean jars to the canner and bring to the boil. Keep lids warm in a pan of barely simmering water.
  
• Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, sugar substitute, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cucumbers and onions and allow the mixture to return to a boil.
  
• Working with one jar at a time, use a slotted spoon to pack vegetables into hot jars filling to ¼ inch of tops. Ladle in pickling liquid to cover the vegetables. Wipe the jar rim with a moistened paper towel and apply a canning lid and ring. Rings should be just fingertip tight. Return the filled jar to the canner and continue until all jars are packed.
  
• When all jars are filled, lower the jars into the boiling water canner. Water should cover the tops of the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover the canner and bring the water to a gentle boil. Process for 15 minutes.
  
• Remove jars from the canner and place on a towel to cool completely. After the jars are cool, check to make sure the seals are complete.
  
• Store in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Sodium: 74mg | Sugar: 9g

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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Lana Stuart

Lana Stuart is the cook and occasional traveler here at Never Enough Thyme. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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