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Easy Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles for Beginners

A white bowl piled high with glistening, yellow-green slices of homemade bread and butter pickle.
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Make classic, sweet, and tangy bread and butter pickles at home with this simple refrigerator method. This beginner recipe yields crunchy pickles perfect for sandwiches and snacks.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 pounds pickling cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup canning salt (or pickling salt)
  • 4 cups cold water
  • For the Brine:
  • 3 cups white vinegar
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

  1. Combine the sliced cucumbers, onions, canning salt, and cold water in a large bowl. Stir well.
  2. Let the cucumbers and onions sit in the salt brine for 2 to 3 hours. This draws out moisture, helping keep your pickles crunchy.
  3. Drain the cucumbers and onions completely. Rinse them thoroughly under cold running water for several minutes to remove excess salt. Drain again very well.
  4. While the vegetables are draining, prepare the pickling brine. In a medium saucepan, combine the white vinegar, granulated sugar, turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed, ground cloves, and ground allspice.
  5. Bring the brine mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove the brine from the heat.
  6. Pack the drained cucumbers and onions tightly into clean pint or quart jars (this is a refrigerator pickle recipe, so no water bath canning is required unless you choose to process them).
  7. Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers and onions in the jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top.
  8. Tap the jars gently to release any trapped air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean.
  9. Seal the jars with lids and bands if canning, or simply cover if storing in the refrigerator.
  10. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature, then transfer the jars to the refrigerator. Wait at least 24 hours before eating for the best flavor development. These homemade preserves cucumbers are best eaten within one month for maximum crunch.

Notes

  • For the crunchiest pickles, slice your vegetables evenly and ensure you rinse all the salt off after the soaking period.
  • If you want to process these for shelf stability (Bread and Butter Canning Recipe), follow standard water bath canning procedures for high-acid foods after sealing the jars.
  • For an Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Pickles flavor, you can slightly increase the amount of celery seed.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mdlatdmm.com/bread-and-butter-pickle-recipe-easy/