Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
A wonderful, simple recipe for homemade refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles. No canning equipment required! Just prepare and pop in the fridge!
About five years ago, I vowed to spend the summer learning how to can and had grand plans to can ALL THE THINGS. I bought a book, read it, and had a list of recipes I wanted to try. Then I blinked, and summer was almost over. Oops. Then I saw this recipe for refrigerator bread and butter pickles, and I was immediately drawn to it because there was no canning equipment required. You could make these pickles in just about no time and pop them straight in the refrigerator. Score!
Bread and butter pickles have always been my absolute favorite sandwich pickle. A dill spear is great on the side of a burger for munching on, but give me bread and butter pickles on a big sandwich any day. They’re a little sweet and little zesty and with a kick. Love them!
How to Make Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles
MY OTHER RECIPESYou start out with beautiful little pickling cucumbers…
(If you have especially small regular cucumbers, you could use those, as well!)
You’ll slice up the cucumbers into pretty little pieces, about ¼-inch thick (you don’t want them to be super thin). I found this little wavy slicer thing (a very technical term) at the checkout in Bed Bath & Beyond about 10 years ago. I’m sure you could find something similar there or at a kitchen store, if you want the cute fancypants crinkle cut (which I happen to love).
Otherwise, just grab your favorite knife or a mandoline and slice away!
Once the cucumbers are all sliced up, you sprinkle them with salt, toss to combine, cover the bowl and pop them in the refrigerator for about an hour and a half.
After that hour, you rinse the cucumbers with cold water, drain, and then toss together with the thinly sliced onion.
Set those aside and get your pickling concoction together. You’ll combine white vinegar, cider vinegar, white sugar, brown sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and ground turmeric in a saucepan and get it to a simmer, making sure the sugar dissolves.
Once you reach that point, pour the liquid over the cucumbers and onions and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.
That’s it! You’re done! Transfer the pickle and onion mixture (including the liquid) into the container you wish to store them in and pop them in the refrigerator. After about 24 hours you will have absolutely delicious pickles!
I just made this recipe again last week with pickling cucumbers from my father-in-law’s garden, and they are delicious as always!
Three years ago: Peach Crumble Pie
Four years ago: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
A wonderful, simple recipe for homemade refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles. No canning equipment required! Just prepare and pop in the fridge!
Ingredients:
5½ cups (about 1½ pounds) thinly sliced (about ¼-inch) pickling cucumbers
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
½ cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar
¼ cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
Directions:
1. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large, shallow bowl; cover and chill 1½ hours. Move cucumbers into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Drain well, and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion to the bowl and toss with the cucumbers.
2. Combine the granulated sugar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and ground turmeric in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month.
Recipe Notes:
- I do not recommend using this recipe for canning or long-term storage.
- The jars pictured in the post are Bormioli jars – love them!
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe adapted from RecipeGirl)
All images and text ©
This recipe was originally published on August 25, 2011.
I love these pickles! My mom used to make them all the time when I was growing up. This summer did go way too fast, we all need another month so we can get that list of things to do finished off!
Do you have a good one for mustard pickles??
These pickles look so good. They seem so easy to make too. Love the pictures…now I’m craving them.
These look really good. I just made a few jars of them last weekend. Canning is such a rewarding thing to learn how to do! It’s hard because it’s so hot in the summer, but totally worth it when you can have fresh fruits and veggies all winter long!
Not a big fan of bread and butter pickles but my family loves them so i will definitely try making these! I also love the jars, I bought mine at IKEA!
I never knew that pickles were so easy to make!
Just curious – what book did you get about canning? I’m interested in learning to can as well.
Hi Danielle, I bought the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
My hubby got me that one for my birthday, and it’s wonderful. I hope you love it! 🙂
Also, I just tried these pickles; they’re so good! Thanks for the recipe!
I like all the onion flavoring in there.
I love the jars you are using..where did you find them?
Hi Jessica, Thank you! If you scroll back up, I provide a link to the jars at the end of the post. I bought them on Amazon.
Amazing! I swear I could smell them while reading this post, and I had to stop and look around. Then I realized it was flowers. I make no sense.
How funny! I just made these pickles yesterday! I’m excited to taste them later this evening to see how they turned out! I made about 5 1/2 quarts of pickles and a pint of banana peppers, so there’s plenty to share!
how did you do the banana peppers..I have tons of them…..thanks
It seems a lifetime ago but when my children were young and we lived in North Carolina we had some property and a huge garden. We grew everything imaginable including our own pickles for canning. I tried several varieties. I never made a kosher style dill pickle that was worth the trouble but I loved sweet baby gherkins and my most favorite of all were the bread and butter pickles. Your photo took me back to my friend Jan and I in the kitchen canning all day long with our four little girls running around giggling thinking they were helping.
Still love these pickles…love the memory even more.
Love the idea of making these from scratch – I love them on sandwiches. Have you tried making radish pickles? They’re my current fave.
Bread & butter pickles are my favorite kind. My aunt used to make many jars of them every year – she sliced the cucs with an electric meat slicer. I was excited to see a no-canning recipe, but as a household of one, I couldn’t finish off a whole recipe in two weeks. Guess they’d make nice gifts. Off to look for little cucs.
So fast and easy—I can’t believe it. And they really do look great. I also love the jars, and thanks for the link. I make granola a lot and want to send some to daughters at college, etc. These jars would be perfect.
I did the SAME thing in regards to canning. Boo. But I DO want to make pickles really, really badly. Yours look so beautiful!! And there’s always next year for more 🙂
These look amazing. I may have to go cucumber hunting this weekend!
I’ve purchased similar jars at World Market.
This is such a nice recipe. I looooove these pickles!
I am in love with that fancy pants crinkle cut too! They look so gourmet. The thing that surprises me most about this recipe is the tumeric! I never would have thought…
Ohhh, yummy. I have a very similar recipe I just call Refrigerator Pickles, and believe me they never last long. I love small batch canning and preserving and i really enjoyed your photos of this pickle session. Can’t wait to see what other recipes pique your interest.
Oh, you sooooo have to get started canning. Once you do, you’ll be an addict for life. There is nothing like seeing your own canned goods on a shelf waiting to be eaten. Except maybe seeing these pickles on the fridge shelf waiting t be eaten 😀
Gorgeous pictures &… oooohh the pickles!!
Yes. Adore those jars.
I am totally on your bandwagon that a sandwich isn’t a sandwich without bread and butter pickles. I could eat tongue if it had them on it. Well, probably not, but I think you get how much I loooove them. Thanks for the post. Now where are all my canning supplies?
Double yum! Will definitely have to do this – what a great way to display them at a picnic too! On another container note…I use the same plastic containers that you do to store your sugars!
Aren’t those lock n’ lock containers the best?! I have so many of them!
I have plenty of Lock & Locktoo, I’ll put mine in them, since it’s just me. Thanks. I have some jars from when I used to make Pear preserves. Can’t find pear trees in anyone’s yard.
Oh -these sound amazing! I’ve set next year as my goal to grow a garden and can…except I’m traveling a bunch next summer…..we’ll see!
These look great! Going to try them out next week. Once made and stored, how long should they last in the fridge?
Hi Lisa, They will stay a few weeks.
I’ve never done any canning. All the posts on it certainly makes me want to get motivated to get over my hesitation of it start doing some. Perhaps I should get my feet wet by doing your pickles. I don’t like pickles but they certainly would make lovely gifts for others.
It wasn’t until I canned bread & butter pickles last year that I absolutely fell in love with them! Now I am anxiously awaiting cucumbers from our CSA this year so that I can make them again!!
Every time I see these I just want to sit down with the jar and eat them. you’re pretty amazing to make bread and butter pickles look THAT good.
I LOVE bread and butter pickles. Reading your blog for the first time, from your seriouseats photo – it’s beautiful! and I can’t wait to make this recipe…
thank you so much for the recipe! i made some this past weekend and they turned out great!
Thank you for the great blog post. I loved it so much I have listed on this week’s BBQ Grail’s 10 Posts Worth A Look: http://wp.me/pwBnV-1YT
Larry
Quick question- I am making these pickles today. In the first part, you say to let the pickles & salt sit out at room temperature for 1 1/2 hrs. In the recipe at the bottom, you say to cover & chill the salted cucumbers for 1/2 hrs. Which did you do?
I meant for 1 1/2 hrs, lol! Just curious if the pickles turn out better if you do the room temp or chill and cover?
Hi Carrie, My apologies for the typo – they are to be covered and chilled; I have corrected the error in the post. Thank you for catching that!
Made these today and LOVE them!! I did find it much easier to put the pickles and onions in my jars before pouring in the mixture. Thanks so much! Do you have a dill pickle recipe that you like??
Hi Tasha, So glad you enjoyed them as much as I did! I don’t have a dill pickle recipe yet but that’s next on my list!
You never disappoint me!! These were delicious and SO easy! 🙂 THANK you for always posting such FABULOUS recipes! 🙂
I made these this weekend. Awesome! Thanks for the recipe. I added a few sliced jalapenos for some heat to half the batch. Just to spice things up a bit.
I’ve been wanting to make B&B Pickles. I’m the only one in my family who would eat them…Is there a way to store these longer? Have you tried vacuum sealing them?
Thank you!
Hi Kimberly, I wouldn’t recommend this recipe for true canning purposes, as I know the acidic levels in those need to be precise to be safe. There really is no other way to extend the life of “refrigerator” jams, pickles, etc.
Oh wow! These look wonderful and so easy. I can’t wait to grow some cucumbers in the garden so I can try them! I’ll be pinning. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Ok I’m new to all this and found on Pinterest . I may sound stupid but it wouldn’t b the first time…LOL. Do I have to use canning cucs for this or can I just use what I can find at Wal Mart? What’s the diff between iodized salt and kosher salt and would the salt make a diff in this recipe? I’ve had gastric bypass surg and have lost 160 lbs and kept it off for almost 2 yrs. I get some great recipes ( and some really bad ones) from Pinterest then healthy them up. So my last ? Then I’ll leave I alone. Can I replace the sugar w Splenda since I can’t have the sugar anymore or would that mess w the process? Thanks and hope to hear back soon so my fam and I can try these out
Hi Anna, Pickling cucumbers are by far your best bet. If you can’t find them, you’ll want to find the smallest regular cucumbers you can. Kosher salt is much coarser than iodized salt, so they cannot be substituted 1:1 for each other. As for the Splenda in place of the sugar, I’m honestly not sure. I’ve never used Splenda so I’m not certain how it may alter this recipe. Enjoy!
I love bread & butter pickles. Even though I have never made them, this recipe looks easy enough for my first-time project! How long will the pickles last in the fridge?
Hi Janet, Per the recipe above, about 2 weeks for optimum freshness.
Hello! I LOVE bread and butter pickles!! Delicious! But my only question is… (I’ve never canned anything before) is there a way to freeze these so they last longer than 2 weeks? We love bread and butter pickles, but there’s no way we would eat the whole jar in 2 weeks! Its only 2 of us here! Lol. Thanks! 🙂
Nevermind! I just read a previous comment about storing them longer! 🙂 sorry for a repeat question! I will still try this recipe and split them with the family!
I’m years late but you’re never too late for a good thing. Anyways, question;
(and someone may have asked this already but), what if you don’t like sweet pickles? What if you like dill or garlic sours? Can you suggest the alternative ingredient or what to take out of yours? (i.e. brown sugar)
Hi Robert, I would probably use a recipe specific for dill pickles (or garlic), if that’s what you would prefer. It’s quite different than bread and butter, and isn’t really a matter of easily subtracting ingredients.
Great recipe
Made these this evening and they are simply FABULOUS! Definitely being put on my Tried It & Win Board! Thanks!!!
I have added a small dry hot pepper to each jar of pickles and it really is fantastic
Great memory! I used to make these years ago. I used to slice up red and yellow bell peppers thin like the onions. They get just as sweet, and make such a pretty mix of colors. I used to make them for the holidays, (put a pretty bow around the jar) and bring them as a small host gift when visiting. Always a big hit!
I do processed bread and butter pickles every year. This seemed like it would be easier. It was about the same amount of work, but since they weren’t processed they only keep for a short amount of time. If you just process the jars for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath you can keep them a lot longer
Have you or anyone else tried to use a different sugar? Like Xylitol or Stevia? These sound amazing!!
Hi Kim, I haven’t used a sugar substitute in these, so I’m not sure how it might affect the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe, i made it and canned them, delicious!!! Didn’t have light brown sugar so i used dark, i ended up doing a double batch since i sliced a large amount of cucumbers! Definately a keeper!
I made these using English cucumbers or seedless ones that are available throughout the year at the store. It isn’t as good as making it with pickling cucumbers, but it is nice to be able to make some for a Christmas/New Year’s treat.
Thanks so much for the recipe…I made it three or four times in season and am now trying it out of season.
Boil your mixture for 10 minutes, pour over the slice cucumbers in mason jars, add a (new) lid and ring and you have canned B & B pickles for a long time—like forever; esp. when those cucumbers start coming in and you don’t know what to do with them.
I don’t add brown sugar, though.
Hi I’m about to make these this weekend and I was wondering how these would do if you stored them in a cool dark place like a basement on a canning shelf? I would love to make these but I’d like to have them through out the year.
Hi Kalyn, I would not recommend that. These are meant to simply be refrigerator pickles and the recipe is not developed to be safe for long-term room temperature storage.
Quick question… dany chance thewey might last a month insteadf of 2 weeks in the refrigerator ? I have a refrigerator dill recipe & waa hoping they would last about the same time! love your recipes ! thank you!
Hi Margie, You could try keeping them longer, I would just pitch them if the liquid gets cloudy or the pickles start to discolor/have an off taste.
I don’t understand why these pickles wouldn’t last more or less indefinitely in the refrigerator like store bought pickles. Doesn’t the salt and vinegar preserve them?
I’ve always loved Bread & Butter pickles. Of course, I grew up eating Mrs. Fanning’s Bread & Butter pickles — which were the only brand my mom would buy (we lived in Connecticut… don’t know if it’s a nationally distributed brand or just something regional).
I just tried making these today. They came out looking great and I can’t wait to sample them!
From one brown-eyed baker to another, Thank you!
I goofed and got celery salt, not seed….any thing I can replace celery seed with?
Nevermind….ran to town and got celery seed….
So worth the trip… these pickles are wonderful! I bought one of those little curvy slicer thingys Friday at BB&B. I doubled your recipe and doubled again! I made 2 quarts, 4 pints and 3 1/2 pints. My family and friends will be so happy!! Thank you so much for your recipe. Oh.. this is my first year gardening and canning…I love it!!! And I must say thanks to my friend for her help, advice and guidance!!
Am I doing something wrong? This wasn’t enough liquid to cover all cucumbers when I put them into mason jars!
These sound delicious. Could I triple recipe and do a canning processing in water to preserve them?
Hi Kathy, I cannot recommend canning these pickles, as I do not know if the acidity level is appropriate for long-term storage.
I was curious if I made these pickles, could I still preserve them to keep in dry storage for a period of time?
Nevermind. I saw the answer. Thanks!
This turns out the BEST pickles. I tripled the batch and gave some as gifts. Everyone LOVED them!
Thank you!
these are some of the best (if not the best) bread and butter pickles i have eaten. i think the brown sugar adds a lot of depth. however, i found that i needed to double the brine to accommodate this many pickles. anybody else have this problem? regardless…they are delish!
I have been canning and pickling for years. I made your recipe and they were the best bread and butter pickles I ever made! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful, easy recipe. Two batches were gone before the snow came!
These are the best. I have made them a few times and me, my wife and friends love them. Thank you for your post.
Why do I have nearly twice the amount of liquid that I need to fill the jars? Can I save it for the next batch?
Hi Tina, If you have leftover liquid, you could probably save it, I’ve never done so.
Can pickling salt be used instead of kosher salt?
Hi Leslie, Yes, but I would reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon.
Just finished a batch of these pickles! Can not wait to try them tomorrow after sitting these next 24 hrs considering all the great reviews you’ve gotten. May have to try just one later this evening to get a “sneak preview” of what tomorrow will bring 🙂
You always make anything appealing with your beautiful photos! We had not had bread and butter pickles for many years. I made these last week and they
seem to be better each day. We have been having them with lunch and with dinner. Thanks Michelle!
Yay, thank you! I’d saved your original posting of this recipe like 4-5 years ago, and then I couldn’t find it anywhere in my files. I couldn’t even remember for sure if it was from you or not. It’s the one! My favorite bread and butter pickles recipe to date.
Guess I’d better go buy some pickling cakes!
Oops *cukes
CAN THIS RECIPE BE CANNED.
Hi Connie, I cannot recommend it, as this is specifically formulated for using within a short amount of time from the refrigerator. I do not know if it would be a safe recipe for long-term storage.
These sound really good, I might have to try them. I tried to make bread and butter pickles years ago, but they weren’t very crunchy. I was trying to make the like Bubbies bread and butter pickles- they are so good and stay really crisp. I should try it again using your recipe!
How long can you keep these bread & butter pickles when you make these.
Hi Sandy, See #2 above – I estimate 2 weeks to store them in the refrigerator.
I made these pickles on Saturday and they turned out absolutely delicious! The only difference was I used a red onion instead of white for the color. These are great and I’ll definitely make these again! They’re super simple to make and again, they’re delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Never again will I eat store-bought sweet pickles! These were absolutely delicious and 2 weeks after I made them, I’m still eating them and they are still delicious! The preparation is so simple and the finished product tastes like you spent days on them! Thanks so much for the recipe! These pickles are definitely GOOD EATS!
I just made these 2 days ago and have already almost ate them all! Can I reuse the liquid and just do the cucumbers in the salt again? And then add them to the mix? Or do I need to start all over?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t done that, but I’ve heard of other people doing it.
I tried this bread butter pickle recipe and it tastes just awesome. I also recommend everyone to try this recipe at least one time you will love it.
Thanks for sharing these recipes.
I love putting bread and butter pickles on almost any sandwich I make nowadays! This leads me towards the idea of needing to make my own at home! I spend enough money at the grocery store that I think it would be way worth it to start homecrafting these beauties! I think if I do end up jumping into the deep end on something like this, I will definitely use your recipe! Thank you so much for your informative article on how to properly make these types of pickles.
Good but very strong vinegar taste. Will use less vinegar and more sugar next time.
Is the link to the jars you use the right size? It has a 72 oz capacity. It does seem like it would work–just wanted to be sure. There is a 33plus oz jar and a group of four small jars by that company too. I’ve decided your recipe is the one I want to try :-).
Yes, that’s the correct link! You could also use smaller jars and divide the pickles up between them. It’s my favorite pickle recipe, I hope you enjoy!
I love Bread and Butters. I do have a question..are they crunchy? I will be canning pickles this week end and thought I would try this recipe. They look so good.
Hi Connie, They are! They do soften a bit the longer they stay in the refrigerator, but they’re definitely not soggy.
LOVE these pickles! Had to make about 3 batches within a couple of months. I put a few jalapenos in to make them a litte spicy and they were delicious.
What is the purpose of the salt I am on a low sodium diet and was wondering if I could just skip the salt.
Hi Karen, The salt is key to the actual “pickling” process. You absolutely need it for canned pickles, but for refrigerator pickles, I’ve read that you can replace it with another acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice. I’ve never tried this, so I couldn’t say how the taste would be affected, but the recipe does already call for vinegar.
Karen:
You need the salt to remove the liquid from the cucumbers. After letting them sit in the salt bath you can rinse the salt off and drain them on some paper towels.
How long do they last.
Hi Beth, Up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
How long will these last in the fridge?
Up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
These are a snap to ‘m make and very delicious. Have made them for many yrs. Family loves them . Pickles stay crunchy since they arent cooked. So DIVE IN.
Even a 78 yr old male can do this. My favorite pickle!
These pickles are delicious and okra done the same way is delicious too.Thank you for the recipe.
Made these a couple weeks ago and they were delicious. In fact, they were so good I went to the farmers market for more cucumbers. I doubled the recipe this time and added some dried crushed red pepper. Oh my goodness they are amazing! Also, after we finished the first jar I cut up some roasted beets and dropped them into the liquid for pickled beets. Best pickled beets I’ve ever had.
Could you leave the onion out of these pickles?
Hi Rebecca, Yes, you could.
I have done these with young zucchini as well!
Do these only keep for two weeks?
Hi Lisa, I think you could probably do a month.
Can you can these as well?
Hi Shelley, I do not recommend using this recipe for canning; I do not know if the ph levels are safe for long-term storage.
Can I water bath these and keep them in my pantry?
Hi Deb, I do not recommend using this recipe for long-term storage.
HOw long will the pickles last in the refrigerator?
Hi Lisa, You could keep them for up to 1 month.
Do you have to use jars? Are can you use something like Lock and Lock container?
Hi Melissa, I recommend glass for freshness, but Lock and Lock would work, as well.
Can these be canned in jars for the winter?
Hi Teresa, I do not recommend using this recipe for long-term storage.
They only keep 2 weeks?
Hi Tom, I think you could stretch it to a month!
they taste great how long will they last in refg
Hi Brenda, I would do up to a month!
Can these be canned and how for longer storage?
Hi Pat, I do not recommend canning them or attempting long term storage for this recipe.
I had a ton of cucumbers this year and need to use them quick. I have made 3 batches of bread and butter pickles using this recipe and can’t get enough of them! Really really good!
So awesome to hear, Kristin!
Can you use cucumbers picked from your garden instead of picking cucumbers?
Thank you.
Hi Cathy, Yes, you can absolutely use cucumbers from your garden! You may end up with larger pickles, but as long as you don’t mind, go for it!
do you have a similar recipe for refrigerator dill pickles like your bread and butter pickles. which come out fantastic. and so easy . but would like to do some dill
Hi Evelyn, I do! >> https://www.browneyedbaker.com/quick-easy-refrigerator-dill-pickles/
What is the reason this is not recommended for canning?
Hi Polly, For a recipe to be safe for canning and long-term storage, it needs to have a very specific ph level. I have no idea if this recipe meets those requirements, and therefore cannot safely tell people it would okay for canning.
I made these pickles for the first time yesterday.. Boy are they fabulous! One question – the pickles are almost gone, but, as you know, there’s a lot of juice left. Have you ever just added more cucumbers and onions to the leftover juice? I wonder if that will make pickles as good as the first batch. Let me know what you think!
Hi Jill, I’ve never done it, but some other readers have commented that they have. I don’t think they would pack the same punch as the first batch, but would work nonetheless!