You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make your own Quick Pickled Red Onions! A delicious tangy and crunchy topping that’s perfect for burgers, tacos, sandwiches, pirogies, salads and more.

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INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION

a bowl of sliced rd onions, a small jar of spices, a large empty jar

I always try to have Pickled Red Onions on hand, especially during the summer months when it’s BBQ season and I want to put them on literally everything. Burgers, tacos, salads, pirogies, sandwiches… They’re so delicious! And what’s great about pickling is that is helps to mellow out the really strong, sharp bite that red onions have when they’re raw.

Pickling your red onions is also a great way to preserve them if you happen to have a lot, and they’ll stay good in the fridge for up to a month or more. All you need to make your own Pickled Red Onions are five simple ingredients that you already have in your kitchen:

red onions + water + vinegar + salt + sugar = crunchy pickle heaven

HOW TO MAKE QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS

hands stuffing sliced red onions into a glass jar

A small saucepan pouring liquid into a jar of sliced red onions

Making your own Pickled Red Onions is literally as easy as 1-2-3! Pickling is comprised of just two easy components: your fresh ingredients, which in this case is our red onions and the brine which is made up of water, vinegar, salt and sugar, and any additional whole spices and herbs you may want to add for extra flavour. The brine is what’s going to preserve your produce and all give it that tangy, pickly flavour that we all know and love.

You’ll need about 1 large or 2 medium red onions as well as a quart-sized (32 oz.) glass jar. Plastic will NOT do as we will be pouring boiling hot liquid inside it. You’ll be using equal parts filtered water and distilled white vinegar, about 1 and a quarter cup each. You could also use apple cider vinegar as well if that’s what you have. The flavour will be slightly different but still delicious. Lastly, measure out 1.5 tsp sea salt (or kosher salt) and 2 tsp sugar (either plain white or coconut sugar works fine).

In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, salt and sugar and mix. Place on the stove and bring to a boil, ensuring the salt and sugar dissolves completely.
While the brine comes to a boil, thinly slice your red onion and stuff it into the glass jar.
Pour the boiling hot brine over the onions in the jar and let sit until cool. Seal with the lid, place in the fridge for at least 4 hours and enjoy!

OPTIONAL MIX-INS

close-up shot of spoon full of whole spices

You can add additional whole pickling spices if you want to, but it’s not absolutely required for your Pickled Red Onions to still be delicious. I whipped up a pickling spice blend in a jar with what I had on hand, but here’s what I recommend (use any of these whole spices if you have them):

black peppercorns
coriander seeds
mustard seeds
whole cloves

red chilli flakes
cinnamon bark
crushed bay leaves
dill weed

EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD CRUNCH

hand holding a jar of pickled red onions

If you’ve never tried making Pickled Red Onions, I promise you’re going to be ADDICTED once you try them. These will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 months, but note that they are the crunchiest within the first week. I can pretty much guarantee though that these will not stick around that long as they’re just so dang yummy!

If you’ve made it this far into the blog post, you really are an exceptional human! Tried and loved this recipe? I’d be eternally grateful if you left a star-rating and review below!

If you’re looking for more summer BBQ recipes, you might want to check out my Quick Pickled Jalapeños, Asian-Inspired Tofu Salad Rolls, or Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for dessert!

Lastly, if you made this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVeganKitchen and use hashtag #SteamyVeganKitchen! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up!