Garden fresh cucumbers and just a few simple ingredients and you can make your own easy Bread and Butter Pickles from scratch!
I've mentioned I love pickles, right? Since making the Super Easy Dill Pickles, our cucumbers have continued to explode. No, seriously. I've been making so many Asian Cucumber Salads (which trust me is not a bad thing), because we've had SO many cucumbers coming out of our garden! I seriously can't believe it and couldn't be happier. So it was time to make some more pickles. Some sweet and sour delicious easy-to-make Bread and Butter Pickles.
Why are they called Bread and Butter?
Ever wonder why these sweet and sour pickles got the name Bread and Butter Pickles? Me too, but I didn't really get a definitive answer, here's what my extensive research (Google search) found:
- They were an everyday food, just as common as "bread and butter."
- During the Great Depression, they were eaten with bread and butter as sandwiches because cucumbers were once considered super nutritious
- Cucumber farmers in the 1920s Omar and Cora Fanning started making them and then would barter them for staples such as bread and butter.
- Some dude whipped these up at home and sold them roadside and they were such a success that it became his 'bread and butter.'
The latter is of course my favorite so it's the one I'm going with.
Ingredients Needed
- Cucumbers - We love to grow Japanese Cucumbers in our gardens which are our favorites for pickles, but English or Kirby are also great.
- Sugar - For the sweetness! We use both white and brown sugar.
- Vinegar - White and Apple Cider to add just the right amount of tang.
- Spices - Mustard seeds, turmeric, and kosher salt.
All very easy to make! And customizable - sometimes we cut the sugar for a little more bite and other times we add a touch more sugar for additional sweetness!
Easy to Make
Step 1: Crinkle slice cucumbers with a mandolin at 1/8 inch thickness.
You can of course also slice them thin with a knife, but we love the crinkle-cut look that you can get from a mandolin.
Step 2: Add a healthy dose of salt to "sweat" or draw out the excess liquid from the cucumbers. Let them sit for an hour before giving them a good rinse.
Step 3: Meanwhile add the sugar, vinegars, and spices to a pot to bring to a boil.
Step 4: Pack your pickles in a jar and then pour in the hot vinegar sugar mixture.
Step 5: Let it cool and then pop it in the fridge to crisp overnight and the next day you're good to go!
No fermentation required for these refriderator Bread and Butter Pickles!
The next dady, we devoured these sweet, tangy, sour, crunchy bread and butter pickles! We actually agreed we liked them more than the dill pickles. They're just so incredibly snackable!
These are not going to last long. Luckily, my cucumbers are still exploding and so there will be many many more refrigerator pickle jars in our future! Happy pickle-making!
Enjoy, Friends! If you make this recipe tell me what you think! I love to hear from you on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Bread and Butter Pickles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced cucumbers
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
- 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.
- Combine sugar and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
- Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container / jars in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
There is a lot of sugar in this recipe -anyway to reduce it in half -ideas appreciated. Thank you
Hi Emgee - of course! It will make the pickles less sweet, but you can definitely cut it by 1/4 cup or so!
You don't put these in a jar(s)?
Oh you totally can! I usually eat them so quickly though there's no sense in canning them ;P
Can you substitute for splenda?
You could but I don't think it will be the same; I haven't tried that. I'm not sure what the conversion is but it's def. not 1:1 as Splenda is so much sweeter. Also if you're going to do that make sure to also use the brown sugar blend Splenda mix for the brown sugar. If you try it, please let me know what you think of them!
Can you water bath can this recipe?
Hi Jill! Yes, you can! Just be sure to sterilize your jars and then process them in the water bath right after filling the jars - don't let them cool.
do you have to keep these pickles in the fridge
The very best pickles I've ever made and simple too. By accident I added 1/2c brown sugar instead of 1/4c. still turned out outstanding!!! This will be the only Bread and Butter Pickle recipe I will make from now on. Thanks so much for sharing!! My husband and I loved them!!
Hi Mrs. Downie, thank you so much for stopping by and I'm so happy to hear that you loved the pickles!!! They're my favvvoorrrittee so I love sharing them and hearing that others love them too!!! 😀
Mouth watering Tracy. ...
Thank you! 😀
My mouth is watering! I love these pickles with a block of cheddar cheese.
I have heard of this pickle and cheddar cheese combo and it intrigues me... I'll have to try it!! 😀
In gonna need like 50 bottles of those!!!!
Roger that! 😉
Those look perfect .... Your pics are insane!!!!!!
Thank you! I don't know what I'm going to do in the winter when I don't have all the natural light! Haha!