Pickled Red Onions are the perfect finishing touch for so many recipes. They can perfectly balance out a salty or spicy dish and are so quick and easy to make!
There are so many dishes that benefit from a little bit of something pickled to cut flavors that are too spicy or too rich. This Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe is so easy to make, and these pickled onions can add balance to so many of our favorite dishes. I love to top Deviled Eggs or Homemade Potato Salad with pickled red onions!
The pickling process also helps to mellow the sharpness of raw onions, making them a great option for those who don’t normally enjoy raw onions.
Pickled red onions also have such a beautiful color that can add a pop of color to a dish to make your dishes look even more appetizing! Along with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, you can top your dish with pickled red onions to have a stunning and mouth-watering plate.
Table of Contents
🥘 Ingredients Needed
This is such an easy recipe to make, and it uses pretty basic ingredients.
- A Large Red Onion, very thinly sliced – If you want to give this recipe a try or just need some pickled onion and you don’t have a red onion, you can use a white or yellow onion also – it just will have a bit of a different taste. (Since originally posting this recipe, I’ve made this recipe several times with a few different types of onions, and it works great!) This is also a great way to use up those random halves of leftover onions that you have in the fridge that are a few days old – those are perfect for pickling.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – I prefer to use the more expensive kind that says “with the mother” on the bottle – I find that it has a stronger flavor. You can also use distilled white vinegar.
- Granulated Sugar or Cane Sugar – You just need a little sugar to pickle these onions, so they are not sweet at all.
- Water – Ideally, use filtered water from your refrigerator if you can – just to get it nice and clear.
- Kosher Salt
- Whole Black Peppercorns – The whole peppercorns give such a great flavor to the onions and the vinegar.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Crushed red pepper flakes round out the flavor of these onions with just the right amount of heat.
- Optional – 1 or 2 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced.
🍽 Equipment Needed
- A Small or Medium Saucepan
- A Mandolin Slicer – They don’t make the model that I have anymore, but this one is comparable, if not even better! (I think it is even safer.) If you don’t have a Mandolin, you can use a sharp knife and a cutting board to cut your onions into thin slices.
- A Mason Jar, Pyrex Container, or a Recycled Glass Jar – I like to use old pickle jars or olive jars to store pickled onions if I don’t have a clean mason jar!
- Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons
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Share with friends🥣 How to Make Quick Pickled Red Onions
This is my favorite way to make pickled onions – I love using apple cider vinegar, but I know people love to use other types of vinegar.
Peel a red onion, then slice it as thinly as possible using a mandolin, food processor, or a sharp knife. (Picture 1 – 3) If you use a mandolin, please use the guard and don’t cut off your fingers.
Then place the onion slices in a heat-safe shallow bowl or wide-mouth mason jar. Set the bowl or jar of sliced red onions aside. (Picture 4)
In a small saucepan, bring water, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, whole black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. (Pictures 5 – 6)
Stir this until the sugar and salt dissolve. (Turn on the fan over your stove and try not to breathe in the hot water and vinegar mixture as it boils – the vinegar will be pungent!)
Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the sliced onions carefully, then press the onions down to make sure that they are completely submerged in the brine. (You can slide the handle of a spoon or fork into the jar to pop any air bubbles.)
A really small and light pot is the easiest way to do this, so it is easy to pour. (A canning funnel will also make this easier. They fit wide mason jars and are made to have really hot liquids poured in them.)
Allow the onions to sit at room temperature until they cool off. This should take 30 minutes to 1 hour and will pickle the onions and give them so much flavor.
Once cooled, cover the onions or place them in an airtight container and put them in the fridge.
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Pickled red onions will be good in the fridge for about 3 weeks, but once you taste them, I doubt they will last that long.
You can eat pickled red onions on so many things – tacos, burgers, carnitas, off of a fork, on a bagel with lox and cream cheese – so many things!
I love using apple cider vinegar for this recipe, but you can also use distilled white vinegar if that is all you have. Just check the label and make sure that it says 5% acidity. If it says 4%, adjust the quantities and use a little more vinegar and a little less water.
Yes! Red onions are one of the most nutritious of the onion “family” for you because they are loaded with vitamin B9 and folate, which can improve heart health – so they are tasty and good for you 🙂
You can get away with using the brine a second time – don’t let it go to waste – but it won’t be as potent as the first batch. I would definitely heat it up again before adding more onions to it. I highly recommend adding a few splashes of the brine to homemade salad dressing!
🍳 Ways to Use Pickled Red Onions
Served these Easy Pickled Red Onions cold if you can – at least that is how I like them – some people like them at room temperature.
Quick-Pickled Onions have so many great uses and are the perfect addition to so many dishes:
- On a Charcuterie Board
- On top of a Taco or Taco Salad
- On a Burger
- On a Bagel with Lox and Cream Cheese
- On top of Carnitas
- On top of Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- On top of Burrito Bowls
- On top of Avocado Toast with a Sprinkle of Salt and Red Pepper Flakes or with a little Everything Bagel Seasoning Mix sprinkled on top.
- On top of Potato Salad
🥫 How to Store Pickled Onions
Pickled onions need to be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a mason jar. This is not a canning recipe, so these are not shelf-stable. They will last up to three weeks as long as they are kept in a sealed container. They will probably last longer, but they will start to get really mushy.
✏️ Helpful Tips
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can also use distilled white vinegar if that is all you have, just be sure to check the label and make sure that it says 5% acidity. If it says 4%, adjust the quantities and use a little more vinegar and a little less water.
- If you want to make pickled onions that can be canned and preserved, this safe canning website has a lot of safe canning recipes. I personally love their Balsamic Vinegar Onion Jam and their Broiled Pickled Onions.
Want to Pickle More Things?
We love to make our own pickles, and I love a good quick pickle recipe. Here are some of my favorites:
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Equipment
- a small saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion very thinly sliced with a mandolin
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cane or granulated sugar optional – omit for whole 30
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 whole black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Slice the red onion as thin as possible using a mandolin, then place the slices in a shallow bowl or wide-mouth mason jar. Set the onions aside.1 large red onion
- In a small saucepan — bring water, apple cider vinegar, salt, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and sugar to a boil.½ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons cane or granulated sugar, 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 12 whole black peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 cup water
- Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. (Try not to stand over this/breathe it in as it boils – the vinegar will be pungent!)
- Pour the hot liquid over the sliced onions carefully then press the onions down to make sure that they are completely submerged in the brine.
- You can slide the handle of a spoon or fork into the jar to pop any air bubbles.
- If the onions are not going to be eaten right away, let them sit at room temperature until they cool off. This should take 30 minutes – 1 hour. Once cooled, cover the onions and put them in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- On a Charcuterie Board, a Taco or Taco Salad, a Burger, a Bagel with Lox and Cream Cheese, Carnitas, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Burrito Bowls, Avocado Toast with a Sprinkle of Salt and Red Pepper Flakes, or with a little Everything Bagel Seasoning or on top of Potato Salad.
Pickled onions need to be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container or a mason jar. This is not a canning recipe, so these are not shelf-stable. They will last up to three weeks as long as they are kept in a sealed container. They will probably last longer, but they will start to get really mushy. ✏️ Helpful Tips
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can also use distilled white vinegar if that is all you have, just be sure to check the label and make sure that it says 5% acidity. If it says 4%, adjust the quantities and use a little more vinegar and a little less water.
- If you want to make pickled onions that can be canned and preserved, this safe canning website has a lot of safe canning recipes. I personally love their Balsamic Vinegar Onion Jam and their Broiled Pickled Onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
