Learn how to make old fashioned bread and butter pickles. This is my grandmother's recipe that has been passed down in my family for three generations. It makes a brine from scratch with herbs and spices for a delicious bread and butter pickle canning recipe.

Best Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe for Canning

Bread and butter pickles are, in my opinion, the best kind of pickle. You can eat them with almost anything. I usually put a jar on the table with dinner as a little side dish no matter what we are having.

Since this is the best bread and butter pickle recipe, I recommend using the best quality herbs and spices. I get mine from an Amish bulk food store, but you can order them online.

I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs. They have great prices, but they do charge shipping. For smaller quantities, try Mountain Maus Remedies or Grassroots Herb Supply.

I make a lot of things from scratch, so I keep a pretty large selection of herbs and spices. See what are my essential herbs and spices that I always have in my pantry.

For more canning recipes, check out these posts:

Keep track of your favorite canning recipes with my printable canning journal.

Why Do They Call It Bread and Butter Pickles?

I'm not really sure why they called bread and butter pickles. I always thought it was because the flavor or this canning bread and butter pickles recipe goes well with so many different foods. Therefore, you can serve them with most meals, like you would bread and butter.

I've also heard that they were often traded for staples like bread and butter when times were tough. Another theory is that people at them on bread with butter as a cheap sandwich.

Whatever the reason, they are delicious!

Love these pickles but don't want to can? Make a refrigerator bread and butter pickle recipe.

What is the Difference Between Dill Pickles and Bread and Butter Pickles?

Both dill pickles and this old fashioned bread and butter pickles recipe have vinegar, mustard seed, and onions. A traditional dill pickle recipe is made with dill and usually garlic, so those are the dominant flavors.

A bread and butter pickle canning recipe, however, has sugar for sweetness to balance the vinegar. I also add turmeric, cloves, and green peppers for more flavor.

The herbs and spices come together for a delicious flavor that gets better after this canning bread and butter pickles recipe sits.

Are Sweet Pickles the Same as Bread and Butter Pickles?

This bread and butter pickle canning recipe is a type of sweet pickle thanks to the sugar in the brine. However, it's not the same as a sweet pickle that you'd buy from the store.

Can I Can Bread and Butter Pickles?

Yes, you can use water bath to processing a canning bread and butter pickles recipe. It has plenty of acid in the vinegar to be a safe recipe for home canning.

For more information about safe canning, read these 11 canning mistakes that can kill you.

If you're new to canning, be sure to check out my canning supplies for beginners. If you have problems with canning jars not sealing, here are some reasons why.

If you don't want to water bath your pickles to process them to be shelf stable, then you can make refrigerator garlic dill pickles.

Do You Have to Refrigerate Pickles After Canning?

Once you process these old fashioned bread and butter pickles in a water bath canner and the lids seal, they are shelf stable for 18 months.

You can store them on the shelf until they are opened. Then they need to be stored in the refrigerator.

How Long Should You Want to Eat Bread and Butter Pickles After Canning?

For best flavor, let this bread and butter pickle canning recipe sit for a month before eating. I know it's hard to be patient that long, but they really do taste better after sitting.

How Long Do Home Canned Bread and Butter Pickles Last?

As long as the lid seals properly after processing, you can store jars from canning bread and butter pickles recipe on the shelf for up to 18 months.

Once they are opened, plan to eat your pickles in two months or sooner. I recommend making pints if you have a small family or think you can't eat a quart in two months.

Best Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe Tips

Here are some tips for making the best bread and butter pickle recipe for canning:

Bread and butter pickles have to be water bath canned to be shelf stable.
The cucumber slices need to soak for three hours before you make the brine and fill the jars, so plan accordingly.
Rinse the cucumber slices really well after soaking or you will end up with very salty bread and butter pickles.
Use pickling cucumbers for best results. They are smaller and firmer and hold up to the heat of canning better.
Use fresh cucumbers if possible. If you have to buy them or pick them the day before, cut off 1/4 inch of the blossom end and store the cucumbers in the fridge.
Use pickling salt and not table salt. You can substitute kosher salt. However, table salt can turn the pickles a darker color and make the brine muddy.
Canning recipes are not always exact because it depends on how much room your food takes up in the jars and other factors. I'm always prepared to make extra brine if necessary.
The cucumber slices will shrink in the jar, so really pack those slices in the jar.
Label your jars easily with these printable canning jar labels.

Bread and Butter Pickle Canning Recipe Ingredients

You will need the following th make the best bread and butter pickle recipe for canning:

(makes 2 quarts)

16 cups thin sliced pickling cucumbers
8 small white onions, sliced thin
2 green peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 red peppers
1/2 cup picking salt
4 cups of ice
5 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons mustard seed
5 cups white vinegar
Pint jars
Rings and lids

How to Make the Best Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe for Canning

Step #1

Wash and sterilize your jars. Place them in the water and into the water bath to keep them warm. Wash the cucumbers and cut into very thin slices. You can use a mandolin to save time. and get uniform slices. Cut the onions into small strips and cut the peppers into small pieces.

Step #2

Combine 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup pickling salt. Pack the ice around the cut cucumbers, onions, and green peppers. Let soak for three hours. (Note that I took the photo in a plastic bowl, but I had to move them to a metal pan with a lid because it was too cold for the bowl.)

Stir every half hour or so to make sure the salt reaches all of the cucumber slices.

Step #3

After three hours, drain the vegetables in a colander. Rinse well. Rinse the veggies over and over until all of the salt is gone. To make sure the salt is gone, taste test a cucumber slice. If it's still salty, keep rinsing.

Step #4

Once the vegetables are completely rinse from the salt, you can start to make the brine. To do this, bring 5 cups of sugar, 5 cups of white vinegar, ground turmeric, ground cloves, and mustard seed to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 5 minutes.

Step #5

While the brine is heating up and boiling, empty the water from the jars into the canner and place empty jars on the counter. The fill with sliced cucumbers and the cut vegetables. The cucumbers will shrink as you process the bread and butter pickles , so really pack them in tight.

Step #6

Pour the brine over the sliced cucumbers in the jars. Leave a 1/2 inch head space.

Step #7

Pour the brine over the pickles leaving 1/2 inch head space. Give the pickles a water bath in boiling water for 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts. Then turn off the heat and remove the lid from the canner. Let sit for 5 minutes before using a jar lifter to carefully remove the jars and set them down to cool off completely.

These these old fashioned bread and butter pickles sit for a month before enjoying.

Now you know how to make the best bread and butter pickle recipe for canning.

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Old Fashioned Bread and Butter Pickles Canning Recipe