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.
I use a similar recipe…do not let the mixture boil and pack the pickles into hot jars and seal. They are then shelf stable for a long time.
Remember to adjust for altitude when canning! I am going to give these a whirl today, since I REALLY want B&B pickles, before making a big move to Alaska from Denver, thank for the recipe!
You can definitely can these pickles, just follow the instructions for canning from any reputable source (Blue Ball Book , etc.) I processed 10 minutes in boiling water. Do not pressure can pickles, it will ruin the taste. Use canning jars and seals, or else keep the pickles refrigerated. They will keep for a year.
Thanks for the canning tips!
I make pickles with a similar recipe and leave them out for 24 hours before refrigerating and they stay good for up to a year in the fridge. I also read on another wesite where you can give them a hot water bath for about 20 minutes and you can keep them a long time and don’t have to refrigerate them. Good luck!
These sound awsome but I really want to know if you can process these so they can have a longer shelf life??? DOES anyone know?
I think you can just follow proper “canning” techniques, these will be just fine on the shelf. Try googling, “how to can pickles?” I’m not so familiar with it myself.
this is a great pickle recipe! question: when you go to put your finished pickles into smaller jars and airtight containers should they be jarred with the liquid they were pickled in or without any liquid? the finishing instructions don’t indicate. thanks!!
yes, with their pickling liquid!
I can’t believe anyone in the world ate pickles with cheese!! That was what my bff and I ate before Every Single Basketball game in high school. It was our game-food. I want to make these just to give my kids the experience! LoL – Small World.
This is my first time making b&b pickles. love them and your recipe sounds easy. wish me luck!
Good luck!
Just made these last night and split them with a friend. They are a huge hit!!
I personally feel it’s the best pickle I’ve ever had.
It’s such an easy and fun recipe!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. 🙂
One piece of advice for a first time maker….once the brine is heating, don’t stick your nose in and take a big whiff. It will knock your socks off.
omg, yes! Inhaling all of that vinegar is probably not a good thing!
Curious do they only last 2 weeks in the fridge? Or can I preserve them, and keep them for longer? I just made 2 jars of them, but have a lot more cucumbers that I could use from the garden. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
I don’t have any canning advice since I don’t usually do that sort of thing, but I’m sure they’d probably last a little longer than 2 weeks.