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Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

Homemade Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles have an addictive sweet and tangy flavor. They make a fabulous addition to any meal but, particularly in the summer months when fresh cucumbers are in abundance. This particular recipe requires no canning, and they can be kept for up to one month when stored properly. The flavor becomes even more robust with each passing day.

Bread And Butter Refrigerator Pickles

Easy Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles Recipe

How Did Bread and Butter Pickles Get Their Name? In short, it’s widely believed these pickles got their name during the Great Depression. Cucumbers were easy to grow, and were served on sandwiches with bread and butter for an inexpensive meal. Cucumbers would grow all Summer than at the end of the season, they were pickled to last through the Winter months. Bread and butter pickles are still made today, for all of those same reasons but primarily, because they’re simply delicious. How to make Bread and Butter Pickles: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Cucumbers – Thoroughly clean and trim the ends of the cucumbers then slice.
  • Layer – Layer the cucumbers and sliced Vidalia onion in a large glass, stoneware or stainless steel bowl.
  • Make Brine – On the stovetop combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Combine – Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers and onions.
  • Cover – Place a plate on top and press to weigh down the cucumbers keeping them covered with the brine. Cover tightly.
  • Refrigerate – Chill for 24 hours, then stir. Keep chilled, and gently stir once per day for one week.
  • Store in tightly sealed jars in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Bread And Butter Refrigerator Pickles

How to Make the BEST Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Bread and Butter Pickles: 8-9 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers, 1 jumbo Vidalia onion or two medium, granulated sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, fresh dill and garlic cloves.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: A large deep heavy bottomed pot or saucepan, sharp knife and cutting board or a food processor to prep the cucumbers and onion, measuring cups and spoons, a large non reactive bowl for storing in the refrigerator and a plate to weigh the pickles down keeping them covered with the brine at all times.
  • You’ll note that refrigerator don’t go through the classic canning process. They can be stored for several weeks tightly sealed in the refrigerator. Emphasis on “tightly sealed.”
  • A nonreactive bowl in this instance refers to a glass bowl or a stainless steel bowl. Copper wouldn’t be suitable for this bread and butter pickles recipe.
  • Traditionalists may insist that cucumbers should be soaked for 24 hours prior to pickling in cold water with a crisping agent such as pickling lime. It’s been my experience, that if the are super fresh, this step isn’t necessary.
  • I use my food processor to slice the uber thin, which is our preference, but you can adjust the thickness and slice them to the size that you like.
  • They’re delicious served on their own as a side dish or on sandwiches, subs, burgers, or as the name states, with bread and butter.
  • Store Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 month
Bread And Butter Refrigerator Pickles

More Southern Style Condiments and Pickle Recipes to Make

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Bread And Butter Refrigerator Pickles

Prep Time20 minutes
Chill time1 day
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: Bread-and-butter-refrigerator-pickles, refrigerator-pickles
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 292kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 8-9 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
  • 1 jumbo Vidalia onion quartered & thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups white distilled vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp celery seed
  • 2 tsp mustard seed
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes [more or less to your taste]
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Thoroughly clean and trim the ends of the cucumbers then slice. [1/4″ or thinner]
  • Layer the cucumbers and sliced Vidalia onion in a large glass, stoneware or stainless steel bowl.
  • On the stovetop combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers and onions.
  • Place a plate on top and press to weigh down the cucumbers keeping them covered with the brine. Cover tightly.
  • Chill for 24 hours, then stir. Keep chilled, and gently stir once per day for 1 week. The pickles become more flavorful the longer they sit.
  • Store in tightly sealed jars in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Notes

The longer these pickles sit in the brine the more flavor they absorb. Slice them to your preference, but keep in mind, the thinner the pickle, the more quickly it will absorb the flavors of the brine.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 890mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

14 Comments

  1. Made a batch of these pickles and had to make a second one the next day. Can’t wait to share them with my neighbors. Make them with fresh cucumbers from my neighbors garden.
    Delicious! Thank you for sharing.

  2. 5 stars
    I’ve had these in my fridge for a few days and they are going FAST. My kids are eating them as snacks!

  3. Te only difference to can them is sterilize the jars…15 min. in boiling water and then 15 min hot water bath. I pull the jars out of the sterilizing water fill, put on the lids and put them right back in for 15 min.

  4. I love making bread and butter pickles. This recipe seems super easy except for one step. Instead of keeping the cucumbers in the brine mixture in a large bowl in the fridge for 24 hrs why not put them in jars right away covered with the brine mixture?

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