These homemade refrigerator bread and butter pickles are sweet, zesty, and crunchy. A perfect condiment for a burger or sandwich, or enjoy them as a snack on their own. This recipe is so easy and doesn’t require any canning skills!
We are a pickle loving family over here. 1000% if that was a thing. My pantry is never ever without dill pickle potato chips and my refrigerator is always stocked with pickled beets and pickled eggs. Not to mention that I have countless varieties of vinegar in my cupboard. Pucker up!
While dill pickles are #1 for us, bread and butter pickles are right on their heals. We’ve been known to polish off an entire jar of these in an afternoon.
Why are they called bread and butter pickles?
Some say they gained popularity during the Great Depression. Since they were a cheap kitchen staple, people would use them on buttered sandwich bread for an easy, inexpensive lunch.
Another story is that Omar and Cora Fanning, who were Illinois cucumber farmers back in the 1920’s, pickled and sold their small cucumbers and would also trade the pickles with their local grocer for essentials, like bread and butter. They ended up filing for a “Fanning’s Bread and Butter Pickles” trademark.
Are Bread and Butter Pickles Sweet?
Unlike dill pickles, they’re definitely on the sweeter side, but they’re also tart, with a slight kick. They’re infused with a sugar-vinegar brine and other spices that make them pretty irresistible and perfect on sandwiches!
Making homemade bread and butter pickles is so easy! There are only a few simple steps, some resting time (for the pickles and hopefully for you, too! HA), and then chilling in the fridge overnight to get the truest flavor. If you’re really impatient, though, they taste great after only a few hours!
Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe Ingredients
Pickling cucumbers – these pickles are made from a smaller cucumber than you use on a salad. They’re marketed as pickling cucumbers and can be found at most regular grocery stores. Use the freshest, unblemished ones you can find.
Onion – sweet onions pair perfectly with the tangy brine.
Vinegar – white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are both used.
Sugar – a combination of granulated and brown sugar.
Seasonings – mustard seeds, celery seeds, ground Turmeric, and Kosher salt
The cucumber slices should be about 1/4-inch thick. You want some crunch! Too thin and they can disintegrate when soaked with the hot brine. Too thick and they won’t soak up the brine enough.
I highly recommend using a mandolin, which ensures the slices are all the same size. It also makes the process so much easier and faster!
Take these to a summer barbecue and make all the friends!
Looking for more cucumber recipes? Try my Cucumber Tomato Salad, Creamy Cucumber Salad, Beet and Cucumber Salad.
Watch the video for this Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe
I hope you love this delicious and simple recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full onFacebook,Instagram,Pinterest, andYouTube!
Bread and Butter Pickles
5 from 49 Ratings
These easy homemade bread and butter pickles are sweet, zesty, and crunchy. Perfect for a burger or sandwich, or enjoy them as a snack on their own!
Combine cucumbers and salt in a large, shallow bowl; cover and chill 1 1/2 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. (If you’re really impatient, though, they taste great after only a few hours!)
Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
I have not tried this recipe with any sugar substitutes, so without further recipe testing, I can’t vouch for the results.
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Other Notes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread and butter pickles, Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Did you make this recipe?Snap a picture and mention @bellyfullblog!
Fermented foods like pickles are basically probiotic superfoods, packed full of good bacteria that can support the health of your gastrointestinal microbiome and are good for your gut bacteria.
Pickles are fat-free and low in calories, but they are also low in most other nutrients, except for sodium. A 100-gram serving of bread and butter pickles contains 457 milligrams of sodium, or nearly 20% of the recommended daily limit. Most pickles are high in sodium, so it is important to limit consumption.
Refrigerate. Close the jar, give it a good shake, then refrigerate, shaking occasionally. Refrigerator pickles are ready to eat after 2 hours, but best after a full day. ENJOY!
The natural tannins found in these leaves help make pickles crunchy. Keep the cucumbers cold before making pickles by storing them in the refrigerator. For maximum crunch, soak your sliced cucumbers in a large bowl of ice water for several hours or overnight before adding them to the jar.
Pickles, particularly their acidic component, can help neutralize stomach acids, making them a soothing option for upset stomachs. This acidity may be particularly beneficial for individuals experiencing nausea due to indigestion or acid reflux.
“The pickles that are beneficial for your gut health are the fermented ones, made by brining them in salt rather than vinegar,” says Dr. Oppezzo. “While vinegar pickling is a common method, true fermentation in brine enriches them with beneficial probiotics for your gut.
Eat bread-and-butter pickles in moderation to limit added sugars, and keep an eye out for sodium too—if you already eat out or eat foods high in sodium, a pickle spear or two per day could push you over the limit. Buy fermented pickles for added gut health benefits.
If you're on a low-sodium diet, pickles should not be consumed on a regular basis, says Zumpano. People with high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney or liver disease should only enjoy pickles as a once-in-a-while treat, says Largeman-Roth. Always talk to your doctor if you have concerns.
A 2/3-cup (100-gram) portion of either usually contains 2–2.5 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber — or a minuscule 1–1.5 grams of net carbs ( 3 , 4 ). On the other hand, sweet pickles, such as candied or bread and butter varieties, are made with sugar. Thus, they tend to be higher in carbs.
For many years, refrigerator pickles have been regarded as very safe. However, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recent studies have concluded that Listeria monocytogenes survive and multiply in low-acid, refrigerator pickles for several months.
Refrigerated pickles, particularly those not made with vinegar but instead fermented using a brine solution, can offer some health benefits. Here are some factors to consider: Probiotics:Fermented pickles undergo a process where beneficial bacteria (probiotics) naturally develop.
"As long as the pickles are kept cold, they can last upwards of 75 days unopened in the fridge," Andre shares. Once opened, any pickles should be stored in the fridge, submerged in brine, to maintain freshness for at least up to three months, according to the USDA.
If the pickles are soft, they are spoiled from the yeast fermentation. Don't use them. Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature. These pickles are spoiled and should be discarded.
Tannins work against softening enzymes and help keep pickles crunchier. They can be found in various sources, such as grape leaves, oak leaves, raspberry leaves, black tea, etc. Add some directly to your jars!
To get crisp pickles start with fresh, just-picked vegetables. As vegetables age they lose their crispness. Refrigerate produce if it cannot be used immediately upon harvest. Vegetables become soft as their pectin structure changes due to microbial activity, excess heat or improper handling.
Bubbies' Spicy Kosher Dill Pickles and all variations of the bread & butter pickles are made with vinegar! While they're tasty, they don't count as probiotic pickles.
Note that since these are not fermented pickles, they won't have the healthy probiotic bacteria produced by lacto-fermentation but they are still all natural (just take a look at all the junk in store bought vinegar pickles!) and can easily be made using organic produce and sugar.
For those that are used to fermented or probiotic foods and consume a good amount of fiber, the right amount is three times a day. The amount you consume doesn't have to be a lot. Serving sizes are quite reasonable, for example, a half a pickle, or a quarter cup of sauerkraut.
Fermented dill pickles are made with salt and not vinegar, so by comparison they are milder than vinegar pickles which contain acetic acid. These are the gut healthy, microbiome-boosting superfood pickles that you should be consuming everyday, three times a day.
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