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! Looking for a substitute for mustard seeds? This article has some great suggestions.
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 ½ 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.  Â
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
Recipe Measurements:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results.
Ingredients
- 400 g baby/pickling cucumbers See Note 1
- 1 medium brown/yellow onion
- 1 ½ tablespoon coarse salt See Note 2 and 3
- 1 cup (250 ml) apple cider vinegar See Note 4
- 1 cup (225 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoon 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 ½ 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 seal. Cool the jars on your kitchen bench before refrigerating.Once cool, your pickles are ready to consume. The flavours will develop further in 24-48 hours.
Video
Notes
- I have used baby Lebanese Cucumbers in this recipe. Baby/pickling cucumbers are best to use for the size and crispness.Â
- Ensure you use cooking salt or coarse sea salt, as regular table salt may contain anti-caking agents and is much stronger.Â
- 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.Â
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
James
Hello!
Thanks for the recipe, very easy to follow and just batched up 2 x 300gm jars. It might be worth adding to the notes how long (or most optimal time) to leave them in the jars before consuming?
I have read on other recipes to rinse the cucumber and onion after leaving them for 4 hours in the fridge, to moderate how salty they are. I didn’t do it with this recipe, but I don’t think it will matter too much…
Last tip from me is I added a secret weapon… Sprig of dill to each jar 😉
Cheers!
Alexandra
Hey James,
Thanks for trying the recipe!
Your pickles are good to go once they’re cooled – the flavours will develop over time, but they’ll be delicious the same day. I’ll add a note to the recipe card confirming this.
No need to rinse the pickles – this helps keep them crisp and aids in the preservation. Rinsing them would also add the moisture back in that you have extracted with the salt.
Dill is a great addition – we do this in our Dill Pickled Cucumbers. 🙂
Enjoy your pickles! Cheers, Alex
Margaret Emil
Hi Alexandra,
Just clarifying, in your notes, about the size of a tablespoon. Does this mean you have used the Aussie measure of 20ml for a tablespoon?
Cheers
Gert
Alexandra
Hi Gert!
That is correct – the 20 ml tablespoon 🙂
Thanks! Alex
Connie
I have just finished bottling my first batch of cucumbers. They look delicious. How soon can we eat them?
Can’t wait to try them
Connie
Alexandra
Hi Connie!
You can eat them as soon as they’re cool, but I would recommend leaving them a day or two to really let the flavours develop.
I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Kind regards, Alex
Connie
Thank you!
Jo-Ann Dunlop
Delicious, I have made this and given to colleagues and they love it, said they would even pay for it.
Thanks for the recipe the Turmeric really makes a difference
My go to recipe now for when I have too many cucumbers
Alexandra
Hi Jo-Ann, thank you so much for your lovely comments on the Bread and Butter Pickles. I am delighted that you and your friends enjoy them and I appreciate that you took the time to let me know. 🙂
Fil
Can the pickles be stored for longer in a cupboard or do they have to be refrigerated? I have excess amounts of cucumbers and would like to preserve them
Alexandra
Hi Fil, the recipe is not designed for long term preservation of the cucumbers as the flavour and texture would diminish over time. We definitely recommend that they be refrigerated. If you are wanting to store pickles longer term, I recommend that you look for a recipe that would be more suitable. I hope this helps. Kind regards, Alex 🙂
Maria
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! 🙂
Alexandra
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. 🙂
Evelyn Brock
The pickles are. Superb, do you also substitute yellow squash for the cucumbers?
My grandmother used to make this same recipe with yellow squash and I found it delicious!
Alexandra
Hello Evelyn, I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Bread and Butter Pickles. I haven’t tried using yellow squash with this recipe, as your grandmother did, but it’s a great idea. Thank you for your comments, I do appreciate them. 🙂
Audrey
Hi there, how long do the pickles keep in the refrigerator?
Alexandra
Hi Audrey!
3-4 months, but we recommend 3 months for the best texture. See the “tips for success” section of the blog post for all the info on storage 🙂
Kind regards, Alex
Dennis
These are incredibly delicious – yum!
Alexandra
Thank you!
Emily Flint
I LOVE pickels and this is the perfect recipe to make a small batch at home. Delicious!
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Emily!
Mary
You spelled sterilize wrong.
Alexandra
Hi Mary!
That is how it is spelt in British English/Australian English.
We are based in Australia 🙂
Kind regards, Alex
Taleen | Just As Tasty
These are so easy, and I really love the addition of turmeric!
Alexandra
Thank you, Taleen!
Michele Peterson
Just like my grandma’s pickles and easy to make!
Alexandra
Hi Michele, how nice that these are similar to your grandma’s pickles. Food can evoke many memories. 🙂
Jenni
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
Alexandra
That is great to hear, Jenni! You’ll have to make a separate batch for you next time 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!!
Raquel
Love these and won’t be buying pickles anymore with this simple recipe!
Alexandra
That is what I like to hear! Thank you, Raquel!
Robyn
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!
Alexandra
Hi Robyn!
Thank you – I am happy you enjoyed this recipe and giving these as a Christmas gift is a great idea!
Rachael
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!
Alexandra
I am thrilled to hear this, Rachael! Thank you so much 🙂
Sue
I love these pickles. I could snack on them all day long!
Alexandra
Thank you so much, Sue!