My easy homemade refrigerator bread and butter pickles recipe has the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess!
I grew up with bread and butter pickles and love them! They are a type of pickled cucumber with the most delicious sweet and tangy flavor. These are seriously so good!
I make them with vinegar, salt, sugar, and the perfect blend of pickling spices. The result is a sweet, tangy, crisp, and colorful pickle! For more easy pickle recipes, see our homemade dill pickles, delicious pickled beets, quick pickled carrots, or these easy pickled red onions.
Key Ingredients
- Cucumbers: I recommend using Kirby cucumbers, Boston pickling cucumbers, or other pickling-specific varieties. They stay crisp in the brine and make delicious pickles. If these aren’t available, smaller Persian cucumbers are a good alternative.
- Vinegar: Look for distilled vinegar labeled with “5% acidity” on the bottle.
- Salt and Sugar: For bread and butter pickles, I use pickling salt or sea salt, and granulated sugar for sweetness.
- Spices: I’m a big fan of store-bought pickling spice, and my go-to is McCormick’s blend (you’ll spot it in almost any grocery store). It has cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaves, ginger, clove, red pepper, black pepper, cardamom, and mace. Then, I add some extra peppercorns and ground turmeric, adding color and flavor.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Bread and Butter Pickles
It’s all about having a balanced brine. The magic behind these pickles lies in their simple brine. Just like my pickled beets or these easy dill pickles, these bread and butter pickles are refrigerator pickles and only require two simple steps:
- Slice the cucumbers into coins and place them into a jar.
- Cover the cucumbers in the jar with my sweet and tangy vinegar brine.
Let them cool. Let them cool to room temperature, refrigerate the jar, and enjoy your delicious bread and butter pickles!
Easy Bread and Butter Pickles
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Simple homemade refrigerator bread and butter pickles made using vinegar, salt, sugar, and the perfect blend of pickling spices. These pickles have the most delightful balance of sweetness and tanginess!
For a more classic flavor, try our dill pickles!
You Will Need
1 pound (454g) pickling cucumbers, like Kirby, sliced into coins, 3 to 4 cucumbers
1 ½ cups (355ml) vinegar (5% acidity)
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 tablespoon pickling spice, see notes
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 ½ tablespoons (23g) pickling salt or sea salt, recommend using weight, see notes
Directions
1Combine the vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, turmeric, peppercorns, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a simmer and continue cooking until the sugar and salt completely dissolve.
2Pack the sliced cucumbers into a 1-quart (1 liter) jar.
3Carefully pour the hot pickle brine over the cucumbers. Leave about 1/8-inch of space between the top of the brine and the lid of the jar.
4Allow the jar to cool down to room temperature. Then, securely tighten the lid with your fingers and place it in the refrigerator.
5Let the pickles sit undisturbed overnight before enjoying them. For the first night, position the jar upside down in a bowl and flip it right-side-up the next day.
6The pickles will last in the fridge for up to one month.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Picking spice blend: There are quite a few brands that sell pickling spice blend, we use McCormick “Mixed Pickling Spice”
- Are these shelf stable? These pickles have been specifically designed for refrigeration storage. They are meant to be kept in the fridge at all times. However, if you’re experienced in canning, you could potentially adapt them for long-term shelf stability. This would involve using sanitized jars, new lids, and a pressure canner.
- Different salts can be used for pickling. Pickling salt is best, but you can also use Morton’s kosher salt or sea salt. Avoid table salt due to additives. If using Diamond Crystal salt, you may need to adjust quantity as it’s larger than pickling salt. We recommend measuring by weight for pickles. If you are measuring by volume (like tablespoons), you will need about 50% more Diamond Crystal salt.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. It is difficult to calculate how much salt and sugar are in the pickles, so we have included all of the brine in the calculations (which is why salt and sugar is higher).
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I made these but found the juice short to fill the jar . They are very good and I’m loving how easy they are to make.
We must have slightly different shaped jars. You can either remove a few cucumber slices, make another batch of brine, or use a canning weight to push the cucumbers down into the brine.
Do you add water to this brine?
No.
I made the B&B pickles last night. I used Truvia rather than sugar and had to add some Balsamic vinegar to cover the cakes. It turned out delicious. Thank you
We are so happy that your changed worked well for you, Gerald. Thanks for sharing.
Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar?
We use white vinegar.
Can you can them?
Hi Brenda, I am sure you can, but as these were developed to be refrigerator pickles, we do not have instructions. You may need to consult a proper canning resource for tips.
I had an abundance of regular cucumbers and so I thought? why not try pickling them even if they might not be super crunchy… Very easy recipe ( I am 67 and this is my first attempt at homemade pickles; will not be my last!) These were so easy to make and soooo very tasty!!! I already have more veggies to pickle. I have eaten half of the jar so I put them in a smaller size jar and with the left over pickling juice, I think that will make a very nice dressing for a fresh salad. I did not have peppercorns or tumeric on hand so I added a dash of ground pepper. I used Great Value pickling spices and Morton’s coarse sea salt. Delicious. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. Looking forward to trying more and experimenting with flavors. I love jalapenos so that will add a spicy kick with the next batch. You two are awesome!!!!
Made this recipe for bread and butter pickles last night. It was quick, easy, and tastes great. We added a little extra vinegar to top off the jar and added thin slices of peppers and onions with the cucumber. Will definitely be making this again, and trying it with other vegetables. Thanks for a great recipe.
I would love to make these pickles. They sound wonderful! Can you please tell me how long they last in the refrigerator? Thank You, Cinda
Hi Cinda, The pickles will last in the fridge for up to one month.
Can u eat these right away after sitting in fridge for 24 hours
Yep!
I recently made your pickled beets and they are wonderful. Next up, refrigerator bread and butter pickles! Thanks for the great recipes.