Ok, this may be my FAVORITE video and recipe to date! These crunchy Sweet Pickles take me back to my childhood. My dad always put up veggies and pickles in the summer and these were the best!
I love just eating them out of the jar! If you haven’t eaten homemade CRUNCHY sweet pickles in an egg salad or chicken salad, you truly are missing out! Store bought relish won’t do once you make your own.
Don’t be intimidated! This recipe is very easy and forgiving!
NOTE:
In the video I use part honey and stevia BUT you can use 100% sugar substitutes and they will turn out perfectly!
I hope you enjoy and thanks for watching!
Melissa
Be sure to check out my YouTube video for all my tips and trick to creating these southern classics!
Each batch makes 5 pint jars. Recipe can be doubled/tripled. If making a bigger batch, use a food grade 5 gallon bucket for the soaking steps.
- 1/3 cup pickling lime
- 2.5 quarts filtered water
- 2.5 lbs cucumbers
- 3 cups vinegar
- Heaping 1 teaspoon pickling spices
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetener
- 1 teaspoon Stevia (or other sweetener)
- Heaping teaspoon kosher salt
Day 1
- Dissolve lime in water.
- Add cut cucumbers to lime solution.
- Refrigerate overnight.
Day 2
- Drain and rinse lime off cucumbers thoroughly.
- Cover cucumbers in ice and water and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Combine sweetener, vinegar, pickling spice and salt. TASTE FOR SWEETNESS, ADJUST IF NEEDED.
- Drained cucumbers and pour vinegar and spices over cucumbers and refrigerate overnight.
Day 3
- Drain cucumbers, reserving the pickling solution.
- Bringing pickling solution to a boil for 25 minutes.
- Prepare jars and lids.
- Pack pickles into pint jars.
- Pour hot pickling brine over cucumbers.
- Top with prepared lids and submerge in water bath for 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and leave for additional 5 minutes.
- Let jars come to room temperature and then refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Enjoy.
THE FACES OF SATISFYING EATS
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What is pickling lime made from, and what does this do in the recipe? Thanks, I love sweet picked and a sugar free version is wonderful.
Hi Jillian, line is another name for calcium hydroxide. It leaves the pickles extra crunchy. I grew up eating this type of pickles and was excited to me able to make a lower carb version! I hope you give them a try.
Do I store all 5 pints in the fridge, or just the pint I’m planning to use first, and keeping the other 4 in the cubbard with my other jarred stuff?
Thanks, Bonnie
Bonnie, you don’t have to store them all in the refrigerator, just the ones you want to eat now. I’m about to make my third batch… My family loves them!
I can’t wait to make these today. I love sweet pickles in my Tuna Salad and was so disappointed to see the sweet pickles I had been using have so much sugar in them. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe ♥️
Awesome Bonnie, keep me posted! Just be sure to read ahead in the directions and plan accordingly since it is a three day process. The last batch I made things soaked even longer than in my recipe and everything turned out great!
I finished making these sweet pickles yesterday and did a taste test today. Instead of Honey, I used 2 Tablespoons of Swerve Powdered Sweetener + ½ teaspoon NuNaturals NuStevia Reb99™ Pure Stevia Powdered Extract.
I also ran a little short on the brine.
Mine have a strong vinegary taste, but they are crunchy and sweet.
Will they be ok in the fridge if I cut the juice with water? How much vinegar do I have to use for them to process? (Can I make a weaker solution?) … or do I just need more sweetener?
🤔
Hi Bonnie, probably more sweetener would be the best solution. These pickles are definitely supposed to be twangy and sweet. How much more solution do you need? With my first batch, I was a little short and I just canned them the same and put them in the refrigerator for the 24 hours and then ate them first. They were perfect.