These old-fashioned bread and butter pickles have a crisp texture and a balanced sweet and sour flavor. The slightly sweet tangy flavor makes them perfect for topping your favorite burgers and sandwiches.
“I love pickles!” my husband 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 my husband if he wanted pickles with almost meal. I gave jars of pickles and relish away and still had shelves full years later.
Thankfully, I learned my lesson and now 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 who was like a Granny to many. I call this recipe Granny’s Bread and Butter Pickles in her honor.
Tips for Canning Bread & Butter Pickles
These old-fashioned bread and butter pickles are made from cucumbers, onions and pickling spices. They are tangy, sweet, and crunchy—a perfect addition to any sandwich, hamburger, or hot dog. Here are tips for home canning bread and butter pickles:
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.
Use pickling salt
Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents that can darken pickles and cause cloudiness in your jars. Instead, use pickling salt, which is also called canning salt.
Use commercial vinegar with at least 5% acidity
- Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples. It will darken your pickles slightly, but adds a nice flavor.
- White vinegar is clear vinegar made by distilling corn and rye. Choose an organic brand to avoid genetically modified corn.
Steps for Canning Pickles
If you are new to canning or haven’t canned in a while, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
A more detailed and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this article, but these are the general steps for making and canning bread and butter pickles:
Step 1: Gather your canning equipment
- Water bath canner with canning rack
- 5 pint sized canning jars
- Lids and bands (new lids for each jar, bands can be reused)
- Canning tools: 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
Step 2: Prepare your cucumbers and onions
Wash cucumbers well under running water and cut into 1/4-inch slices discarding ends. Peel onion and slice thinly.
Combine the cucumber and onions a large bowl. Scatter the canning salt over the top, cover with the ice and water, and let stand for about 3 hours.
Step 3: Prepare your canning equipment
Wash your jars, lids, bands, and canning tools in warm, soapy water. Rinse well, and set the lids, bands, and tools aside to air dry until you are ready to use them.
Setup your water bath canner with the canning rack on a large burner of your stove. Place the jars upright in the canner, and add water to cover. Bring the canner to a simmer (180˚F) for 10 minutes, and keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill them.
Step 4: Make the pickling brine
In a large pot, combine sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, ground turmeric, peppercorns, and vinegar. Heat just to a boil.
Drain and rinse the cucumbers and onions under fresh water. Add the drained cucumber and onion slices to the pot of pickling brine and return to boil. Reduce heat and keep warm as you fill your jars.
Step 5: Can the pickles
Lay a kitchen towel on the counter. Use the jar lifter to remove a hot jar from the canner, drain, and place on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner, so they stay warm.
Place the canning funnel on the jar, and add the warm pickles and brine to the jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Run the bubble popper through the jar to release any trapped air bubbles. Make sure all the pickles are submerged under the brine. Remove any that stick out, and adjust the headspace again if needed.
Wipe the rim with a damp towel to remove residue. Center a lid on the jar, place the band over the lid, and screw it on until fingertip tight. Place the jar back into the canner, and repeat with the rest of the jars.
Adjust the water level so it is covering the jars by several inches, bring the pot to a boil, and process the jars for the times indicated in the recipe below.
Let the jars cool, test the seals, label and date the jars, and store the canned pickles in a cool, dark location. Let the pickles stand for about 4 weeks to develop flavor.
Granny's Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pickling cucumbers
- 1 pound onions
- 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt
- 2 quarts crushed ice or ice cubes and water
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar 5% acidity (or white vinegar)
Instructions
Prepare your cucumbers and onions:
- 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.
Prepare your canning equipment:
- Wash your jars, lids, screw bands, and canning tools in hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly to remove all suds. Set aside to air dry on a clean kitchen towel.
- Place the jar rack into water bath canner, place jars in the canner, and add water to cover. Bring the canner to a simmer (180˚F) for 10 minutes, and keep the jars hot.
Make your bread and butter pickles
- 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.
Can your bread and butter pickles
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use the jar lifter to remove a hot jar from the canner, drain, and place on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner, so they stay warm.
- Use your canning funnel and ladle to pack the hot cucumbers and onions loosely into the jar. Ladle the hot brine over the pickles, and maintaining a 1/2 inch headspace.
- Run the bubble popper through the jar to release any trapped air bubbles. Make sure all the pickles are submerged under the brine. Remove any that stick out, and adjust the headspace again if needed.
- Wipe the rim to remove any residue, center a lid on the jar, and screw on a band until it is fingertip tight. Use your jar lifter to place the jar back into the canner, and repeat with the remaining jars.
- Once all the jars are in canner, adjust the water level so it is 2 inches above the jar tops.
- Cover the canner and bring to boil over high heat. Once water boils vigorously, continue boiling and process pickles for 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 feet. Adjust processing time for your altitude if necessary (See Note).
- When processing time is complete, turn off heat, remove the cover, and allow the canner to cool down and settle for about 5 minutes.
- Spread a dry kitchen towel on the counter. Remove the cover by tilting lid away from you so that steam does not burn your face.
- Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from canner and place on the towel. Keep the jars upright, and don't tighten bands or check the seals yet. Let the jars sit undisturbed for 12 to 24-hours to cool.
- 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 week.
- 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. Yields about 5 pints depending on the size of your cucumbers.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published July 5, 2015. It has been reviewed and 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 These Canning Recipes:
- 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.
Joy says
What are the best onions to use for the bread and butter pickles?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Joy, You can use any type of bulb onion you have on hand, including yellow, white, or red. All are all delicious when pickled. The brine mellows the flavor of even the most pungent onion.
Kevin Smith says
I just made my first batch with my own pickling cucumbers, I added a clove of garlic and some dill weed … hers hoping for the best !
©Rachel Arsenault says
Kevin, The waiting is the hardest part 🙂
Sherlynn says
Will the soaking help if the cucumbers are a little bitter?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Sherlynn, Yes, soaking in salted water does help improve bitter flavor in the cucumbers.
Vi Jacinto says
I made it yesterday can I put them in the refrigerator or outside and how will it last.
©Rachel Arsenault says
Vi, If you followed the recipe and processed the jars in a boiling water canner, the jars are shelf-stable and can be stored without refrigeration. Use within 18 months for the best quality.
Mary Dawson says
Do you submerge the cukes and onions with ice and water for 3 hours?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Mary, Yes, soak in salted ice water as described in the instructions under “Prepare your cucumbers and onions.” The soaking period helps drive out air and extra moisture in the vegetables, resulting in a crisper pickle.
michael veilleux says
I used this recipe and my pickles are tasty, but soft…..how can I get them crispy next time?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Michael, The best way to get crisp pickles is to use freshly picked, small pickling cucumbers. Trim off the blossom end of each cucumber to remove an enzyme that causes pickles to soften. You can also use a commercial product called, “pickle crisp” to your jars before processing. You can find containers with the canning equipment in the stores. However, even with all that, home canned pickles will be a bit soft because of the canning process. If you really want crispy pickles, try making refrigerator pickles.
Marti says
I find that adding fresh grape leaves to each jar ensures crisp pickles!
©Rachel Arsenault says
Great tip, Marti! Thanks for sharing.
Andrew Zibuck says
This is the one. Perfect balance.
Amanda Hood says
If you can’t access the cucumbers after 3 hours could they sit for 24? Something has come up and I don’t know if I can do them until tomorrow they are currently in the water.
©Rachel Arsenault says
Amanda, Pop them into the refrigerator and then pick up where you left off when you are ready to can the pickles.
AH says
Overall I think this is pretty good and had a nice sweet to vinegary balance but slightly too much turmeric for my taste. Though to be fair it was a brand new jar from the store so probably stronger than anything that’s been in the cupboard a while. Next time I’ll reduce it to 1/2 tsp. and see how it comes out.
©Rachel Arsenault says
AH, The turmeric flavor does mellow with time as the flavor of the pickles develops, but you can reduce it for your next batch if you are not a fan of the flavor.
Jessica says
This is my first time canning and I’m trying to figure out where I messed up. I have 6 pints of pickles but only enough juice for 2 pints? Any idea what I could’ve done wrong?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Jessica, I am guessing that something wasn’t measured correctly? 3 cups of vinegar is plenty of liquid for filling about 5 pint sized jars of softened sliced cucumbers and onions. Did you cut the cucumbers and onions in 1/4-inch slices? Did you soften the vegetables by simmering in the pickling brine before packing into the jars? The vegetables should have taken up the most volume in the jars, and then topped off with the brine. Feel free to drop me an email at Rachel (at) growagoodlife (dot) com and I’ll see if I can help.