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Easy Pickled Onions Recipe

December 8, 2018 By Patrick 61 Comments

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Update:  Hey guys, I’ve been getting questions about these Pickled Onions so I added a video to the post.  You’ll find the video down below, right before the recipe box (or if you’re on a desktop it will be at the top of the post).  It’s a super easy technique so give it a whirl if you’re new to it.  Enjoy!

You can make a batch of delightful pickled onions faster than you can read this post.

Ready?

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up. So good! mexicanplease.com

How To Make Pickled Onions

(Note:  these instructions are not meant for long-term canning.)

If you’re ever hesitant to slice into a fresh onion just to use a single ring for your sandwich, you can now think of that as Step One to keeping a jar of these beauties in your fridge.

In addition to livening up a wide range of Mexican dishes, these pickled onions also come with the side benefit of thoroughly impressing family and friends when you pull that pink jar out of the fridge.  You made those?  They are one of those condiments that for some reason people don’t expect to see in homes.  Yet.  

In a saucepan over medium heat bring 3/4 cup vinegar, 3/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of sugar to a light boil.  Kosher, sea, or pickling salt are usually recommended for pickling as table salt typically has additives that can negatively affect the brine.

Meanwhile, chop up the rest of the onion.  It only takes about 3/4 of a normal-sized red onion to fill a pint-sized Mason jar full of pure zip.

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up. So good! mexicanplease.com

Slice a quarter of the onion lengthwise and you’ll end up with half moons that work well for sandwiches and tacos, but of course you are a free chopper so feel free to get creative.

Give them a quick toss so the rings separate from each other and stuff ’em in a Mason jar.  Since we are using vinegar for the pickling a non-reactive container will work best, i.e. glass jars for the win.

Pour the vinegar solution into the jar and add a single clove of garlic chopped in half and some cracks of black pepper.

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up. So good! mexicanplease.com

You could also use whole peppercorns.

It’s also worth mentioning that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I like these best when they are barely sweetened.  For most of the other pickled goods on the site I don’t add any sugar at all (see Pickled Jalapenos).

But taste buds vary so you can definitely add more sugar if you want a sweeter batch.  One teaspoon of sugar would probably be a decent starting point for that option.

Let this mixture cool on the counter for a bit, cover, and then store in the fridge overnight.

Tomorrow your mostly white onions will have transformed into some pink delights that will be magnetically attracted to your next lunch.  And dinner.  And breakfast.

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up. So good! mexicanplease.com

Use liberally on tacos, sandwiches, tostadas, or just about anything that needs a final dash of zip.

You can get creative too;  we use our pickled jalapenos on this Chicken and Jalapeno Pizza and you could do something similar with pickled onions.

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up. So good! mexicanplease.com

These will keep in the fridge for at least a few weeks, after which you can joyfully slice into a brand new red onion and make a new batch in a matter of minutes.

Click Play to see how easy it is to make Pickled Onions!!

Buen Provecho.

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up. So good! mexicanplease.com

Easy Pickled Onions

Here's an easy recipe for a quick batch of delightful pickled onions. You can use these on sandwiches, tacos, tostadas, or anything that needs a final dash of zip to liven it up.  (Note:  instructions are not meant for long term canning.)
4.23 from 61 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 (1 pint)
Calories: 12kcal
Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • 3/4 cup vinegar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic
  • freshly ground pepper
  • pinch of sugar (optional)

Instructions

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 3/4 cup vinegar, 3/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of sugar (optional).  Bring to a light boil or until all of the salt is dissolved. 
  • Chop up the red onion (you can peel and discard the outer skin).  I cut it into quarters and then slice lengthwise.
  • Give the slices a quick toss and then stuff them in a pint-sized glass jar.  Add the vinegar mixture along with 1 garlic clove chopped in half and some freshly ground pepper (or whole peppercorns). 
  • Let cool on counter for a few minutes.  Then cover and store in the refrigerator.
  • The pickled onions will have most of their flavor after a few hours of resting in the brine. 

Notes

These pickled onions will keep in the fridge for up to a month.
 
I like these Pickled Onions best when they are barely sweetened, so I only add a pinch of sugar.  For a sweeter batch you can add up to 1 teaspoon of sugar.  
 
A non-reactive container is best to house the vinegar brine, with glass being the preferred choice. 
 
It's also best practice to use a non-reactive pan when heating up the vinegar. 
 
Table salt is not recommended as it typically has additives and this can negatively affect the brine.  Kosher, sea, or pickling salt are recommended.
 
I almost always use a simple white vinegar as opposed to flavored vinegars.
 
You can make and use these same day, but they will be sharper and fully pickled after resting in the fridge overnight. 
Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

You can use a similar technique to make some Mexican Pickled Carrots.

These Mexican Pickled Carrot Sticks want to be in your life! Crispy, delicious, and full of zip from the jalapeno. Super easy to make too. mexicanplease.com

Or some Pickled Tomatillos.

These Pickled Tomatillos will give you a tart burst of acidity and they work wonders on tacos, quesadillas, and even sandwiches. So good! mexicanplease.com

Want to read our latest post?  Fiery Chimichurri Sauce.

I'm using chili powder and cayenne to give a traditional chimichurri sauce some real kick! This version really shines when served with some homemade empanadas. So good! mexicanplease.com

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Filed Under: Appetizers/Sides, Mexican Cooking 101, Most Recent, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « Chilaquiles with Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa
Next Post: Chilaquiles with Black Beans, Avocado and Pickled Jalapenos »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike Bond

    July 2, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Patrick, reading the posts here, why don’t you create a share a recipe section?? Might be interesting.

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 3, 2020 at 2:59 pm

      Hey Mike! Hmmm do you mean a page where visitors to the site submit their own recipes?

      Reply
  2. Gloria

    June 13, 2020 at 7:22 am

    5 stars
    5 Stars! I made it for the first time last night because I didn’t have condiments for my carnita soft tacos. In about 7 minutes I cooked this and served it. This was all that was needed to brighten the tacos. My family loved it. Changes I made: I added 2 thin sliced Serrano Chile’s and thin slices of 1 lemon to the vinegar/water solution. And I boiled it in the microwave. I didn’t have to wait overnight. Great Flavor!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      June 18, 2020 at 11:22 am

      Hey thanks much for your notes Gloria, super helpful 🙂 Cheers.

      Reply
  3. Wendy

    February 9, 2020 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    I added just one thai pepper. It was great and EASY!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      February 16, 2020 at 10:24 pm

      Ahh great to know, thanks for your note Wendy!

      Reply
    • Cj

      May 25, 2020 at 8:52 am

      In Salvadoran cuisine this is called curtito and they also use jalapeno and carrots… With a little oregano. I’ve never used sugar haha

      Reply
      • Patrick

        May 29, 2020 at 1:16 pm

        Thanks for mentioning this CJ, if anyone is interested here is the Curtido recipe.

        Reply
  4. Nancy

    October 7, 2019 at 9:40 am

    Hi Patrick- I can’t seem to find that video link you mentioned above…?

    Reply
    • Patrick

      October 7, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      Hi Nancy! Hmmm it should be autoplaying towards the top of the post when the page loads. But if it’s not for some reason you can always see it on Youtube here:

      Pickled Onions Video

      Cheers.

      Reply
  5. Rachel

    October 2, 2019 at 1:17 pm

    I’m not usually a fan of raw onions….does pickling them take out that bite and aftertaste?

    Loving the site…I’m printing several of your recipes to give a try in the next few weeks. First off homemade corn tortillas! Yay 😀

    Reply
    • Patrick

      October 2, 2019 at 4:39 pm

      Hi Rachel, thanks for stopping by!

      Hmmm yes pickling your onions will take out some of the bite but to be honest they will still taste like onions, but with some tangy acidity from the pickling. But given how easy they are to make it’s probably worth a go to see if they work better with your palate. Cheers.

      Reply
  6. Dawn

    August 2, 2019 at 5:30 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! They add so much flavor to my black bean dishes. I just shared the recipe with one of my sisters!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      August 5, 2019 at 1:31 pm

      Hey thanks Dawn, so glad you found this recipe 🙂

      Reply
  7. Colleen Kuhlmann

    July 23, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    5 stars
    Elevated our dish to the point our dinner guests were quite literally gushing. (We made chichen itza pibil) Some next level stuff for real!

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 23, 2019 at 7:06 pm

      Oh nice sounds like a great meal! Cheers.

      Reply
  8. PATRICK J SHEEHAN

    July 23, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    5 stars
    I made a complete Mexican dinner for family and friends and included the Pickled Red Onions. What a hit. Now I have to make them for one guest to take to her family. Good food never ends.
    Amen

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 23, 2019 at 7:08 pm

      Ha awesome thanks for your note Patrick — this is the only downside of serving good food to your fam and friends, i.e “more please!”

      Reply
  9. Jim

    July 11, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    5 stars
    Hey Patrick,
    Love this site! I have been making these for a year or two. The only difference is that I use about half onion/ half shallot and put a sliced-open, seeded habanero in the bottom of the jar. I don’t use much sugar either.
    Thanks for all the great tips and recipes. A++

    Reply
    • Patrick

      July 12, 2019 at 4:00 pm

      Ahh nice adding a bit of heat is a great tip for peeps, thanks much for your note. Cheers.

      Reply
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