This is truly a wonderful, no-canning skills needed recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles.
Watch the video showing you how to make these Bread and Butter Pickles, then scroll to the bottom of this post so you can print out the recipe and make them at home.
This Bread and Butter Pickles recipe is one that I love with all of my heart.
When I was little (old enough to stay by myself), I’d sometimes hang out at my Dad’s house in the summers while he he went off to work. Lunchtime would roll around and I’d open his refrigerator to see what sorts of things a Dad keeps in there. Sweet pickles and American cheese were always to be found. Yes, I like all varieties of pickles, and (gasp!) I like American cheese too. I discovered the joy of eating them together.
But before I gross you out too much, I must share with you my first experience with pickling: Bread and Butter Pickles
Although sweet pickles are my favorite, bread and butter pickles run a close second. Their sweet and tangy crunch are pretty irresistible.
How to Make Bread and Butter Pickles:
Start with buying some pickling cucumbers. They’re smaller than a salad cucumber. Your market should carry them, and in the summer months you’ll find them at farmer’s markets too.
Slice them up. Good, thick slices that will still allow the pickle to yield a crunch when you bite into it.
If you have one of these fancy doo-dads, you can make fancy pickles with ridges.
The pickles get a good dose of Kosher salt, then they can sit in the fridge for an hour. Then those pickles get rinsed off in the sink. Just rinse all of that salt off really well so that salty flavor won’t follow the pickles into the pickling liquid.
Make the pickling liquid. Combine the sugar…
…with white vinegar,
cider vinegar,
brown sugar,
mustard seeds,
celery seeds,
and turmeric. Bring that all to a boil.
Meanwhile, add some sliced sweet onion to your sliced cucumbers.
Pour the hot pickling liquid over the cucumbers and onion.
Let it sit there at room temperature for an hour or so.
Move those cucumbers and onions to the cutest jar you have, and refrigerate them for 24 hours. This is when the magic process of pickling is going to happen.
If you’re impatient like me, you won’t wait 24 hours. I tried my Bread and Butter Pickles after just a few hours and they tasted perfectly pickled to me. So sweet and crunchy and incredibly tangy.
If you’re a pickle fan (and you should be), you probably will enjoy these. They are so simple to make, and how cool would it be to be able to share homemade Bread and Butter Pickles at a summer barbecue?! And I promise that you don’t have to eat them with American cheese (but you’re tempted to try it now, aren’t you?)
If you are looking for more recipes using cucumbers, you might also enjoy my Tomato, Cucumber and Basil Salad or this Cucumber- Gin Fizz Cocktail. Cucumber Sorbet, Cucumber Salad, and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches are also great recipes starring cucumbers!
Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients
- 5½ cups (1½ pounds) thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
- 1½ tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon celery seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
- Combine the cucumbers and salt in a large, shallow bowl; cover and chill 1½ hours. Move the cucumbers into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Drain well, and return the cucumbers to bowl. Add the onion to the bowl.
- Combine the sugar and the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumber mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Don't cut the cucumbers too terribly thin. You want them to have a little bit of crunch to them!
- You may find that your cucumbers are already ready to sample within just a few hours of marinating in the pickling liquid (rather than waiting an entire 24 hours!)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello. Can you use pickling spices instead? how much would be needed if you can substitute?
Probably, but I haven’t tried it so not sure.
I love the recipe. I also like the all ingredients that I could use to make the pickles. Thank you for submitting the recipe. I am going to make them when I get all of the ingredients. Thank you!!!!
I just wanted to pop by and say I’ve been making these pickles for about 6 years and they are still my favorite! I’m kinda meh about bread and butter pickles usually but these are incredible. I literally went on a week long hunt for pickling cukes this week just to make these because I ran out. There’s ALWAYS a jar in my fridge. I realized tonight that I only have a red onion, so giving that a shot.
Ditto!!
I can’t even tell you how much I LOVE these pickles! It is by far the best recipe ever! When I make them using my organic cucumbers from my garden my friends are fighting over them! I have made them probably 6 times this summer and I package them in little mason jars. Love them! Thank you thank you! Bless your heart!
Do you think these would hold up as a gift mailing them across country in August as I’d like to mke these and send to my mom in AZ.
Hmmm, I’m not sure if I’d mail them. I might be scared that they’d leak! Also, the temperatures are so high right now that I don’t know if that’s a good idea to mail.
Can you process this in a hot water bath to seal
I’m not familiar with traditional canning methods, but I think you probably can!
Does it have to be pickling cucumbers or do you think the smaller snacking cucumbers would be ok? I’m thinking about the cutecumbers from Costco
Pickling cucumbers are generally what are used for pickling. You can do some Googling to see if regular cucumbers are okay.
I came across this recipe 3 summers ago, and have followed it every summer since! I’ve also shared the recipe with everyone who has tasted our pickles- they’re always a hit and everyone wants to know how to make them! Thank you!
My son is allergic to white distilled vinegar (corn). Could this be done with only apple cider vinegar?
I’m not sure! You could always experiment 🙂
These are great pickles!