Quick pickled onions are easy to make and a burst of flavor and sophistication to crowd favorites like tacos, burgers, salads, and sandwiches. I like to make these with red onions for a beautiful pink color that really pops. They would also be delicious with sweet yellow onions.
Quick pickling is a process to preserve fresh vegetables without canning. Instead, you place veggies in a vinegar-based brine and store them in the refrigerator. You may also heard the terms “refrigerator pickled” or “quickles.” Those all refer to this process of quick pickling.
If you grow your own onions like I do, or just have surplus of raw onions that need to be used up, quick pickling them is a great way to preserve them easily and have a fun condiment to add to meals.
We often have random jars of condiments sitting in our fridge, such as homemade red chili garlic sauce and roasted cherry tomatoes, and then maybe a “quickle of the week” jar, especially in the summer when produce from the garden is coming in hot and heavy.
This recipe for refrigerator pickled onions is one of my favorites.
These quick pickled onions are tangy, sweet, and the pungency of raw onions is mellowed and tamed by the brining process. My husband is not a fan of raw onions at all, but he loves these pickled red onions.
They are so easy to make and pack so much flavor. I often make this condiment for parties because it’s unique, impressive, and adds so much flavor, even though they don’t take much effort to make!
Just look at how pretty that pink brine is! The photo below was taken shortly after I assembled the jars, but as the onions sit and pickle in the jar, they will absorb the pink color from the skins and turn pink themselves like in the first photo.
What You Will Need
This recipe makes about two pints of pickled red onions.
For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- a large red onion
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsps sugar (I like it sweet, so I use heaping tablespoons)
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp pickling spice (optional)
You’ll also need a couple glass pint jars with non-reactive lids, such as plastic or glass, a pot, and something to cut the onions with.
A sharp knife will work fine, as will a food processor, but I prefer to use a mandolin to get thin, beautiful onion rings.
I don’t have a fancy, expensive one. I believe I got the one I have from Walmart for around $15 several years ago. It works just fine!
How to Make Quick Pickled Onions
I’ll walk you through the steps of how to make quick pickled onions and then include the full recipe down below.
First, warm the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pickling spice in a pot on the stove. You’re just warming up the liquid enough to dissolve the sugar and salt and extract the flavor from the spices, so it doesn’t need to get super hot.
Once the sugar and salt are dissolved, turn off the stove and set the pot aside to cool.
I don’t always add pickling spice to this recipe but I like that cinnamon-y, clove-y flavor it adds. If you want a cleaner-tasting pickled onion, omit the spices.
Next, work on peeling and slicing the onions. Cut the top off the onion and peel away the husk. These can be saved to make broth, but they will turn the broth pink!
Carefully slide the cut side of the onion on the mandolin back and forth to cut the onion into very thin onion rings.
The thinner the slices, the faster the onion will absorb the brine. I also personally prefer to eat the thinner slices, but you can cut them thicker or even dice them if you want to. They’re your pickled onions!
After the onions are sliced to your liking, pack the glass jars with the sliced onions. You can pack them pretty tightly because the brine will soften the onions.
You can use any glass jar you have, but I like the regular-mouth pint Mason jars because the “shoulders” at the top of the jar help keep the onions submerged in the pickling brine.
Finally, strain the cooled pickling brine and pour directly into the packed jars.
Place lids on the jars and keep the quick pickled onions in the refrigerator until needed. They’ll be ready to enjoy in an hour if you sliced them pretty thin, but I think they taste best when brined overnight!
These quick pickled onions should last about a month in the refrigerator.
The longer it sits, the more mellow the onions will be, so if you have very pungent onions, let them pickle in the fridge for a few days before using.
How to Use Quick Pickled Onions
Pickled onion slices aren’t really something I would eat as a side dish, but they make a great condiment! Try quick pickled onions on:
- tacos
- fajitas
- loaded nachos
- loaded baked potatoes
- grilled burgers
- hot dogs
- salads
- egg salad sandwiches
- chicken salad sandwiches
- deli meat sandwiches
The sweet and tangy flavor of these onions go well with just about anything and makes the flavors of the main dish really pop.
Once the onions are all eaten up, you can use the flavorful liquid that’s left over as a marinade for chicken, pork, or beef. You can also mix it with olive oil to make salad dressing.
Variations to the Recipe for Quick Pickled Onions
I like the clean, tangy, onion flavor of this recipe as it is, but it’s fun to experiment with some different flavors using this recipe as a starting point.
Here are some ideas to get your creativity flowing.
- Switch up the spices and try making these quickles with peppercorns, fennel seed, or mustard seed.
- Add a sprig of fresh thyme or oregano to the jar.
- Add fresh garlic cloves to the pickling jar.
- Add cayenne or Thai red chili peppers, either whole or sliced, to the jar to make the onions spicy.
- Use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar to change the flavor.
- Swap the sugar with honey.
- Substitute red onions with shallots or sweet yellow onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla.
- Increase or decrease the amount of sugar.
Ready to Make Quick Pickled Onions?
Make your own today!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please share your thoughts down below. I’d also love to know what you put your quick pickled onions on!
Quick Pickled Onions
Equipment
- 2 glass pint jars with non-reactive lids, such as plastic or glass
- 1 saucepan
- 1 mandolin
Ingredients
- 1 red onion 14 oz.
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsps sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp pickling spice optional
Instructions
- Warm the vinegar, water, and pickling spice in a pot on the stove. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the warm liquid, then turn off the stove and set the pot aside to cool.
- Peel and slice the onions. The thinner the slices, the faster the onion will absorb the brine.
- After the onions are sliced to your liking, pack the glass jars tightly with the sliced onions.
- Strain the cooled pickling brine and pour directly into the packed jars.
- Place lids on the jars and keep the quick pickled onions in the refrigerator until needed. They’ll be ready to enjoy in an hour if you sliced them pretty thin, but I think they taste best when brined overnight!