Beef Free Bread and Butter Pickles
Crisp, tangy, and just a little sweet, these homemade bread and butter pickles are the kind of condiment that quietly steals the show on any plate. English cucumbers get salted and softened before being packed into jars with thinly sliced onion, then bathed in a warm brine of white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. That golden brine is what gives these pickles their signature color and that irresistible sweet-sour punch. The whole process is straightforward — no canning equipment, no complicated technique — just a saucepan, a couple of mason jars, and a little patience while they chill. Since every ingredient here is plant-based and naturally free of any meat-derived components, there's zero guesswork about what's actually in the jar. Store-bought pickle brands can sometimes include unexpected additives, so making your own means you know exactly what you're eating. Pile them on sandwiches, burgers, grain bowls, or cheese boards — honestly, once you taste how good fresh pickles can be, the store-bought version is going to have a hard time competing.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 ½ lbs english cucumbers (about 2 medium), sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
For the brine
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp celery seeds
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the sliced cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the kosher salt, toss to coat, and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature until the cucumbers have released their liquid and softened slightly.
- 2
Drain the cucumbers and onion in a colander, rinse briefly under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Pack them tightly into two clean pint-sized mason jars.
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