Keto Pork Chops Glaze for Grilling

If you’re looking for a Father’s Day recipe that dad’s will love, try this keto pork chops glaze. This sugar free glaze recipe is full of rich flavors from maple and brown sugar with a bit of heat and spice too. It’s easy to whip up and then just grill your juicy pork chops in less than 10 minutes. These glazed pork chops make a great low carb high protein dinner the whole family will love.

You might also like these low carb smoked short ribs for Father’s Day.

My son in law got us hooked on thick cut pork chops. We’ve made thick cut pork chops in the smoker, in the air fryer and today in time for Father’s Day I made them on the grill. And I created this keto pork chops glaze to go with them. We are all about cooking on the grill in the summer time.

The glaze is easy to make and flavor combination is made up of maple syrup, brown sugar, dijon mustard and a bit of spice and heat. It’s delicious and went great with pork chops but would also work with other meat like ribs or chicken. Best of all for me is that it’s a sugar free pork glaze so great for a low carb diet. And makes this a low carb high protein meal that we all love.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used for this pork chop recipe was butter, fresh garlic, dijon mustard, Swerve brown sugar sweetener, keto maple syrup, maple extract and hot pepper flakes. I used sugar free products because I wanted to make this a low carb recipe. If you don’t care about carbs you can use regular brown sugar and real maple syrup.

Swerve Brown Sugar Sweetener
I love Swerve brand products of sweetener especially their brown sugar sweetener. You can use any brand you want but try to make it a brown sugar flavor one. Lakanto golden is another good one but if you have a different brand it’s fine. In a pinch you can use regular sweetener but the brown is better.

ChocZero Keto Maple Syrup and Maple Extract
Again another sugar free product that I love is this keto maple syrup. There are a few other brands and any of them will work. And again if you don’t care about carbs use regular syrup. The maple extract is to give more maple flavor which sometimes sugar free maple syrup needs a boost but this is optional.

Dijon Mustard and Fresh Garlic
I like the flavor of dijon better than yellow mustard but it too can be used in a pinch. I like the flavor of fresh garlic for most of my recipes but you can use garlic powder if you don’t have any. If you are substituting remember ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder equals 1 clove a fresh garlic.

Hot Pepper Flakes
I love my husband’s hot pepper flakes because they are strong and from his garden. I really like the heat they add to counterbalance the sweetness. You could substitute with a tiny bit of cayenne powder or even some hot sauce if you want. That way you can adjust the spice level to your tastes.

If you want any of these products I have some of the glaze ingredients and a lot of my favorite low carb products in my Amazon store. 

How to make a keto pork chops glaze.

This is how to make a keto pork chops glaze. Remember if you do not care about carbs or are not on a keto diet just substitute with regular brown sugar and maple syrup.

Step 1: Get out a medium pan and heat to medium heat. Add the butter, maple syrup, dijon mustard, crushed garlic, brown sugar sweetener and hot pepper flakes.

Step 2: Whisk together the ingredients as the butter melts and the sugars dissolve.

Step 3: Let simmer for a few minutes until the glaze starts to bubble and thicken. Take off the stove and whisk in the maple extract. It will continue to thicken a bit as it cools down. This batch of glaze makes roughly 18 tablespoons.

Divide the glaze in half and save some for dipping or using another time. You don’t want to dip the brush in the pan for brush raw meat and use the leftovers for dipping as that may be harmful. That’s why a save a little right after it’s done for later.

Note: Because you are using sweeteners and not sugar, this glaze will crystalize and harden when cooled so you want to use it while it’s warm. If it does harden, just pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it should dissolve again.

How to grill and glaze pork chops.

I used bone in center cut pork chops that were about ¾ inches thick. If you use chops like these, you want to grill them for 9 minutes total though cooking time may vary.  You could also use boneless pork chops but just make sure they are at least ½″ to 1 inch thick for best results.

Step 1: Place the chops on a plate and liberally season with salt and black pepper on both sides.

Step 2: Heat up the grill to medium high. Once the grill is hot place the chops on the grate.

Step 3: Brush some of the glaze on top of the pork chops and cook for 3 minutes. Flip over and glaze the other side and cook for 3 more minutes.

Step 4: Flip one more time and cook for 3 more minutes until golden brown. You just want to make sure they are cooked through and both sides get glazed and cooked with the glazed closest to the fire.

The internal temperature should be 145°F when using a meat thermometer. Note cooking time is dependent on the thickness of the chop.

Step 5: When done, place on a plate and if you have any glaze let, brush some on them when they are done. Let rest for a few minutes before serving to make sure they retain their juices.

You can serve these juicy glazed pork chops with some of the leftover glaze that you set aside when you made it. Just add a nice salad and simple side dish (see below keto side dishes) for a complete meal.

Store leftover glaze in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will crystalize as it chills. To use again just microwave for a 30 seconds and whisk. Please scroll down for the printable recipe card.

Great side dishes to try with these chops.

If you want a few ideas of good low carb summer side dishes here are a few of my favorite recipes that are sure to please everyone.

• keto broccoli cauliflower salad with bacon
• keto cheesy cauliflower au gratin or cheesy broccoli cauliflower rice
• low carb creamy southwest coleslaw
• keto zucchini pasta salad with meats and cheeses
• keto cheesy cauliflower Mac and cheese
• low carb green beans with bacon (my husbands favorite)

Regardless if you make this for Father’s Day or not, I hope you give this keto pork chops glaze recipe a try. It’s perfect for our summer grilling rotation or busy weeknight dinners. Next time I’m going to try it on some other kind of meat like chicken, burgers, barbecued ribs or kebabs. Enjoy!

The nutritional information for 1 tablespoon of the glaze has 28 calories, 2.7g fat and 0.2g carbs. This recipe makes 18 tablespoons. And for reference a 6 ounce center cut bone in pork chop has 35.2g of protein and no carbs.