Bread and Butter Pickles are crunchy, sweet and tangy. They’re delicious with sandwiches, burgers, or as a snack. Old-fashioned bread and butter pickles – just like grandma used to make!
Bread and butter pickles are made with cucumbers, onions, peppers, vinegar, sugar and spices. Sealed jars will last up to 18-months. Find detailed step images and a video below! This recipe has been in our family for over 100 years!
They’re delicious chopped in our tuna salad or Southern potato salad.
Find simple to follow instructions are below. This canning recipe comes from my great-grandmother’s farm kitchen and has been passed down for generations.
Be sure and try my Refrigerator Dill Pickles and Pickled Peppers. They are so good!
Why this recipe works
- Uses simple ingredients – Simple to find ingredients readily available at most grocery stores.
- Flavor – Creates a flavorful, crispy bread and butter pickles with only a few ingredients.
- Controls the ingredients – Making homemade pickles free of preservatives and any additives.
- Stock your pantry – Sealed with jars of homemade pickles that will last up to 18-months.
- Surplus of cucumbers – The perfect home canning recipe for using a surplus of cucumbers.
What you’ll need
- Pickling cucumbers – They are a smaller cucumbers with thicker skin and less seeds. Thicker skin helps keep them crispy through the canning process. (Grow them yourself or find them at your local farmers market throughout the summer!)
- Bell Peppers – We love the combination of red and green bell peppers.
- Yellow or white onions – Use whatever type of onions you want. We chop them, but you can also just slice.
- Pickling or Kosher salt – This is an essential ingredient to canning pickles. Salt, along with ice, helps draw the excess water out of cucumbers, giving you a crisp pickle.
- White vinegar – Vinegar creates the perfect flavor combination for the brine for bread and butter pickles.
- Sugar – Adds just the right amount of sweetness to this pickle recipe.
- Cloves, celery seed, mustard seeds and turmeric – Adds a pop of spice to these pickles.
- Mason jars – Easily locate them at Tractor Supply stores, Walmart and small independent hardware stores.
- Water bath canner – This large enamelware pot with tools will last a life time of canning. Order it here! You will need to water bath pickles to make shelf stable.
- Jar lifter – This is my favorite Ball jar lifter. It’s heavy duty built and rubber helps grip the canning jars well. You’ll use this to place jars into the water bath canner and remove after they are done.
We grow our own pickling cucumbers, but you can also buy pickling cucumbers at local farmers markets.
How to make Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Pickles
- Prep ingredients – Wash pickling cucumbers and cut into slices. Cut onions and peppers into small pieces.
- Combine cucumbers, onions, peppers with salt – Place the salt, cucumber slices, onion, and bell peppers in a food-safe bucket. Use your hand to stir the mixture so the salt is evenly distributed.
- Add ice – Put a clean kitchen towel on top of the cucumbers, with few inches of ice. Let sit for 3-4 hours in a cool place. (Salt, along with the ice help the cucumbers remove excess water so pickles will remain crisp when canned.)
- Drain water from cucumbers -Drain water from the cucumbers, set aside.
- Make the brine – In a large pot, combine vinegar, sugar, ground cloves, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. Bring to a boil and stir with a spoon to combine ingredients. (Don’t add the cucumber mixture to the brine or it will make pickles soggy!)
- Prepare water bath canner and jars – Prepare the boiling water canner. Heat the jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in soapy water and rinse well, set aside. Set bands aside.
- Add to jars– Place equal amounts of cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers into each hot jar. Ladle hot pickling brine over top of cucumbers, leaving ½-inch headspace.
- Seal jars – Wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel. Center the lids on jars. Apply the bands to fingertip tight.
- Hot water bath – Process jars in the boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
- Cool and store jars – Remove the jars with a jar lifter and allow to cool completely on the counter for 24 hours. Wash jars with damp kitchen cloth and remove bands to store.
- Check if jars are sealed – Let the jars cool and the lids will begin to make a “pinging” sound as they seal. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed.
For brining pickles, use a food safe 5-gallon bucket. Often times you can pick one up from a bakery. But, if you cannot find one use these food safe plastic bags to line a 5-gallon bucket.
Don’t be nervous if you’ve never canned- it’s really easy! A cookbook on home canning that I highly recommend is from Ball Canning. Order it here!
Each year, we plant a small vegetable garden and grow our own pickling cucumbers. As you can see, in the picture above, we train the vines to grow up the lattice.
This keeps the cucumbers up off the ground, so they grow nicely, take up less space, and keep them in better shape as they mature. Pickling cucumbers will also have less chance of disease when grown this way.
It’s a summer tradition in our household to make homemade Bread and Butter Pickles. And I love Pickled Peppers too! These old-fashioned bread and butter pickles are a must-have to our pantry shelves. We use them to barter with other farms and neighbors, plus enjoy plenty ourselves! (They are delicious with a sandwich or cheeseburger!)
Why they’re called Bread and Butter Pickles
It is said that these delicious pickles got their name because during the Great Depression, they were an inexpensive staple in households. People used them in sandwiches of Bread and Butter because that’s what they could afford. Many things during that time were rationed too, so they made many things from scratch.
Best Varieties of Cucumbers for Making Pickles
Canning Bread and Butter Pickles is relatively easy. While you can certainly use different kinds of cucumbers, pickling cucumbers are the best. They have a thicker skin and are small in size, therefore have less seeds. They can withstand the very hot brine and still come out crunchy.
Recipe FAQs
We use a combination of ground cloves, celery seed, mustard seeds and turmeric for this bread and butter pickle recipe. They blend perfectly for this recipe.
Dill pickles use a herb called Dill and have less sugar, making them a little more tart. Old-fashioned bread and butter pickles use a blend of spices, sugar and vinegar making them have a unique sweet and tangy flavor.
Once the jars of homemade pickles are sealed, store them in a cool, dry place for up to 18 months or so. Although, I highly doubt they will last that long!
More Canning Recipes
Be sure and check out Spicy Dill Pickles from Delicious Table.
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Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Bread and Butter Pickles
- 25 to 30 pickling cucumbers, sliced ¼-inch thick
- ½ cup pickling or kosher salt
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 7 cups white vinegar
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons celery seed
- 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
Instructions
Bread and Butter Pickles
- In a 5-gallon food-grade bucket, combine the sliced cucumbers, salt, onion, and bell peppers. Stir so the salt is evenly distributed. Cover the cucumber mixture with a clean kitchen towel or tea towel, and place a few inches of ice on top of the towel. Allow to sit for 3-4 hours in a cool place.
- Drain the vegetables and set aside. Make the brine by bringing the vinegar, sugar, cloves, mustard seeds, celery seed, and turmeric to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare a boiling water canner. Heat the jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash the lids with hot soapy water. Set bands aside.
- Place an equal amount of cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers into each hot jar. Press down the mixture, as it will rise when you pour in the brine.
- Use a wide-mouth funnel, ladle hot pickling liquid over top of the cucumbers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel. Center the lids on the jars. Apply the bands until the fit is fingertip tight.
- Process jars in the boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars and allow to cool completely on the counter for 24 hours. Check the lids for seal. The lid should not flex up and down when the center is pressed.
- For best flavor, let stand for 3-4 weeks before enjoying. Store the jars in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year. If a jar doesn’t seal, store in the refrigerator and use within 3 months.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Helene Couture says
I have tried canning recipes from your post and have had great luck! I have so many larger cucumbers and still want to make your bread and butter pickles. Do you have an approximate cup or quart size. Thank you in advance.
Jessica Robinson says
That’s great to hear Helene!
We generally don’t recommend using larger cucumbers for pickles, as they generally have too many seeds and can be overgrown. That could potentially result in more soggy pickles. I generally fill a 5-gallon bucket about half way or a little more with sliced cucumbers, onions and bell peppers.
Helene says
Thank you for your knowledge!
bethaney m says
From one Farmgirl to another… I followed the recipe to a T (upon my first attempt ever at canning) and we love them!! My husband is so picky abut his bread and butter pickles that I wasn’t sure they could pass his taste test. I’m happy to say they more than passed the test and my husband raved about how good they are! I’m thrilled and making another batch today. Thank you Farmgirl!
Jessica Robinson says
Incredible to hear!! My great-grandmother would be proud that her recipe is still being used and loved generations later! I make about 100 jars myself each season and everyone requests jars of them! So happy your husband loved them. (Thrilled to hear you were successful at your first time canning!!)
Jean Marc Bérubé says
Greetings from Montreal, Canada….
I am a bit skeptical about not rinsing but defer to your expertise. As a useful tip, I place the sliced vegetables in a food grade 5 gallon pail to which I have inserted a strainer which stands off the bottom. Liquid drains down and this allows me to go directly from vegetables to jar without having to pour off the drained liquid. Also, I add fresh dill to my jars and a couple of peeled garlic buds just because I like the stuff.
Jessica Robinson says
Each canning or pickling recipe is unique. Since you’ve never made our recipe, I cannot comment on how your pickles will taste.
Tami K says
I’m skeptical of not rinsing the salt.. I make sweet zucchini relish every year and rinsing the salt is a must🤔
Jessica Robinson says
Tami,
Perhaps try the actual recipe before criticizing. This recipe has been made over and over by many, including myself each canning season. I’m also certified in acidified foods by the USDA. You don’t need to rinse the salt because it’s properly measured AND most of it gets dumped down the sink drain when you pour off the excess water created by 3-4 inches of ice that is mostly dissolved after sitting for 3-4 hours. Please let us know if we can help you further with any questions or proper canning practices.
Bob Pockl says
Can I use hot banana peppers instead of bell peppers? Made your recipe last year and could not believe how easy and how good pickles turned out. Just trying to spice them up a little.
Jessica Robinson says
You can absolutely do that!! It might give you a pop of spice and that would be perfect. You could also mix Bell peppers and a few hot banana peppers.
Pat C says
I am making my first batch of pickles and have a question. The jars are hot and the cucumbers are cold from having ice on them, and you then pour the hot brine of them. This usually causes jars to crack.
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Pat,
You drain the cucumber mixture and let it sit while you prepare the jars, etc. Jars are hot, but we generally work in batches and jars have a little time to not be piping hot. I’ve never had a jar crack making these pickles and make hundreds of jars each season. The cucumber mixture being cold and jars hot, then with hot brine has never been an issue.
Jeri B says
Just wondering what the serving size is. 508 calories of pickles seems like it might be a lot?
Jessica Robinson says
That calorie count is per jar of pickles. The recipe makes about 12 Pint jars.
Sharon Black says
I use Armenian cucumbers that are small than pickling cukes and the same ingredient as yours and I call them “Crystal Pickle Chips,” that my Mom created. (They are delicious:). Hot water bath is the only canning I do. When I was 4 a pressure cooker exploded and I had glass schrapnel stuck to my neck – so no pressure cooking for me. Keep up the great work as farmer’s wives and daughters make great cooks.
Jessica Robinson says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Sorry to hear about the pressure canner experience. They have made them much safer now, but I watched one explode as a kid in my mom’s kitchen too and they can be very dangerous, especially the older ones.
Shari Monfred says
Hello:
I just opened my first jar of bread and butter pickles which have been sitting for three months. They came out very salty, I love and use lots of salt, just wondering if this happened to you or if you can think of why that would be. Thank you.
Jessica Robinson says
Oh I’m so sorry to hear that! How many jars of pickles did you end up with? They are definitely not overly salty, so let’s see if we can help figure it out. I add the salt with cucumbers and onion pieces, toss together with my hands. (in a 5-gallon bucket) I’m generally making a bigger batch. You’ll cover that with a clean dish cloth and about 3 inch plus layer of ice. It sits for 3-4 hours and then you drain it well. You are NOT adding any salt to the brine. Is it possible you measured salt or the amount of cucumbers wrong, didn’t drain the cucumbers? Or something. Please let me know if we can help any other way.
Jefferson Currey says
I used this recipe in 2022 and also came out with extremely salty- but delicious- pickles. For some reason, I made a note on my recipe: DO NOT RINSE. I cannot say where I got that from, but I am going to do a “light rinse” this year and see how that turns out.
Jessica Robinson says
We don’t rinse these. Let sit with 3-4 inches of ice for 3-4 hours and it melts into the cucumber salt mixture. You pour that out. It’s possible you used the wrong kind of salt or too much.
Colleen says
Hi Never heard anyone washing the lids with soap and water, i usually put them in the hot boiling water for a bit, is that ok?
Jessica Robinson says
Of course, that works fine too!!
Sue says
Hi can you do this with out onions and peppers or is it a must kids don’t like onions and peppers but love pickles tired of store bought one cost too much.
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Sue,
We definitely recommend keeping the onions and peppers as added flavor. They generally stay on the bottom of the jar, so you can scoop out pickles without getting peppers and onions. You can put in a bit less of them if you prefer too.
Kathy says
Have you ever made this with cider vinegar instead?
Jessica Robinson says
Kathy,
I would NOT recommend apple cider vinegar. I would highly recommend following the recipe exactly as written.
Sammy Morgan says
Perfect pickles !
Jessica Robinson says
Thank you so much!! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed them!
Susie says
Thank you for this DELICIOUS Bread and Butter Pickle recipe. I made them last year and couldn’t wait for summer to make some more. Our grandchildren can finish a jar in one sitting. We also grow our own cucumbers.
The only difference is that I use a steam canner instead of a water bath. Thanks again we love tho!
Debi says
These bread and butter pickles are fabulous! Thank you for another great recipe!
Jessica Robinson says
Oh thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!