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Crispy Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles

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It has been years since I have done any canning but the other day at farmer’s market I spotted some pickling cucumbers and decided to make these homemade refrigerator Crispy  Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles.

Growing up we had a huge garden and we spent the end of summer canning and freezing the harvest.  I fondly remember my grandmother’s pickles, and today I spent my Sunday afternoon making my own and thinking of the hours spent cutting and slicing all the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and corn with my grandmother.

A quick and easy refrigerator picklebread and butter pickles

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No matter what brand of pickles I buy at the store, nothing matches the taste of these freshly homemade canned pickles.  This small-batch recipe is so simple and is made with a few ingredients; it makes two jars so you won’t be overwhelmed making these.

The best part of this recipe is it doesn’t require the long canning process. These pickles just need time in the refrigerator while making and then you just store in the refrigerator for up to three months.

A pie plate filled with fresh baby cucumbers to make pickles

What kind of cucumbers to use for pickles?

I am using a smaller cucumber, especially for pickling.  The major difference between the pickling cucumber and the standard cucumber is these are smaller, they have fewer seeds, less moisture, and the skin is not as tough.  I can only find the pickling cucumbers at farmer’s markets, however, you can use the regular slicing cucumbers found in grocery stores, just try to buy small ones.

Ingredient list 

  1. Pickling cucumbers
  2. Kosher salt
  3. Onions
  4. White sugar
  5. Brown sugar
  6. White vinegar
  7. Apple cider vinegar
  8. Mustard seeds
  9. Celery seeds
  10. Turmeric

How to make refrigerator bread and butter pickles

Step 1. After you give your cucumbers a good washing slice them up in a 1/4″ slices. I love this crinkle-cut slicer to cut the cucumber, it is very easy to use and make those beautiful ridges.

sliced cucumbers for pickles

Step 2. Put the sliced cucumbers in a nice big bowl and sprinkle the salt over them, stir and then put your bowl in the refrigerator for an hour.

Step 3. After 1 hour, rinse the cucumbers in a colander to remove the salt then put back into your bowl.

Step 4. Add in the sliced onions

Step 5. While the cucumbers are in the refrigerator you can make the brine.

The brine is made of white sugar and brown sugar, white vinegar and apple cider vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric.

Mix all the brine ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over. medium heat until all the sugars have melted then simmer for a few minutes. Check out all the mustard seeds floating around the brine.

brined for pickles

Step 6. When the brine is ready, pour it over the cucumbers and onions, give it a big stir then let sit for one hour in the refrigerator.

Step 7. Make sure to sterilize your glass jars and lids and when the cucumbers are ready, spoon the pickles and onions into the jars and cover the pickles with the brine. Leave a 1/2″ of space at the top of the jar and with a spoon press down on the pickle slices to remove and air pockets. You may have leftover brine and that may need to be added to the jars once you press down on the pickles. When done seal tightly and store the jars in the refrigerator.

jarred pickles

The reason I like these pickles is they stay nice and crisp and retain their beautiful color.

How to hot pack pickles

These pickles can also be hot packed which will last longer and can be stored on a shelf for a year using this method.

For more information on home canning and hot packing, this USDA Home Canning guide can help you out.

  1. Clean and sterilize the jars and lids and prepare the canner.
  2. Pack the pickle and onion slices in the sterilized jars then ladle the hot pickling liquid over the top, leave 1/2″ of headspace.  Press down on the pickles with a spoon to remove any air bubbles.
  3. Wipe the jar rims and apply the lid and tighten.
  4. Bring the water to a boil in the canner and place the jars into the boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove to a towel and dry the jars.
  5. Let the jarred pickles sit for 4 weeks before eating. Store for 1 year.
  6. For high altitude adjust the processing time to:
    • 5 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 ft
    • 10 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 ft
    • 15 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 ft
    • 20 minutes for 8,001 to 10,000 ft

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Bread and Butter Pickles

These Bread and Butter Pickles make a nice addition to a cheese and bread plate, add some dry salami, and some veggies for an appetizer or even for a light meal. My preference for eating these pickles, it would be straight out of the jar!

Don’t forget to grab your crinkle-cut slicer and spices so you can make these delicious pickles.


Pickles are great served with other appetizers like these

Savory Cheese Crackers

Serve these pickles on a Cheese Board

Creamy Herb Baked Ricotta Cheese

bread and butter pickles
Print Pin
4.22 from 69 votes

Bread and Butter Pickles

These are your classic bread and butter pickles. Flavored with mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric these pickles retain a bit of a crunch. You will love them.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword how to make bread and butter pickles, how to make pickles
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Brining 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 2 jars
Calories 62kcal
Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

Ingredients

Cucumber Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 pounds pickling cucumber I used 8 cucumbers
  • 1 1/2 tbls. kosher salt
  • 1 small onion sliced use to your taste

Brine Ingredients

Instructions

  • Wash and sterilize canning jars. Note: I have various sized jars but 12 ounce-sized jars will work.
  • Wash the cucumbers
  • Slice the cucumbers into 1/4" slices
  • Put the cucumbers in a bowl and add the salt
  • Stir to combine and put into the refrigerator for one hour
  • After an hour transfer the cucumbers to a colander and rinse to remove the salt
  • Put the cucumbers back into your bowl and add the onions
  • Make the brine by adding all the brine ingredients to a saucepan
  • Stir and bring to a simmer, cook until the sugars are dissolved.
  • Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers and onions and let sit in the bowl for one hour
  • Put the pickles and onions in the sterilized jars cover with the brine then press down on the pickles to release any air pockets. If necessary pour more brine over the pickles. Leave 1/2" space at the top.
  • Keep the jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. These pickles are ready to eat the next day. They just need a good chilling.

Notes

These are refrigerator pickles so they are not hot packed. See the instructions above for hot packing and refer to this USDA canning guide for more information.
One Hot Oven provides approximate nutritional information as a courtesy and cannot guarantee the accuracy of any recipe on this blog.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.3g | Protein: 0.3g | Sodium: 4mg

First Published: August 15, 2018… Last Updated: Sept. 16, 2019

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days.

About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California,  my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.

Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!

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I hope you enjoy the recipe,

Jere’

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Leanne H

    I made the refrigerator version and we couldn’t wait and ate some for dinner. They were already amazing! My next cukes will be big enough in a few days and going to can them. Thank you for an awesome recipe!

    Reply

  4. Megan

    5 stars
    Made these yesterday. Put in fridge overnight. Super tasty today! Recipe was quick and simple. Thanks. 🙂
    I’d like to try the hot-pack version next. For that, do I skip step 10, the second one hour rest (in the brine)? I’m guessing I need to go straight from heating brine to packing in jars so that it’s hot when I start the water bath.

    Reply

  5. Pam Bryson

    These bread and butter pickles are so delis…..Easy recipe …. and just enough. I like the fact that you can store in the frig and not have to cold pack them in a canner. They taste like Famous Daves pickles!!

    Reply

    • Jere Cassidy

      Thanks for the kind compliment. These pickles are just way to easy to make and I agree, I love that the recipe makes a couple of jars. I got away from hot-packing since it’s so time consuming.

      Reply

  6. Mari

    I’m anxious to try your recipe, but want to can them for longer shelf life. Do I need to salt the cucumbers for an hour? Or do I put cucumbers and onions right in jars?

    Reply

  10. Irina

    5 stars
    Your recipe is creative from cutting cucumbers to making the brine! Love it and cannot wait to give it a try. 🙂

    Reply

  17. Arlene

    I made these yesterday, opened first jar today and these are excellent! Had girlfriend and her Mom over for some wine time and they loved them also, so one jar went home with them. Thanks for a great recipe! Still would like to know if these will keep 3 weeks or 3 months in refrigerator?

    Reply

  18. Arlene

    Looking for clarification, please. Blog reads they will keep for 3 MONTHS in refrigerator, but recipe says 3 WEEKS. Which is correct? I just finished using this recipe for the first time and getting ready to put in fridge after dating lids. Thanks!

    Reply

  19. STAN

    I should have found this sooner. Big family with big garden post war, post depression. Every fall mother put up shelves of canned goods. I miss the pickles but I think that is about to end. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Jere Cassidy

      5 stars
      I grew up on a farm with the drepression era grandparents and I learned how to grow and can everything. I am so thankful for that upbringing, especially now. These pickles are easy to make and taste amazing.

      Reply

  20. Vivian

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe…loved the crispy texture and taste. Hot packed a couple of jars and am curious of the comparison. Am using the same brine to try on pickled cabbage..

    Reply

  21. Marlene Raffel

    Can’t rate yet as I haven’t made them yet but, do you cover the pickles with the brine when you are ready to pack into your jars? I might have missed this on the recipe but was wondering if the pickles must be submerged while they finish fermenting.

    Reply

  22. Sherrity

    I made these but I have no clue how long to let them “ferment” before I can eat them. I see they stay good for 3 weeks, but are they good to start eating next day after making them?

    Reply

  23. Julie

    5 stars
    I made these and they are delicious! Is there any reason I can’t go through the entire canning process and seal my jars to preserve longer than refrigeration? I’m not an expert canner but I know some ingredients should not be canned and shelved for month.

    Reply

    • Jere Cassidy

      So glad you made the pickles and found them delicious. By all means, you can do the hot water bath so the pickles can be stored on a shelf. I make small batches and find it easier to keep them in the fridge. This recipe made three small jars. I am the only one that eats these pickles so I don’t need alot.

      Reply

    • Evo

      Please don’t rate the recipe if you haven’t tried it! Very misleading and upsetting to look for a top rated recipe and find that 90% of the raters didn’t even try it!!

      Reply

  30. Kat

    5 stars
    We could save so much money doing pickles ourselves because we go through a lot of it. And those local, organic, healthy kind of pickles costs an arm and a leg! Such a simple thing to make ourselves so I’m not sure why I haven’t done it yet. Your post sure inspires me to make my own from now on!

    Reply

  33. Jill

    Thank you for the sweet memories of “helping” my Gramma can various veggies years ago, when she was healthy and I didn’t understand the concept of canning but was happy to be in her kitchen being helpful! 🙂

    Reply

  34. Aimee

    This recipe reminds me of the bread and butter pickles my grandma used to make when I was little. Thank you for sharing it. I haven’t canned in several years, but I would love to do it again.

    Reply

  37. Debbie Thompson

    How cool is this?! I am a huge fan of pickles and I never really thought of making them myself. We’re moving toward more and more clean & natural foods and products so this is another great idea. Thank you!

    Reply

  39. Lindi Mogale

    4 stars
    It has never occured to me to do my own pickles primarily because I am too lazy. But now I will try this recipe of yours and let you know how it goes. we are going into summer on my side of the world, and we do more outdoor eating so this could be a nice addition to the braai

    Reply

  40. Adrienne

    I love making pickles! We made dill and sweet this year. I’ve never been a fan of the dill ones, but they look so good! We also made pickle relish. I love your photos! ~Adrienne

    Reply

  41. Karen

    Thank you for sharing, I need to try this! My kids LOVE pickles, and I’m sure it would be healthier and probably less expensive if I made our own and canned them!

    Reply

  42. Jen

    What lovely memories you have of you and your grandmother sharing those special times together! Although I’ve never canned anything before, now I might have to try something new! I enjoyed reading your post – thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

  43. amanda

    We love pickles but the store brands all have artificial colors, which we don’t eat, so have’t had pickles in a long time! I’m going to make a bunch of these, thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  46. Jill

    Those pickles look yummy!!! They look so perfect! My aunt just canned some bread and butter and dill pickles and gave us some! I like dill better but will give the others a fair taste test!

    Reply

  48. Kimberly Gauthier

    So funny that I come to this post today. Yesterday, I was at the store and saw jarred pickles and it was so tempting, but I’m always disappointed. I’ve had homemade pickles before and there’s nothing like it. Thanks for the recipe. This is something I can easily do.

    Reply

  50. Val

    4 stars
    So funny, this was the year we decided to can up a storm as well. I still have some more things I hope to make. But we got a lot of pickles made. You are correct, there is nothing like homemade pickles.

    Growing up our garden was an acre. We also went to visit my grandparents and grab fresh fruit across the mountains. I grew up never buying canned foods and I wish I could have done that more when the kids were younger. Never too late to start back up 🙂

    Reply

  51. Lana

    5 stars
    They look so gooooood!!! Can’t wait to make them tomorrow, thank you so much for the recipe.
    I hope the store will have those little cucumbers tomorrow 🙂

    Reply

  52. Melody

    I never heard of this.I’m not really fond of pickles but I know someone who is and I bet she would love to try this recipe sending her an email right now.

    Reply

  53. Natalie

    Awesome! I will need to try these. My husband loves bread and butter pickles..I’m more into dill pickles myself, but I like the idea of making them from scratch. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  61. Pam

    5 stars
    I love bread and butter pickles. One of my favorite things to snack on. These actually look very easy to make and I have been wanting to try making my own. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • OneHotOven

      Good question – there seems to be several different theories mostly that they originated during the depression when people would cucumbers with bread and butter. The cucumber were cheap and easy to grown. If you dig deeper they originated in Europe. I thought they originated in my Grandma’s kitchen.

      Reply

  64. Grace

    Yum! I like making small batches of pickles and the like as well. I don’t want to have to spend all day doing it, but as you said, they’re so much better than store bought! This year I made pickled beets for the first time, and they’re amazing. Now the hard part is rationing them.

    Reply

  67. Pam McCormick

    5 stars
    It’s as if you knew I was going to read your post! I am a pickle lover!! I have never canned anything, but with your great directions and photo, I think I am going to give it a shot. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply

  70. MonicaP

    This recipe sounds delightfully easy! I really need to make the effort to go to a farmer’s market. We have so many good ones here in San Diego .. I just need to set some time aside so I can go 🙂

    Monica.

    Reply

    • OneHotOven

      I’ve been to some farmers markets in San Diego, they really have a bounty of great fruits and veggies there. I’m from NorCal and feel blessed with the great farmers markets to go to here.

      Reply

  72. Jebbica

    These look delicious! I LOOOVVVEEE sour pickles, but I’ve never liked sweet pickles. Yours look so tasty though, I’d be willing to give them a second chance! You may convert me yet!

    Reply

    • OneHotOven

      I don’t know about not using sugar in when making pickles. The sugar is needed to reduce the acidity of the vinegar. I did read that you can replace sugar with honey but you need to reduce the amount by a 1/4 cup since honey is much sweeter than sugar.

      Reply

  75. Caitlin

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted to eat a bunch of pickles so much as I do right now! I LOVE pickles!! This looks like a fantastic recipe. Do you know if there is much leeway in how much salt needs to be used? I have a health condition right now that requires me to be on a low sodium diet so I’d love to find a way to make lower sodium pickles! Less sodium per pickle means more pickles I get to eat! 🙂 I will definitely add the recipe to my collection, though. Thank you!

    Reply

    • OneHotOven

      I think you would be safe to use less salt, the salt makes the pickles softer. You do rinse the cucumbers to get rid of the salt so I think most of the salt would be gone.

      Reply

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