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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Quick Pickled Red Onions

    Updated: Sep 25, 2024 · Published: Apr 6, 2023 · by Jan Nunes

    A fork is holding some of the pickled onions up and out of an open jar with text overlay.

    Quick-pickled red Onions bring a tangy pop of flavor and bright color to any sandwich, bowl, or salad, turning it into classy bistro fare.

    These pickles have just 6 ingredients and take only a few minutes and like my Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon, these pickles are ready to eat in minutes and add a gourmet touch to salads, sandwiches, and meals.

    A fork is holding some of the pickled onions up and out of an open jar.
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    Even if you have never made pickles before, you can make these Quick Pickled Red Onions. They are one of the easiest pickles to make because they are quickly pickled in a simple brine and they keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

    Jump to:
    • Why We Love Quick Pickled Red Onions
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to Make Quick Pickled Red Onions
    • Ways to Use Quick Pickled Red Onions
    • My Top Tips
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • Equipment
    • Make-Ahead & Storage
    • More Delicious Recipes You'll Love
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why We Love Quick Pickled Red Onions

    • Gives a Savory Pop of Flavor and Beautiful Color to Dishes.
    • Only 6 Ingredients.
    • Quick and Easy to Make – Just 15 Minutes of Prep.
    • Can be Refrigerated for up to 3 Weeks.
    • The Recipe is Shareable. Give a Jar to a Friend!
    • It is Vegan and Vegetarian

    Why This Recipe Works

    Red onions have a sweet and savory flavor that is perfect for pickling. They don't need much to turn them into pickles, just vinegar with a little sugar and salt and they look like you worked so hard to make a fancy bistro treat for that sandwich, bowl, or salad you want to perk up.

    But making these pickled red onions is super easy. Jars with screw top lids, a simple pickling solution, and thinly sliced onions are all you need. But I am diligent in cleaning the jars and lids... and I do mean diligent.

    I grew up in a home where my mom did a lot of canning and preserving. Year in and year out we canned the bounty of summer and enjoyed it over the fall and winter months into the next year and we never had a bad jar.

    So, I still follow one strict rule when making anything that is pickled or preserved, even if it is just a refrigerator pickle.

    Everything Must Be Clean

    The jar and the lid must be squeaky clean, and boiling water is used to make sure they are. We literally boiled the jars and lids and removed them from the boiling water baths as we were packing the jars.

    We did this for all preserving whether it was canned fruit, jams, pickles, or relishes, and never had a problem with spoilage.

    These pickled onions are a refrigerator pickle, so you can be a little lax and pack the jars after a good cleaning and then rinsing with boiling water. Why? Because you are not canning them and expecting them to last for months.

    But they will last for up to three weeks because you start with sterile jars and lids. What can I say? I am careful even though these are "refrigerator pickles" because this is a best practice in cooking and can be applied every time you make jam, pickles, or cans.

    So, let's cook!

    Ingredient Notes

    Quick Pickled Red Onions ingredients, clockwise from top: sliced red onions, white vinegar, pickling spice, salt, white granulated sugar, and water.

    Here's what you need:

    • Pickling Spice - Pickling spice is a blend of spices that gives a nice kick to pickled onions.
    • Red Onions - Use onions that are firm and without any blemishes. They need to be peeled and thinly sliced.
    • White Vinegar - Look for any clear white vinegar with a 5% acidity. It can be any brand.
    • Water - Just plain tap water is fine.
    • White Granulated Sugar - A small amount of white sugar will take the edge off the tartness of the pickling solution.
    • Salt - Just plain table salt is best. Don't use Kosher as it measures differently and the amount won't be enough to pickle the onions for this recipe.

    Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

    How to Make Quick Pickled Red Onions

    Process Photo 1 - Cleaning the jars and lids with boiling water.

    Prepare the jars. Wash 3 half-pint jars (1 cup each) well with hot sudsy water, rinse, and fill each jar with boiling water. Discard the water.

    Process Photo 2a - Pickling spice is added to the clean jars.
    Process Photo 2b - Thinly sliced red onions are packed into the jars with pickling spice.

    Combine in the jar. Add ½ teaspoon of pickling spice to each half-pint jar. Pack the thinly sliced red onions into the 3 jars.

    Process Photo 3 - A pickling solution of white vinegar, water, sugar, and salt is cooked in a pan on the stove.

    Make the pickling solution. In a medium saucepan bring to a boil over medium-high heat the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.

    Process Photo 4a - The hot pickling solution is poured over the sliced onions in the jars.
    Process Photo 4b - Lids are put on the jars.

    Pickle. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the onions in the jars. Screw on the lid and shake each jar. Let the onions pickle for 30 minutes.

    Slices of pink-colored pickled red onion in a jar with a jar lid and fork beside it.

    Serve. Serve and enjoy immediately or refrigerate the jars of pickled onions for up to three weeks.

    Ways to Use Quick Pickled Red Onions

    • On Burgers and Sandwiches
    • In Garden and Vegetable Salads
    • As a Garnish in a Bowl
    • As an Accompaniment to Meats
    • On a Charcuterie Board

    My Top Tips

    ♡ CLEAN. Make sure that all of your equipment and especially the jars and lids are clean. Rinse the jars and soak the lids in boiling water.

    ♡ Be creative and have fun. Try adding your own twist to these pickles. Add sliced peppers or chiles to make them spicy.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • Substitute Apple Cider Vinegar - Some people prefer the slightly sweeter flavor of apple cider vinegar for their pickles. You can substitute apple cider for white vinegar 1 for 1 as long as it also has a 5% acidity.
    • Substitute Cloves - Instead of pickling spice you can use whole cloves. You only need 3 to 5 whole cloves for each jar.
    • Substitute Whole Allspice - If you don't have pickling spice or whole cloves, you can add whole allspice to each jar. This spice gives a very nice flavor to the pickles all by itself. It gets its name from tasting and smelling like all of the sweet baking spices together in one spice.
    • Add a Bay Leaf - For a stronger savory, pickled flavor, add a small whole bay leaf to each jar.

    Equipment

    A red onion is cut with a knife and sliced thinly on a mandoline slicer.

    A mandoline slicer is perfect for making uniform thin slices. I cut peeled onions in halves or quarters and then slice them on a mandoline using the guard.

    If you don't have a mandoline slicer you can still slice the onions with a sharp knife.

    Make-Ahead & Storage

    These pickles can be made and served within 45 minutes and stored in a jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

    Slices of pink-colored pickled red onion in a fancy-cut glass dish with a fork.

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    ♡ Did you love these Quick Pickled Red Onions? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!

    📖 Recipe

    Slices of pink-colored pickled red onion in a fancy-cut glass dish with a fork.

    Quick Pickled Red Onions

    5 from 1 vote
    By: Jan Nunes
    Quick-pickled red Onions bring a tangy pop of flavor and bright color to any sandwich, bowl, or salad, turning it into classy bistro fare.
    Print Share Pin Email
    Prep Time ~ 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time ~ 15 minutes minutes
    Servings ~ 12 Servings
    Calories ~ 22kcal
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    Ingredients
     

    • 1½ Teaspoons Pickling Spice
    • 3 Large Red Onions, Peeled and Thinly Sliced
    • 1 ½ Cups White Vinegar
    • ½ Cup Water
    • ¼ Cup White Granulated Sugar
    • 1½ Teaspoons Salt

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare the jars. Wash 3 half-pint jars (1 cup each) well with hot sudsy water, rinse, and fill each jar with boiling water. Discard the water.
    • Combine in the jar. Add ½ teaspoon of pickling spice to each half-pint jar. Pack the thinly sliced red onions into the 3 jars.
      1½ Teaspoons Pickling Spice, 3 Large Red Onions
    • Make the pickling solution. In a medium saucepan bring to a boil over medium-high heat the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute.
      1 ½ Cups White Vinegar, ½ Cup Water, ¼ Cup White Granulated Sugar, 1½ Teaspoons Salt
    • Pickle. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the onions in the jars. Screw on the lid and shake each jar. Let the onions pickle for 30 minutes.
    • Serve. Serve and enjoy immediately or refrigerate the jars of pickled onions for up to three weeks.

    Notes

    Make sure that all of your equipment and especially the jars and lids are clean. Rinse the jars and soak the lids in boiling water.
    A mandoline slicer is perfect for making uniform thin slices. I cut peeled onions in halves or quarters and then slice them on the mandoline, using the guard and a cut-resistant glove to protect my hand.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.01g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 3mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.03mg

    Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.

    Encharted Cook™ or Jan Nunes shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.

    © 2018-2025 Encharted Cook, Jan Nunes. All rights reserved.

    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: American

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    Jan Nunes

    Hey There!

    Welcome to Encharted Cook! I'm Jan, a seasoned cook with recipe charts, pro tips, and ideas to help you make delicious dinners. Over the years I've learned that many recipes are related... and if you learn to make one delicious dish, you can make many more!

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