Learn how to make Pickled Red Onions and customize the pickling juice several different ways. Pickled Red Onions add a punch of flavor to any dish!
Do I need to use a red onion? Can I use white or yellow?
Red onions are best suited for pickling because they have a more mild flavor. While you can certainly pickle white or yellow onions, they both have much sharper, more potent onion flavors. Yellow onions in particular are rarely consumed raw. Red onions will produce the best results.
MY OTHER RECIPESWhat kind of jar or container should I use?
When pickling any kind of vegetable, you should use containers that are suitable for fermentation and pickling. These include stoneware, glass, and food grade plastic containers. Mason jars are the most commonly used containers for pickling for home cooks.
Can I make different flavors of pickled red onions?
Yes you can! You can use a very basic recipe for pickling and then add other items to the container to change the flavor slightly. This recipe, as written, contains both a base recipe as well as gives you several suggestions from which you can mix and match, or come up with your own. Fresh herbs and whole spices are the most common used additions.
How long can you keep pickled vegetables?
Opened, unsealed jars of pickled vegetables will stay good in the fridge for about 6 months. Be sure to keep your pickled vegetables in the refrigerator.
What do pickled red onions go good with?
Pickled red onions can be used in place of raw red onions in any recipe calling for red onion. They are great in salads, on tacos, on sandwiches, on burgers, and more!
Here are some recipes that are great with pickled red onions:
- Easy Fish Tacos
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- The Perfect Burger
- Healthy Taco Salad
- Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork
- Banh Mi Sandwiches
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
- 1 red onion
- 1½ cups white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 small hot red pepper
- 3 whole peeled garlic
- 1 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
- Peel and slice red onion into thin slices. Place into a pint sized mason jar, or other glass, plastic, or ceramic container with a sealable lid.
- In a small saucepan stir together vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add in 1 or more additional optional flavorings as desired. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Pour mixture over onions in jar until full. Place the lid on and let cool to room temperature.
- Place the lid on to seal and refrigerate.
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Marta says
My first time of pickling onions and OMG! This recipe is extremely easy and DELICIOUS! I did the peppercorns version and it tasted just like a recipe my mom used to make when I was a kid. Brought back a lot of good memories (she lives in Israel and I live in the USA) thank you very much!!
Barbara Allen says
I have been given a large amount of small red onions.
Could I pickle them whole?
Barbara
Rachel Farnsworth says
They’d have to be the size of a walnut to pickle them whole.
Clair Brown says
I would like to make this for Christmas gifts for my co-workers. Do I need to process or will they seal with the hot liquid?
Rachel Farnsworth says
You should still process them in order to be food safe.
Richard Arambula says
How long should they be processed for long term storage?
Susan Liggett says
If I want to leave out the sugar, what spices would be best?
Rachel Farnsworth says
Any of the spices will work.
Ann says
I tried something like this once but my onions became too soft and lost their purple color
Trish says
When is it ok to eat them?
Rachel Farnsworth says
I give them at least 24 hours.
Lori Degenhardt says
When i put onions & hot broth in jars and put seal lids on can i boil the jars for 5 mins so the jars seal down as they will be stored in basement Cubboard. Will this make onions to soft.
Lori says
When i put onions & hot mixture in jars i put sealers on jars and do i put jars in hot boiling water for 5 mins so the seal pops down .will this make onions to soft. I will be storing in basement cubboard with my other canning stuff. Thank you
Sandra says
can we do the same recipe with cucumbers
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes, it should work with a variety of vegetables!
Jana says
Can these be hot water bath to preserve longer or would it make them too mushy ?
Ed says
Tried pickled onions at BBQ places and didn’t realize they were this easy to make. Two questions: The last step says place the lid on to seal. Do we not seal it when we place the lid after pouring in the liquid? And, how long should we wait before eating? Thanks.
Rachel Farnsworth says
You certainly can seal them up through canning, but pickled onions stay good for 6 months in the fridge already so I never find the need to preserve for longer than that. Wait at least 24 hours before eating.
Sandi Buchanan says
How long do these need to sit after they’ve been sealed and refrigerated until they’re….. well, pickled?
Rachel Farnsworth says
24 hours
Linda says
Can these not be canned in a hot water bath or pressure canner? I was thinking about shelf life outside of the refrigerator.
Rachel Farnsworth says
Yes they can.
cindy says
How long should they sit before they become pickled?
Rachel Farnsworth says
24 hours
Don says
What other vegetables can you pickle
Rachel Farnsworth says
Lots!
Vicki says
Most veggies can be pickled this way . I like picking carrots.