Quick Pickled Red Onions

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Pickled Red Onions are the most addictive food garnish you’ll ever make! Perfect for topping tacos, salads and sandwiches!

This quick pickled red onions recipe is made with just FIVE ingredients and a little patience to let it sit for a day and voila! The best ever garnish for tender fish tacos.

Pickled red onions in glass jar on wood cutting board.

This is an awesome pickled onions recipe because it’s so incredibly simple!

Pickled Red Onions Recipe

Quick pickled red onions offer a burst of tangy, vibrant flavor to any dish they complement. Thinly sliced and bathed in a brine of vinegar, sugar, and spices, these onions have a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness. You can level up your tacos, salads, sandwiches, or grilled meats because of their crisp texture and zesty flavor.

Ingredients Needed

Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to whip up Quick Pickled Red Onions. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.

Red Onions – must be red/purple, that’s where they get their lovely color from!
Water
Vinegar – white vinegar is best
Sugar – white granulated
Salt – for flavor and preservation

Ingredients for pickled red onions on wood cutting board.

How To Make Pickled Red Onions

I’ll walk you through the steps for how to make pickled red onions. It’s super simple!

Prepare Red Onions

Start by thinly slicing the red onions and then pack them tightly into mason jars. If desired, include whole black peppercorns, rosemary, and/or garlic in the mason jars for additional seasoning for the onions.

Sliced red onions on wood cutting board with rosemary and bowl of peppercorns.

Boil Vinegar Water

Next, add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a a boil and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Transfer the hot mixture to a measuring cup with a pour spout for easy pouring.

Pouring pickling liquid into jar of red onions.

Pour Over Onions

Finally, pour the hot liquid over the sliced onions, making sure to cover the onions completely. Tighten the lids on the jars of the onions and let them cool to room temperature. Place the jars in the fridge. After about 24 hours in the fridge, the onions will pickle and turn a deep pink color.

Jar of red onions with pickling liquid and rosemary.

The onions become more tender and turn a vibrant pink from the vinegar and water mixture the next day.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Using white onions in place of the red onions is not recommended because the flavor is much more bold.
A fruit-flavored vinegar could be used in place of the white vinegar for a different flavor profile.
Use whole garlic cloves, different fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage to flavor the onions.
Using whole peppercorns add flavor without getting a lot of sediment in the brining liquid.

Make Ahead and Storage

This recipe is MADE to be prepared ahead and stored for future use.

Refrigerate: in the glass mason jars for up to 2 weeks.

Freeze: Not recommended since it would break down the onion cell wall structure and become mushy.

Jar of pickled onions on wood cuttin board near fork.

Common Questions

How long will pickled red onions last in the fridge?

They can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Are pickled red onions healthy?

Onions have vitamins and minerals like folate, B9, calcium, and potassium and are relatively low in calories, but HIGH in flavor, making them an excellent topping and garnish.

Why do red onions turn pink when pickled?

The heat from the pickling liquid causes the cell walls of the onion to break down slightly, and the vinegar’s acidity causes the color to leach through the layers of onion and into the liquid.

Should I salt my pickled onions?

Salt is an important part of the brining process, helping to draw out moisture from the onions and also preventing bacteria from growing.

What To Use Pickled Onions With

There are SO many options to use pickled onions with! Here are a few of my favorite things to put pickled onions on:

Tacos – Grilled Chicken Tacos, Grilled Fish Tacos or Sweet Pulled Pork Tacos.

Sandwiches – Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Pita, Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Meat – Grilled Skirt Steak Recipe, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Easy Baked Salmon

Salads – Creamy Cucumber Salad, Lemon Capellini Salad, Creamy Crab Salad

And those are just a few!

Easy Pickling Recipes

Pickling is one of my favorite ways to use summer veggies because it preserves them all year long. Here are a few more quick and effortless pickling recipes for you to try…

Bowl of pickled onions on cutting board.

The possibilities are endless with quick pickled onions. I hope you try out this recipe and become addicted like me! Let me know what you’re trying them on in the comments below.

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