I'm excited to share my recipe for refrigerator Bread and Butter pickles with you. These are a great way to use up some of those leftover cucumbers from your garden or the farmers market.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This quick and easy recipe is perfect for beginners, and the results are delicious. They’re perfect for when you need a quick snack or want to add a bit of crunch to your meal. Plus, they last for weeks in the fridge, so you can make a big batch and enjoy them all week long.
Plus, they're delicious and easy to make! These are great added to your next cheese & cracker board too. I hope you'll give them a try.
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Ingredients
Use the freshest cucumbers available to you.The market salad cucumber does not make the best pickle, so look for actual pickling cucumbers.
Another option when pickling cucumbers are not available, is the long ridged English or Armenian cucumbers. This type of burpless cucumber stays crisp also when you can't get fresh garden pickling cucumbers.
- Cucumbers, preferably the pickling variety with tiny spines.
- White vinegar (not apple cider, which will turn the brine light brown)
- White granulated sugar
- Kosher salt, not iodized or table salt, which will cloud your pickle brine.
- Water
- Whole mustard seeds, the yellow colored ones.
- Whole black peppercorns
- Ground Turmeric
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Bread and Butter Pickles
These are super easy to make, and the possibilities for flavor combinations are endless. Keep reading to learn how to make your own refrigerator bread and butter pickles. I also give tips to store them longer using the Ball Water Bath canning method also.
Wash and Trim the Cucumbers
- Cut the stem end and blossom ends off. Wash in cold water, rubbing any spines off with a wet rag. Slice into even slices, or use the crinkle cutter to make wavy slices.
PRO TIP: If you are using store bought cucumbers you will need to use a little warm soapy water to remove the sealant the stores spray on many vegetables to prevent them from shriveling so quickly.
Try to get fresh picked cucumbers, or fresh organic, if at all possible.
Combine All Ingredients
- Measure the cucumbers, salt, sugar, and spices into a bowl. Add the vinegar and water to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Parboil the Cucumbers in the Brine
- Pour the cucumber mixture into the stainless steel sauce pan and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cucumbers turn darker green. Remove from heat.
Cool the Parboiled Cucumbers
- Return the hot cucumber slices and brine to a bowl to cool. You can quick cool by adding some ice to 2" of cold water in the sink.
Set the bowl in the water, taking care not to get any in the bowl of hot cucumber slices. This will keep your pickles crisper by cooling down faster. - After 10 minutes of cooling, ladle the cucumbers into jars. Carefully pour the brine into each jar to cover the cucumbers, up to 1" from the jar top.
- Wipe the jars rims clean so a good seal can be made with the jar lids. Attach the lids and tighten the bands.
- You can now either set these in your refrigerator for up to 4 weeks, or for longer term storage, use the Water Bath Canning method to process your pickles for up to 18 months pantry storage.
Be sure to review the process at the Ball Canning website on their Water Bath Canning page.
Serving Suggestions
The yellow mustard seeds become quite vibrant in the hot vinegar, sugar, and salt brine. Make sure you divide these beauties among all the jars. Set these jars in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating.
Serve them with your next cracker and cheese board, or with out Air Fryer Turkey Burgers! They are also great all by themselves as a snack. And, don't forget how delighted your friends would be to get a jar as a gift!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Substitutions and Variations
Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe
- Spicy Bread & Butter Pickles - add chili pepper flakes or whole slender while cooking to imbue heat into the pickles.
- Sweet Pickle Relish - chop your cucumbers up into dice the size you want your relish. Add ½ of a red bell pepper, and ½ white onion, all chopped. Cook in the vinegar, sugar, and salt brine the same as the pickle slices instructions.
- Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Pickles - slice a white onion in thin rings and add them to the hot saucepan of simmering brine and cucumber. Pack in the jars with the cucumber slices.
Equipment
You will need a few items to make pickles. For the waffle cut bread & butter pickle slices, use the Crinkle cutter instead of a sharp knife. If you want nice, perfectly even flat slices, use a Mandolin with the setting on the thickness you like.
You will also need canning jars. Use the 16 oz size so that you can pack the cucumber slices in nice and still have enough room for the sweet salty vinegar brine that will keep them fresh.
Use the canning jars for short term refrigerator method and the longer term Water Bath canning method. The bail jars are only suitable for short term refrigerator pickles though.
Last, you will need some Water Bath processing equipment, and a good book on the details of canning and preserving is important to have on hand as a reference.
- Crinkle Cutter
- Mandolin
- Ball Canning Jars
- Bail Jars
- Water Bath Canning equipment
- Canning & Preserving guide book
Storage
Store your refrigerator pickles in the fridge for up to a month. If you decide to preserve them for a longer time using the Water Bath Canning method, they can be stored in the pantry for up to 18 months.
Tips for Success
- Use the freshest cucumbers you can get. It makes a difference in how crisp they stay after processing.
- Only use kosher salt, not table salt. Table salt with our without iodine will cloud your pickle marinade.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two theories. One is a cucumber farmer & his wife created them and used them to barter for goods during the depression. The other is that they were sliced thin and sandwiched between buttered bread during the depression. They were a way to put up excess food when our national economy was suffering. They are still a great idea!
Yes! You can use this sweet, salty, vinegar brine to pickle just about any vegetable you like! This works great for Okra, green beans, and German cabbage salad. Just slice the vegetables thin enough for the brine to picke them. Process and store just like this Bread and Butter refrigerator pickles.
The refrigerator process pickles last for up to 4 weeks. If you use the Water Bath Method to can them, than you can store them in a pantry for up to 18 months.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium cucumbers
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds
- ¾ teaspoon ground Turmeric
Instructions
- Wash and remove the stem and blossom ends from each cucumber. Slice the cucumbers with a knife or a crinkle cutter into â…›" slices.4 medium cucumbers
- Put the cucumbers into a bowl. Add the spices, salt, and sugar.4 medium cucumbers, 3 tablespoon white granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds, ¾ teaspoon ground Turmeric
- In a stainless steel sauce pan, bring the water and vinegar to a quick boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the cucumber mixture in the bowl. Stir well in the sauce pan for 3 to 5 minutes until the cucumber slices turn a darker green.¼ cup water, ⅓ cup white vinegar
- Remove from heat and set the sauce pan in the sink with filled with 2" of cold ice water. Or transfer to a shallow bowl and set the bowl in the shallow ice water. The ice water helps rapidly cool the cucumber slices and keeps them crisper.
- After 10 minutes of cooling, ladle the cucumber slices into prepared, sanitized Ball canning or mason jars for either refrigerator process, or the waster bath canning process method. Only use Bail Jars for short term refrigerator processing.
- Set in the Refrigerator pickles in the fridge for 24 hours before eating. If using the Water Bath Canning method, process in the water bath canner, then set on the counter to cool completely. You should hear a little "pop" sound as each jar lid is sucked downward, indicating a good seal.
Notes
- Use the freshest cucumbers you can get. It makes a difference in how crisp they stay after processing.
- Only use kosher salt, not table salt. Table salt with our without iodine will cloud your pickle marinade.
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