Have you been noticing the sales on cucumbers lately? Well gather up the cukes and make yourself enough Bread and Butter Pickles to last you until next season! They’re super easy to make, you’ll be delighted with the results, and you’ll experience that wonderful feeling of satisfaction as you look over the fruits of your labors!
I love bread and butter pickles, don’t you? Chopped up in pasta salads, slapped on sandwiches, or eaten whole, they’re simply wonderful. And I’m going to share my recipe with you today. I’m confident you’ll love them.
You can use whichever kind of cucumbers you want: Small pickling cucumbers, regular cucumbers or English cucumbers (the ones that come in shrink-wrapped). Just be aware that there are differences in the toughness of the skin as well as the seed content. Regular cucumbers (pictured below and what I used this time) have the toughest skins and the most seeds. But I found a terrific deal on them and so I decided to use them this time for my Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles. The skins are a little tough but we don’t mind the bit of crunchiness. If you’re using cucumbers that are particularly large in diameter with a lot of seeds in the middle, you will end up with slices that have no center – like doughnut pickles. Again, that didn’t bother me since I can’t see them once they’re on my sandwich anyway, right? But this is just to let you know what you can expect depending on what kind of cucumbers you use. English cucumbers have a slightly softer skin and fewer seeds. If you want the softest skins and fewest seeds possible, go for the small pickling cucumbers.
This also recipe works equally well for making whole pickles. I’ve just sliced the cucumbers in this recipe for sandwiches.
Let’s get started!
I like to leave the peels on for looks, but that’s entirely a matter of personal preference. Feel free to peel them if you prefer. If you’re leaving the peel on, be sure to thoroughly wash them. I recommend using an organic vegetable cleaning spray or solution.
You can slice them by hand with a knife or use a fluted mandolin slicer like I did to give it a pretty design.
Just look at that gorgeousness!
Slice the onions.
Place the cucumber slices and sliced onions in a large nonreactive bowl, pour the salt over, then pour water over until the veggies are covered. Let sit for 6 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, repeat.
Place the cucumbers and onions in a large stock pot with all the remaining ingredients and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and continuing boiling for 10 minutes. Ladle the pickles into sterile hot jars and gently screw on the lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes (if at a high altitude, 25 minutes.)
Enjoy! Will store for up to a year (and beyond, but flavor may be compromised).
- 2½ lbs firm cucumbers (the smaller in diameter the better), cut in ¼ inch slices
- 1 large sweet onion (like Vidalia or Walla Walla), cut in half and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup salt
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
- 4 allspice berries
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Place the cucumber slices and onions in a large bowl. Pour the salt over and add water just until covered. Let sit for 6 hours or overnight.
- Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander, rinse thoroughly with water, then drain again.
- Place the cucumbers and onions in a large stock pot and add the vinegar, sugar, and all spices. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high and boil for 10 minutes.
- Ladle into glass jars and store in the fridge where they will keep for several months. (For best flavor wait a few days before eating them.)
- For long-term storage: Ladle the pickles into sterile hot jars and gently screw on the lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes, if at a high altitude, 25 minutes.
- Will store for up to a year in a cool, dark place (for optimal flavor use within 6 months).
Teresa Scardino says
What size jars do you normally use?
Anonymous says
Can I leave out the last step of processing the jars of pickles and just refrigerate them after they have cooled?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes you can and they’ll keep for several months in the fridge.
Jo says
So excited. I saw this recipe and told myself that I would make these over the 4th of July weekend! Went to purchase the cucumbers and found the pickling ones on sale so I just know that this is meant to be! Will update and let you know how mine turn out. Oh, I bought some practice cucumbers to try out my mandolin (dont have the fancy one that you have, lol) …found that if I run the tines of the fork down the cucumbers before I slice they get a “happy” look about them
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Jo, I hope you enjoy the pickles! And great tip about the fork tines!
Sue L. says
I live in the UK and have made bread and butter pickle for many years. My original recipe was from my aunt (over 40 years ago) but a couple of years ago I lost the recipe so I will try yours! Incidentally I always used ordinary salad cucumbers, not special pickling cucumbers. Other people I know in the UK use salad cucumbers too!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so sorry you lost that recipe, Sue, and hope that you’ll enjoy this one. I use regular cucumbers most of the time as well – they’re less expensive and still produce great results. By the way, we just flew back from the UK last night after spending a nearly 4-week family holiday abroad. I’m thoroughly jet-lagged but as always the trip was more than worth it :)
Jan says
I’d never heard of bread and butter pickles till I visited a friend in Phoenix recently and decided to try and make some when I get home to the UK. Could you explain what you mean by process in a water bath please? Never made any type of pickle before
Thanks
Anonymous says
At what temperature should I process the pickles?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
They’re processed in boiling water.
Anonymous says
Delicious enough to eat for breakfast! I absolutely love the flavour and can’t stop eating these! I followed Leo’s approach and used 3 sticks of celery instead of celery seeds and 1/2tsp of ground allspice which perports to be the equivalent. Thanks so much for sharing.
Dawn says
Sound amazing I M trying your recipe now with my cups and peppers
Nicola Hartnell says
Hi can you give more details about how to do the “water bath” please? Nicola
Ranae says
Hello Kimberly,
Mine were not crispy, rather mushy. Any suggestions?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Ranae, probably the biggest determinant of a crispiness is the size of the cucumbers/pickles you’re using. The larger they are, the mushier they’ll be, the small in diameter they are, the crunchier they’ll be.
Leo Hancock says
Hi Kimberly,
Thank you so much for posting this, I found it last year to use up my excess and this year planted 8 (!) Burpless Tasty Green plants so I can make a whole load of batches! My 3rd going in the pan today.
I use 3 sticks of celery instead of celery seeds and 1/2tsp of ground allspice which perports to be the equivalent. I also simmer for 30-40 mins in the pan as I don’t use a waterbath – my jars are 120c when they come out of the oven!
Being British I had never heard of this type of sweet pickle recipe – I look forward to finding more!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Leo! I’m envious of your plants – I planted 12 cucumber plants this year but our chickens (who free range) pecked all of them to pieces :) Next year we’ll be smarter and put a fence around them!
Stefanie Duggan says
Where did you buy your fluted mandoline? I love it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Me, too, Stefanie! I bought in Germany just before I moved to the U.S. and haven’t seen one over here like it :(
Diana Baumgardner says
Tupperware sells them. I have one and I love it.
Genie Wright says
In your description you said “or eat them whole.” Does that mean that I can pickle them without slicing? (Or is that your way of saying eating them by themselves?) My grandkids LOVE bread and butter pickles just for a snack. I am thinking whole would be much easier for them. How does the flavor get inside?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Ha, good point, Genie! Yes, I just simple meant eating them plain. Our kids are huge fans of these as well. Our 3 year old daughter especially will keep popping one after the other in her mouth :) I haven’t tried this particular recipe for whole pickles but technically you can use it and just follow the standard method for whole pickles. The flavor will permeate the entire pickle after they’ve sat for a few weeks (properly processed and sealed in airtight jars).
Debbie Carbonneau says
Hi…I cannot find allspice berries. Is there something else I could put or powdered allspice?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Debbie, depending on where you’re located you can find allspice berries on Amazon. If not, just leave them out, the pickles will still taste fabulous!
Christina says
I found them at the bulk barn as well as another bulk store where I live in Ontario Canada
Anonymous says
I like your reply. Keep up the good work.
Rosalie L.
Rosalie L. says
I am wondering why you choose to use those cucumbers and not the traditional Boston Pickling cucumbers? Their skin is much more conducive to the pickling process. You pickles look tasty.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rosalie, thank you! I address that very point in the first paragraph. Pickling cucumbers are ideal, yes, simply because the skins aren’t as thick and they have less seeds. These ones worked perfectly for pickle slices and are less expensive. It’s a great way to use up a bumper crop of cukes!