Name: Garlic Dill Bread and Butter Pickles
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds pickling cucumbers (thinly sliced); 1 large sweet onion (thinly sliced); 2 tablespoons kosher salt; 2 cups white vinegar; 1 cup apple cider vinegar; 1¼ cups granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon celery seeds; ½ teaspoon turmeric; 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced); 2 tablespoons fresh dill (chopped); 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

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My grandmother kept a pickle crock on her back porch every single summer, and I swore up and down as a kid that I hated pickles. Too sour, too weird, too much vinegar smell wafting through the kitchen window. Then one August afternoon, she handed me a slice straight off the cutting board — still warm from the sun, coated in this sweet, garlicky brine — and I remember standing there in her driveway just… stunned. That was not the pickle I thought I knew.

That’s exactly what garlic dill bread and butter pickles do. They flip the script. You get that classic bread and butter sweetness, but garlic and dill push it into something savory and a little bit bold. I’ve been making my own version for almost ten years now, and it’s the recipe I hand out more than any other when someone brings me a basket of cucumbers from their garden and says, “Help, what do I do with all these?”

If you’ve only ever had store-bought pickles, you’re in for a genuinely different experience. Homemade ones taste alive.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No canning equipment required — this is a fridge pickle recipe, so no pressure canner, no water bath, no fear of botulism nightmares.
Ready to eat in 24 hours, though they get better every day after that.
Budget-friendly — a few cucumbers, some pantry spices, and you’ve got a jar that would cost you $8 at a fancy grocery store.
Endlessly snackable — great on sandwiches, burgers, cheese boards, or straight out of the jar standing over the sink (no judgment here).
Forgiving recipe — you can’t really mess this up, and I’ll tell you why below.

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Ingredients

For the pickles:

2 pounds pickling cucumbers (Kirby cucumbers work best — avoid waxy grocery store cucumbers; they turn mushy)
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
6-8 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons kosher salt (for the initial salting step)
2-3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (or 4-5 whole dill heads if you can find them at a farmers market)

For the brine:

2 cups apple cider vinegar (white vinegar works too, but cider vinegar adds a nice mellow tang)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon turmeric (this gives that classic golden color)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but I always add it)

You’ll also need a couple of clean quart-sized mason jars or one big container with a tight lid. I use Ball jars because they’re what my mom always had in the cabinet, but any glass jar with a good seal works fine.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Slice your cucumbers (15 minutes). Wash the cucumbers well and slice them into rounds about ¼ inch thick. I use a mandoline for even slices, but a sharp knife and a steady hand do the job too. Toss them into a large bowl with the sliced onion.

Step 2: Salt them down (1-2 hours). Sprinkle the kosher salt over the cucumbers and onions, then toss to coat everything evenly. Let this sit at room temperature for at least an hour. You’ll see water pooling in the bottom of the bowl — that’s exactly what you want. This step draws out moisture so your pickles stay crisp instead of turning soft and sad.

Step 3: Rinse and drain. Drain the cucumbers in a colander and give them a quick rinse under cold water to remove excess salt. Shake off as much water as you can, then pat them dry with a clean towel.

Step 4: Make the brine (5-8 minutes). In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seeds, celery seed, turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Bring it to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar fully dissolves. The brine should look glossy and smell sharp and sweet.

Step 5: Pack the jars. Layer the cucumbers, onions, chopped garlic, and dill into your jars. Don’t be shy with the garlic — it mellows out significantly once it sits in the brine.

Step 6: Pour and cool. Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, making sure everything is fully submerged. Let the jars cool on the counter for about 30 minutes before sealing with the lid.

Step 7: Refrigerate and wait (the hard part). Pop the jars in the fridge. You can technically eat these after 24 hours, but honestly, they taste dramatically better after 3-4 days once the flavors have had time to mingle.

Pro Tips & Tricks

Don’t skip the salting step. I tried once, in a rush, and the pickles came out limp and watery. It genuinely makes all the difference for crunch.
Use the smallest cucumbers you can find. Bigger cucumbers have more seeds and a mushier texture once pickled.
Let the brine cool slightly before pouring if you want your pickles extra crunchy — pouring it boiling cooks the cucumbers a bit more than pouring it warm.
These keep for about a month in the fridge, though mine never last that long.
Save the leftover brine. Once the pickles are gone, use it to quick-pickle a fresh batch of onions or even hard-boiled eggs.

Variations & Substitutions

Want it spicier? Add a sliced jalapeño or a few extra pinches of red pepper flakes right into the jar. It adds a nice slow heat that builds the longer they sit.

If you’re not a fan of onion, you can leave it out entirely and just double up on the garlic and dill — still delicious, just a slightly different flavor profile.

For a lower-sugar version, cut the sugar down to 1 cup. It won’t taste identical to classic bread and butter pickles, but it’s a nice lighter alternative if you’re watching your sugar intake.

Serving Suggestions

These pickles are incredible piled onto a burger or tucked into a pulled pork sandwich. I also love laying a few slices next to a sharp cheddar on a cheese board — the sweet-tangy-garlicky combo cuts through rich cheese beautifully.

They’re a great addition to a summer barbecue spread, or honestly, just a jar in the fridge for whenever you want something crunchy and a little addictive.

FAQs

How long do these pickles last in the fridge?

They stay good for about 4 weeks stored in a sealed jar in the fridge, though the texture is best in the first two weeks.

Can I use regular cucumbers instead of pickling cucumbers?

You can, but the texture won’t be as crisp. Pickling cucumbers have thinner skin and less water content, which helps them stay crunchy.

Do I need to can these for long-term storage?

No — this is a refrigerator pickle recipe, not a shelf-stable canning recipe. If you want to store them at room temperature for months, you’d need to follow a tested water-bath canning process instead.

Can I make these ahead of time for a party?

Absolutely, and I’d actually recommend it. Making them 3-4 days ahead gives the flavors time to develop fully.

Why did my pickles turn out soft instead of crunchy?

This usually happens if the salting step gets skipped or cut short, or if the cucumbers used were too large or waxy.

Can I freeze bread and butter pickles?

I don’t recommend it — freezing breaks down the cucumber’s cell structure and turns them mushy once thawed.

Final Thoughts

There’s something so satisfying about pulling a jar of these out of the fridge a few days after making them and watching people’s faces when they realize you made pickles yourself. It feels like a little bit of kitchen magic, honestly.

Give this one a try, and let me know how yours turn out. And if you end up doubling the garlic like I always do, you’re my kind of pickle person.

Uzma Pretty