Xanthan Gum Free Bread and Butter Pickles
Sweet, tangy, and just a little spicy if you want them to be, these 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 beautifully balanced blend of white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric, giving each slice that classic golden hue and that irresistible sweet-sour punch. Store-bought pickles can be a minefield of unnecessary additives and thickeners, but this recipe keeps things completely clean — just real vegetables and a straightforward spiced brine. Salting the cucumbers and onion first draws out excess moisture, which means your pickles stay crisp rather than turning soft and waterlogged in the jar. The whole process is surprisingly hands-off, and within a couple of hours you'll have two jars of glossy, translucent pickles ready to pull from the fridge. They only get better as they sit, so if you can resist cracking one open immediately, a day or two of patience is well rewarded.
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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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