Bread and Butter Pickles: Easy Recipe, History & Facts

Omar and Cora Fanning of Illinois filed the first recorded trademark for “bread and butter pickles” in 1923, naming their creation after the budget-friendly sandwiches that kept Depression-era families fed. The recipe predates that trademark — rooted in home-canning traditions — but the appeal has endured: sweet, tangy, crunchy cucumber slices that transform a plain sandwich into something people remember.

Key Ingredients: Cucumbers, onions, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds ·
Texture: Crunchy ·
Flavor Profile: Sweet and salty ·
Common Uses: Burgers, salads, sandwiches

Why are they called bread and butter pickles?

The name traces back to Omar and Cora Fanning of Illinois, who filed the first recorded trademark for “bread and butter pickles” in 1923. Saveur reports that the label described what these pickles were typically paired with on the American table — thin-sliced cucumber pickles layered between buttered bread as a budget-friendly meal during the Great Depression.

Depression-era context

During the 1930s, meat and protein were expensive, so families stretched their food budgets with simple sandwiches. Sliced pickled cucumbers, soft white bread, and salted butter made for a filling meal at a fraction of the cost of meat. Bubbies notes that the original Depression sandwiches typically used garlicky fermented dill pickles rather than the sweet kind — but over time, the term “bread and butter pickles” settled on the sweeter, sugar-brined variety.

The Depression-era connection is part of why the recipe has stayed popular: it’s a home-preservation technique that turns a large cucumber harvest into something that lasts months in the pantry. Saveur notes that some of this history is hearsay from blogs rather than primary documents, so while the Depression-era context fits the period, the exact details of the original sandwiches remain a little fuzzy.

What is the difference between bread and butter pickles and regular pickles?

Bread and butter pickles stand apart from standard grocery-store pickles in two key ways: they are sweet rather than sour, and they are almost always sliced thin for use in sandwiches and burgers rather than eaten whole.

Canning Diva points out that standard US pickles are primarily vinegar-and-salt-brined cucumbers with dill and garlic — a sharply sour profile. Bread and butter pickles add sugar to the brine, plus onions and spices like mustard seeds and turmeric, which turn the slices a distinctive yellow and give them a round, mellow flavor.

Vs dill pickles

Dill pickles and bread and butter pickles are almost opposites. Dill varieties lean on garlic, dill weed, and often fermentation for a sour, tangy bite. Bread and butter pickles swap the dill for mustard and celery seeds and load the brine with sugar, producing a sweet-salty balance. Canning Diva explains that the sugar isn’t cosmetic — it balances the acidity and creates the signature mellow finish that makes these slices work on a burger without overpowering the meat.

These three pickle types differ most noticeably in their brine, flavor, and typical uses.

The implication: if your sandwich gets toasted or cooked, reach for dill. For cold sandwiches where the bread stays soft, bread and butter pickles add flavor without competing with the other ingredients.

Bread and butter pickles recipe

The standard old-fashioned recipe makes roughly 6 pints and takes two days, mostly hands-off. Frugal Farm Wife’s recipe starts with salting rather than fresh packing, which draws water out of the cucumbers and ensures they stay crunchy after canning.

Ingredients list

• 3 quarts pickling cucumbers (small, firm ones — sometimes labeled “mini cucumbers”)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pickling salt (non-iodized)
• 2 cups ice
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Optional: 1 garlic clove per pint jar

Step-by-step instructions

Slice cucumbers into thin rounds or half-moons. Layer the slices with onion, sprinkle with pickling salt, and cover with ice. Refrigerate overnight — typically 12 to 18 hours — then drain and rinse the slices twice to remove excess salt. That Skinny Chick Can Bake confirms this double-rinse step is essential for a clean, not overly salty finished product.

Combine both vinegars, sugar, and spices in a pot and bring to a boil. Pack the cucumber and onion slices into clean pint jars, pour the hot brine over them, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Quart jars need 15 minutes at the same temperature. After processing, seal the jars and let them cool upside down for 2 minutes — the inversion-seal method noted by Frugal Farm Wife — then store upright. Wait 7 days before opening to let the flavors develop.

Easy quick method

If you do not want to mess with water bath canning, the refrigerator method skips the processing step entirely. That Skinny Chick Can Bake’s easy version uses 2 pounds cucumbers, 8 pearl onions, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups white vinegar, and the same spice blend — just slice, salt, drain, and pour hot brine over everything in a large container. Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours before eating. These keep up to 2 months in the fridge but do not shelf-stable.

Old fashioned version

The most traditional approach adds a step: The Good Hearted Woman’s recipe incorporates sweet peppers and grape leaves alongside the cucumbers. Grape leaves contain natural pectin and help maintain crunch even after processing. Some cooks also add a small amount of pickling alum or calcium chloride for the same reason. This version processes pints at 180 to 185°F for 15 minutes rather than the standard boiling water bath time.

Is eating bread and butter pickles good for you?

The nutritional profile of bread and butter pickles largely depends on whether they are fermented or just vinegar-brined. Traditionally canned bread and butter pickles use an acidic vinegar brine, which means no live probiotics — the lacto-fermentation that makes natural dill pickles good for gut health does not happen in most commercial and home-canned sweet pickle recipes. Canning Diva notes that UK sweet pickles can include fruits and vegetables in a chutney-style preparation, which changes the sugar and fiber content compared to US versions.

Nutrition facts

Bread and butter pickles are low in calories — roughly 10 to 15 per serving — but they carry significantly more sugar than dill pickles because of the sugar in the brine. A typical serving of canned bread and butter pickles delivers around 5 to 8 grams of sugar per ounce, depending on the recipe. The vinegar base means some antioxidant benefit from the acetic acid, and cucumbers contribute small amounts of vitamin K.

Health benefits and risks

On the positive side, the vinegar in bread and butter pickles may support blood sugar regulation when consumed with meals, and the cucumber base keeps sodium levels manageable compared to many commercial condiments. Canning Diva confirms that UK sweet pickle styles — which often resemble Branston-style chutneys — can include fruits and vegetables that add fiber and micronutrients.

The main health consideration is the sugar content. For anyone monitoring carbohydrate intake, bread and butter pickles represent a notable sugar source that dill pickles do not. The trade-off is clear: you gain the mellow, sweet flavor and the crunch, but you pay for it in added sugar compared to a zero-sugar dill pickle.

Where to buy bread and butter pickles?

Finding bread and butter pickles outside the United States requires knowing what to look for, because the terminology shifts. In the UK, what Americans call bread and butter pickles are typically labeled “sweet pickle” or “sweet relish,” and they often have a more chutney-like consistency than their US counterparts. Canning Diva notes that British sweet pickles use more sugar and often include fruits, making them closer to Branston-style condiments than to classic American bread and butter pickles.

UK availability

Several UK retailers stock products labeled “bread and butter pickles” or equivalents. Saveur’s reporting identifies specialty producers like the Crooked Pickle Co. importing or manufacturing bread and butter pickles specifically for the UK market. Aldi has carried a product called Great Gherkins under its everyday range, which serves a similar role as a sweet pickle for sandwiches and ploughman’s lunches.

If you cannot find a product labeled “bread and butter pickles,” look for sweet pickle relishes in the condiment aisle. The flavor profile — sweet, tangy, thin-sliced cucumber — is the identifying marker regardless of the label. Major UK supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose stock various sweet pickle options, though exact availability varies by season and location.

Aldi and other stores

Aldi’s Great Gherkins have been a recurring stock item, though not all locations carry them consistently. For the most reliable access to actual US-style bread and butter pickles in the UK, specialty food shops, farmers’ markets, and online retailers catering to American Pantry staples offer the best selection. Chef Trisha Gordon’s 2024 recipe, adapted from the Bernardin cookbook for UK home cooks, demonstrates that the British adaptation — using brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and ginger — produces a product that fits UK palates while still capturing the sweet-salty character of the original.

What this means: home-canning gives you control over every variable that store-bought versions sacrifice — sweetness level, crunch intensity, and spice balance — and the Fannings’ 1923 insight still holds: bread and butter pickles work because they make simple food worth eating.

“Sliced pickled cucumbers layered between two slices of buttered bread was, allegedly, a Depression-era staple.”

— Saveur food journalist

“This fun play on the popular sweet pickle is a deeper colored version using brown sugar in place of white.”

— Canning Diva home-canning expert

“Brown sugar and ACV are going to lend more complex flavour to the final product.”

— Chef Trisha Gordon recipe developer

Related reading: Chicken and Corn Soup – 30-Minute Instant Pot Recipe

Bread and butter pickles, born from 1920s frugality as detailed in the NZ Reporters guide, blend sweet vinegar brine with mustard seeds and turmeric for enduring appeal.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Saveur
• Canning Diva
• Frugal Farm Wife
• Chef Trisha Gordon
• That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• The Good Hearted Woman
• Bubbies
• Quick Pickle Kit
• YouTube recipe video