Want to jazz up your next salad or bowl? Add pickled red onions! Tangy & sweet, they're the best way to give almost any dish a bright pop of flavor!
Pickled red onions have been an indispensable ingredient in my kitchen for years. Not only are they a gorgeous, vibrant pink, but they’re tangy, sweet, and a little crunchy. I like to say that they give sandwiches, salads, bowls, and more a “bright pop of flavor,” and though Jack makes fun of me for how often I use that phrase, I can’t think of a better way to describe them.
Try making a batch of quick pickled red onions, and you’ll see what I mean. Top a few onto an otherwise good sandwich or salad, and it’ll become great. Their vinegary, zippy taste adds an irresistible extra dimension of flavor, brightening and sharpening the other elements of the dish. You only need a few minutes and 5 ingredients to make this pickled onion recipe, so give them a try – you’ll add them to everything!
How to Make Pickled Onions
To make pickled red onions, you’ll need 5 basic ingredients: red onions, white vinegar, water, cane sugar, and sea salt.
First, thinly slice the onions (I recommend using a mandoline for quick, uniform slicing!) and divide them between two jars. Then, heat the vinegar, water, cane sugar, and salt over medium heat, and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. This will only take a minute or so!
Let the brine cool slightly, and pour it over the sliced onions. Allow the jars to cool to room temperature before covering them and transferring them to the fridge. Your onions will be ready to eat when they are bright pink and tender. This could take anywhere from 1 hour to overnight, depending on the thickness of your onions. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Sometimes, I’ll add a few peppercorns or garlic cloves to the jar along with the onions to make their flavor a little more complex. I like to change up the vinegar too! I particularly like a mix of white wine and rice vinegar, and apple cider vinegar and white vinegar are a fun tangy combination. These variations are great, but they’re totally optional; your quick pickled onions will be delicious even if you stick to the basic recipe!
What to Do with Pickled Red Onions
As I said above, pickled onions are my favorite way to add a bright pop of flavor to almost any dish. Most simply, they’re excellent on avocado toast, but your options don’t end there. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:
- Add them to a salad! This roasted cauliflower salad and this grilled potato salad show them off well.
- Stuff them in a sandwich! Pair them with any bright sandwich filling like egg salad, chickpea shawarma, or onto avocado toast.
- Pile them on a burger! I like them with my favorite veggie burger, these falafel burgers, and my classic black bean burger.
- Top them onto any Mexican dish! They’d be delicious with these sweet potato tacos, these many-veggie tacos, or even breakfast tacos or a breakfast burrito!
- Add them to a bowl! Try them in this grain bowl or this buddha bowl, or top them onto a DIY-burrito bowl with cauliflower rice or cilantro lime rice, black beans, pico de gallo, mango or tomatillo salsa, guacamole, and your favorite veggies!
Do you have a favorite way to use pickled onions? Let me know in the comments!
If you love these quick pickled red onions…
Try my roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, or pickled chard stems next!
Pickled Red Onions
Equipment
- Mandoline (makes it super easy to make thin slices!)
Ingredients
- 2 small red onions
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/3 cup cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
optional
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onions (it's helpful to use a mandoline), and divide the onions between 2 (16-ounce) jars or 3 (10-ounce) jars. Place the garlic and peppercorns in each jar, if using
- Heat the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 1 minute. Let cool and pour over the onions. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then store the onions in the fridge.
- Your pickled onions will be ready to eat once they're bright pink and tender - about 1 hour for very thinly sliced onions, or overnight for thicker sliced onions. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
I made them with white wine vinegar because that’s what I had and they came out delicious! No salad or sandwich is complete without them!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Hi. I just made my first batch using your basic recipe. Can’t wait to try them. Do I need to rince off the brine before using them?
Nope, just pull them out and top them directly onto whatever you’re serving.
Hi, why do they only last 2 weeks once pickled?
Hi Jon, they might last a little longer, they won’t go bad but the flavor of the brine starts to change.
Does this have to be done in a jar or can you use a zip lock bag
A bag could work, I would worry about spilling it, so a jar is probably easier.
Could these be canned using a water bath canner?
My daughter made them and I intend to try them in her recommendation. It would just be nice to make up a bigger batch.
Hi Melanie, I don’t have experience canning so I’m not entirely sure if the PH is safe.
These are delicious! Once a the onions are done, can I reuse the vinegar mix for another batch?
Hi Nadia, yep, you can. The brine will eventually not taste as good, but a 2nd batch should be just fine.
Hi there! Does the amount of sugar make these sweet?
Hi Stephanie, no they’re not sweet. It’s just a big batch and it balances the flavor of the brine.
Hi, these look delish! Do you need to sterilise the jars before using? I remember when my grandma made jam she used to heat the jars in the oven?
The BEST on top of brisket & pulled pork sammiches with coleslaw!!
Aside from this being REALLY tasty and easy, the best thing is that you can easily cut the brine recipe in half if you’re the only one in the house that likes it or you’re cooking for one. I bought two red onions the size of ping pong balls at the farmer’s market yesterday, sliced them into an old Ball jar and used half the brine. FABULOUS and ALL MINE!!!
I’m so glad you’ve been loving them!
Can I use regular sugar, or is cane required? Also, I have kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt. Either of these ok instead of sea salt?
You can use regular sugar and either of those salts would work fine too.
Is two tablespoons of salt correct? That’s seems like a lot.
Hi Mariah, yes, it’s a decent sized batch. The brine will be salty but you won’t be consuming it all when you pull out just the pickled onions.
Hi, can I use glass Tupperware with plastic lids? Or do I have to use a jar?
You could use the glass Tupperware!
You might wanna edit it a big, as just before the recipe starts it says “3 Weeks”, but at the end of the recipe it says “2 Weeks” 😉
You might want to edit it a “big” 😉
I tried your recipe exactly mixed rice vinegar and white vinegar. Added two garlic cloves and some peppercorns. Came out delicious. Cant go by the fridge without grabbing a forkful. Im totally addicted. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you loved them!
I finished my jar of pickled red onions and decided to just put more onions into the leftover vinegar mixture.. now in second guessing myself. Will this be a problem, do you think?
Hi Jen, if your brine wasn’t that old, they should be fine. They are safe to eat, the brine just starts to taste less flavorful over time.
Hi! Can this recipe be canned for longer shelf life?
Hi Emme, I’m not sure if it’s safe for canning, I don’t have experience with it.
So yes delicious. You mentioned ACV red wine vinegar etc. What are the portions.
Hi Nicole, the recipe measurements are at the bottom of the post.
Yes, but what ratio you use of white to ACV, etc. is not listed. Is it just by preference?
Hi Jessi, I would use the same ratio.
How long do these stay good in the refrigerator?
Hi Kelly, I keep them for about 2 weeks.
I’ve made freezer pickles with same ingredients.
Can you freeze onions in freezer jars to last longer? Once thawed in frig, freezer pickles are good for 2-3 wks.
Have you ever frozen?
I have had that same experience too many times where my salads are flat, and I keep trying to use dressing to make the salad exciting. Pickled red onions sound wonderful. However, I cannot have sugar or sweeteners. Could the sugar be left out or do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Hi Michelle, you could leave it out, they will just have a sharper/stronger flavor. If you’re putting them in a salad with other things, it should be fine. Or you could use apple cider vinegar which is naturally more sweet.
The sugar cannot be left out, it is a natural preservative.
I would suggest you try lacto-fermentating the onions, it only requires water and salt to preserve your vegetables.
I’ve used sugar substitutes and it works fine. In this case the sweetener is really just there to tame the bite of the vinegar. So play with the amount until you like the balance.