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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!
- 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!
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.
2. Give it a quick stir (or shake) and let sit for 1 hour. Then place in fridge until ready to enjoy.
For The Best Pickled Onions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
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!)
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!
Easy Pickled Red Onions
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
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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
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.
