Pickled red onions are sliced red onions that have been soaked in a vinegar solution and sugar, giving them a tangy and sweet flavor. They are a little crunchy and super easy to make. You can batch-make them for a couple of weeks and enjoy them with your favorite meals. They can be used as a topping for sandwiches, tacos, salads, or wraps.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
These pickled red onions add a bright and colorful element to a dish, while also providing a tangy and slightly sweet flavor that complements many different types of foods. Additionally, pickling onions can help to preserve them for longer, which is useful if you have a surplus of onions or want to make them in advance.
Overall, pickled onions are a versatile and tasty condiment that can enhance the flavor of many different dishes.
What You Will Need
All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this quick and easy pickled red onions.
1. Red Onions
Use red onions as they give bright pink color than the normal onions when dissolved in a vinegar solution. Very thinly slice them using either a sharp knife or a mandoline. Note that if you slice the onions thick, you will need to let them sit in the vinegar solution for at least twice the amount of time.
2. Vinegar
I prefer a combination of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar, but you can use just white vinegar instead. Apple cider vinegar gives a slightly sweet taste so there’s no need to add much sweetener.
Remember to keep the amount of vinegar almost similar to the amount of water, as vinegar provides a certain level of acidity that is essential for safe pickling.
3. Water
Dissolves salt and reduces the acidity of the brine.
4. Salt
Add about a teaspoon to balance the flavors.
5. Sugar
Balances the tartness of the vinegar. Sugar is most commonly used to pickle onions, but feel free to use honey or any other natural sweetener.
6. Other Optional Ingredients
These pickled onions will be delicious even if you use the basic recipe, but if you’d like to add more flavor then add garlic, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, or red chilli flakes to the glass jar with sliced onions or you can boil these ingredients along with the vinegar solution.
How to Make Pickled Red Onions
To make pickled red onions, you’ll need to follow these easy steps:
Firstly, very thinly slice the onions. Use a sharp knife or a mandoline for quick and uniform slicing. Then transfer the sliced onions to a mason jar.
Secondly, combine white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar (or any other sweetener), or additional seasonings in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil until the salt and sugar dissolve.
Now, pour the hot mixture over the onions in the mason jar. Cover, tightly seal, and shake to combine. Allow to cool down to room temperature before transferring to the fridge.
The onions will be ready to serve when they are tender and pink in color. This could take about 10-12 hours or more, depending on the thickness of your onions. Once ready, enjoy them with almost any savory dish.
You can keep them tightly sealed in the fridge to last for up to 2-3 weeks.
More Condiments or Sauces to Try
Asian-Inspired Sesame Dressing
Sweet and Tangy Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney)
South Indian Style Tomato Onion Chutney
Did you make Pickled Red Onions? I’d love to know how it turned out for you! Please leave a rating and a comment below to share your experience. Thank you so much! 💚
Recipe
Pickled Red Onions
Make these vibrant and delicious pickled red onions easily at home with just a few basic ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 medium red onions
- 1 cup white vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Very thinly slice the red onions and add them to about 1L heat-proof jar or a mason jar.
- To a saucepan over medium heat, add vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and pour over the onions.
- Cover the jar and seal it tightly. Shake gently a few times to mix everything well.
- Store in the fridge overnight before serving. The pink color will get deeper the longer the onions sit.
- Enjoy these pickled red onions on sandwiches, salads, or wraps, or serve them with roti and sabzi.
- Keep the sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per ServingCalories 19Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 197mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 0gSugar 2gProtein 0g
The nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like a specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
