Pickled onions are easy to make and are a great addition to salads, soups, and sandwiches. Quickly transform red onions into mild, slightly sweet, and tangy in minutes with this pickled red onion recipe.
When I make salads and bowls, I love to add onions. But sometimes, I want to add a little kick to my red onions. Red pickled onions are not only simple to make but also a fabulous addition to any salad, sandwich, or bowl. Although red onions are generally strong-tasting, pickled onions are mild and sweet. Despite the vinegar base, the sweet taste of agave or maple syrup makes this pickled red onion recipe a delicious addition to any recipe.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Pint-Sized Mason Jar: A pint-sized jar holds 16 ounces.
- Red Onion: Because red onions are naturally sweet, they make the perfect pickling onions. Pickled onions are tangy, a bit sweet, and crunchy all at the same time.
- White Vinegar: White vinegar White wine vinegar has a mild flavor but a better appearance than colored vinegar.
- Agave: Agave is a natural sweeter.
- Dill: The feathery green leaves of the dill plant have a bright, sweet flavor—somewhere between anise, parsley, and celery. Dried dill seed is even more pungent.
- Parsley: Parsley has a clean and peppery taste with a touch of earthiness, making it a great all-rounder in the kitchen.
Recipe Ingredient Substitutions
- Any sized jar or container works, as long as it has a tight lid.
- Choose white onions or yellow onions.
- Use any vinegar you prefer. Even flavored vinegar works in place of adding herbs and other flavors.
- Choose any herb and seasoning combinations that go with the type of food you plan to serve with the pickled red onion.
- Choose maple syrup or date syrup instead agave.
Other Suggested Flavoring Options
- Black Peppercorns
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Hot Red Pepper Flakes
- Basil
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Cumin Seeds
Regardless of the flavors you infuse into the red onions; I chose parsley and dill today. However, I also love rosemary, but basil or hot peppers can change the flavor drastically and enhance the flavors you are trying to match with a recipe.
If you plan to make a Mexican dish, jalapeños would be a good choice. Basil would enhance any onions for an Italian Dish.
How to Make Pickled Onions
To make pickled onions, you only need a few simple ingredients and choose your flavors.
- Peel and slice the red onion into thin slices.
- Place onions, herbs, and spices into a pint-sized mason jar or glass, plastic, or ceramic container with a sealable lid.
- Pour mixture over onions in a jar until full.
- Place the lid on and let cool to room temperature.
- Place the lid on to seal and refrigerate.
- Wait overnight and use it for your favorite recipes.
- Will last sealed in the refrigerator for 7-10 days
- In a small saucepan, stir together vinegar and agave
- Add additional optional flavorings as desired.
- Bring to a boil and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture over the onions in a jar until full.
- Leave on the counter until the jar is at room temperature.
- Place the lid on to seal and refrigerate.
- Wait at least 1 hour or for maximum flavor overnight and use for your favorite recipes.
- Pickled red onions stay fresh and sealed in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Recipe Suggestions to Include Pickled Onions
Recipe FAQs
Red onions are rich in folate, or vitamin B9, which can improve cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of a stroke. In addition, our pickled red onions contain many other vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C.
White wine vinegar has a mild flavor but gives a better appearance to light-colored pickles, such as those made from cauliflower or cucumber. Red wine vinegar is better for pickled beetroot or red cabbage. With its apple base, Cyder vinegar is perfect for sweet pickles.
Vinegar-based pickling is a much faster process than fermentation pickling. In its quickest form, you'll boil a vinegar solution, pour it over the object of your pickling desire, let it all cool and stash it in the fridge.
Tips
- Add some sliced onions, alternate with herbs and spices, and then add more onions so the herbs and spices are evenly distributed throughout the jar.
- Push down the onions and herbs, packing them tightly into the jar.
- Use a funnel to pour the hot vinegar/agave mixture so as not to burn your hands.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely to room temperature before placing the lid on the jar and refrigerating.
- The longer the onions cool, the more the flavors enhance.
- To use the onions, use a fork to remove them from the jar and place them on a paper towel to remove excess brine.
If you love onions like I do and want to pickle quickly and easily, unlike other pickling processes, try this. Pickled onions last a week to ten days in the refrigerator. Ours didn't last that long.
Other Great Recipes to Try!
If you love this pickled red onion recipe, give a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.
📖 Recipe
Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 pint sized mason jar
- 1 red onion
- 1½ cups white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
- 2 large sprigs of dill
- 2 large sprigs of parsley
Optional Flavorings (Pick one or mix and match to accompany your food)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 small hot red pepper
- 3 whole peeled garlic
- 1 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
Instructions
- Peel and slice the red onion into thin slices.
- Place sliced onions, parsley and dill into a pint-sized mason jar, or other glass, plastic, or ceramic container with a sealable lid.
- In a small saucepan stir together vinegar and agave.
- Add additional optional flavorings as desired.
- Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Pour mixture over onions in a jar until full.
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Place the lid on to seal the jar and refrigerate.
- Wait and hour or overnight and use for your favorite recipes.
- The pickled onions stay fresh sealed in the refrigerator for 7-10 days
Notes
- Add some of the sliced onions, alternate with herbs and spices, and then add more onions, so the herbs and spices are evenly distributed throughout the jar.
- Push down the onions and herbs, packing them tightly into the jar.
- Use a funnel to pour the hot vinegar/agave mixture, so as not to burn your hands.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely to room temperature before placing the lid on the jar and refrigerating.
- The longer the onions cool, the more the flavors enhance.
- To use the onions, use a fork to remove them from the jar and place them on a paper towel to remove excess brine.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Dean
What do you mean by agave? What part of the agave should I use?
Did you mean agave sugar? Or agave syrup?
Please help.
Kathy Carmichael
Dean, you can use agave syrup or maple syrup.
ron
Is not agave high in fructose and therefore hard on the liver?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Ron! Because it is boiled and then used in pickling, the amount of agave has minimal absorption into the onions. You may also substitute maple syrup if you prefer. I hope this answers your question.
Christine Mcmahan
Sounds delicious, I’m anxious to try it. You say to put the lid on to cool then put lid on to seal when it goes in fridge. Do you just set the lid on but not screw it while it cools then screw on outer ring? Also will this recipe work for any other veggies?
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Christine, yes, this recipe does work with other veggies as well. However, when using cauliflower or broccoli, or any heartier vegetables, I blanch them for a few minutes before adding pickling juices.