Pickled red onions are an easy way to brighten and elevate any dish. They add a nice tangy and crunchy element to your meal and are so easy to make. Once you try it, I guarantee you will always want to keep a jar of it in your refrigerator at all times.
What are pickled onions eaten with?
You can enjoy pickled onions as a garnish or topping on any dish. It pairs very well with basic or earthy flavors such as eggs, meats, curries, or stews. You can also add to sandwiches, tacos, noodles, salads, nachos–the possibilities are endless!
How do you make pickled onions?
Pickled red onions are made by soaking thinly sliced onions in a brine made up of water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. It only takes about 30 minutes for the pickled onions to be ready to eat. You can let them sit overnight in the refrigerator and they can be enjoyed for about 2-3 weeks.
The ingredients can be easily substituted with whatever is most accessible or available to you.
the onions
White or yellow onions can be used in place of red onions.
the vinegar
Plain, apple cider, red wine, or even rice wine vinegar can be used for this recipe.
THE SUGAR
Granulated sugar is most commonly used but you can go with any sweetener you’d like. You can also use honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup.
THE SPICE
In addition to whole peppercorns, feel free to add your peppers of choice to give the pickled onions a nice kick. You can use serrano, jalapeno, thai chili peppers or even dried red pepper flakes.
You can also add sprigs of herbs like fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc. Add them into the jar before or after pouring in the brine.
Pickled Red Onions
Equipment
- 32 oz glass jar or two 16oz glass jars
- Mandoline slicer
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced (you can also use white or yellow onion)
- 1 serrano pepper thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
For the brine
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup vinegar plain or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp whole peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the brine and stir gently to ensure everything is well mixed. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let cool.
- While the brine cools, slice your onion and pepper and peel your garlic. Add all the ingredients into a jar(s).
- Once the brine has cooled, carefully pour into the jars. Be sure to leave about 1/2" of space at the top. Seal and allow everything to sit for at least 1 hour or overnight before serving.
- Enjoy as a garnish or topping on sandwiches, burgers, eggs, salads, etc.
