How to Make Pickled Red Onions

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 with your favorite meals. They can be used as a topping for sandwiches, tacos, salads, or wraps.

Pickled Red Onions Ingredients

All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this quick and easy pickled onions recipe.

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

Spring Rolls Dipping Sauce

Asian-Inspired Sesame Dressing

Chilli Oil

Sweet and Tangy Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney)

South Indian Style Tomato Onion Chutney