Capsaicin Free Bread and Butter Pickles
Tangy, sweet, and deeply satisfying, these homemade bread and butter pickles are the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — burgers, sandwiches, cheese boards, you name it. The brine is a double-vinegar blend of white wine and apple cider vinegar, balanced with sugar and warmed by mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric, giving each jar a gorgeous golden hue and complex flavor. The red pepper flakes listed in the recipe are explicitly marked optional, so you can simply leave them out and get every bit of that classic sweet-tangy punch without any capsaicin concern. Salting the cucumbers and onion first draws out excess moisture, which means the brine penetrates deeply and the pickles stay satisfyingly crisp rather than soggy. Store-bought versions almost always include chili-based ingredients or vague spice blends that make label-reading a chore, so making your own puts you fully in control of what goes into the jar. The whole process is straightforward enough for a beginner, and within a couple of hours you'll have two pints of bright, glossy pickles ready to pull from the fridge whenever the craving hits.
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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)
Can be omittedred pepper flakes
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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