Easy Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
These easy refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles taste exactly like the ones my mom used to can. Except, these Refrigerator Pickles are no muss, no fuss!!!
If you’re new to canning or don’t have all the proper equipment for the full-fledged canning process, this simple recipe for homemade sweet pickles is the perfect place to start!
Reader Endorsement:
From Vermaast via Pinterest: I made 24 pints of these Bread and Butter Pickles, and they came out great. They are delicious.
Why You Must Make
- If you’ve never made pickles before, this is an easy recipe that doesn’t require processing.
- They’re sweet and delicious!
- Homemade refrigerator pickles are perfect for snacking or adding to a sandwich! They’re also a great addition to a crudite tray.
Expert Tips
If you’re lazy like me and don’t want to go through the full routine of actually canning pickles, these refrigerator pickles bread and butter pickles are perfect for you! The process will still take a few hours, but it’s a very simple procedure. Happy preserving!
Buying and Prepping Your Cucumbers
- Use the freshest, unblemished cucumbers you can find. Pickling cucumbers are smaller than the variety you may use in your salads, so look for those.
The Pickling Process
- Before brining, wash your cucumbers without soap to remove any dirt or contaminants.
- To make these pickles, slices of cucumber and onions were heavily salted and covered with ice. Over three hours, the ice began to melt, and the vegetables were brined.
- A double rinse is needed to remove excess salt, and then, the cukes and onions were added to a hot pickling mixture of vinegar, sugar, and spices.
- The ratio of vinegar to sugar can vary among recipes, as well as the spices used. This recipe hits the mark of perfection for me! Feel free to tweak it to your taste buds. For example, these sweet pickles are pretty sweet, you may want to decrease the sugar, but I find them to be perfect!
Storing Your Refrigerator Pickles
- These bread and butter pickles were packed in Glass Canning Jars (affiliate link to the Quattro Stagioni Jars I used) and cooled before screwing on the lids and refrigerating. Now isn’t that simple?
- Since this method did not involve sterilization, they should be eaten within a couple of weeks (some sources say they’re good for 6-8 weeks).
- If you grow pickle-sized cucumbers in your garden, make an extra batch and share these with your friends and neighbors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike true canned pickles that need to be processed in a water bath to make them shelf-safe, refrigerator pickles are heated at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time. This does not hermetically seal them, so they must be stored in the refrigerator for a limited amount of time.
These refrigerator pickles are nothing more than a subclass of sweet pickles. The origin of their name may come from the Great Depression, when they were possibly used as a sandwich filling when combined with bread and butter.
Refrigerator pickles will keep well for 3-4 weeks as long as they’re stored in the refrigerator. Watch the brine, and if it starts looking murky or if the pickles’ texture starts to deteriorate, it’s time to discard them.
You May Also Like:
- Homemade Claussen Knock-Off Pickles from Foodie with Family
- Kool-Aid Pickles from Tornadough Alli
- Easy Pasta Salad with Pickle Relish
- Cubano with Sliced Dill Pickles
- Pickled Onions
- Easy Dill Pickle Dip
- Plus, more of my favorite Snack Recipes.
Note: I purchased my canning labels from Felix Doolittle. Watch for sales around the holidays.
Easy Bread and Butter Pickles
Easy, refrigerator bread and butter pickles like my mom used to make!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, sliced
- 8 pearl onions, sliced
- ¼ cup canning salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- A pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
- In a large container, combine the cucumbers, onions, and salt. Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Let stand for 3 hours. Drain; rinse and drain again.
- In a large pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and cloves and bring to a boil.
- Add cucumber mixture, then return to a boil. Remove from the heat.
- Carefully ladle the hot mixture into jars.
- Let cool, then screw on lids and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- If you'd like to store them longer, refer to a canning manual or website for directions.
Notes
Since these aren't processed, they must be refrigerated and eaten within a few weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 73Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1180mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 0g
Each summer, we’d pile into our unairconditioned station wagon and take the eight-hour trek up to visit our North Dakota relatives. There were no seat belts or a radio in that car, either. My dad was a frugal man! We’d kill time by picking out our favorite farmhouses and playing license plate games as we headed north on I-35. Once our trip corresponded with a total eclipse of the sun, so we drove across the Canadian border for an awesome show by Mother Nature.
More typically, we’d create our own adventures with our cousins. We climbed into the barn lofts, visited the dogs and horses, ate Homemade Caramels and Tacos, and helped make sweet pickles. My dad was more of a dill and garlic sort of guy, but, like my mom and her clan, I loved those sweet pickles flavored with mustard and celery seeds.
I’m certain my aunt, Angela, actually canned hers, but I took the easy route with these Easy Bread and Butter Pickles. At that age, I was much more interested in eating refrigerator pickles than paying attention to the process, but I’m delighted it was so easy to replicate the taste.
75 Comments on “Easy Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles”
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My summers growing up sound very much like yours. My uncle made bread and butter pickles but added hot peppers to his. As a little girl, I thought they were very spicy but I doubt that I would think that way now.
I have been looking for a bread and butter pickles recipe. As soon as I get home and have some time on my hands, I will make them.
I’m more of a dill and garlic pickle lover like your Dad but I do like crisp, homemade bread and butter pickles. The don’t compare to the grocery store variety.
This recipe looks delicious, exactly what I was looking for. My favorite pickles. I see it is also a recipe that I can make and safely can bottles in a hot water bath. Can’t wait to make these. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So easy to make and turned out delicious! Thanks.
I loved it! Everyone at my house loved it too! Thanks for the recipe!
Just made these pickles! Omg! They are delicious! Didn’t have a kitchen scale to weigh them so weighed them on my bathroom scale! Lol! Had to improvise. Didn’t have ground cloves so I used 3 whole cloves. Then I added some dill. The taste is so good. Next time I will slice thicker. Sliced on mandolin and looked thick enough but it wasn’t. Can’t wait until they sit in the refrigerator so I can eat them! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Oh, I’m so glad, Terry! You did a great job tweaking the recipe! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
I’ve never made pickles!!!! Why not?!!!! What a great recipe. And I love bread and butter variety, although I typically stick a halved jalapeño in the jar. Thanks!