Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

Bread and butter pickles are an incredibly delicious take on the standard method of making pickles. By adding in a bit of sweet onion, you end up with pickles that are a perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and crunchy. Here’s my go-to refrigerator bread and butter pickle recipe so you can make your own (straight from my nana’s kitchen!).

this RECIPE

How to Make Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

• Prep your ingredients. Cut the Kirby cucumbers into thin slices. About ¼ cm to ⅛ cm should be fine depending on how you like your pickles.
• Cut the sweet onion into thin slices as well.
• Remove excess moisture from the cucumber. Combine the cucumber slices and salt in a large bowl. The salt will help to draw moisture out.
• Wait for about 90 minutes. Cover the cucumber and let it chill.
• Rinse and drain. Rinse the cucumber slices under cold water and then drain well.
• Combine the cucumber and onion. Toss together.
• Prepare the brine mixture. Add the white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer until the brown sugar has dissolved. Be sure not to use high heat or to leave it too long, otherwise it will burn.
• Pack. Pack the cucumber and onion slices into a jar.
• Pour. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over top of the cucumbers and then put the lid on the jar.
• Refrigerate. Refrigerate the pickles for a minimum of 2 days before eating.

How are Bread and Butter Pickles Different from Regular Pickles?

If you’ve never heard of bread and butter pickles before, you may be wondering how they differ from regular pickles.

As legend goes, the term ‘bread and butter pickles’ originated in the Great Depression era. These sweet pickles were a cheap staple that were all that could be afforded by many; as a result they would make sandwiches with bread, butter, and pickles.

As for how they actually differ from normal pickles, the main difference is in the ingredients used in the pickling process. Bread and butter pickles are made by pickling cucumber slices with items like sweet onion, celery seeds, and (sometimes) cilantro that give them a slightly sweet taste that meshes perfectly with their inherent tartness.

What Can I Pair with These Refrigerator Pickles?

Wondering what kind of foods to pair with your bread and butter pickles? Well, you could always try making a bread and butter pickle sandwich…

If that doesn’t sound overly appealing to you, here are a few suggestions for some tasty alternatives:

• Use them as a condiment for making hamburgers.
• Fry them to make beer-battered pickles.
• Use them to make salads and coleslaws.

More Good Sweet Pickle Recipes

• Bread and Butter Pickled Eggs
• Pickled Beets
• Pickled Grapes
• Pickled Carrots
• Pineapple Cowboy Candy

Pickled Egg Recipes

Bread and Butter Pickled Eggs

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Pickled Beets

Pickled Fruit Recipes

Pickled Green Grapes

Pickled Carrot Recipes

Quick Pickled Carrots

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Pineapple Cowboy Candy

5 from 1 vote

Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

This is my go-to refrigerator bread and butter pickle recipe so you can make your own (straight from my nana's kitchen!).

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Equipment

• ▢
  8oz mason jars

Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 pound Kirby cucumbers, sliced
• ▢ 1 cup sweet onion, sliced
• ▢ 1 ½ tbsp salt
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup white vinegar
• ▢ ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 tsp mustard seeds
• ▢ 2 tsp celery seeds
• ▢ ½ tsp red pepper flakes

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Instructions 

• In a large bowl combine the cucumber and salt. 
• Cover and chili for 1 ½ hours. 
• Rinse under cold water and drain well. 
• Toss the cucumbers with onion. 
• Add the white vinegar, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar to a saucepan. 
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. 
• In a jar pack the cucumber and onion. 
• Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers. 
• Put the lid on. 
• Refrigerate for at least 2 days before eating. 
• Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

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