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These Quick Pickled Red Onions are an easy and flavorful condiment that you can stash in your refrigerator for a variety of uses. The sweet, tangy, and zesty onions are delicious on tacos, sandwiches, salads and more! Best of all, you only need about 10 minutes to assemble a jar, and they’ll last in the fridge for weeks. Such a simple way to elevate almost any meal!
Pickled Red Onion Recipe
These easy pickled red onions are about to become your favorite homemade condiment. They’re totally addicting, and they add such beautiful color and great flavor to salads, pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, and pizzas — just to name a few. You can use this very simple, very basic recipe, or get creative and play around with different seasonings. From Mexican-inspired dishes to Italian fare (and everything in between), these quick pickled red onions add that extra something special to perk up your meal!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to prepare your own batch of homemade pickled red onions. As always, the specific measurements and complete instructions are included in the recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Red onion: I like to slice the onion into thin half-moons, but you can make the slices as thick or as thin as you like. You can also leave them in ring shapes if you prefer.
- Vinegar: almost any vinegar that you enjoy will work. I’ve used distilled white vinegar here, but you can also use more mild varieties like apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Water: to dilute the vinegar.
- Kosher salt: to highlight the flavors.
- Granulated sugar: just enough to balance the tangy, salty brine. You can omit the sugar for a less-sweet pickle.
The Onions
I like thinly-sliced red onions that are cut into half-moon shapes. You can leave the onions in rings, and you can cut them as thick or as thin as you prefer. Red onions offer a nice zesty flavor and provide that beautiful, bright pink color. You can also use this pickling process for other firm, blemish-free onions — such as yellow onions or Vidalia onions.
How to Pickle Red Onions
These quick pickled red onions only require about 10 minutes of prep and an hour to chill. You can leave them in the fridge for a couple of weeks and grab them for a nice finishing touch on just about any of your favorite meals!
- Place the sliced onions in a large jar.
- Simmer water, vinegar, sugar and salt for about 1 minute, or until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Pour liquid over onions.
- Cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
How to Use Pickled Red Onions
You can eat pickled red onions with so many different dishes! They add just the right amount of acidic brightness to freshen up these meals:
- Beef or chicken tacos, carnitas, or breakfast tacos.
- Carne asada
- Steak fajitas
- Marinated London broil
- Fresh green salads, Nicoise salad, or creamy mayonnaise-based salads like tuna salad, chicken salad and egg salad.
- Hearty, meaty sandwiches like Sloppy Joes, grilled hamburgers, pulled pork, tuna melts, patty melts, or a French dip.
- Beef barbecue or slow cooker brisket
- Avocado toast
- Scrambled eggs
- Stir-fries like this Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Pizzas
Storage
Once the pickled onions cool to room temperature for about 1 hour, you’ll need to cover the jar and store them in the refrigerator. They will last in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.
Pickled Red Onions Variations
This is a basic recipe that can be customized with a variety of flavors and seasonings.
- Herbs: add a sprig or two of rosemary, oregano, thyme or dill.
- Seasonings: such as bay leaves, a clove or two of garlic, a few peppercorns, ground allspice, dried chili, and ginger.
- Vinegars: mix up the vinegar for a slightly different flavor. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar all work well.
- Sweeteners: granulated sugar is a classic ingredient, but you can play around with other sweeteners such as honey, agave, or maple syrup.
- Mexican Pickled Red Onions: add sliced habañero peppers, jalapeño peppers, or even just a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to make the onions spicy. Use a pinch of ground cumin, oregano, allspice, or bay leaf for traditional Mexican flavor.
- Lemon or Lime: replace some of the vinegar with a different acid, like freshly-squeezed lemon juice or lime juice.
Tips for the Best Pickled Red Onions
- The quick pickled onions are best when enjoyed within 2-3 days, but will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.
- I used a fairly large red onion here. If your onions are small, you may need 2 onions to fill the jar.
- A pint-size jar works best for this quantity of liquid and onions.
- Pick your favorite vinegar, since the taste of the vinegar will have a significant impact on the taste of the onions. Distilled white vinegar can be fairly harsh, so you might prefer apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar instead.
More Homemade Condiments to Stock in Your Fridge
- Tartar Sauce
- Honey Butter
- Alabama White BBQ Sauce
- Pesto
- Cranberry Orange Relish
- Blueberry Jam
- Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Crock Pot Apple Butter
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced (or 2 small red onions)
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup distilled white vinegar (or use apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place sliced onion in a pint jar.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a low simmer. Stir for about 1 minute, or until the sugar and salt completely dissolve in the liquid. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the liquid over the onions. Let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Herbs: add a sprig or two of rosemary, oregano, thyme or dill.
- Seasonings: such as bay leaves, a clove or two of garlic, a few peppercorns, ground allspice, dried chili, and ginger.
- Vinegars: mix up the vinegar for slightly different flavor. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar all work well.
- Sweeteners: granulated sugar is a classic ingredient, but you can play around with other sweeteners such as honey, agave, or maple syrup.
- Mexican Pickled Red Onions: add sliced habañero peppers, jalapeño peppers, or even just a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to make the onions spicy. Use a pinch of ground cumin, oregano, allspice, or bay leaf for traditional Mexican flavor.
- Lemon or Lime: replace some of the vinegar with a different acid, like freshly-squeezed lemon juice or lime juice.
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