Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe

Sweet, sour, and tangy, crunchy bread and butter chips are the perfect accompaniment to burgers, barbecue, and practically any sandwich you can dream up.

By
Marisa McClellan
Marisa McClellan
Marisa McClellan is a food writer, canning teacher, and the voice behind the long-running food blog Food in Jars. She is the author of Food in Jars (2012), Preserving by the Pint (2014), Naturally Sweet Food in Jars (2016), and The Food In Jars Kitchen (2019).
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Updated August 04, 2023
A pint-sized canning jar full of bread and butter pickles.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

Why It Works

  • Tossing the prepared vegetables with salt draws out moisture, resulting in a crisper texture.
  • A homemade pickling spice mix and a healthy proportion of onion and red bell pepper add extra flavor to this classic sweet pickle.

Sweet pickles. You either love them or you call them an abomination to all pickle-kind. I'm something of a fan myself and feel that any well-stocked pickle pantry is incomplete without a few sweet options to balance out all that unadulterated tartness.

Four cucumbers on a cutting board.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

Most years, I make a couple small batches of classic bread and butter pickles to eat with tuna salad or tucked into a post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich (don't knock it, it's a delicious combination).

I've been told that bread and butter pickles got their name from the role they played during lean times. Tucked between buttered slices of brown bread, even the smallest sandwich had the ability to satisfy your taste buds and leave you feeling as if you'd had a filling meal.

Sliced cucumber in a measuring cup, ready to pickle.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

Before You Get Started

If you've never had a homemade sweet pickle, I implore you to try a batch. They're not painfully sweet in the way that the grocery store version is. This recipe might just make a believer out of you!

A mix of sliced onion, bell pepper and cucumber in a yellow bowl.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

I make these pickles in small batches, because I buy my ingredients at the farmers' market. However, if your garden is bursting with cucumbers, peppers and onions, feel free to double or triple this batch.

After the vegetables are all sliced, you salt them generously and let them sit. The salt helps drain out the water and makes for a crisper pickle. In the recipe I say to just let them sit for an hour. However, in the past, I've salted them just before bed and kept them in the fridge all night. If that helps make them more manageable for you, feel free to do it that way.

June 2012

Recipe Details

Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 20 mins
Active 60 mins
Resting Time 60 mins
Total 90 mins
Serves 16 servings
Makes 2 pints
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups thickly sliced pickling cucumbers (8 to 10 pickling cucumbers)

  • 1 cup sliced red bell peppers (about 1 small)

  • 1 cup sliced onion (about 1 medium)

  • 2 tablespoons pickling salt

  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

  1. Combine the sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, onion, and pickling salt in a colander set in a large bowl. Refrigerate for one hour to remove excess liquid. Meanwhile, prepare two pint jars and a small canning pot. Rinse vegetables and discard liquid.

  2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a large pot. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the mustard seeds, celery seeds, red pepper flakes and cloves. Increase the heat to high and bring the brine to a boil.

  3. Add the drained vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, until all the vegetables in the brine are fully heated through. Using tongs, fill the sterilized jars with the vegetables. Slowly pour the hot brine over the vegetables in each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

    A canning jar filled with the vegetables and brine, ready to be fitted with a lid, secured with a ring, and processed.

    Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

  4. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.

  5. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Let these pickles cure for at least 48 hours before eating.

Special Equipment

Pint-sized canning jars with lids and rings, equipment for boiling-water bath canning

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
54Calories
0gFat
13gCarbs
1gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories54
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 414mg18%
Total Carbohydrate 13g5%
Dietary Fiber 1g2%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 13mg67%
Calcium 14mg1%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 101mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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