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READY IN 7+ days

Texas Christmas Pickles

Read Reviews (29)

"These spicy/sweet pickles are a Texas tradition. My mother and I have made these delectable pickles for Christmas every year since I was young. We separate each batch into smaller jars and give them as gifts to friends and family. I would hate to think what would happen if we skipped a year!!" — KIKI810

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Sugar and Sweeteners

Original recipe makes 3 quarts Change Servings

1 gallon dill pickles
1 (5 ounce) bottle hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)

5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (5 pound) bag of white sugar

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Directions

Drain the brine from the pickles and discard. Slice pickles lengthwise, and return them to the jar. Pour in the hot pepper sauce, and add the garlic. Pour in about 1/3 of the sugar. Close the lid tightly. Gently tip the jar back and forth several times to allow everything to mix well. Leave out on the counter at room temperature for about 1 week.
During the week, add more sugar as the sugar in the jar dissolves. Gently tip the jar back and forth to mix. Continue the process throughout the week, until you have used up all of the sugar. When all of the sugar has been absorbed, pickles will be dark green and crispy. Transfer pickles to smaller sterile jars, and divide syrup between jars. Seal with lids and rings. Store in the refrigerator, and consume within one month.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
READY IN 7 days 30 mins

Footnotes

You can also use this same process with jalapeno peppers, just omit the hot pepper sauce and use the same process. The result is a sweet/hot jalapeno.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 09, 2005

This is similar to a recipe I have used, except we purchased gallon jars of hamburger slices at Sam's instead of having to slice the pickles. As you described, they are dark green, crisp and yummy. Everyone loves them. My recipe calls them "cheater pickles." We packaged them in small containers with a red plaid ribbon for Christmas gifts. A big hit! Mine did not call for the hot sauce.

—REDIRG

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 09, 2012

These are only so so. I love pickles, but these are not amazing; we ended up not eating all that we made. Darn it!

—MalFra

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30 Ratings

Dec 22, 2004

This recipe was fun and easy to make. The flavor is similar to bread and butter pickles, but with a little extra kick. I love the ease in which one can adjust the recipe to suit their preferences. For instance, I didn't have hot pepper sauce, so I used red pepper flakes. Also, I used about half the sugar and the recipe came out just fine. Texas Christmas Pickles will be a staple in my refrigerator all year 'round! Thanks a million for sharing this recipe.

—POWERMUFFIN

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Dec 08, 2005

I had a blast making these pickles! They are so close to tasting like Tony Packo's Sweet Hots. I made two gallons, one jar cut into spears and the other cut into thick slices. I like the slices better and they were to my liking after only five days. I am going to experiment with about half the sugar and a little less garlic, next time. The Tabasco is perfect, though. I processed some of the finished pint jars in a boiling water bath for ten minutes so I can keep them longer. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

—QUIRKYIQ

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Jan 28, 2009

These pickles are awesome. I've been searching for a recipe like this for months! I made them at Christmas and they were a big hit. I just made my 2nd batch the other day. I did make a couple of changes...I used the sliced dill pickles. I used about 5-6 oz of jalapeno juice instead of tabasco. (from a jar of pickled jalapeno's)I also added about 1 1/2 cups of sliced jalapeno's (I had to remove some pickles to make room.) 4 1/2 cups of sugar was all I used as well. These were so crisp! I've had several requests for the recipe. These are excellent with grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers.

—GARSKESD

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Aug 12, 2008

Note: sugar pulls out the moisture from the drained pickles. If your pickle spears come out too shrunken, cut the amount of sugar. One or two reviews said they cut the sugar by half.

—Delia15

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May 28, 2009

I tried these and they turned out great ,as long as I used the cheap brand of dill pickles ,whether I made strips out of whole ones, or ,the sliced ones , (both of the "cheap" ones came from Sam's), when I tried recipe using "Claussen" Dill Strips they turned out shriveled and limp, They still had a good taste , but were not crunchy ! My friends and family love the cheap, crunchy ones ,to those who like them hotter, I add a couple of red peppers, makes them pretty ,too

—Sunny

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Apr 16, 2006

I was afraid to make these so I used a 1/2 gallon of pickles. I sliced them into spears. They sort of shriveled up and look funny....is that right? They are tasty, just weird looking. I will try them again, but want to try slices instead of spears. A nice sweet/spicy flavor. Very nice.

—IMP70

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Nutrition

Calories
183 kcal
9%

Carbohydrates
47 g
15%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
0.1 g
< 1%

Fiber
0.5 g
2%

Protein
0.3 g
< 1%

Sodium
501 mg
20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Texas Christmas Pickles

Serving Size: 1/60 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 60
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 183
Calories from Fat: < 1

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.1g < 1 %
Saturated Fat 0g < 1 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 501mg 20 %
Potassium 49mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 47g 15 %
Dietary Fiber 0.5g 2 %
Protein 0.3g < 1 %
Sugars 45.8g
Vitamin A 3 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium < 1 %
Iron 2 %
Thiamin < 1 %
Niacin < 1 %
Vitamin B6 < 1 %
Magnesium 2 %
Folate < 1 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.