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.

overhead shot into a jar of bread and butter pickles

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

an open jar of 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.

pickling cucumbers sitting on a cutting board

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.

sliced pickling cucumbers sitting on a cutting board

Slice them up.  Good, thick slices that will still allow the pickle to yield a crunch when you bite into it.

sliced cucumbers with a slicing device

If you have one of these fancy doo-dads, you can make fancy pickles with ridges.

adding salt to a white bowl of sliced cucumbers

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.

adding sugar to a pan with a measuring cup

Make the pickling liquid.  Combine the sugar…

adding vinegar to a pan with a measuring cup

…with white vinegar,

adding vinegar to a pan with a measuring cup

cider vinegar,

adding brown sugar to a pan with a measuring cup

brown sugar,

adding mustard seeds to a pan with a measuring spoon

mustard seeds,

adding celery seeds to a pan with a measuring spoon

celery seeds,

adding turmeric to a pan with a measuring spoon

and turmeric. Bring that all to a boil.

cucumbers and onions in a glass bowl

Meanwhile, add some sliced sweet onion to your sliced cucumbers.

pouring pickling mixture into a glass bowl of bread and butter pickles

Pour the hot pickling liquid over the cucumbers and onion.

overhead shot of bread and butter pickles marinating in a glass bowl

Let it sit there at room temperature for an hour or so.

fork full of bread and butter pickles raised just above the opening of the jar

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?)

serving of bread and butter pickles in a small white dish

If you are looking for more recipes using cucumbers, you might also enjoy my Tomato, Cucumber and Basil Salad or this Cucumber- Gin Fizz CocktailCucumber Sorbet, Cucumber Salad, and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches are also great recipes starring cucumbers!

overhead shot into a jar of bread and butter pickles
4.91 from 44 votes

Bread and Butter Pickles

These pickles are so simple to make.  Be careful... you'll want to eat the whole jar!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Marinating Time:: 1 day 1 hour
Total: 1 day 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 16 servings (¼ cup per serving)
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Ingredients

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

Serving: 1serving (1/4 cup), Calories: 76kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Sodium: 657mg, Potassium: 84mg, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 35IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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301 Comments

  1. Sott & Kim Rhodes says:

    Just wanted to say a big thank you for the recipe! Made my first batch of pickles ever today using this recipe and it was awesome and so EASY! I’ve put them in a big lock-down lid jar and can’t wait to try them cold tomorrow night…yes I did taste them after about 8 hours and they were already great – anticipation is killing me!

    Blessings!

  2. Michelle says:

    I was wondering how long these are good for in the fridge? I made mine about a month ago(made a large batch as company was coming to stay for a week).

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Not quite sure about a month- taste and see how they are?

  3. twilite7405 says:

    my wife and i will be trying this next weekend !!! i do have question though, when i transfer the cuc’s to “the cutest jars i can find”, do the jars need to be sterilized first ??? thanks for your help !

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I didn’t prepare them for “canning” (long term dry shelf life), so I didn’t sterilize my jar. Just used a clean jar.

  4. Kelley H says:

    I shared your recipe on my blog today! I used one of your awesome photos (and of course gave you credit) and I linked back here multiple times. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe! My kids and I just love it!

  5. Catherine says:

    Hi!! i did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! everybody that tries them says they are a million times better then “store pickles”, and i had to inpravize cuz of kidney failure(only 24% function). i just left out the salt, used 1+1/4 cup of Splenda and 1tbsp of Salt-Free-Mrs.-Dash and did the rest like the recipe says to do. YOU R-O-C-K!!!!!!!!

  6. loyce says:

    was reading the comments and saw a post about koolickles. i have never eaten them but saw a food network show with them featured. if i remember right it is a dill pickle transferred to a quart jar of cherry koolaid. try it if you dare lol

  7. Pickle girl says:

    I think this should be clarified. This is a recipe for refrigerator pickles which are, although an equally delicious pickle in some cases, not traditional pickling. True pickling involves canning, which preserves the pickle in mason jars so they don’t need to be refrigerated and can be enjoyed up to a year or two in the future.

  8. Jen says:

    If you add a few slices of jalapeno to the jar when you put it in the fridge it will make these even better. It doesn’t make them too hot, just gives it a little kick. This is a great recipe Lori! Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Good idea!

  9. Ana says:

    Hi Lori, I was wondering if white vinegar and white balsamic vinegar are the same thing. Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      No, they are not.

  10. Donna says:

    I was just reading in the New York Times about peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, and he recommended bread-and-butter pickles. Since I’ve always been a dill pickle kind of gal, I looked up the b-and-b pickles and found your blog. I don’t like very sweet pickles at all, but I’d give your recipe a try and maybe cut back the sugar a bit. Great photos, and I love the line about putting them in your cutest jar. Here’s the NYT article if you’re interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/dining/making-a-meal-out-of-peanut-butter-and-pickles.html?hpw

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I saw that article! Let me know if you try them…