Pickled Red Onions are a beautifully bright and nutritious way to add some tanginess to any food. Learn How to Make Pickled Red Onions easily and with only a handful of ingredients.
There is something special about these pickled onions. It may be their tangy, but sweet burst of flavor. Maybe it’s that crunch you get while biting into these delicious rings. Or it could just be that they are such a bright, vibrant shade of pink.
Whatever it is, me and my family thoroughly enjoy these crisp onions.
I’ve been known to eat these right out of the jar, they are that good and a little addictive. My daughter (the vinegar lover/condiment queen) will do the same. She LOVES these and will randomly snack on them throughout the day. Which may be a little bizarre for an 8 year old. She also loves pickled carrots!
Health Benefits of Red Onions
Red Onions are super healthy. They contain an antioxidant that can help your body reduce inflammation and take care of your immunity. They can also be a natural antibacterial and reduce your risk of getting cancer.
Is This A Quick Pickle Recipe?
Yes, this is a quick pickle recipe, just like this carrot pickle recipe. The key is to get your onions sliced very thinly so that the vinegar can soak in to them quickly. You can achieve this easily with a very sharp knife or use a mandolin. I like that with a food mandolin, you can set the blade to the thickness you want.
These red onions will be ready in about 30 minutes after you put them in the refrigerator.
What do Pickled Red Onions Taste Like?
This flavorful onion condiment tastes like red onions but with some tanginess. They have a peppery but sweet flavor with a bit of bite. They still have the crispness of a raw, red onion.
How Long do Pickled Red Onions Last?
These onions will last about 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, if you can get them to last that long. Our family eats these pretty quickly.
What Can I Put These Pickled Onions On?
I like that pickled onions are so versatile, you can put them on just about anything. They are delicious on:
- Tacos
- Burgers
- Nachos
- Fish
- Burritos
- Salads
- Sandwiches
Pickled Red Onions Ingredients
- Onion: Use one large red onion.
- Vinegar: I used distilled white vinegar.
- Salt: I like using sea salt.
- Sugar: I used granulated white sugar.
How to Make Pickled Red Onions
- Peel off the dry skin of the red onion. Using a very sharp knife or mandolin, cut into 1/8th inch slices.
- Put the sliced onions in the jar.
- In a small pot, heat the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar for about two minutes at a simmer.
- Pour the liquid into the jar of onions.
- Let the jar come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) then put in the refrigerator.
- Enjoy after 30 minutes in the fridge.
Pickled Red Onion Recipe Tips
- Put the jar of onions in the sink while pouring in the hot liquid.
- Use a fork to shove as many onion slices as you can into the jar and also remove any air bubbles after you pour in the vinegar mixture.
- Make sure to slice the onions very thinly, I like to set the mandolin to 1/8th of an inch or use a very sharp knife.
- Pack and store the pickled onions in glass or ceramic jar. Plastic will absorb the flavors of the vinegar and onion.
- Top off your jar of onions with more vinegar to make sure they are completely submerged.
- This is not a canning method, so these onions won’t last in the pantry for a long period of time and need to be refrigerated.
Pickled Red Onions Variations
- Make these without sugar to make these pickled red onions sugar free. Add in 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice to combat the vinegar.
- You can use a variety of vinegars. Use apple cider vinegar (Braggs is my favorite) instead of white vinegar, or use a 50/50 combination of the two.
- Use different sugars such as maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar (may turn your pickling liquid a brown color).
- Add sliced garlic to your onion jar.
- Add in spices like peppercorn, dill, or oregano.
- Make these pickles onions spicy by adding in sliced jalapeños.
Storage Instructions for Recipe
- How to Refrigerate Pickled Onions: Let the jar of onions cool completely before refrigerating them. They should last about 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
Try these red onions with other recipes!
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How to Make Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Peel off the dry skin of the red onion. Using a very sharp knife or mandolin, cut into 1/8th inch slices.
- Put the sliced onions in the jar.
- In a small pot heat the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar for 2 minutes at a simmer until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Pour the liquid into the jar of onions.
- Let the jar come to room temperature for about 30 minutes then put in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before enjoying
Notes
- Put the jar of onions in the sink while pouring in the hot liquid.
- Use a fork to shove as many onion slices as you can into the jar and also remove any air bubbles after you pour in the vinegar mixture.
- Make these without sugar to make these pickled red onions sugar free. Add in 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice to combat the vinegar.
- Pickled onions will last 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
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These are da bomb! I want to add it as a topping on everything!
We love these on top of sooo many things too! Thank you so much Leah ☺️
Delicious!! I made this as a topping for pork belly tacos this evening. I also used this recipe with shredded cabbage, the tang is so good. These pickled onions would go great on hamburgers, salads, and sandwiches.
I love your tip about adding some cabbage in there, too. I’m going to try that the next time I make these! Thanks so much, Leila, it makes me happy that you really enjoyed these.
These tasted pretty good but I would have liked them better if the onions had been softer. I read a recipe on another site that adds a step of adding boiling water to the jar (over sliced onions), leaving it for 10 minutes and then pouring it out before adding water/vinegar/sugar combo. I think I will try that next time to soften the onions. Otherwise, this was a good and simple recipe. I used them with your black bean soup recipe and got more positive comments on that recipe than any other vegetarian recipe I’ve ever cooked!