How to: Pickled Red Onions
I often run into the “red onion dilema” when making a recipe. You see, a few slivers of fresh red onion can truly transform a recipe (see Thai Curry Vegetable Soup and Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils) and there’s no substitution that is really quite like it. BUT I can rarely find a red onion that is smaller than a softball and I usually only need 1/4 or less of it for a recipe. I hate to waste the rest of the onion, especially since they’re usually significantly more expensive than other onions. So, what/s a girl to do? MAKE PICKLED RED ONIONS! :D
Pickled red onions are the perfect way to use up your leftover red onions. You can make small batches, they last for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator, and they’re AWESOME on tacos, sandwiches, salads, pizza, nachos, and lots of other things. Instead of thinking of these pickled red onions as a substitute for fresh red onions in recipe, think of them as a non-spicy alternative to pickled jalapeño. That tangy pickled flavor tastes great anywhere you’d normally use a pickled jalapeño.
There are a million different ways to make pickled red onions, so I’ve provided a very basic version below. As you begin to make them more often, you can start to tweak the flavors to match your preferences. Experiment with the seasonings and spices by adding ingredients like bay leaf, star anise, or red pepper. Whatever you decide to add to your pickled red onions, the flavor only gets better as they chill in the refrigerator.
How to: Pickled Red Onions
How to: Pickled Red Onions
Pickled Red Onions are a great way to use leftover red onion and are a great topping for tacos, sandwiches, pizza, and more.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups sliced red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 1.5 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
- 1 cup white vinegar
Instructions
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Thinly slice the red onion and peel the garlic. Place the onion and garlic in a large glass or ceramic bowl.
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Add the sugar, salt, and peppercorns to a small sauce pot. Add the vinegar and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Place a lid on the pot and bring the mixture up to a boil over medium-high heat.
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Once boiling, pour the vinegar over the sliced onion and garlic*. Press the onion down so all the pieces are submerged, then let the mixture cool to room temperature.
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Once cool, use the onions immediately or transfer the onions and all the brine to a lidded non-reactive container (glass, ceramic, or plastic) for storage in the refrigerator. The onions can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Recipe Notes
*For onions that remain crunchy, pour the boiling vinegar over the onions in the bowl. If you prefer soft onions, add the onion and garlic to the sauce pot and allow them to boil in the vinegar for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a non-metal bowl to cool.
(Tacos made with Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork, fresh jalapeño, pickled red onion, and feta.)
Step by Step Photos
Start by thinly slicing the red onion (I used about 3/4 of an onion, or 1.5 cups once sliced) and peeling one clove of garlic. I also used 1/2 tsp peppercorns.
I didn’t have a separate jar of peppercorns, so I just used a few peppercorns from my pepper grinder.
Place 3 Tbsp white sugar, 1.5 Tbsp salt, and 1/2 tsp peppercorns into a small sauce pot.
Add 1 cup white vinegar and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. If it doesn’t all dissolve, it will once the vinegar gets hot. Place a lid on the sauce pot and bring the vinegar up to a boil over medium-high heat.
Place the sliced onion and garlic in a glass or ceramic bowl (something not metal and heat resistant) and pour the boiling vinegar over top. Press the onions down so that they are all submerged, then let them cool to room temperature. (This method keeps the onions fairly crunchy. If you want soft onions, add the onions and garlic to the boiling vinegar and let them boil for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a non-metal container to cool.)
As they cool the onions turn the most brilliant magenta color! Transfer the onions and the brine to a non-reactive container (glass, ceramic, or plastic) with a lid for storage in the refrigerator. You can use the onions right away, but they get even better with time in the refrigerator!
Keep the onions submerged in the brine while they’re in the refrigerator and they’ll last 3-4 weeks… if you don’t eat them all by then. ;)
Can you fix these to be canned without having to be refrigerated?I’d like to make more at a time to give as gifts or just have without having to make a batch whenever wanted.
Unfortunately I am inexperienced with canning, so I don’t know what might need to be done to can them properly.
My red onion is too salty and garlicky. Also after one night the brine turned red but the onion turned white instead of the pretty magenta color!
These are the best! I made them to try and replicate a green goddess cobb salad and they were spot on. I ate them out of the jar, and just had them on a patty melt!
The only thing I did differently was add about 1/3-1/2 cup of water bc I felt like the brine was a tiny bit too vinegary!
Love! I added some ground rosemary from Italy and a tap of pickled jalopenos. Oh man this was a great and simple recipe! Thank you!
My only question is how long they will be good for. I have always thought one of the reasons things were pickled originally was to extend the food’s usability. If they stayed refrigerated it seems like they would last a lot longer than 3-4 weeks, unless you ate them all.
Yeah, that’s just a general recommendation. Determining how long things “last” isn’t an exact science because there are an endless number of factors that can influence it, which is why products in stores have “best by” dates and not hard “expiration” dates.
Mine are to salty as well. Is there anyway to remedy this besides starting over with less salt. I love the ease and the flavor of this recipe but I have that burning feeling in my mouth and stomach from to much salt.
You can dilute it with some water and the water will pull the salt out of the onions through osmosis.
Am I supposed to rinse these before serving? They are sooo salty. I don’t even know if rinsing world help but right now they are near inedible.
No, they shouldn’t be rinsed. They should be salty, like a dill pickle.
Do you use kosher salt, or regular table salt? If it’s supposed to be kosher salt but you used table salt, that would explain the extra-saltiness.
I use fine sea salt, which is the same texture as table salt.
I just made these (had to double the liquid, since my cut up onion was much larger than I expected) and they’re still cooling, but already really tasty! I used table salt. Thanks for a great, easy recipe!
This is the best pickled onion recipe we have ever used-hands down. No need to look any further, this will quickly become your go-to recipe.
I came upon the idea of ‘pickled red onions’ when looking for ways to serve liverwurst. Your recipe looked terrific, and terrifically easy. I used my mandoline to thin slice the red onion, and set the vinegar to cook in small pan. I used red wine vinegar, some cloves, pickling spices and thinly sliced garlic. I crammed two small, thinly sliced red onions into a ball jar, added the hot vinegar mixture, and sealed the jar.
I forgot to add the peppercorns, or water, so I’m hoping for the best. Thank you for the recipe! I’ll let you know how this worked out.
I was multitasking and failed to read the part about bringing vinegar to boil. Instead I mixed everything in a container with the onions without heating anything. Would this still be okay to eat?
It’s still okay to eat, it just might not soften the onions as much since it’s not hot. Also, the sugar may not fully dissolve.