Are Pickles Keto Friendly?

Low in everything but sodium, pickles are a great keto-friendly snack. But you need to be careful when choosing your pickles. While cucumbers, salt, and vinegar are all low-carb, some manufacturers add sugar to their brine, a keto no-go. Fortunately, a quick peek at the nutrition label will tell you if your gherkin is sugar-free of sugar-full.

Pickle Variety	Keto-friendly Brands
Dill	Mt. Olive, Vlasic, Clausen, Boar's Head
Kosher	Bubbies
Cornichons	Maille
Sours	Mt. Olive, Boar's Head, Vlasic
Sweet	Mt. Olive
Bread and butter	Mt. Olive
Horseradish	Avoid, this variety typically contains added sugar

A medium-sized dill pickle contains only 0.9 g of net carbs. But while the carb count is low, you don't want to pig out on pickles. Each pickle also contains around 526 mg of sodium, more than a fifth of the CDC's recommended limit of 2,300 mg per day.

Kosher pickles, which are fermented rather than brined, are a great source of probiotics. The microorganisms responsible for fermentation synergize well with the bacteria in your gut, boosting digestive health. To tell a fermented pickle from a brined one, look at the ingredient list: if it includes vinegar, it's a brined pickle. You can taste the difference, too. Fermented pickles will tingle on your tongue, almost like they're carbonated.