These refrigerator bread and butter pickles are made entirely in the fridge overnight and perfectly crisp, sweet, and tangy. Perfect for using up a bounty of cucumbers!
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This recipe is brought to you courtesy of my mother’s numerous-and-simultaneously-exploding cucumber plants because right now it’s literally us vs. cukes in a battle to use them all.
The cucumbers were winning for a bit there but then these bread and butter pickles happened and we pulled ahead.
Now it’s just a race to eat all the pickles as fast as humanly possible.
These are just so so GOOD, you guys. Bread and butter pickle lovers listen up, cause you’re gonna want in on this pickle magic.
These Bread and Butter Pickles Feature…
- A perfectly crisp texture
- Sweet and tangy bread and butter pickle flavor
- Only 7 ingredients to make
- No canning involved because your fridge does the work!
Making the Bread and Butter Pickles
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cucumbers
- Sweet onion
- Kosher salt
- Sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Mustard seeds
Choosing Your Cucumbers
Both seed-in and seedless cucumbers will work great for this recipe. If you can, try to find medium-sized cucumbers so you get uniform, one-bite sized pickles.
I typically use six medium cucumbers in this recipe. Anywhere from 8-10 cups of sliced cucumbers will work perfectly.
When slicing your cucumbers, try to slice them as thin as possible. Thinner cucumbers = crispier pickle.
Tips for Perfect Refrigerator Pickles
- Soak cucumbers + onion in salt – we’re going to soak the cucumbers and onion slices in 3 tablespoons kosher salt for about 1 hour. This salt soak will draw the water out of the cucumbers, as well as flavor them. Once they’ve soaked for an hour, rinse cucumbers well with cold water.
- Make brine and cool – the pickle brine consists of apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and mustard seeds. The brine gets cooked on the stove just until the sugar dissolves. Cool the brine at least 30 minutes before proceeding with the last step.
- Divide cucumbers between jars – you can brine the cucumbers in one half gallon jar or several pint jars. Pour the brine over top, screw lids on jars, and transfer to refrigerator.
- Refrigerate pickles 12 hours – don’t skimp on the chill time! These pickles need at least 12 hours to develop that signature bread and butter flavor.
How to Store Pickles
I recommend storing these pickles in mason jars for easy storing and serving. Pickles will keep well in refrigerator up to 1 month. Make sure you keep them in their brine so they maintain their flavor and texture.
Can These Pickles Be Canned?
This is one of the most common questions I get with this recipe. The short answer is, I have not tried it myself, but I have heard from several readers who have had success canning these pickles.
If you would like to try canning this recipe, I would strongly recommend reading this canning guide first to learn how to can safely.
Serving Suggestions
These pickles are great at any cookout alongside grilled meats and salads as a side dish. They’re also great in a salad or piled on a sandwich such as pulled pork or chicken.
These pickles though, y’all. They’re sweet, tangy, crispy, and 100000% the type of pickle you just eat straight outta the jar. Trust me, you’ll be glad this makes a huge batch!
I love giving these pickles away for gifts in the summer, but I always make sure we have at least one jar on hand in the fridge. Priorities, y’all, the pickle addiction is REAL.
Save this recipe for later using the ‘save to recipe box’ button. If you make it, please let me know by leaving a comment + star rating below the recipe card. This only takes moments and helps support my website so much!
More ways to use up those cucumbers!
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
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Ingredients
- 6 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced (8-10 cups)
- 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons mustard seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss cucumbers and onion with salt. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
- Remove cucumbers from refrigerator and rinse with cold water several times. Drain cucumbers, then divide between several pint jars (or a half gallon jar)
- Combine sugars, cider vinegar, and mustard seeds in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool 30 minutes.
- Pour an equal amount of cooled brining liquid over cucumbers. Seal jars and chill in refrigerator overnight, at least 12 hours. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was updated with new photos and tips 6/30/21
Portia Edwards says
I am a diabetic how much can I cut back on the sugars before I lose flavor? I like this because I can remake it quickly for my grandson who lives with me and loves pickles
Sarah says
Hi Portia! We haven’t tested this recipe with less sugar, but you can certainly experiment! I would recommend starting with half the amount of sugar the recipe calls for and tasting the brine and adding more as needed. Good luck!
Denise says
Absolutely love these pickles. Have you ever used a canner for this recipe? I would love to have these pickles throughout the year to enjoy.
Sarah says
Hi Denise – unfortunately we don’t have experience canning this particular recipe but I included a canning resource in the blog post I would highly recommend you check out if you’re interested in canning these pickles!
Dawn says
Can I use white Vinegar instead of Apple Cider Vinegar
Sarah says
Yes you can!
Mel says
Try monk fruit sugar. I believe it is very low on the glycemic scale for diabetic use. Just a thought
Denise says
To get that extra crunch add an oak leaf to your jar before sealing it. It works!
Sarah says
I’ll have to try that next time!! Thanks for the recommendation, Denise ☺️