These Quick Pickled Red Onions are one of our favorite toppings for salads, tacos, bowls or sandwiches that only takes 15 minutes to make! It's a super simple and healthy recipe that adds a tangy crunch and beautiful pink color to a variety of meals!
Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe
Unlike traditional pickling, which can take days or even weeks to develop flavor, quick pickling relies on a warm brine that softens the onions and infuses them fast. That means you can prep a jar in the afternoon and enjoy fully flavored pickled onions by dinnertime. They're an incredibly easy way to bring restaurant-quality brightness to homemade meals, and once you try them, you'll start putting them on absolutely everything!
Making pickled red onions couldn't be easier and only takes 15 minutes at the most! Grab your mason jar and let's get cooking.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Red Onion. Sliced thin!
- Vinegar. I use a combo of white vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar in this recipe.
- Garlic Cloves
- Sugar
- Salt
- Water
- Red Pepper Flakes if you want to add some spice!
Instructions
- Slice the Onions. Slice your red onion into half moon slices about โ inch thick using a sharp knife or a mandoline works great for super thin slices.
- Add your Spices. A couple chopped garlic cloves and red pepper flakes make these onions perfectly spiced!
- Simmer the Pickling Mixture. In a saucepan, simmer the vinegars, sugar and salt, then pour over the onions.
- Chill. After the mixture cools, cover tightly in a glass jar, then refrigerate until chilled.
What to Serve with Pickled Red Onions
- Add them to tacos or carnitas. I love serving these onions with our slow cooker carnitas recipe. Pickled onions are delicious with almost any Mexican meal- tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and nachos!
- Add them to salads and bowls. Whether you're eating a fresh garden salad or a warm burrito bowl, these pickled onions are the perfect compliment of sweet & tangy flavor.
- Load these onions into sandwiches and wraps. They're especially delicious on chicken salad or tuna salad sandwiches.
- Top your burgers and hotdogs. Definitely keep pickled onions on hand during the summer grilling season!
Variations:
- Use different vinegar. My recipe calls for a combination of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar. But you could try red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Add some herbs. Dried oregano, a bay leaf, fresh parsley or dill would bring lots of fresh flavor to these onions.
- Spice them up! This recipe calls for a small amout of red pepper flakes, but you could also add in a slice of jalapeno pepper to really spice it up.
These pickled onions will last up to a month if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. As they sit, the flavor gets better and the color deepens. Just make sure the onions stay submerged in the brine so they stay crisp and safe to store.
Have you tried this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment below, and tag me on Instagram @thrivingglutenfree so I can see how it turned out!
Let's Eat!
Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Red Onion
- ยผ cup White Vinegar
- ยผ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1ยฝ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic cut in half
- ยผ Red Pepper Flakes optional for some spice!
Instructions
- Slice the top and bottom off the onion and then slice onion in half, from top to bottom. Remove the outer peel. Lay the cut surfaces of the onion onto the cutting board, and then slice into half moons using a very sharp knife.
- Add the sliced onions, chopped garlic cloves and red pepper flakes to a glass jar- I like to use a pint mason jar.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, sugar, and salt. Place over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a boil. Whisk until sugar and salt dissolve, then remove pan from heat.
- Carefully pour liquid over the sliced onions and gently stir to combine. Let mixture cool at room temperature. Cover tightly with a lid and store in the refrigerator until chilled. This recipe is for refrigerator pickling only and needs to be stored in a refrigerator!
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