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Bread-and-Butter Pickles

By Melissa Clark

Updated July 14, 2025

Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 50 minutes plus 2 hours’ refrigeration
Rating
4(784)
Comments
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For these pickles, I spiced up classic, sweet bread-and-butter slices with allspice and coriander. Generally, the smaller the cucumbers, the more crisp the pickles will be. I used very small Kirby cucumbers, and a month later mine still crunch with each bite.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1 quart
  • 1pound Kirby cucumbers
  • 2tablespoons coarse kosher salt
  • 3large sprigs fresh dill
  • ¼cup light brown sugar
  • ⅓cup cider vinegar
  • 2teaspoons coriander seeds
  • ½teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ¼teaspoon allspice berries
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

40 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 223 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Trim ends from cucumbers and slice into ¼-inch-thick rounds. In a colander set over a plate, toss them with salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours. Drain and transfer cucumbers and dill to a bowl.

  2. Step 2

    In a small saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, coriander, peppercorns and allspice. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar dissolves. Pour hot liquid over cucumbers and toss well. Let stand, tossing every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
784 user ratings
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Comments

GWPDA

These are best made by microwave: a layer of cucumber slices, covered with the spices, sugar and vinegar. Heat on high for 3 minutes - stir - repeat twice. Jar. Will keep practically forever.

Best alternative - bread and butter jalapenos. Slice jalapenos as for cumcumbers, proceed as shown. Cowboy Candy!

Sue L

A long-overdue PS/question (easy as these are, I don't make 'em often): Why pour the hot pickling liquid over the cukes in a bowl to cool and then jar 'em? Simply put the sliced cukes in your jar of choice, pour on the liquid, and let cool, cover tightly, and into fridge.

Casey Jones

I'd suggest upping the brine ingredients slightly, it wasn't quite enough for the 1 lb of cucumbers.

Leah

So happy with how these turned out! Like other comments below - I increased the volume of liquid so the cucumbers were closer to being entirely covered.

Phen

why does it say refrigerate for up to one week and in the description the author says they're still crispy after one month?

Kluski

I think she means they have the best taste starting at one week, but these kinds of fridge pickles usually last a long time in the fridge, sometimes months. I agree it's confusing.

bobby

I never add my brine hot to refrigerator quick pickles. I sterilize the jars but no hot brine. Cooled brine helps maintain crispness. Hot brine makes no sense IMO. Perhaps the hot brine penetrates the slices better but crispness goes away. Fresh from the garden is the most important key to crispness.

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