Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe (Refrigerator or Canning)

Close-up of full quart jar of canned bread and butter pickles on a wooden cutting board with fresh pickles beside it.

4.48 from 23 votes

Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe (Refrigerator or Canning)

Bread and Butter Pickles are a classic sweet pickle recipe that you can make in the refrigerator or preserve with water bath canning for enjoying all year.

From: Ball® Canning

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Canning Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: (32 oz) quart jars

Calories: 1151kcal

Author: Cassie Johnston

Ingredients

3 ½ pounds pickling cucumbers about 14 small to medium
2 ½ cups white distilled vinegar 5% acidity
2 ½ cups granulated sugar or cane sugar
¼ cup Ball® Bread & Butter Pickle Mix

Instructions

Canning Directions

Slice ends off cucumbers, then cut into ⅛-inch to ½-inch slices.
Combine vinegar, sugar, and Ball® Bread & Butter Pickle Mix in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, but do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
Pack slices into a hot jar, leaving a ½ inch headspace. Ladle hot pickling liquid over slices, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim, and center lid on the jar. Apply band and adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed. For best flavor, allow pickles to stand for 4-6 weeks.

Refrigerator Pickles Directions

Slice ends off cucumbers, then cut into ⅛-inch to ½-inch slices.
Combine vinegar, sugar, and Ball® Bread & Butter Pickle Mix in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Pour hot pickling liquid over cucumber slices in a large bowl. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Pack cucumber slices into quart size jars. Ladle pickling liquid over cucumbers. Place lids and bands on jars.
Refrigerate pickles. For best flavor, allow pickles to stand in refrigerator for 3 weeks.

Video

Notes

This recipe scales easily, so you can make as many pickles as you have cucumbers!
Can’t track down Ball® Bread & Butter Pickle Mix? No worries. Replace the mix with ½ cup pickling salt, 2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon celery seeds, and 1 teaspoon ground turmeric. For pickle crispness, add in 3 teaspoons of Ball® Pickle Crisp® or another calcium chloride additive.
To adjust processing time for altitude: add 5 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 ft; 10 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 ft; 15 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 ft; 20 minutes for 8,001 to 10,000 ft.

Nutrition