These Old-Fashioned Bread & Butter Pickles are a time-honored staple in our home and one of my husband’s favorite things ever. This recipe is from Paul’s Grandma Robertson by way of my mother-in-law. They are so popular in fact that when Paul asked for a dozen jars of these bread & butter pickles for Christmas, his brothers joined in and everybody ended up with jars of pickles under the tree! If that’s not a testament to how beloved a recipe is, I don’t know what is! We always have an opened can in the fridge, and at least one on the cupboard shelf ready to go for a tuna sandwich, which is our favorite way to eat these. You can dice them into the tuna salad or do what we do and just heap them on top of the tuna before closing the sandwich with a top slice of bread. Try adding them to a Juicy Grilled Bison Burger or Crispy Chicken Sandwich for a sweet & sour burst of flavor and crunch. Or add them to a charcuterie board with salted meats, crackers, and cheese for a fantastic flavor and texture contrast. If you find yourself with a surplus of cucumbers from your garden this summer or you see them being sold for a great price at the farmer’s market, this is my favorite way to use them! And if you love pickles, you need to try my Mississippi Kool-Aid Pickles and these crispy Fried Pickles!
Why We Love This Recipe
Adjust the sweetness to your liking, so you can make perfect homemade pickles every time. You only need a few simple ingredients for these sweet pickles, but they are way better than the store-bought version! Pickles will last in an open jar for up to 3 months in the refrigerator, or for a few years in a properly sealed (canned) and unopened jar!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cucumbers – We’ll be pickling slices of medium-sized cucumbers in this recipe. The method will work with any size though. Onions – Use a thinly sliced onion to add a depth of savory flavor. Pepper – Use a combination of green bell pepper and red bell pepper for a fresh and slightly sweet flavor. Salt – I used coarse Kosher salt, but you can also use canning salt to enhance the sweet and tangy flavors of these pickles. Vinegar – White vinegar is best for pickling here. Granulated Sugar – This adds to the overall sweetness of the pickles. Seasoning – Fresh garlic cloves, mustard seeds, ground turmeric, and celery seeds are all you need to pack these pickles with flavor.
How to Make Bread & Butter Pickles
Tips for Success
Use good-quality cucumbers like Persian cucumbers or Japanese cucumbers; you should be able to find these at farmer’s markets if not at your local grocery store. Use a canning salt, coarse kosher salt, or sea salt. Don’t use regular table salt as it contains additives that will discolor your pickles. This recipe yields about 8 pints of bread and butter pickles. You can half, double, or triple it as necessary! You can enjoy your bread and butter pickles 24 hours after making them, but their flavor matures with time. They have the best flavor after they have been sitting for at least 1 week (ideally 3 weeks). Once you drain your cucumbers after their salt bath, you can dab them dry with a paper towel or cloth to dry them even more. This will help them to stay a bit crispier to get a decent crunch.
Substitutions and Variations
Add some heat. Add some red pepper flakes to the other pickling seasonings for a bit of a spicy kick! Spices. Add some allspice or a cinnamon stick to the pickling mix for a spiced flavor. No water bath. The hot water bath will seal the pickle jar and allow them to be kept fresh just by storing them in your cupboard or at room temperature on your shelf. If you’re going to eat pickles straight away, you can skip the water bath and store the pickles in the fridge.
More Great Recipes To Try
Southern Cheese Straws Pretzel Dogs Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends Tomato Basil Bruschetta Southern Hush Puppies Smoked Brisket Burnt Ends
Fried Pickles
Mississippi Kool-Aid Pickles
Bacon Deviled Eggs
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