Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (2024)

By Rebecca Hubbell on | Updated | 30 Comments

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This recipe for homemade bread and butter pickles is easy, delicious, and doesn’t require canning. Just 20 minutes of prep and let your refrigerator do the rest of the work!

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This recipe for homemade bread and butter pickles is easy, delicious, and doesn’t require canning. Just 20 minutes of prep and let your refrigerator do the rest of the work!

This recipe first appeared on Spend With Pennies where I am a contributor.

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (2)

Table of Contents

Why we love this recipe for Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

One of the best parts about this recipe is that you don’t need canning jars to make it! Fresh cucumber slices are infused with flavor from a seasoned vinegar mixture, then stored in the fridge.

It takes just 15 minutes of hands-on time, then 25 hours to marinate. The result is a batch of sweet and salty pickles that the whole family loves!

WOW, These are so easy and very good. I added 1/2 tsp turmeric just because I always add it to sweet and sour brine.Easiest and fastest b&b pickles I have ever made.. I will be making these again. Thank you so much.

– Debbie Brown

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (3)

What are Bread and Butter Pickles?

Bread and butter pickles are sweeter than dill pickles. They’re brined in a vinegar-sugar mixture with other ingredients and spices.

There are a few ideas where the name “bread and butter pickles” comes from:

  • Some say it was popularized during the Great Depression because butter-and-pickle sandwiches were all people could afford for lunch.
  • It may also be related to traditional English cucumber sandwiches, which are filled with cucumbers and butter or cream cheese.
  • As the story goes, they didn’t have money for groceries, so they traded the sweet pickles for essentials like bread and butter. They also sold them to make cash, marketing them as “bread and butter pickles.”

Regardless of their origins, I think we can all agree that they’re delicious! Especially on a sandwich with Homemade Bread, deli meat, and cheese or cheeseburgers!

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Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe Ingredients

  • Cucumbers: Pickling cucumbers are smaller in size, and fresh is best! Get them at the grocery store, a local farmer’s market, or grow them in your own garden.
  • Onions: Slice ‘em thin, they add lots of flavor to the brine!
  • Brine: This is made with a base of white and apple cider vinegar. It’s seasoned with light brown sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, and kosher salt.
  • You can also add red pepper flakes for an extra kick.

Can I use tap water for refrigerator pickles?

The only water needed in this recipe is for rinsing. So as long as your tap water is drinkable, you can use it for that step.

How to make Bread and Butter Pickles

While this recipe does need to chill for 25 hours for the best tasting pickles, it is quick to prepare with just 3 simple steps!

Step 1: Thinly slice the cucumbers and onions and place in a large bowl with salt. Chill and let the salt pull out excess water to make room for the brine! After chilling, rinse off the salt, drain excess water, and put the cucumber and onions back in.

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Step 2: In a small saucepan, combine all brine ingredients (per the recipe below).

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (6)

Combine: Pour it over the top of the sliced cucumbers and onions and chill!

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Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or pint jars.

How to serve this Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe

Pickles are great for so many things, here are a few ideas for how to enjoy them!

  • With burgers and sandwiches
  • In chicken or tuna salad
  • In potato or pasta salad
  • Battered and fried
  • With Bloody Marys
  • With deviled eggs

Storing Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

We like to store our pickles in jars in the refrigerator. These are theWide Mouth Jarsand thePlastic Jar Lidswe use.

How long do bread and butter pickles last in the refrigerator?

As long as the container they are in is fully sealed, these pickles can last up to 4 months.

How do you know if refrigerator pickles have gone bad?

You will know if they have gone bad based on if they smell bad as well as if the brine or the pickles themselves becomes discolored or cloudy.

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (8)

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe FAQs

Are bread and butter pickles different than regular pickles?

It depends on what your definition of regular pickles is. Assuming most people think of dill pickles as the standard pickle flavor, then yes, bread and butter are different.
Bread and Butter Pickles are made with a variety of spices that include celery and mustard seed and sometimes people add cloves or turmeric. Our recipe also adds onion and crushed red pepper flakes. Dill pickle brine is mainly flavored with dill.
Bread and Butter pickles also have more sugar which yields and sweet and more mild flavor that that of their sour counterpart.

What gives bread and butter pickles their flavor?

In this recipe, the base flavor comes from the mix of vinegars: white and apple cider, as well as the sugar. From there we add white onion, celery seed, mustard seed, and red pepper flakes.
Also, time is key for these pickles having the best possible flavor. We love letting them brine for 2 weeks before using to let the flavors penetrate the cucumbers and meld together.

Why are my bread and butter pickles mushy?

As long as you follow the recipe and store these in the refrigerator, they should not get mushy. Pickles become overly soft when the salt and vinegar brine isn’t strong enough. Storing at room temperature will also cause them to ferment and become slimy.

Is there a difference between bread and butter and sweet pickles?

Bread and Butter pickles are sweet pickles. But there are versions of sweet pickles out there that are sweeter and may not be called bread and butter.

Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried thisrecipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!

Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (9)

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (10)

4.93 from 42 votes

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe


Author Rebecca Hubbell

Course Side

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Chill Time 1 day day 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 day day 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

This recipe for homemade bread and butter pickles is easy, delicious, and doesn’t require canning. Just 20 minutes of prep and let your refrigerator do the rest of the work!

Ingredients

  • 7 pickling cucumbers
  • 1 white onion
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons celery seeds
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  • Slice the cucumbers and onion into thin slices and place in a large bowl and toss with the salt. cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

  • Transfer the cucumbers and onions to a colander and rinse off the salt. Drain any excess water from the bowl and put the cucumber and onions back in.

  • In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegars, and spices and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the top of the sliced cucumbers and onions and allow the bowl to come to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Video

Notes

  1. The best flavor will come about 2 weeks after brining.
  2. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 months in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7024mg | Potassium: 1166mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 206mg | Iron: 3mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of vinegar to water for refrigerator pickles? ›

The basic ratio for quick pickles is 1:1 vinegar to water, and includes some combination of salt and sugar. Another ratio that is commonly followed is the 3:2:1 method, using three parts vinegar, two parts water, and 1 part sugar.

What gives bread and butter pickles their flavor? ›

Dill pickles have one main spice/herb that's used: dill. They're often on the sour side with a strong briny bite. In contrast, bread and butter pickles use a blend of turmeric, clove, celery seed, and red pepper flakes for a rounded-out flavor. None of the spices stand out, but all blend together for a richer taste.

What's the difference between bread and butter pickles and refrigerator pickles? ›

The key difference between these two types of pickles is their taste. Despite bread and butter pickles using the same cooking method as dill pickles, they use far different spices that make them sweeter. According to Wyse Guide, sugar is added to the bread and butter brine to help alleviate its sharp vinegary taste.

Why are my bread and butter pickles mushy? ›

Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature.

What is the basic pickling ratio? ›

The classic ratio is super easy to remember and is easily scale-able depending on how many pickles you're making. It's 100% vinegar, 50% water, 25% sugar and 12.5% kosher salt by weight. So for example, 200g vinegar, 100g water, 50g sugar and 25g kosher salt (again, you can scale this up or down!).

Why do bread and butter pickles taste different? ›

Bread and butter pickles are best described as being a lot like sour dill pickles, but with sweet onion and sugar added to the pickling mix to give them their one-of-a-kind flavor.

What is another name for bread and butter pickles? ›

Today, the term is well known as a sweet pickle, like my Bread & Butter Chips. These pickles are sweeter than my dills, but they still have that pungent garlic flavor.

What do you put in pickles to keep them crisp? ›

Use Calcium Chloride

Calcium chloride (CaCl2), sometimes known as “pickle crisp”, is a type of salt that helps preserve the crunchiness of food. It is used in the food industry to help preserve the texture of canned fruit and vegetables.

What is the 321 method of pickling? ›

An easy pickling recipe to follow is the 3-2-1 method; three parts water, two parts vinegar, and one part sugar. This 3-2-1 pickle brine is on the sweeter side, making it great for bread and butter pickles or spicy pickled beets. For a more savory pickle, use less sugar.

What type of pickles does McDonald's use? ›

McDonald's uses dill pickles in their burgers including in the Big Mac®.

Does Wendy's use bread and butter pickles? ›

We trust the simplicity of a traditional dill pickle.

Can you eat too many bread and butter pickles? ›

Eating too much sodium can cause your kidneys and liver to work harder. Also, the high blood pressure that often follows diets high in sodium puts even more stress on these organs. As a result, eating too many pickles may be risky for anyone with liver disease or kidney conditions.

Why do pickle jars not say pickle? ›

Olive all use the term on their websites, in advertisem*nts, and in the product descriptions of their pickle varieties. When asked why the word isn't on the front of the jars, all three companies provided nearly the same answer: They feel the word “pickle” isn't necessary on pickles packaged in clear glass containers.

Why do you soak cucumbers in ice water before pickling? ›

Better yet, grow them in the garden and ferment the day you pick them! Tasting the stem end can give you a sense of whether the pickle will be bitter since that's the end where bitterness concentrates. Soaking your cucumbers in ice water 30-60 minutes before fermenting seems to help keep crispness.

What is a good water to vinegar ratio? ›

Most applications call for a 1:1 ratio of water to vinegar so the strength of the acid isn't too intense or damaging, and it can be stored in a jar or a spray bottle for easy access. Here's how we use white vinegar to clean 18 things in our kitchens.

What is the best concentration of vinegar for pickling? ›

Picklers should look for a pickling vinegar with 5% acetic acid concentration or higher. This is to ensure your vinegar is acidic enough to prevent the growth of bacteria and mould in your pickle jars. The more acidic the vinegar, the longer your pickles will last.

How much vinegar and water to clean fridge? ›

Regarding how to clean a refrigerator with vinegar, fill a spray bottle with a cleaning solution of one part white vinegar to three parts water. Apply using the same cleaning method as the baking soda solution.

How do you fix refrigerator pickles that are too vinegary? ›

If a pickle recipe comes out quite sour for your taste, don't be tempted to dilute the vinegar with water (or more water than called for) the next time you make it. That would reduce the safety. Instead, there's an easy way to fix the taste: just fool the taste buds by adding sweetener to mask some sourness.

References

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