This recipe for homemade bread and butter pickles is easy, delicious, and doesn’t require canning. Just 20 minutes of prep and let your refrigerator do the rest of the work!
Made with cucumbers, onions, and a homemade brine, this recipe is quick to prepare. Enjoy them with your favorite burger, sandwich, or snack by themselves.
This recipe first appeared on Spend With Pennies where I am a contributor.
Why we love this recipe for Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
One of the best parts about refrigerator pickles is that you don’t need canning jars to make them! Fresh cucumber slices are infused with flavor from a seasoned vinegar mixture, then stored in the fridge.
It takes just 15 minutes of hands-on time, then 25 hours to marinate. The result is a batch of sweet and salty pickles that the whole family loves!
WOW, These are so easy and very good. I added 1/2 tsp turmeric just because I always add it to sweet and sour brine. Easiest and fastest b&b pickles I have ever made.. I will be making these again. Thank you so much.
What are Bread and Butter Pickles?
Bread and butter pickles are sweeter than dill pickles. They’re brined in a vinegar-sugar mixture with other ingredients and spices.
There are a few ideas where the name “bread and butter pickles” comes from:
- Some say it was popularized during the Great Depression because butter-and-pickle sandwiches were all people could afford for lunch.
- It may also be related to traditional English cucumber sandwiches, which are filled with cucumbers and butter or cream cheese.
- As the story goes, they didn’t have money for groceries, so they traded the sweet pickles for essentials like bread and butter. They also sold them to make cash, marketing them as “bread and butter pickles.”
Regardless of their origins, I think we can all agree that they’re delicious! Especially on a sandwich with Homemade Bread, deli meat, and cheese or cheeseburgers!
Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe Ingredients
Cucumbers: Pickling cucumbers are smaller in size, and fresh is best! Get them at the grocery store, a local farmer’s market, or grow them in your own garden.
Onions: Slice ‘em thin, they add lots of flavor to the brine!
Brine: This is made with a base of white and apple cider vinegar. It’s seasoned with light brown sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, and kosher salt.
You can also add red pepper flakes for an extra kick.
Can I use tap water for refrigerator pickles?
The only water needed in this recipe is for rinsing. So as long as your tap water is drinkable, you can use it for that step.
How to make Bread and Butter Pickles
While this recipe does need to chill for 25 hours for the best tasting pickles, it is quick to prepare with just 3 simple steps!
Step 1: Thinly slice the cucumbers and onions and place in a large bowl with salt. Chill and let the salt pull out excess water to make room for the brine! After chilling, rinse off the salt, drain excess water, and put the cucumber and onions back in.
Step 2: In a small saucepan, combine all brine ingredients (per the recipe below).
Combine: Pour it over the top of the sliced cucumbers and onions and chill!
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or pint jars.
How to serve this Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe
Pickles are great for so many things, here are a few ideas for how to enjoy them!
- With burgers and sandwiches
- In chicken or tuna salad
- In potato or pasta salad
- Battered and fried
- With Bloody Marys
- With deviled eggs
Storing Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
We like to store our bread and butter pickles in jars in the refrigerator. These are the Wide Mouth Jars and the Plastic Jar Lids we use.
How long do bread and butter pickles last in the refrigerator?
As long as the container they are in is fully sealed, these pickles can last up to 4 months.
How do you know if refrigerator pickles have gone bad?
You will know if they have gone bad based on if they smell bad as well as if the brine or the pickles themselves becomes discolored or cloudy.
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe FAQs
It depends on what your definition of regular pickles is. Assuming most people think of dill pickles as the standard pickle flavor, then yes, bread and butter are different.
Bread and Butter Pickles are made with a variety of spices that include celery and mustard seed and sometimes people add cloves or turmeric. Our recipe also adds onion and crushed red pepper flakes. Dill pickle brine is mainly flavored with dill.
Bread and Butter pickles also have more sugar which yields and sweet and more mild flavor that that of their sour counterpart.
In this recipe, the base flavor comes from the mix of vinegars: white and apple cider, as well as the sugar. From there we add white onion, celery seed, mustard seed, and red pepper flakes.
Also, time is key for these pickles having the best possible flavor. We love letting them brine for 2 weeks before using to let the flavors penetrate the cucumbers and meld together.
As long as you follow the recipe and store these in the refrigerator, they should not get mushy. Pickles become overly soft when the salt and vinegar brine isn’t strong enough. Storing at room temperature will also cause them to ferment and become slimy.
Bread and Butter pickles are sweet pickles. But there are versions of sweet pickles out there that are sweeter and may not be called bread and butter.
👋 Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review; I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges and win prizes!
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients
- 7 pickling cucumbers
- 1 white onion
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers and onion into thin slices and place in a large bowl and toss with the salt. cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Transfer the cucumbers and onions to a colander and rinse off the salt. Drain any excess water from the bowl and put the cucumber and onions back in.
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegars, and spices and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the top of the sliced cucumbers and onions and allow the bowl to come to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Video
Notes
- The best flavor will come about 2 weeks after brining.
- Store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 months in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Marcy says
Do you have to use the onions?
Rebecca Hubbell says
You don’t have to but they do add a lot of flavor.
John says
Super easy recipes, and boy the results are great
Rosita Holmberg says
I will try to make it on weekend.
Gwenda Hartigan says
Its beautiful and I love it 😀
Gwenda Hartigan says
Its so delicious years ago I made this very close to your recipe but lost the recipe it’s good with salads,cold meats, & in a burger love it and 😊
IcePonyGirl says
Can I use regular cucumbers or English cucumbers?
How long will they keep in the fridge?
Rebecca Hubbell says
You should be able to use those varieties, and these usually last a few weeks.
Valerie says
Awesome recipe! They’re delicious and stay nice and crispy! I am so glad I came across this recipe. I’ve been looking for a really good one for awhile! Thank you for sharing it!
Rebecca Hubbell says
So glad you enjoyed it! it’s one of our favorites too!
Mary says
I just now made those pickles so don’t know how they turned out yet. Is it necessary to put them in a bowl to cool off or can you put them directly into a large jar in which they will remain? This is what I did adding a weight on top to keep them under the pickling liquid. I cut everything in very thin slices.
Also, should the finished product be crispy or soft?
Thanks for the recipe/ it looks good.
I’ll keep you posted when I try them.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Mary, the longer the pickles brine/sit, the softer they will become. I find that if they are sliced thin then the centers are soft and the edges stay more on the crunchy side due to the skin.
If you are pour everything into one large jar, that should be fine.
Patty Jones says
Super easy way to make pickles! Great. Flavor! Thanks
Rebecca Hubbell says
So glad you liked them, Patty!
Robyn says
I especially like the method of preparation for this recipe. I changed up the herbs and spices. Including dill and fennel and omitting the caraway seeds. I’ve used chilli garlic and dill with pepper corns previously and found these worked well together too.
Missnjmikes says
I made these and they were a big hit. Took them to a family dinner and they disappeared. Easy recipe!
Rebecca Hubbell says
So glad you loved them!
Kathy52 says
417 calories? Really? Is that for the entire recipe?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Kathy, the nutritional information is broken down based on the serving size. This recipes makes about 3 pints total and the information is for each pint.
Peggy says
When do I put them in containers
Rebecca Hubbell says
After they sit in the bowl for at least 24 hours you can add transfer them to other containers.
DIXIE GRUMBLATT says
Can you water bath can these pickles?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes. I have never done it but it should work.
Paula says
Can you leave out the onions?
Rebecca Hubbell says
You could but it will change the flavor of the pickles quite a bit since they are essential for that signature Bread and butter flavor.
Vita says
My brine turned out super dark that you could barely see the pickles.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Did you maybe use dark brown sugar and something other than white vinegar such as apple cider?
Debbie Brown says
WOW, These are so easy and very good. I added 1/2 tsp turmeric just because I always add it to sweet and sour brine.
Easiest and fastest b&b pickles I have ever made.. I will be making these again. Thank you so much.
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Mumsie Wagner says
I stumbled across your recipe while searching for low carb b&b zucchini pickles. I replaced the cukes with zucchini and used brown monk fruit instead of brown sugar. Turned out great! I’ve made them a couple times now. Even my hubby likes them. He thinks they’re cucumbers. I can’t ever admit to him that they’re zucchini. 😀