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Home Meal Type Condiments
5
/5
41 minutes minutes

Quick Pickled Red Onions

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Vegan Vegan Vegetarian Vegetarian
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise BustardLeave a Comment
Posted: 2/14/22 Updated: 2/2/22

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Quick pickled red onions are the perfect, tangy accent to tacos, sandwiches, salads, and more! Ready in 30 minutes with just 5 simple and healthy ingredients.

When it comes to adding flavor to your meals, your best bet is a delicious homemade stir fry sauce, one of these easy homemade seasoning blends, and these quick pickled red onions never fail to add a punch of flavor and tang to any recipe!

pickled red onions in jar from overhead
Jump to... show
1 Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
2 Recipe Video
3 Ingredient Notes
4 step by step directions
5 Variations
6 Serve Them On
7 FAQ
8 Storage
9 More Condiments
10 Quick Pickled Red Onions

The perfect topping for our favorite portobello tacos, these quick pickled red onions are sweet and sour, with a bite of sharp and tangy flavor.

Serve them up on sandwiches, wraps, nachos, pizza, salads, and more! Easy to make with just 5 simple ingredients, quick pickled red onions will be ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes and can be stashed away in the fridge to enjoy up to 2 week later.

Reasons You'll Love This Recipe

  • it's so simple to prepare, but packs a ton of tangy delicious flavor
  • the perfect topping to tacos, salads, sandwiches, and more!
  • they keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks - making them the perfect addition to meal prep lunches and dinners

Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see how to make pickled onions! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Ingredient Notes

overhead view of ingredients required to make pickled onions
  • Garlic powder - swap garlic powder for 3-4 cloves fresh minced garlic if you'd like
  • Apple cider vinegar- I prefer to use Bragg's raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar, but any brand should work for the sake of pickling. White vinegar does not make a good alternative for this recipe as it is far too sharp. Red or white wine vinegar might be better alternatives, however they have not been tested.

step by step directions

thinly sliced red onion on cutting board

Slice

Slice onion in half through the root. Place cut side down and chop off the root and tip of bulb, peel skin off. Work slowly with a sharp knife to create the thinnest slices you can across the middle of the onion.

onions in jar before microwaving

Combine

To a 2 cup/1 pint jar, add the onion slices, salt, oregano, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar. Do your best to stir it up.

Note - don't worry if the onions are not submerged in the liquid; as they pickle they will soften and the salt will draw lots of liquid out for the onions. The top of the onions will become submerged eventually!

Weck Jars

These 500 ml Weck Jars with glass lids are so handy for meal prep. Use them for condiments such as pickled red onions, to jar salads, and so much more.

Shop Now
side view of pickled onions in jar

Pickle

Place the jar (ensuring no metal parts are present!) into a microwave and cook on high power for one minute. Stir, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes before enjoying.

Note - you can skip the microwave step and refrigerate onions overnight instead if you prefer!

close up of roasted portobello taco

Variations

  • Add some sweetness - pickled red onions traditionally include some sugar, honey, or maple syrup for sweetness. We've opted to leave it out (I don't miss it) but you could add a small amount (1-2 teaspoons) of your favorite sweetener such as maple syrup or honey
  • Herbs - swap oregano for thyme, basil, dill, or parsley (or leave it out, totally optional)
  • whole spices- add ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, whole cumin or coriander seeds, fennel seeds, or caraway
  • Garlic powder - swap for 3-4 cloves fresh minced garlic for stronger garlic flavor
  • Red pepper flakes - add ½ teaspoon for some heat
  • Balsamic vinegar - add in 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar for some rich and subtle sweet flavors
  • Sliced jalapeños- to add dimension and a kick
close up of roasted portobello taco

Serve Them On

  • Potobello mushroom tacos
  • Air fryer cauliflower tacos
  • Air fryer pizza
  • Perfect juicy turkey burgers
  • Honey lime shredded chicken sandwiches
  • Barbecue chicken lettuce wraps
  • Strawberry spinach salad 
  • Spinach bacon spinach salad
  • On any of these make ahead lunch bowls 
  • Nachos

FAQ

Can I swap red onion for white or yellow onions?

Sure! We haven't tested it, but it should work just the same. This could work well with shallots as well! Red onions are preferred because of their mild, sweet flavor.

How long do pickled onions last?

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

What do pickled red onions taste like?

Tangy, briny, slightly sweet - and totally delicious! They usually have a bit of crunch (the longer they are stored, the less crunchy they will be).

Storage

  • Fridge - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
  • Freeze - we have never tried freezing these quick pickled red onions, but they would probably freeze/ thaw just fine. It might work well to portion out and freeze them in ice cube trays, too!
spoonful of green goddess dressing over a mason jar

More Condiments

  • Creamy cilantro lime dressing
  • Balsamic vinaigrette
  • Homemade red wine vinaigrette
  • Green goddess dressing
  • Homemade balsamic reduction

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

pickled onions in jar

Quick Pickled Red Onions

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 minute min
chill time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 41 minutes mins
Print Rate
Quick pickled red onions are the perfect, tangy accent to tacos, sandwiches, salads, and more! Ready in 30 minutes with just 5 simple and healthy ingredients.
1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder note 1
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions 

  • Slice- Slice onion in half through the root. Place cut side down and chop off the root and tip of bulb, peel skin off. Work slowly with a sharp knife to create the thinnest slices you can across the middle of the onion.
    thinly sliced red onion on cutting board
  • Jar- to a 2 cup/1 pint jar, add the onion slices, salt, oregano, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar. Do your best to stir it up.
    onions in jar before microwaving
  • Pickle- place the jar (ensuring not metal parts present!) into a microwave and cook on high power for one minute (see note 2). Stir, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes before enjoying.
    side view of pickled onions in jar

Tips:

  1. swap garlic powder for 3-4 cloves fresh minced garlic if you'd like
  2. you can skip the microwave step and refrigerate onions overnight instead
  3. this recipe makes roughly 1 cup of pickled onions
Storage
  • Fridge - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
  • Freeze - we have never tried freezing these quick pickled red onions, but they would probably freeze/ thaw just fine. It might work well to portion out and freeze them in ice cube trays, too!

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2tablespoons, Calories: 8kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 29mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 2IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Mexican

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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