Pickled red onions is a wonderful condiment to have in the fridge anytime. It’s a bright topping with vibrant flavor that you can make in just a few minutes. These pickled onions will add so much flavor to any sandwiches, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, salads, and tacos.
Pickled Red Onions Recipe
Forget what you think about the best condiments for your burgers because if you haven’t tried pickled onions, you haven’t tried the best one! Pickled red onions bring such a bright burst of flavor, your taste bites will thank you!
They are not just zesty and tangy, but so beautiful too! The bright pink tones will bring a pop of color and flavor to your salads, tacos, and sandwiches.
Did I mention how incredibly easy it is to make as well? All you need is 15 minutes of your time and then it’s all about letting it sit. You can even serve them after about an hour of cool time. But if you can wait, do let them sit overnight in the refrigerator to infuse the most flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Onions – for best results, for got red onions, of course! These onions will give you the best color of the flavor because they balance out sweetness, aroma, and tang well. If you’re in a pinch, you can use yellow or Vidalia instead.
Garlic – just a couple of cloves will add great flavor and aroma to this topping. Give them a gentle crush to release the oils for the best burst of flavor.
Vinegar – use clear or very light vinegars like white distilled vinegar, rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar. My favorite one to use is white wine vinegar.
Water – water will help dilute the vinegar so it’s not overwhelming.
Sugar – you do need to add some sugar to balance out acids and tangy flavor of onions and vinegar. Don’t skip it!
Salt – Use coarse salt or sea salt.
Aromatics – for aromatics, I like to use a blend of whole peppercorns, whole coriander, fennel seeds, bay leaves, and a touch of oregano.
How to Make Quick Pickled Onions
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s super easy to make.
Slice onion: slice red onion in half and then slice each half thinly. You can also keep the onion whole if you wish and slice it into thin circles.
Pack onions into a glass pickling jar but don’t pack them too tight. You can divide it among two jars if you wish.
Season: gently smash garlic, just enough to release the aromatic oils and add it to the jar. Add seasonings to the jar as well and give the jar a little shake.
Prepare the liquid: combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a sauce pot and bring it to simmer over medium heat. Make sure to stir often until salt and sugar are dissolved.
Pickling: pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar with onions. Place the lid over the top but don’t cover it tight until the liquid in the jar has cooled. Let it cool for about an hour on the counter.
You can serve pickled onions right after they are cooled or close the lid tight and refrigerate.
The onions in the jar turn pink within a few minutes after adding the liquid but let them sit for about an hour to cool. This will give them a chance to infuse more flavors too.
Although you can serve pickled red onions within an hour, I highly recommend making them a day ahead to give them the most flavor.
How Long Do Pickled Onions Last
Make sure to store them in the refrigerator once the onions are cooled. Kept in the glass jar, in the refrigerator, pickled onions will last 2 to 3 weeks.
What Jar Should I Use?
Make sure to use a glass jar that can stand up to high temperatures because you will be adding hot, boiling water. It’s best to use a jar with a glass lid because the acid in vinegar will start to rust a metal lid.
You can use more than one jar and divide the onions, seasoning, and pickling liquid evenly among them.
How To Use Pickled Onions
You can use these onions on just about anything! Try it on
Tacos
Hot dogs
Pulled pork sandwiches
Nachos
Salads
Sausage hoagies
and so much more!
Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 medium or large red onion
- 1 cup white wine vinegar or white or rice vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp kosher coarse salt
- 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp whole coriander
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Peel and cut the onion in half and then slice each half thinly. You can also keep the onion whole if you wish and slice it into thin circles.
- Pack onions into a glass pickling jar but don’t pack them too tight. (You can divide it among two jars if you wish.)
- Gently smash garlic, just enough to release the aromatic oils and add it to the jar. Add peppercorns, coriander, fennel seeds, bay leaves, and oregano to the jar as well and give the jar a little shake.
- Combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a sauce pot and bring it to simmer over medium heat. Make sure to stir often until salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar with onions. Place the lid over the top but don’t cover it tight until the liquid in the jar has cooled. Let it cool for about an hour on the counter.
- You can serve pickled onions right after they are cooled or close the lid tight and refrigerate. The onions will taste best the best day!
Storing pickled onions:
- Make sure to store them in the refrigerator once the onions are cooled. Kept in the air-tight glass jar, in the refrigerator, pickled onions will last 2 to 3 weeks.
Nutrition
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