Refrigerator bread and butter pickles are easy to make at home with no canning required. Thin sliced cucumbers and onions are pickled in a sweet and flavorful brine in the refrigerator.
Ever wanted to make your own pickles, but didn't want to heat up your kitchen and spend the whole afternoon canning? You'll love these refrigerator bread and butter pickles because you only need ten minutes of prep to make two pint size jars.
The fresh and bright flavor of these homemade pickles is made with onions, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, and salt. Sugar is also added to make bread and butter pickles sweet, which sets them apart from the traditional dill pickle.
Add these homemade pickles to your next hamburger, BLT sandwich, or eat them straight out of the jar! If you like a little heat, you may enjoy my recipes for sweet & spicy pickles and spicy dill pickles.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Apple cider vinegar - Can be substituted with white vinegar.
- Cucumbers - Pickling cucumbers or any slicing/salad cucumber can be used in this recipe. You'll need about 1 pound of cucumbers.
- Onion - Adds flavor to your pickles, helping create that bread and butter flavor. I don't recommend omitting the onions.
- Granulated sugar - Adds sweetness, part of the classic bread and butter flavor. Sugar can be reduced slightly (by ¼ cup) for a slightly less sweet jar of pickles.
- Seasoning - Mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric add color and flavor to your pickles.
- Kosher salt - Can be substituted with sea salt or non-iodized table salt. Iodized salt can change the color and flavor of your pickles and is not recommended.
Cucumber types
Great news, you can pickle any type of cucumbers you have on hand. The best option is the pickling cucumber, which is grown for pickling. However, any cucumber will work.
I used an English cucumber for these pickles because it's what I had on hand. English cucumbers and slicing cucumbers produce a softer pickle, but otherwise taste the same.
Slicing cucumbers
I made thin, ⅛" thick pickles for this recipe. This size is great for adding on top of hamburgers. Feel free to slice them ¼" thick (or larger) if preferred.
For even vegetable slicing, I recommend using a mandoline slicer.
Jar size
This recipe makes 32 ounces of jarred pickles. Feel free to use any combination of these jar sizes:
- One quart size (32 ounce) jar
- Two pint size (16 ounce) jars (shown in the photos)
- Four half-pint (8 ounce) jars
Any clean jars you have on hand will work - as long as they seal tightly with a lid. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the recipe to fill randomly sized jars.
How long do refrigerator pickles last?
These refrigerator pickles will keep for up to two months stored in the refrigerator. Since they're not canned, they are not shelf stable and need to be stored in the refrigerator.
More recipes
📖 Recipe
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Pack two pint size jars with sliced cucumbers and onions. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add vinegar, sugar, water, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric. Whisk to combine.
- Heat to boiling and cook for 1 minute, or until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Pour liquid into jars to completely cover cucumbers and onions. Depending on how tightly packed cucumbers are, you may have leftover brine.
- Tightly seal and refrigerate for 2 days to allow cucumbers to pickle. Store pickles in refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Any cucumbers can be pickled. Pickling cucumbers produce a firmer pickle and slicing/English cucumbers produce a softer pickle.
- Your refrigerator pickles need to be stored in the refrigerator. Since they are not canned, they are not shelf-stable and need to be refrigerated.
- The cucumbers need 2 days to pickle in the brine before enjoying. They are edible immediately, but need at least 2 days of rest for best results.
- Kosher salt can be substituted with sea salt or non-iodized table salt. Iodized salt can change the color and flavor of your pickles and is not recommended.
I have made this recipe for a long time and I love it, but always wondered if you can process with actual canning methods so from the sound of your response you can…….what timings do you suggest?
I haven't personally tested this recipe with canning methods so I can't say for sure what times are needed.
Here's a recipe for canned bread and butter pickles that might be helpful for you: https://growagoodlife.com/bread-and-butter-pickles/
Thanks
Can these be frozen?
When frozen and thawed, cucumbers lose their crisp texture and get soggy and mushy, so I wouldn't recommend freezing pickles for that reason.
If reusing the brine do you have to boil it or reheat it again?
Hi Terry, no need to reheat the brine - we do that the first time to dissolve the sugar. As long as the brine doesn't look murky or cloudy, and still smells fresh, it's fine to use again once or twice.
Do you have to cook the sugar down, I always just stirred to dissolve cold. Can some one email an answer.
The only purpose of warming the brine on the stove is to dissolve the sugar. You're welcome to stir the cold brine until the sugar dissolves, or microwave in 30 second increments, instead of warming over the stove.
I really had high hopes for this. What is it supposed to taste like? Pickles? Because mine just tasted like cucumbers soaked in sweetened ACV. and it's been soaking for 5 days now.
Hi Arie, is it the flavor or texture that didn't turn out as expected for you? This recipe uses a brine, which is a solution of vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices. You may prefer pickles made by fermentation, which uses a salt solution and no vinegar. Homemade pickles have a firmer texture since they're refrigerated uncooked. Most store bought pickles are cooked to remove bacteria (to make them shelf stable), making them softer in texture.
Here's a fermented honey garlic pickle recipe that you may enjoy:
https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/honey-garlic-pickles/
Really easy and delicious
I want to make this recipe but what I have on hand is a red onion. Can I substitute?
Yes, red onions will work in this recipe. They may also give your pickles a light pink hue!
Can I substitute stevia for the sugar?
Hi Emily, I haven't tried using stevia in this recipe. However, a quick google search shows that it should work as a substitute in refrigerator pickles. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Does it matter what type of salt is used? Kosher, iodized, sea?
Hi Joanne, kosher salt, sea salt, or non-iodized salt will work best! Iodized table salt is not generally recommended for pickling because it can change the color and flavor of the pickles.
Can I make these without salt.
Hi Charlotte, I haven't tried this recipe without salt so I can't say for sure how they'd turn out. They may turn out a little more on the sweet side, since the salt helps cut through the sweetness. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Trying these for the first time today. Using my fresh onions too. I'm super excited!
What if I want to try one after a week? 😆 I don’t know if I can wait 4 weeks! I’ve never pickled anything before. This is my first year having a garden and as soon as I had enough cucumbers I found your recipe and went for it. I can’t wait to try them!
Hi Kelly, your pickles are ready after two days in the refrigerator!
Question ! If I seal the jars after using this recipe do they still have to be stored in the refrigerator? I’ve made a bunchhh!
If you sterilize the jars and use traditional canning methods, no, they do not need to be refrigerated. The only reason this recipe needs to be refrigerated is because you're not taking those extra steps to make the pickles shelf stable.
Awesome ! Thanks so much!
Heather,
You said you can use any type cucumber. Can you use a regular salad cucumber? Doesn't it have wax covering it?
Hi Sandy, salad cucumbers would work, they'll make a slightly softer pickle than a pickling cucumber. If your cucumber has a layer of wax on it, it's technically edible but can also be removed with a quick scrub before slicing.
If I water bathe these will they be shelf stable?
Hi Meg, I am not very familiar with canning so I can't say for sure. I'd follow a traditional canning recipe to be on the safe side!
I don't have any turmeric on hand - is there a good substitute?
Turmeric is used mainly for its color and a little earthy flavor. If you don't have any on hand it can be omitted from the recipe!
How long do these last in the refrigerator?
Hi Luann, these last for two months in the refrigerator.
Do you have to prep the cucumbers, such as a salt bath before hand?
Hi Pam, no prep required, your cucumbers go straight into the jars after slicing!
These are fantastic. I dont like mustard so I leave out The mustard seed. My question is when pickles are all gone Can i use this brine to go over newly sliced pickles? Thanks for a great easy recipe!
Hi Linda, I'm glad you enjoyed the pickles! Yes, the brine can be reused to make more pickles, as long as it doesn't look cloudy or murky. I'd say the brine could be reused 2-3 times as long as it still looks and smells fresh!