These Bread and Butter Pickles are so tasty and easy to prepare! Ideal to add to sandwiches or burgers, or served alongside grilled meats or vegetables. They make a fabulous edible gift and are great to have on hand!
Why we love this recipe:
I grew up spending a lot of time in the kitchen with my Grandma, Great Aunt and Mum. Recipes passed down through generations are my favourite, and this recipe is something my Grandma made frequently.
Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles are a real delight. To say they are superior to store-bought is not an exaggeration, and it is such a great way to use up an abundance of quality, fresh produce.
These pickles are my favourite to serve on a delicious burger – I think the pickles might actually be the best part!
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Cucumbers – use the freshest you can find, and ensure they are free from blemishes. Pickling or baby cucumbers are ideal for this recipe.
Brown Onion – enhances the flavour of the pickles, and is delicious to enjoy with them.
Salt – ensure you use cooking salt or sea salt, as regular table salt may contain caking agents and is much stronger. We use the salt in this recipe to draw out the excess moisture from the cucumbers and soften the brown onions.
Apple Cider Vinegar – a great vinegar to use for pickling due to its fruity flavour that complements the cucumbers and spices.
Sugar – regular granulated sugar works fine. It helps to preserve the pickles and balances the flavour. Caster/Superfine sugar is also fine to use.
Turmeric – provides vibrant colour to the Bread and Butter Pickles, and enhances the flavour with its earthy qualities.
Mustard and Coriander Seeds – provides a boost of flavour to these delicious pickles, and are ingredients my Grandma always used in hers!
Step by Step Instructions:
Start by sterilising your jar or jars (see how to do this below).
- Wash and dry the cucumbers. Remove the top and end. Cut thinly – approximately 1/2 cm thick. Thinly slice the brown onion.
- In a large bowl, add the cucumbers, onion and salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Tip the cucumbers and onions into a colander and drain the excess liquid.
- In a non-reactive pan, place the vinegar, sugar, turmeric, coriander and mustard seeds. On medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes once the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the cucumbers and onions to the pickling liquid, and allow them to sit in the saucepan for 5 minutes.
- Pour the pickles and liquid into your sterilised jars, and cool on your kitchen bench before refrigerating.
Tips for Success and FAQs:
When making your own pickles and preserves, always ensure you are sterilising the jars you will store them in. This is very simple to do:
- Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well.
- Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts.
- Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and leave the jars for 15-20 minutes.
Some cucumbers are specifically grown to be made into pickles. These smaller cucumbers are firm, meaning they retain good shape when pickled. For my pickles, I have used homegrown mini Lebanese Cucumbers. They are sweet and have a great crunch.
Stored in the fridge, the pickles will last for about 3-4 months. They are best consumed within the first three months for the best texture and taste. The longer you keep the pickles, the softer they will become.
We also have recipes for Spicy Cucumber Pickles and Dill Pickled Cucumbers. Enjoy these!
More recipes for you to try:
Once you start making your own preserves and pickles, it is hard to go back to store-bought!
Try these recipes also for more inspiration:
- Preserved Chillies in Oil
- Apricot Jam
- Plum Jam
- Japanese Pickled Ginger (Gari)
- Fresh Peach Chutney
- Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Balsamic Glaze
- Pickled Daikon
- Beetroot Pickled Turnips
I hope you’ll give my Grandma’s recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles a try – I would love to know what you think in the comments below!
Alex xx
Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients
- 400 g baby/pickling cucumbers See Note 1
- 1 medium brown/yellow onion
- 1 1/2 tbsp coarse salt See Note 2 and 3
- 1 cup (250 ml) apple cider vinegar See Note 4
- 1 cup (225 g) sugar
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
Instructions
To Sterilise the Jars:
- Sterilise the jar or jars you'll be using to store the pickles. Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts. Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and place the jars in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
For the Pickled Cucumbers:
- Wash and dry the cucumbers. Remove the top and end.Thinly slice – approximately 1/2 cm thick.
- Peel a brown onion, and remove the tip and root end. Cut the onion in half, and thinly slice into half moons.
- In a large bowl, add the cucumbers, onion and salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Tip the cucumbers and onions into a colander and drain the excess liquid.
- In a non-reactive pan, place the vinegar, sugar, turmeric, coriander and mustard seeds. On a medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, simmer the liquid for 3 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add the cucumbers and onions to the pickling liquid, and allow them to sit in the saucepan for 5 minutes.
- Pour the pickles and liquid into your sterilised jars, and cool on your kitchen bench before refrigerating.
Notes
- I have used baby Lebanese Cucumbers in this recipe. Baby/pickling cucumbers are best to use for the size and crispness.
- Ensure you use cooking salt or coarse sea salt, as regular table salt may contain caking agents and is much stronger.
- The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In most other countries the tablespoon is 15ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust your measurements accordingly.
- I have used apple cider vinegar in this recipe, however, you can also use distilled white vinegar.
- Non-reactive saucepans are those which are ceramic, stainless steel, glass or enamelled cookware. Copper, iron and aluminium pans are reactive. Acidic foods, such as lemons, may take on a metallic taste and discolour if cooked in such pans.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on the entire jar, and you will not be consuming the pickling liquid.
Nutrition
I’ve been learning so much about pickling from your recipes this year and have been looking forward to trying this ever since I saw it. Well, I have to say this is my all time favorite pickle recipe! I had no idea the turmeric was what gave it that gorgeous hue. I added this to homemade burgers and my husband and children loved it. They even asked for more because it was so good! Thanks for sharing all these amazing pickling recipes. Looking forward to trying the spicy pickles next! 🙂
Hi Maria, thank you for your fantastic feedback regarding our pickle recipes; I am delighted to hear that you have been enjoying them and look forward to hearing how you enjoy the Spicy Pickles – they are a favourite of mine. 🙂
These are incredibly delicious – yum!
Thank you!
I LOVE pickels and this is the perfect recipe to make a small batch at home. Delicious!
Thank you so much, Emily!
You spelled sterilize wrong.
Hi Mary!
That is how it is spelt in British English/Australian English.
We are based in Australia 🙂
Kind regards, Alex
These are so easy, and I really love the addition of turmeric!
Thank you, Taleen!
Just like my grandma’s pickles and easy to make!
Hi Michele, how nice that these are similar to your grandma’s pickles. Food can evoke many memories. 🙂
My only advice? Keep your husband away from these pickles if you want any for yourself!! They were very popular and I will be making another batch soon.
Jenni
That is great to hear, Jenni! You’ll have to make a separate batch for you next time 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!!
Love these and won’t be buying pickles anymore with this simple recipe!
That is what I like to hear! Thank you, Raquel!
I LOVE pickles and these homemade ones are so much better than bought! I am going to make them to give as gifts this Christmas too!
Hi Robyn!
Thank you – I am happy you enjoyed this recipe and giving these as a Christmas gift is a great idea!
This is amazing! I just made bread and butter pickles the other day and this recipe is easier than the one I used. It is also much tastier. Thank you – I will use your recipe from now on!
I am thrilled to hear this, Rachael! Thank you so much 🙂
I love these pickles. I could snack on them all day long!
Thank you so much, Sue!