Crunchy Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe

Ever since my high school best friend, Danielle, introduced me to bread and butter pickles, I’ve been enamored by them. That was decades ago but the jarred sweet, crunchy pickle was not just tasty, it reminded me of Vietnamese pickles. In the main, Viet pickles are neither tart nor assertive. They are friendly, and meant to be practically eaten like a ready-made salad or side dish. When Danielle shared a few slices from the jar of Vlasic bread and butter pickles, I took note of the brand. 

Back then, my family couldn’t afford many commercial products but I watched enough 1970s and 1980s television to know about the Vlasic stork mascot on commercials. The cheery stork delivered crunchy pickles whenever he appeared. I thought the crunch was magical and when I was in college, I would splurge on a jar of Vlasic bread and butter pickles. Sometimes I bought Mrs. Fanning's bread and butter pickles (Omar and Cora Fanning were among the early producers of the pickle.)

Securing Affordable Bread and Butter Pickles

Trouble was, there wasn’t really that much pickle in the jar. I’d tear through its contents in a few days. I didn’t think I could make anything that could rival Vlasic or Mrs. Fanning's bread and butter “chips”. Like Heinz ketchup, the pickle seemed so iconic, perfect and mysterious. I was fine leaving it as a purchased product. That is, until the mid-1990s, when I happened upon a used copy of James Beard’s American Cookery, which schooled me on a lot of American classics, including bread and butter pickles. 

Turns out that bread and butter pickles are easy peasy. You can make them from small zucchini and other kinds of cucumber, but pickling cucumbers work best. I’ve been making these pickles over the years and added my own Viet touch to create an extra crispy pickle.

Strategically Select and Trim Cucumbers

Summertime is when our farmer’s markets become loaded with cucumbers. Hmong growers bring in pickling cucumbers as well as other kinds. I look for heirloom varieties too. When selecting the cucumbers, choose ones of mostly equal size. I avoid super big ones because they tend to be too seedy. If you decide to use non-pickling cucumbers, make sure they have relatively thick skin. For example, Armenian cucumbers are great but tough to source, unless you grow them. Persian cucumbers may be a little too tender. Whatever cucumber you choose, wash them well and when trimming, cut off a bit of the tips – blossom and stem ends. 

Salt and Sugar for Crunch

Most recipes for bread and butter pickles call for salting the cucumber and onion. I find that approach to yield too soft of a pickle for my taste. I use a combination of salt and sugar for a crunchier finish. I often use salt and sugar in my Viet cucumber salads to craft a crisp texture and so I applied that technique to my bread and butter pickles. The vegetables will release only so much water so I ended up leaving this batch sitting for about twelve hours (I was deep into editing my book the day I made the pickles). 

Play with the Spices

Beard’s original recipe included mustard seed, celery seed and cayenne. But I’ve added other spices in my larder. You can play with it so long as you remember that the spices will flavor a relatively sweet brine. The cucumber and onion sit in what I can best describe as a tangy, spicy simple syrup. There’s a nearly 1-to-1 ratio of vinegar and sugar. 

Can the Pickles or Not?

I have canned these pickles before but honestly, I eat them too fast to warrant the time it takes to can them. Either way, I use a canning funnel to easily transfer the hot pickle and brine to the jars. Pickles are a terrific gift so go ahead – sterilize, fill and process jars full of your homemade Bread and Butter Pickles! Your friends and family will appreciate the gift.

Pickle Relish Recipe

While you're in the cucumber pickling mood -- if you're like me -- you'd make a batch of pickle relish too! Here's the sweet pickle relish recipe I use.

Print Recipe

Bread and Butter Pickles

I use Heinz white vinegar for a bright flavor. If you use organic sugar, weigh it because it’s a bit heavier than conventional white sugar. This makes about 8 cups.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread and butter pickle, cucumber pickle

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pickling cucumbers
• 2 small yellow onions (8 oz total)
• 3 ½ tablespoons fine sea salt or uniodized table salt
• 2 ½ tablespoons and 1 ⅓ cups (10.5 oz) granulated sugar
• 1 ⅓ to 1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
• Rounded ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoon mustard seed, or rounded ¾ teaspoon ground mustard
• ¾ teaspoon coriander seed
• ¾ teaspoon black peppercorns optional
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 2 Thai or small serrano chiles
• 1- inch cinnamon stick (optional)

Instructions

• Trim the blossom and stem ends from each cucumber, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a large bowl. Slice the onions slightly thicker than the cucumber (halve the onion, before slicing, if you like). Toss with the salt and 2 ½ tablespoons sugar. Set aside, uncovered for 3 to 12 hours, to allow the vegetables to release liquid.
• Rinse and drain the cucumber and onion well. Ready one 2-quart glass jar or two 1-quart jars. Set near the stove with a canning funnel.
• In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, combine the remaining 1 ⅓ cups sugar with enough vinegar for sweet-tart flavor. Add the turmeric, mustard, coriander, peppercorns, red pepper flakes and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the cucumber and onion to the pot. When bubbles appear at the edge of the pot (a sign that it’s returning to a simmer), remove from the heat.
• Transfer the cucumber, onion and pickling brine to the jar(s), pushing down the solids. There should be enough brine to barely or just cover the veggies. Partly cover, let cool for about 30 minutes, then cap and refrigerate overnight before eating. )Both the cucumber and onion are delicious.)

Notes

Mustard powder clouds the brine a bit but that does not affect the pickle flavor. 

When scaling this recipe up, use a larger pot.