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This quick pickled red onions recipe is incredibly easy to make, and it’s a simple way to jazz up everything from tacos to salads to burgers! They’re tangy, sweet, and crunchy.
You may also like my Easy Guacamole Recipe or Perfect Roasted Garlic next.
Why you’ll love it
Whenever I order tacos and find pickled red onions on them, let me tell you, I am delighted. They’re just so vibrant and pack a punch of flavor. Until I made them myself, I didn’t really realize it’s super simple to pickle red onions at home. They’re always in my fridge!
The bright pink color is very appealing and makes any dish pop, and the flavor gives an irresistible zip. Adding a little bit of vinegary goodness and crunch to sandwiches and bowls is always a good idea. You’ll serve these easy pickled onions with everything!
What you’ll need
- Onion – red onions are perfect for garnishing/eating raw since they’re less sharp than other varieties
- White vinegar – our tangy pickling liquid
- Water – keeping the onions moist
- Grenadine – I use Rose’s grenadine. It’s not just for Shirley Temples! Yes, it’s purely for sweetness and color. It’s not made of pomegranates.
- Salt – to bring out the flavors and help the quick pickling process
Pro tip
Pickled onions will be more vibrantly fuchsia if you use grenadine, but they will still be a pretty (lighter) pink if you use white sugar instead!
How to make pickled red onions
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Peel the onion, and slice it very thinly using a mandoline. Place the slices in a mason jar, and set aside. Add the pickling ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir until smooth, then cool the mixture for a few minutes.
Pour the pickling liquid into the mason jar and stir. Bring to room temperature, then cover with the lid and refrigerate. I like them perfectly cold and crisp from the fridge after a few hours.
Substitutions and variations
- If you want to jazz up these picked onions, try adding in peppercorns, sliced jalapeño peppers, peeled garlic cloves, or even fresh herbs.
- You could swap the white vinegar for red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Adjust the grenadine/sugar ratios once you’ve made these if you feel they need to be more or less sweet to suit your personal tastes.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this OXO mandoline slicer to get those perfect thin ribbons.
- The jar pictured is a 16 oz/500ml wide mouth mason jar.
- I always use a protective glove with my mandoline — don’t take any chances with safety!
- Here’s my favorite cutting board.
What to serve with pickled onions
- They’re amazing on Fish Tacos or Steak Tacos, tostadas, burgers/sandwiches, wraps, nachos, and more. I especially like them with my Best Ground Chicken Burgers.
- I love them in salads as well. Toss them in my Avocado Bacon Spinach Salad or Easy Greek Pasta Salad.
- Try it with breakfast foods like my Simple Breakfast Casserole or Breakfast Egg Muffins. You can definitely get creative here!
Leftovers and storage
- These keep well and should last in the fridge for a couple of weeks in an airtight container.
- I don’t recommend freezing these because the texture of the onions can change, but you could always try and see if you like the results.
If you made this quick pickled onions recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! Tag me on Instagram if you made any Salt & Lavender recipe.
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons grenadine or white sugar see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and then slice the onion thinly. I prefer using my mandoline for this and set it to a 3mm thickness (1/8"). Add the onion slices to a mason jar.
- Add the vinegar, water, grenadine (or sugar) and salt to a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and stir until it's a smooth mixture. Let it cool for a few minutes.
- Carefully pour the vinegar mixture into the jar. Give it a stir. Leave it to cool to room temperature, and then put the lid on and refrigerate. They will be ready to eat after they've cooled, but I do prefer to let them sit in the fridge for at least a few hours first prior to serving. I like the taste/texture of these within the first few days, but they'll keep in the fridge for a couple weeks.
Notes
- Grenadine is bright pink and helps enhance the color of the onions, so if you happen to have some in your home bar, it works great. The photos show the color a few hours after using grenadine to do the quick pickle. I used Rose’s grenadine. If using sugar, the onions will be a bit more muted in color. Feel free to adjust quantities if you prefer a more/less sweet pickle. They’re a bit sweeter with the sugar than the grenadine, I find, so you could easily increase the grenadine quality if you prefer it sweeter.
- Mason jar size: I like using 16 oz/500 ml wide mouth mason jars. If using a smaller jar, you may not be able to fit all the onions or pickling liquid.
- See blog post for more tips and substitution/variation ideas.
- This recipe is not intended for canning.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made these this weekend to go with our barbecue. Everyone loved them!
That’s great!! 😀 Thanks for your review, Penny!
So easy and so delicious! Adding them to everything now
I’m thrilled you enjoyed these!! 😀 Thanks for your review!
Ooh, adding grenadine makes them so pretty! Yum!
Thanks, Beth!!