Pickled Red Onions

Easy Pickled Red Onions Recipe

Pickled Red Onions are so simple to make, and add the perfect touch to so many recipes. They’re a tangy and flavorful condiment made by soaking thinly sliced red onions in vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, which infuses them with a sweet and acidic taste and softens their texture.

This simple recipe has a distinctive flavor that combines the red onions’ natural sweetness and slight spiciness with the pickling liquid’s tanginess and acidity. I keep them in my fridge and use them as a topping for sandwiches, burgers, avocado toast, enchiladas, nachos, tacos, salads, and grain bowls. And if you love onions, don’t miss my Hot Dog Onions!

What You’ll Need

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this pickled red onions recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.

• Sliced Onions: Peel and slice red onion into rounds with a sharp knife or a mandoline.
• Pickling Liquid: Apple cider vinegar and water create the brine.
• Sweetener: Cane sugar, honey or maple syrup to balance the acidity.
• Salt: You’ll need one teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
• Bay Leaf adding bay leaves enhances the flavor

How to Make Pickled Onions

1. Boil the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves.
2. Cool: Put the onions into a heat-safe bowl with the bay leaves, pour the liquid over them, and let them cool. Then transfer them to a glass mason jar, cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Quick Pickled Red Onions: If you need them sooner, let the onions cool for 30 minutes to an hour before serving them room temperature. They will have a slightly more intense flavor than soaking them overnight, but they will still be good.

Variation Ideas

There are endless possibilities when it comes to pickling onions. You can add herbs, spices, and try different kind of vinegar. Here are some ideas to try:

• Vinegar: Use different vinegar like white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or rice vinegar, for slightly different profiles. Don’t try to use malt vinegar of balsamic vinegar.
• Herbs and Spices: Play around with different spices by adding black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, fresh herbs, mustard seeds, star anise, etc to the pickling mixture.
• Garlic: Add a few cloves of garlic, either whole or sliced.

How to Use Pickled Red Onions

Pickled onions are a versatile condiment that can add a pop of flavor and color to a wide range of dishes. They are eaten in many cuisines, including Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean. Here are some ways I like to use pickled onions:

• Sandwiches & Wraps: Pickled red onions add a delightful kick to any sandwich or wrap, especially those with rich fillings like avocado, cheese, or deli meats.
• Avocado Toast: The perfect zing for avocado toast, and it’s pretty too!
• Classic Burger Topping: Ditch the boring ketchup and mustard combo and add a spoonful of pickled red onions to your burger for a burst of flavor and a delightful crunch. They pair especially well with richer burger toppings like cheese, or avocado.
• Salads: Salads of all kinds benefit from pickled onions. They add a burst of flavor and color to green salads or salad platters.
• Mexican Food like Burrito Bowls, with Enchiladas, over Tacos or Nachos, or in Quesadillas
• Charcuterie Boards & Cheese Plates: The tang and vibrancy of pickled onions make them a perfect accompaniment to cured meats, cheeses, and crackers.
• Baked or Grilled Salmon: Top your baked salmon with a spoonful of pickled onions for a pop of flavor and acidity. They cut through the richness of the fish and add a delightful crunch.
• Grain bowls: Make a bowl with quinoa, chickpeas and roasted veggies and add these onions for flavor.
• Grilled meats and steaks: Pickled red onions are a perfect match for grilled meats! Their tangy acidity cuts through the richness of grilled meat and adds a refreshing brightness.