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Home » Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles

Homemade Bread & Butter Pickles

Written on September 25, 2014

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Bread and Butter Pickles 2

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.

Bread and Butter Pickles prep 2

You can slice them by hand with a knife or use a fluted mandolin slicer like I did to give it a pretty design.

Bread and Butter Pickles prep 1

Just look at that gorgeousness!

Bread and Butter Pickles prep 8

Slice the onions.

Bread and Butter Pickles prep 3

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.

Bread and Butter Pickles prep 4

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.)

Bread and Butter Pickles prep 6

Enjoy!  Will store for up to a year (and beyond, but flavor may be compromised).

homemade bread butter pickles recipe

5.0 from 2 reviews
Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles
 
Print
: The Daring Gourmet, www.daringgourmet.com
Serves: Makes 2 Quarts
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander, rinse thoroughly with water, then drain again.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.)
  5. 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.
  6. Will store for up to a year in a cool, dark place (for optimal flavor use within 6 months).
3.5.3240

 

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Topics include: Affiliate, All Recipes, America, By Country or Region, Disclosure, Food, Gluten Free, Miscellaneous, North America, Sauces, Seasonings and Condiments, Snacks as well as: bread and butter pickles, canning, cucumbers, gluten free, pickles40 Comments →

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40 Responses

  1. Camille Rodriguez says

    March 15, 2021 at 9:59 am

    This tastes OMG fantastic!!!!! Hubby looooved them.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      March 20, 2021 at 9:00 am

      That’s wonderful, Camille, thank you so much!

      Reply
  2. Suzanne Cuncannon says

    September 25, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    Hi going to ask thus question think it’s a water /moisture removal answer. Anyway here goes. I like to make your recipe was wondering why the salt soaking for so long. I recently made refrigerator pickles boiling but not canning. Delicious.

    Thanks for your time. I will be using some English cukes.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      September 25, 2020 at 1:02 pm

      Hi Suzanne, yes, it’s for water removal. Because this relish is for canning you don’t want the pH level of the brine to be diluted by the excess water so that’s why it’s important to remove it. And even if you don’t plan on canning it the flavor of the brine, and hence the relish, will also be diluted if there’s excess water.

      Reply
  3. jane fox dobson says

    August 7, 2020 at 11:57 am

    I am 60 years old and made my very first batch of pickles in my entire life. They are absolutely so delicious. The first two jars only lasted at one family sit down dinner.

    I have a lot of cucumbers in my garden. And, since I am so impressed with this easy recipe, I am in the middle of making my second batch! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      August 17, 2020 at 9:22 pm

      I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, Jane, thank you!

      Reply
  4. Kathy KelleySmith says

    August 1, 2020 at 10:44 am

    I have never made pickles as an adult. As a child, I remember helping my Grandma make the best bread and butter pickles! I have these on the stove boiling right now! Fingers crossed!!

    Reply
  5. Nancy says

    July 22, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    How many cups is 2.5 lbs of sliced cucumbers?

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    July 13, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    Is it possible to make pickles out of straights 8’s

    Reply
  7. Lori says

    July 13, 2020 at 7:47 am

    How many and what size jars does this recipe make?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 13, 2020 at 6:16 pm

      Hi Lori, this makes two quarts. You can use two quart-sized jars or four pint-sized jars.

      Reply
      • Lori Birchfield says

        July 15, 2020 at 3:41 am

        Thank you im at the store now. Just happened see your reply

        Reply
  8. Teresa Scardino says

    July 5, 2020 at 7:19 am

    What size jars do you normally use?

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    August 16, 2019 at 7:49 am

    Can I leave out the last step of processing the jars of pickles and just refrigerate them after they have cooled?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      August 16, 2019 at 8:25 am

      Yes you can and they’ll keep for several months in the fridge.

      Reply
  10. Jo says

    July 4, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 4, 2019 at 8:21 pm

      That’s fantastic, Jo, I hope you enjoy the pickles! And great tip about the fork tines!

      Reply
  11. Sue L. says

    June 17, 2019 at 9:59 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      June 17, 2019 at 9:35 pm

      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 :)

      Reply
  12. Jan says

    April 7, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    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

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    October 11, 2018 at 4:18 pm

    At what temperature should I process the pickles?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      October 11, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      They’re processed in boiling water.

      Reply
  14. Anonymous says

    October 5, 2018 at 3:09 am

    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.

    Reply
  15. Dawn says

    September 10, 2018 at 6:34 am

    Sound amazing I M trying your recipe now with my cups and peppers

    Reply
  16. Nicola Hartnell says

    November 19, 2017 at 8:37 pm

    Hi can you give more details about how to do the “water bath” please? Nicola

    Reply
  17. Ranae says

    September 19, 2017 at 6:56 am

    Hello Kimberly,

    Mine were not crispy, rather mushy. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      September 19, 2017 at 10:41 pm

      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.

      Reply
  18. Leo Hancock says

    July 21, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 23, 2017 at 10:52 am

      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!

      Reply
  19. Stefanie Duggan says

    July 2, 2016 at 6:47 am

    Where did you buy your fluted mandoline? I love it!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 3, 2016 at 9:01 am

      Me, too, Stefanie! I bought in Germany just before I moved to the U.S. and haven’t seen one over here like it :(

      Reply
      • Diana Baumgardner says

        July 21, 2018 at 5:43 pm

        Tupperware sells them. I have one and I love it.

        Reply
  20. Genie Wright says

    March 9, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      March 9, 2016 at 7:08 pm

      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).

      Reply
  21. Debbie Carbonneau says

    August 20, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    Hi…I cannot find allspice berries. Is there something else I could put or powdered allspice?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      August 20, 2015 at 12:32 pm

      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!

      Reply
    • Christina says

      September 5, 2016 at 2:41 pm

      I found them at the bulk barn as well as another bulk store where I live in Ontario Canada

      Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    September 25, 2014 at 11:00 pm

    I like your reply. Keep up the good work.

    Rosalie L.

    Reply
  23. Rosalie L. says

    September 25, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      September 25, 2014 at 7:06 pm

      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!

      Reply

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kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Welcome!  I’m Kimberly and I share delicious originals, revitalized classics and authentic dishes from around the world.  Come travel the world through your taste buds!

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The Daring Gourmet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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