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5 from 5 votes
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Easy Pickled Red Onions

I always have these Easy Pickled Red Onions in my fridge. They are tangy, sweet, and one of the best ways to give almost any dish a bright pop of lively color and flavor! The best part? No cooking required!

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By: Lauren published: Jul. 05, 2021 updated: Jun. 06, 2024 6 Comments

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Forkful of cold pickled red onions in a tupperware container
Contents hide
About This Recipe
Why You’ll Love These Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients and Substitutions
How To Make
For The Best Pickled Onions
What To Eat With Pickled Red Onions
FAQ: Pickled Red Onions
More Easy Flavor Makers To Try
Easy Pickled Red Onions
MyFitnessPal Entry
Did You Make This?

About This Recipe

The easiest, quickest way to jazz up any dish is with pickled red onions. I swear! They are tangy, sweet, and one of the best ways to give almost any dish a bright pop of lively color and flavor!

I almost always have pickled red onions in my fridge. They add an amazingly tart crunch to sandwiches, salads, crunch wraps, and so much more.

And even better, no cooking is required! All you do is create a simple brine solution with vinegar, slice your onions, combine, and refrigerate.

Use these tangy pickled onions to elevate your carnitas burrito bowl, chicken sandwich or mahi mahi tacos!

Be sure to check out all my healthy sauces and dressings for more ways to elevate any dish!

Why You’ll Love These Pickled Red Onions

  • Sweet and tangy, these guys pack the most irresistible punch of flavor!
  • Adds so much flavor without adding a ton of extra calories
  • Use to jazz up any meal!
  • No cooking required. Just mix the ingredients and let the brine do the work.
  • So versatile. Pile them on burgers, tacos, sandwiches, salads, bowls to elevate anything!

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients for pickled red onions.
  • Red onion – The star of the show! You’ll want to use a red onion for this for the best flavor.
  • Vinegar – I like using a combination of apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar.
  • Salt
  • Sugar

How To Make

The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!

sliced red onions in a tupperware filled with vinegar

1. Slice onion thinly, about 1/8-inch (if possible). Mix vinegars, salt, sugar, and water. I usually mix in the glass container I’m going to store the onions in. Add onion to the liquid and submerge.

overhead shot of pickled red onions in a tupperware container

2. Give it a quick stir (or shake) and let sit for 1 hour. Then place in fridge until ready to enjoy.

Helpful Tips

For The Best Pickled Onions

  1. Slice onions as thinly as possible. The thinner they are, the quicker they will soak up and absorb the vinegar. And something about super thin onions just make them taste better on things! I recommend slicing them roughly 1/8-inch if you can.
  2. Use a mixture of vinegars. Technically speaking, you can use strictly apple cider or white distilled vinegar. You can even use white wine vinegar if you wanted to. I really think the BEST pickled onions come from a combination of apple cider and white distilled vinegar.
  3. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before putting in the fridge. This allows the onions to start absorbing the liquid more quickly, kicking off the pickling process.
  4. Wait at least 12 hours before eating. Not necessary, but the longer you wait, the more the onions will have pickled and the better they will be!

What To Eat With Pickled Red Onions

  • Burgers: delicious on any burger, turkey burger or salmon burger.
  • Salads: If a salad calls for red onion, sub with pickled red onions for an elevated flavor! Or even if it doesn’t, add to any salad, even taco salad for great flavor and crunch!
  • Sandwiches: Stuff them in a crunch wrap or sandwich. Would be amazing in a grilled chicken cool wrap, BBQ chicken wrap or chicken sandwich.
  • Bowls: One of my favorite ways to enjoy these pickled onions! I love a good bowl pilled with rice, protein, veggies and flavor makers! So good on a salsa verde chicken bowl or carnitas burrito bowl.
  • Tacos: Pile them on some tacos like these mahi mahi tacos!
Forkful of cold pickled red onions in a tupperware container

FAQ: Pickled Red Onions

What is the best vinegar for pickled onions?

This is all personal preference, but I have found my favorite to be a combination of apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar. Using the two vinegars gives it another depth of flavor than any one vinegar alone.

How long do I need to let the pickled onions sit before eating?

Let your pickled onions sit at room temperature for an hour to kickstart the pickling process. You can then store them in the fridge or use them for a meal. However, I recommend waiting at least 12 hours before eating them for more flavorful onions. The longer you wait, the stronger the pickling effect will be.

How long do pickled onions last?

When stored in an airtight container, the pickled onions will last two to three weeks. (If they make it that long!)

More Easy Flavor Makers To Try

Easy Pico De Gallo

Low Calorie Special Sauce (In-N-Out CopyCat)

Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing (Chick-fil-A Copycat)

Lemon dill sauce in a small bowl with a whisk.

Healthy Lemon Dill Sauce for Salmon (and So Much More!)

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!

Forkful of cold pickled red onions in a tupperware container
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5 from 5 votes

Easy Pickled Red Onions

? Dairy-Free ? Gluten-Free ? Low Carb ? Vegan ? Vegetarian
I always have these Easy Pickled Red Onions in my fridge. They are tangy, sweet, and one of the best ways to give almost any dish a bright pop of lively color and flavor! The best part? No cooking required!
Yield: 8
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Total: 5 minutes mins
Calories: 19kcal
Protein: 0.3g
Carbs: 3.2g

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar (60g)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (60g)
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 large red onion thinly sliced

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes. Scroll for macros and MyFitnessPal code.

Instructions

  • Add white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and water to a container and whisk to combine.
  • Add sliced onions to vinegar brine and toss around. It's okay if all the onions are not submerged in the brine, they will shrink as they start to absorb the brine.
  • Store in fridge for at least 12 hours (best after 24+ hours) before using.
  • Use pickled onions for your salad, sandwich, crunch wrap, anything your heart desires for a pop of sweet tang flavor!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2Tbsp (30g), Calories: 19kcal (1%), Carbohydrates: 3.2g (1%), Protein: 0.3g (1%), Fiber: 0.5g (2%), Sugar: 2.9g (3%)

Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.

MyFitnessPal Entry

LFF Pickled Onions

© Author: Lauren

Forkful of cold pickled red onions in a tupperware container

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Lauren

Lauren

Lauren lives with her husband, Simon and two dogs, Finley and Cookie, in the Carolina’s. She has college degrees in Nursing and Exercise Science, is a NASM certified trainer and spent many years as a macro coach before transitioning to full time blogging. She loves staying active, being creative and recreating her favorite comfort food dishes into healthier, lightened up versions. Desserts are her speciality!

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Hey There!

I’m Lauren, a food lover sharing healthy, macro-friendly recipes that taste good and you can feel good about eating. Here you’ll find everything from breakfasts to easy dinners to lightened up desserts because desserts are absolutely mandatory around here!

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