These bread and butter pickles have a crisp texture and a balanced sweet and sour flavor. The sweet and tangy crunch is irresistible.
“I love pickles!” Kevin said as I planned the garden soon after moving to our property.
With this in mind, I planned on growing a bunch of pickling cucumbers. I was not a fan of pickles, so normally I grew only a few cucumber plants to eat fresh and in salads. However, this was the year I acquired a lot of canning jars, and I was determined to fill each one with garden grown goodness.
Cucumbers ended up exceeding my expectations that year and were my most prolific producers. I barely kept up with processing them into endless batches of pickles. I made bread and butter pickles, kosher dill pickle spears and sweet pickle relish from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.
Soon my shelves were filled with jars and jars of pickles. We had so many pickles that I began asking Kevin if he wanted pickles almost with every meal. I gave jars of pickles and relish away and still had shelves full years later.
Thankfully, I learned my lesson and only plant just a few cucumber plants to provide enough for fresh eating and a few batches of canned pickles and relish.
I have never been a big fan of pickles until I tried this recipe from a dear friend. I call this recipe Granny’s Bread and Butter Pickles. These bread and butter pickles are a perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors. They are perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or snacked right out of the jar.
Tips for Canning Bread & Butter Pickles
Cucumbers: Select crisp, freshly harvested pickling cucumbers. Pickling cucumbers are short, thin skinned cucumbers that are primarily used for processing or pickling. Skip the waxed cucumbers at the grocery store. The wax prevents the pickling liquid from penetrating the cucumber.
Canning Salt: Be sure to use pickling salt also known as canning salt. Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents that can darken pickles and cause cloudiness in your jars.
Vinegar: Use commercial vinegar with at least 5% acidity. Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples and adds some nice flavor. It will darker your pickles slightly.
White vinegar is clear vinegar made by distilling corn and rye. Choose an organic brand to avoid genetically modified corn.
Equipment for Canning Bread & Butter Pickles
- Water bath canner
- 8 pint jars
- Lids and bands
- Canning tools: lid lifter, jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
- Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large sauce pot, large bowl, small pot, towels, knife, and a cutting board
These bread and butter pickles are a perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Perfect for topping your favorite burgers or adding to salads.
- 6 pounds pickling cucumbers
- 2 pounds onions
- 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
- 2 quarts crushed ice or ice cubes and water
- 2 cups cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 4 cups apple cider vinegar 5% acidity (or white vinegar)
Wash cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch slices discarding ends. Peel and thinly slice onions. Combine sliced cucumber and onions a large bowl.
Sprinkle canning salt over the top of the cucumbers and onions, cover with ice and water, and let stand for 3 hours.
Wash your jars and lids in warm, soapy water and rinsing thoroughly.
Place jar rack into water bath canner, set jars in the canner, add water to cover jars, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.
Warm your lids in a small pot of water over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm until ready to use.
In a large pot, combine sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, ground turmeric, peppercorns, and vinegar. Heat just to a boil.
Drain and rinse the cucumber and onions under fresh water. Add the drained cucumber and onion slices to the large pot and return to boil. Reduce heat and keep warm as you fill your jars.
Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove the warm jars from canner. Drain and line up the jars on the towel.
Use your canning funnel and ladle to, add the hot cucumbers and onions loosely into hot jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Ladle the hot liquid over the pickles maintaining 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles with the bubble popper and wipe the rims. Use your magnetic lid lifter to lift lids out of the warm water, center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it is fingertip tight.
Using jar lifter, place jars carefully into water bath canner on the jar rack leaving space in between them. Once jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is 2-inches over the tops of the jars. If adding water, use the hot water from your small pot.
Cover the canning pot and bring the water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Process pickles for 10 minutes.
When processing time is complete, turn off heat and allow the canner to cool down for 5-minutes. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use a jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Allow the jars to cool for 12 to 24-hours. You should hear the satisfactory “ping” of the jar lids sealing.
After 12 to 24-hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate jar and use up within a few days.
Remove the screw on bands and wash the jars. Label and date the jars. Store in a cool, dark location. Allow 4-5 weeks for the pickles to develop their flavor. Use within a year.
This recipe was originally published July 5, 2015. It has been updated with additional information and new photos.
If you know someone who doesn’t like pickles, let them taste these pickles. Granny’s Bread & Butter Pickles are so sweet that it may just convert them into a pickle lover too.
Canning Resources
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
- Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
- Storing Home Canned Goods – National Center for Home Preservation
- Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Canned Foods – National Center for Home Preservation
You May Also Like:
- Spiced Apple Jelly Recipe with No Added Pectin
- How to Can Carrots for Food Storage
- Homemade Applesauce for Canning
- Crabapple Jelly with No Added Pectin
- Seasoned Tomato Sauce for Home Canning
Good planning is key to a successful vegetable garden.
Whether you are new to growing your own food or have been growing a vegetable garden for years, you will benefit from some planning each year. You will find everything you need to organize and plan your vegetable garden in my PDF eBook, Grow a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden.
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Tiffany
I made a batch and cracked open a jar after about 5 days to taste as I didn’t want to make a bunch more just to not like them and have them go to waste. (This was my 1st time making pickles and really getting into the canning process.) I found them to have good flavor but still be pretty tart/”vinegary” for being bread and butter flavor. I have read that the longer you let them sit, the more the vinegar will mellow out… But would adding 4 weeks on top of the almost week that they sat really mellow that tartness out that much? Or is there something I should try differently to make them not so “vinegary?” Thanks!
©Rachel Arsenault
Tiffany, The vinegar flavor does mellow and balance out over time, usually in 4-5 weeks. Apple cider vinegar is milder than distilled white vinegar.
However, if you open a jar and still think it tastes too vinegary after waiting, you can still tinker with it by adding a little sugar syrup to the jar and refrigerate for a few days.
To make the sugar syrup, boil up some sugar syrup (1:1 water:sugar). Stir in a tablespoon per jar, refrigerate, and taste the next day. Add more if it is still too vinegary.
Susanna Banche
Is it OK to leave the cucumbers and onions in thepickling salt water longer than 3 hours? You never know when life gets in the way and things pop up.
I’ve tried this recipe before and they were great!!
©Rachel Arsenault
You sure can! Just refrigerate it to keep everything cool.
Laurie-lee
I was so happy to see a familiar old time recipe. We can’t wait to see how they turn out. Thanks! We’ll keep you posted.
Ruthie
Thank you for sharing this recipe and lots of helpful insights and instructions.
Billy
How long do these pickles last after you let them develop their flavor for 4-5 weeks? Thank you for sharing! This looks like a great recipe.
©Rachel Arsenault
Properly stored preserved foods are best eaten within a year of canning for the best quality. For more info visit the National Canning website: http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_canning.html#5
David Pizappi
Do I use white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar
©Rachel Arsenault
David, Either one will work.:)
Cheryl Mitchell
How do you keep pickles crisp ?
©Rachel Arsenault
Cheryl, Funny you should ask this right now. The last batch of pickles I made had some that were soft and I think I know why. I saved up my cucumbers until I had enough for a batch of pickles. Fresh cucumbers work better and stay crisper when pickled. For the best results, harvest your cucumbers early in the morning and pickle them within a few days. Also be careful not to simmer them too long.
Peg
Should a person add extra processing time for high altitude? I live in denver area of colorado.
©Rachel Arsenault
Peg, Yes you should adjust for altitude. Here is an Altitude Chart from Ball: http://www.freshpreserving.com/sites/default/files/AltitudeCharts.pdf
Patti
This is a great recipe and great instruction. Thanks for sharing. My great aunt always made the best bread and butter pickles. She used a recipe similar to this only she also put in some thinly sliced green bell peppers. So good! I would sit and eat them straight out of the jar when I was a kid, and she didn’t catch me doing it. Ha Ha. Thanks again for sharing your great recipe and experience.
Margy
My dad is the one who made bread and butter pickles in our family. We didn’t have a garden in the city, so he got them at the store. They were the best tasting pickles I can remember. – Margy
daphnegould
I like dill pickles better than sweet pickles for most things. But I do love to mix sweet pickles into things like tartar sauce. Or into tuna salads.