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    Home » Recipes » Freezing, Preserving & Pickling

    Best Pickled Onions Recipe

    July 18, 2023 *Updated* July 18, 2023 / By: Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy 116 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Disclosure Policy.
    Jump To Recipe

    This super easy Pickled Onions Recipe uses only 3 ingredients. The perfect condiment for tacos, burgers, salads, and sandwiches.

    A simple method to make onion pickles in a jar. Beginner-friendly, fail-proof, perfect results without canning.

    Pickled onions ready to eat.

    Do you like pickling and canning? I am not into all the work involved in traditional canning. This shortcut method is right up my alley. A great way to make pickled zucchini too! Speedy, made easy pickles in minutes.

    Quick pickle recipes are great to have in the fridge during grilling season. The perfect topping to lots of great burgers, like in this homemade burger roundup.

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    RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for these quick pickled onions can be found at the bottom of this post.

    Recently I shared a cucumber and onion salad recipe, and I had a visitor comment that they would like the recipe for the onions I used in the post. This is it, the perfect pickled onions for salads.

    If you are like me, for the most part, I love things to be relatively simple when it comes to cooking. Yes, I do experiment and spend hours in the kitchen sometimes. Those are the days that I am trying out a new cuisine or technique.

    Sliced red onions ready to pickle.

    My mom was all about pickling and canning. The cold room was full of glass jars. Fruit, jams, pickles, sauerkraut, and even pickled eggs. It was quite the ordeal watching her get everything ready. Wash and sterilize the jars, make the brine, fill the jars and then seal them.

    Weeks of work during harvest kept the shelves stocked all winter long with delicious, homemade preserves. Canned tomatoes for pasta sauce and soups, jam for your toast, and my hubby’s favourite, pickled beets to eat with a meal.

    Sliced onions in a jar and pickling ingredients to add to the jar.

    3 Ingredient Pickled Onions

    This shortcut pickled red onions recipe is super fast, and you can even eat the onions in about 15 minutes if you like. The longer you keep them, the vinegar will turn a beautiful pink colour, and the onions will soften slightly. They will always be crisp and have a nice tang to them, even after weeks in the fridge (if they last that long).

    You will need:

    • red onion
    • rice wine vinegar
    • sugar

    You can even turn this into 2 ingredients if you omit the sugar. I like to balance out the flavour a bit, so adding sugar helps with that.

    A glass jar of sliced red onions before the pickling vinegar is added.

    My husband’s family was from England, and as you know they do love their pickled foods. My first experience was a store-bought variety of traditional English pickled onions. I am not a fan of malt vinegar, so although he liked these very much, they were not my cup of tea.

    Raw onions can be a bit hard to eat, even red ones. Hubby does not like raw onions at all, so I wanted a quick and easy way to pickle onions. I didn’t want to involve any special equipment.

    He does however LOVE my Crispy Air Fryer Onion Rings.

    Stress-Free Pickled Onions Process

    These pickled red onions are made in minutes, I am not kidding. I just use a plain old sharp knife to slice the onions. If you want perfect slices, by all means, use a mandolin. I am all about the simple here. No equipment, no cooking brine, no fuss!

    Vinegar getting poured over the sliced red onions in the jar.
    • thinly slice the onion
    • pack the slices in a glass jar
    • mix the rice vinegar and sugar in a measuring cup
    • pour over the onion slices
    • put on the lid
    • DONE!

    Quick Pickling Tips/Suggestions

    Be sure to thinly slice the onions. The easiest way is with a (affiliate) mandoline. You can also use a very sharp knife. Thinner slices will absorb the vinegar quickly. The thicker the slices, the more time it will take to fast pickle the onions.

    I need to try these in my Snap Pea Salad Recipe. I bet they would be awesome.

    Choosing different kinds of vinegar. For this recipe, I used rice wine vinegar. Feel free to experiment. Other choices could be distilled white vinegar, sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

    I used red wine vinegar in this Smoked Salmon Plate to quickly pickle a cucumber.

    Ways to sweeten pickles: In this recipe, I used white sugar. You can also use maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar. Again have a little fun in the kitchen and see what you like best.

    Best onions for pickling: I like red onions. Other great choices would be White onions, Spanish, Vidalia, or Sweet onions. You can even use little pearl onions.

    OMG, have you tried my homemade onion gravy from scratch? Seriously it is the best onion gravy in town. Move over HP Sauce, this is the NEW steak topper.

    Overhead shot of Pickled Onions in a bowl.

    You can see why this quick and easy homemade onion pickle recipe has become a staple. With BBQ season here, they are flying out of the fridge into salads and burgers all summer long.

    Do you have a herb garden? Give Fresh Herb Salt a try. A fun way to make homemade seasoning salt. Great as a meat rub, finishing salt and an awesome food gift too.

    If you happen to be growing some mint, this flavoured simple syrup is perfect for adding to drinks, ice cream and more.

    Be sure to CLICK THE SUBSCRIBE BUTTON located in the TOP MENU. You will get a FREE PRINTABLE and recipes! FOLLOW ME on social media too.

    You may also like these pickle recipes:

    • Ginger Baby Carrots
    • Cucumber Kimchi
    • Spicy Asparagus Spears
    Pickled Red Onions Pin
    Pickled onions ready to eat.

    Easy Pickled Red Onions

    Pickled Red Onions are perfect for tacos, burgers, sandwiches and more. So easy to make.
    5 from 114 votes
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    Course: bbq side, BBQ/Salad, Condiment
    Cuisine: Canadian
    Keyword: quick pickles, red onions
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 17kcal
    Author: Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

    Ingredients

    • 10 ounces red onion (1 onion)
    • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoons granulated sugar
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Get a glass jar with good fitting lid. I used a mason jar.
    • Peel the onion and thinly slice.
    • Place the onion slices into the jar.
    • Mix the vinegar and sugar in a measuring cup until the sugar dissolves. 
    • Pour over the onion slices.
    • Put on the lid.
    • Place in the fridge till ready to use.

    Nutrition Information

    Calories: 17kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 34mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg

    Notes

    If you want all your onion slices to be uniform, feel free to use a mandolin to slice with. These onions will keep for several weeks in the fridge.
    Tried this recipe?Take a picture and tag @homemadeandyummy
    Nutritional information on this site is generated via a plugin. I am not responsible for the accuracy of the plugin information.

    More Freezing, Preserving & Pickling

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      Spearmint Flavoured Simple Syrup
    • Savory Tomato Jam is ready to eat so many delicious ways.
      Savory Tomato Jam
    • A jar of fresh herb salt.
      Homemade Fresh Herb Salt
    • Refrigerator Pickled Zucchini Ribbons in a jar.
      Refrigerator Pickled Zucchini Recipe

    MEET THE AUTHOR

    Gloria Duggan is the author for Homemade & Yummy, where she creates fun and easy recipes. She is also a brand ambassador/influencer for well-known companies. Gloria has judged food competitions and has posted about local food events. Gloria's work has been featured in magazines, and she has been interviewed on several podcasts. Read More…

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amy Liu Dong

      July 31, 2023 at 1:06 pm

      Onion Pickled is one of my favorites. It is so easy to make and delicious. I always love to pair this with my fried fish or dried fish.

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        August 01, 2023 at 9:26 am

        We love adding these pickled onions to tacos, burgers and more.

    2. Tristin

      July 31, 2023 at 10:29 am

      We love pickled onions! My daughter and I made your recipe to go on our fish tacos. But we also liked eating them straight out of the jar!

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        August 01, 2023 at 9:27 am

        I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe for pickled onions.

    3. Jamie

      July 31, 2023 at 9:46 am

      This is such a great-looking pickled red Onions! It looks delicious as it is and very fresh! I agree, it’s perfect for our tacos and burgers dishes! Loved it and thanks for sharing this with us!

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        August 01, 2023 at 9:27 am

        You are welcome. Glad you enjoyed this easy pickled onion recipe.

    4. Carrie Robinson

      July 31, 2023 at 9:31 am

      We just love pickled onions on chicken and fish tacos! I will have to make these soon. 🙂

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        August 01, 2023 at 9:28 am

        This is such an easy recipe for great tasting pickled onions. ENJOY!

    5. Moop Brown

      July 31, 2023 at 5:03 am

      Pickled onions are one of my favorite toppings because of how versatile they are and the way in which they add a nice crunch and sourness to different dishes. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 31, 2023 at 8:33 am

        You are welcome. I love having a jar of pickled onions on hand too.

    6. Alex

      July 31, 2023 at 12:18 am

      I’ve made a lot of fermented food but never pickled. This looks so much easier! I think I’ll give these a try next time we have burgers.

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 31, 2023 at 8:34 am

        This pickled onion recipe is so easy to make. Give it a try, I know it will be a hit.

    7. Amy Casey

      July 30, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      Thanks so much for this easy pickled onion recipe. I made a batch last week and have already add them to salads, tacos and scrambled eggs. Delish!

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 31, 2023 at 8:34 am

        Yes, the endless ways to enjoy these yummy pickled onions.

    8. Megane

      July 30, 2023 at 10:10 am

      Love these pickled onions. I constantly have a jar in the fridge. A great recipe.

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 31, 2023 at 8:35 am

        Me too, the perfect topping for so many things.

    9. Erin

      July 30, 2023 at 9:15 am

      My husband loves all things pickled but I’ve never tried making any for him. I’ll definitely give these onions a try! These look so easy.

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 30, 2023 at 9:21 am

        They are super easy to make, and the a great condiment for burgers, tacos and more.

    10. Susan

      July 29, 2023 at 12:59 pm

      I made this a few nights ago, and have been using the pickled onions on things every night. The only change I made was to add some allspice berries to the pickling juice. GREAT and easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 30, 2023 at 9:22 am

        Glad you tweaked the recipe to your liking. I always have a bottle of pickled onions in my fridge.

    11. veenaazmanov

      July 28, 2023 at 11:19 am

      Thanks for a reminder . A Bottle in my kitchen is a must. Simple, easy and a perfect topping.

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 29, 2023 at 10:05 am

        I totally agree, the perfect topping for burgers and more.

    12. M Denis

      July 28, 2023 at 10:48 am

      Easy and delicious way to use up leftover red onions! I keep a jar in the fridge at all time!

      Reply
      • Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

        July 29, 2023 at 10:05 am

        Me too, so good on sandwiches, burgers or cheese trays.

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