Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Delightfully crisp, sweet, and tangy, these refrigerator bread and butter pickles come together quickly and easily. No canning pots, hot water baths, or fancy tools are required for this recipe!
Foolproof Pickle Recipe
Years ago, I vowed to spend the summer learning to can fresh fruits and vegetables, pickles included. Summer was over in a blink, and my cans were still empty. I couldn't let the summer go by without an attempt to preserve anything, so I gave refrigerator pickles a try. I never looked back!
I never knew how easy making pickles at home could be. These bread and butter pickles are:
- Simple and quick
- Totally foolproof – no canning or fancy equipment is needed
- A little sweet and a little zesty
- Totally addictive
- A year-round staple in my fridge
Ingredients for Bread and Butter Pickles
There are two main components to these refrigerator pickles:
- Cucumbers: I recommend pickling cucumbers for this recipe, but small regular cucumbers work in a pinch.
- The Brine: This is where the classic sweet and tangy flavor comes from! Use a combination of vinegars (white vinegar and apple cider vinegar), sugars (granulated sugar and brown sugar), and spices like mustard seed, celery seed, and ground turmeric. For an extra kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
These bread and butter pickles couldn't be easier to make! Here's a quick overview of the process:
- Prepare the Cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers into ¼-inch thick slices – I like using a crinkle cutter for classic bread and butter pickles. Sprinkle them with salt, toss to combine, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for about 90 minutes.
- Rinse: After the cucumbers marinate with salt, rinse them with cold water, drain, and mix in the thinly sliced onion.
- Make the Brine: Combine the remaining ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour: Pour the brine over the cucumbers and onions. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for about an hour.
- Transfer & Refrigerate: Transfer the pickle and onion mixture (including the liquid) into airtight containers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Tools for Homemade Pickles
While refrigerator pickles don't require any specialty canning tools, I love using these two items for authentic bread and butter pickles:
- To Slice: This crinkle cutter is my favorite! But you can also use a knife or mandoline.
- To Store: – I adore this large 67.5-ounce jar, but you can also divide the pickles between traditional pint jars or use any airtight container you have at home.
What to Serve with Bread and Butter Pickles
Bread and butter pickles taste a little tangy, a little zesty, a little sweet, and wildly delicious. They add a welcome burst of flavor to:
- Burgers (like cast iron skillet cheeseburgers)
- BBQ sandwiches (I love this easy pulled pork recipe)
- Simple deli meat + cheese sandwiches
- Charcuterie boards
Try These Pickle Recipes Next
If you like this simple homemade pickle recipe, you’ll also love the following:
- Sweet and Spicy Zucchini Refrigerator Pickles
- Quick & Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Dill Sandwich Pickles
- And of course, you will LOVE this dill pickle dip!
Watch How to Make Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles:
If you make these pickles and love them, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you! ❤️️
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients
- 5½ cups (680 g) pickling cucumbers, sliced ¼-inch thick , about 1½ pounds
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
- ½ cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup (53 g) light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon celery seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
- Cucumbers: Pickling cucumbers work best, but you can substitute small regular cucumbers if needed.
- Sugar: You can adjust the sugar quantities based on your preferences.
- Jars: You can store this entire recipe in one of these large Bormioli jars (I’ve loved these forever!) or you divide it up using regular pint-size jars.
- Storage: These pickles will keep in your refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Long-Term Storage: This pickle recipe is not meant for long-term storage, so you should not can it or store it at room temperature for any length of time.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on August 25, 2011.
thanks for the recipe. i love it
Love this recipe, i grew my own Kirbys last summer, I ended up making 6 and 1/2 gallons of these, everybody loved them. I know you said they stay fresh in the fridge for about a month, but I have to say that we finished the last gallon of them at the end of June and they were still awesome and crisp.
FAB-U-LOUS! Absolutely LOVE these pickles! We grew cucumbers in the garden this year and I’ve made 2 double batches (at different times), and am down to my last jar. Of course I shared a couple jars with my MIL, but otherwise we ate them all ourselves! Especially easy to make if you have a mandoline to speed up the slicing, but if you don’t have one don’t let that deter you! I’d do them with a knife if I didn’t already have one.
A keeper in my book.
Hi
can I us any kind of cucumbers, I have an over abundance of English cucumbers and don’t want to waste them
Thanks
Sure, that would work!
I love this recipe! I have even kicked up a little by adding hot peppers for a sweet heat. And I’ve also used it on mixed veggies
Thank you so much! These are delicious, crunchy, and so easy!
Quick, easy and tasty. My kind of recipe
I have to say…These bread and butter pickles taste the EXACT SAME as my grandma’s did when I was little. I am now 50 years old and have not been able to eat bread and butter pickles for 30 years because that was the last time my grandma made some for me. I have tried every single bread and butter pickle on the market and can’t find one I like, (my grandma spoiled me!). I will continue to make these and will continue to grow cucumbers for this recipe alone.
Thank you so very much for this recipe…It is AMAZING and has brought back a flood of memories with every bite!!!
I used Swerve granular sugar and Splenda brown sugar as substitutes in the recipe to make a lower carb version. They are delicious and my family loves them. I just made my fourth batch this summer and have been sharing with family and friends who keep requesting more !
These pickles are absolutely delicious! It’s always my “go to” recipe for fresh cucumbers out of our garden. I share several jars with friends and family. I love the simplicity of it and they last a long time in the refrigerator. Thanks so much!
Made this recipe and they are already half gone. Making another batch tomorrow. Super easy, just follow the recipe. Thank you so much
I planted cucumbers in my garden this year and have an overabundance. So I looked for pickle recipes and settled on
this one. It’s really great, my daughter loves them so much I’m making her another batch. Well done on the recipe.
Thanks
When you have a half-bushel of pickling cucumbers and you’ve already made freezer Copycat (Starts with a C) Kosher Dill refrigerated pickles, what else do you do?
Make up some of these bread and butters. I will also say, I froze the Kosher Dills and plan on doing the same with these. They will remain crisp, as did the Copycat dills, for several weeks. But neither one will last that long, guaranteed! And, I put them in ziplock quart freezer bags to help save space.
I made this recipe last year and it was fabulous! Making them again this year!
Yummy!🌞
Had to use 1.5 recipe of liquid to cover my cucumbers. Will have to wait 24 hours to taste them, however they smell divine. Sure we will enjoy them tomorrow.
I’m on my second quart of these. I’ll admit, I mostly ate the first jar by myself and literally put them on everything lol! SO GOOD and I’m a picky bread and butter pickle gal! All the flavors blend perfectly and it’s this perfect balance of sweet and tang! I never write reviews but couldn’t let this one pass!
Been experimenting with different recipes since I’ve gotten so many pickled cucumbers this year! This is by far my favorite recipe and have gotten a lot of compliments on my pickles :)
Thanks for sharing and highly recommend!
Making my 2nd batch in 2 weeks! This recipe is perfect. I’ve gifted away a few jars and eveyone agrees. Thanks for sharing!!
Just curious, why not can this recipe? My friend canned these and they’re amazing!! I didn’t eat them after they sat for months and month, though.
Love the fact that you
can have crunchy pickles so quickly. Thringanks for sharing.
Michelle these are absolutely delicious with the perfect seasonings, and it comes together so quickly!
Thank you for sharing the recipe–it’s now a family favorite!
I made your recipe a couple of years ago and loved it. Making again this summer. Why do you not suggest canning this way? I don’t want to change up the recipe as it’s perfect the way it is. I’m so hoping to can it this way. Let me know. Thank you
This is a really good got water bath for bread and butter pickles and they’re shelf ready. I made some using summer squash and some using zucchini and they’re AWESOME
https://www.thespruceeats.com/bread-and-butter-pickles-p2-3059126
Making my third batch! These are the best sitting one week in the refrigerator, but you might not be able to wait that long.
My pregnant friend, who lives next door, was my inspiration.
Who knew they were her husband’s favorite pickle:)
Good idea to wait for the cucumbers to sit in salt for the requested 1 hr 1/2. I believe it dries them out a bit so they “float” less?
Yummy.
I was somewhat skeptical that the cucumbers would actually become pickles, but I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled with the final results. I didn’t have turmeric so I substituted a little curry in its place and still they received rave reviews from my family. Thanks for sharing!
Really simple to make and they turn out great every time.
What size jar does this recipe take and does it take more than one jar?
We tried these for the first time tonight and OMG! They are yummy! I couldnt keep my hubby out of them. We liked them so much that we have banana peppers and jalapeños in the fridge for tomorrow. Definitely gonna make these to share with family and friends.
I would have made this recipe but you have so many ads in the way I can’t see the recipe. Done with your site.
What’s the point of leaving a snotty comment? Just move along.
get an ad blocker, all these sites have ads, its 1 of the ways they make money. I have Adblocker Ultimate works great.
These pickles are the bomb! I shared mine with two friends and they gave them rave reviews too!
Loved the taste. Very easy to make.