Sugar-Free Peach Schnapps
Peach Schnapps is usually super high in sugar. This Sugar-Free Peach Schnapps recipe is keto, low carb, super tasty, and VERY easy to make!
I’ve been on a big holiday cooking / baking binge lately, as you may have noticed here on the blog.
You see, I’ve been doing my own brand of low carbing, fueled mostly on anger and spite. Part of this involves “I’m going to live my best life, not want for anything, and ENJOY myself!”...
.. Which meant going kind of wild over the holiday season.
“That sounds good! I should make a keto version!”
“Oh, you know what would hit the spot..?”
“Did you see what so-and-so just posted? I bet I could low carb that up....”
... and so on.
That’s how I ended up losing weight over the holidays, despite stuffing ourselves full of things like glazed meatballs, funeral potatoes, manakish, raspberry coconut bars, perogies, and more.
Anyway.
Part of this involved the idea that I should come up with liqueur recipes, so I’m never left wanting in THAT area.
Never mind that I rarely drink anything at all, it was the IDEA of *potential* missing out that spawned it.
Yeah, I have no idea.
Peach Schnapps is a liqueur that I don’t actually tend to drink much at all, but always kept on hand for baking with.
Because I’m eventually going to keto-up some of what I used to bake, I figured it would be a good idea to come up with a passable sugar free peach schnapps recipe to have on hand.
... and here we are!
Low Carb Peach Schnapps FAQ
What are peach schnapps?
What peach schnapps are ... kind of varies depending on how traditional you’re talking.
Whether you’re talking traditional/technical, or modern day usage, though... it’s a peach flavoured alcoholic beverage.
What’s the difference between peach schnapps and peach liqueur?
Traditionally - and technically - peach schnapps are a high ABV alcohol, made from distilling fermented peaches. Basically a peach brandy.
At the same time, peach liqueur is a beverage made from steeping peaches in a high proof, neutral spirit - grain alcohol or vodka - then straining it off and adding simple syrup.
These days - in North America, anyway - The stuff that gets labeled as peach schnapps is usually what would be more accurately described as peach liqueur, sort of.
... Most utilize flavour extracts, rather than actual peaches. So vodka, sugar water, and flavour.
How many carbs are in peach schnapps?
Carb count varies between brand, but usually comes out to be between 7-12 grams of carbs - gross AND net - per ounce.
In contrast, this recipe contains 11 total grams of carbohydrates per serving.
All carbs - except for 1/10 gram per serving - come from sugar alcohols, therefore the net carbs are >1 gram per serving.
Keto Peach Schnapps Ingredients
Sugar substitute - I use a monkfruit / erythritol blend for this, I find it has the best results.
Water - Distilled is best, as this can help mitigate the risk of crystals ... at least to some degree.
Vodka - The flavor oil adds a ton of flavour - and the sugar sub / glycerine smooth things out - so if you’re not using top-shelf vodka... no one will really notice!
Peach flavour - Lorann’s Peach flavour oil isn’t the *exact* same peach flavour profile as some of the commercial peach schnapps brands, but it’s pretty close - especially if you’re not comparing side by side.
Glycerine - Use a food grade glycerine. This gives the liqueur a more authentic mouth feel.
Citric Acid - This small amount of citric acid is what brightens up and rounds out the flavour. I use it a fair amount, so it’s a good thing to have on hand - especially when low carbbing!
(It’s a small, but very important part of my Keto Orange Chicken recipe, for example!)
How to Make Sugar-Free Peach Schnapps
Full recipe follows at the end of this post, here is the pictorial overview:
In a small pot, heat water, sugar substitute, and citric acid - whisking often - just until the sugar substitute has fully dissolved into the water.
Be VERY sure that all of the crystals have fully dissolved - including those on the sides of the pot. Swirling the pot helps!
Remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cool, add vodka, peach flavour, and glycerine, stirring well to combine.
Transfer to a clean, airtight bottle, store somewhere cool and dark.
Tips for Making Sugar Free Peach Liqueur
If you follow the recipe as stated, it’ll turn out for you. That said, there are some tips to keep in mind, to ensure success. (It’s good to know the hows and whys!)
- This recipe makes a small batch, for a few reasons:
Vodka is EXPENSIVE here in Canada, and it’s hard to justify large batches - especially when I don’t drink much at all!
I wanted to have a nice variety of liqueurs to choose from, and would much prefer smaller batches and more variety.
1 batch makes enough to fill a 200 ml bottle, with a little left over to sip on. Perfect!
That said, this recipe is easily scaled up. Double it, make a 3x batch - whatever suits your needs!
- I use these 200 ml glass flask bottles for most of my keto liqueurs, and love them!
- When I say to make sure there are no sugar crystals left, that everything should be fully dissolved, I mean it!
Swirl the hot liquid to catch any crystals on the side of the pan, ensure everything is fully dissolved. This is your best way to prevent crystals forming.
Actually, let’s talk about that a bit more...
Erythritol Crystals in Keto Peach Liqueur
Erythritol has a habit of dropping out of solution, when cooked into a liquid, and this is especially true for a recipe like this, where there is a high erythritol:water ratio.
Some people will tell you that you can avoid it by using powdered erythritol, but that’s not actually accurate.
Whether you start with powdered or granular erythritol, once it’s dissolved - that is, becomes a solution - it’s all the same thing. The size of the crystals it started out with no longer matters.
Starting out with a powder makes it such that the sweetener will dissolve more easily in the first place, but that’s about it.
The thing is, you can make the same recipe several times, using the exact same ingredients, and crystallization won’t necessarily happen every time.
So, there are a few ways you can deal with it:
Mitigate it as much as possible, to start
With this particular recipe, that means making sure everything is fully dissolved. Any stray granules - or bits of powder - that aren’t fully dissolved can act as a seed for crystal formation.
Get rid of the crystals after they form
If you end up with crystals and do NOT want them, you can gently heat the peach liqueur to re-dissolve the crystals.
Be gentle with it, don’t bring it to a full boil, and don’t allow it to simmer for long - this will affect the alcohol content. (Which you may not even care about, TBH, but figured I’d mention it!)
Just deal with it.
I’ll be honest, this is generally how I’ll deal with crystals.
When it comes to making accurate replicas of things I want to drink, I just accept that crystals can just be a fact of life when it comes to using sugar substitutes. I pour it off the crystals, and move on.
Because any crystals in the bottle will settle / grow on the crystal formation at the bottom of the bottle, the free floating liquid is perfectly smooth. Well, so long as you don’t dislodge any!
On that note, crystals really only form to a certain point, then stall out. These pictures were taken a week after making the liqueur, and they look the same as they did the day after making it.
If we were to put the bottle in the freezer, or give it a hard shake, though... more would develop.
More Sugar Free Liqueur & Cocktail Recipes
Looking to stock a keto liquor cabinet? You don’t have to limit yourself to full-octane basic spirits - you CAN easily make liqueurs! Here are a few more recipes for you to try:
Keto Eggnog
Keto Rumchata
Sugar-Free Creme de Menthe
Sugar-Free Sour Puss Liqueur
Keto Irish Cream
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @LowCarbHoser - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.
Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Peach Schnapps
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Sugar substitute
- ⅓ cup Water
- ⅛ teaspoon Citric Acid
- ⅓ cup Vodka
- 1 teaspoon Peach flavour
- ½ teaspoon Glycerine
Instructions
- In a small pot, heat water, sugar substitute, and citric acid - whisking often - just until the sugar substitute has fully dissolved into the water.
- Be VERY sure that all of the crystals have fully dissolved - including those on the sides of the pot. Swirling the pot helps!
- Remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, add vodka, peach flavour, and glycerine, stirring well to combine.
- Transfer to a clean, airtight bottle, store somewhere cool and dark.
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