Looking for a recipe for quick pickled red onions, eh? Then look no further than this one – tried, tested, and true from a family friend this one is! Slightly spicy, tart in all the best ways, and super simple to procure, these pickled red onions are the perfect tangy garnish for any savory dish, and will instantly beautify your food from the mundane to haute cuisine (that rhymed more in my head..)
True friends chop the onions and cry together.
– Ljupka Cvetanova
Quick Pickled Red Onions
A quick pickle is a fairly simple way to transform any vegetable-y ingredient into a tart and vinegar-imbibed flavor bomb. Red onions in particular are a great subject for pickling – they’re sharp, acidic, and quite beautiful. Truthfully, quick pickled red onions might just be my favorite pickled thing ever.
- Peel the outer layer from the red onion(s), and then finely slice them into circlets (or half-moons, if you prefer), and then tightly layer them into a clean 1 pint (16-ounce) mason or bell jar. For each layer, add some de-skinned raw garlic cloves (crush them with the side of a knife or slice roughly), some peppercorns, and some red pepper flakes alongside the onion. Once packed full, sprinkle some sugar and sea salt over the top of the onions.
- In a medium pot, bring some distilled white vinegar and water to boil. Once boiling, pour this carefully over the top of the onions, until the jar has been filled within ¼-inch of the brim. While filling, tap the jar gently to release any trapped air bubbles. Be careful as the liquid is hot. Discard any excess liquid.
- Now, screw on/snap on an air-tight lid. Set the jar aside and allow it to cool off a bit. Once cool enough to handle, ensure the jar is sealed well, and then turn the jar gently from top to bottom a few times.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving for best results, but the onions can be ready to eat in as little as 2 – 3 hours.
Reality, it seems, is not a flat plane, but has as many veils as an onion has skins.
– Johnny Rich
Can You Reuse the Pickling Liquid?
One of the best things about this quick pickled red onions recipe is that, once you finish them off, you can reuse the pickling liquid one more time.
Cut up another red onion, pack it into the pickling liquid, and re-pickle for another 24 hours or so. It will be slightly less strong, but should work almost as well.
Also, if you’re a red onion lover, check out this Roasted Beet Bowl or these Spinach and White Bean Enchiladas. It puts the red onion to good use – both raw and sautéed! You could also use these quick pickled red onions on it too, or even these Turmeric & Black Pepper Pickled Onions!
Life – a spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay.
– Ambrose Bierce
What You’ll Need For These Quick Pickled Red Onions
- 1 Pint (16-ounce) Mason or Ball Canning Jar (with an air-tight lid)
- Red Onions – if you can find two small red onions, it’ll be easier to pack the circlets of onion into a 1 pint jar. Otherwise, just use one large red onion instead.
- Distilled White Vinegar – a very accessible and inexpensive vinegar that is great for pickling veggies in.
- Peppercorns – peppercorns come in all shapes and sizes, but for this recipe you can pretty much use whatever whole peppercorns that you have available to you. The flavor might differ somewhat, but it shouldn’t be too significant. I’d recommend just regular Tellicherry peppercorns.
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Sea Salt
- Sugar
Life is an onion – you peel it year by year and sometimes cry.
– Carl Sandburg
I hope that you enjoyed these quick pickled red onions recipe. If you did, consider leaving me a comment and recipe rating before you go!
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Equipment
- 1 Mason or Ball canning jar with tight-fitting lid and ring
Ingredients
- 2 small red onions (or one large), lightly peeled, then thinly sliced into circlets or half-moons
- 3 – 5 cloves garlic (de-skinned), crushed with the side of a knife or roughly sliced
- ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns, approximately, or more for spicer onions
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, approximately, or more for spicer onions
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Peel the outer layer from the red onion(s), and then finely slice them into circlets (or half-moons, if you prefer), and then tightly layer them into a clean 1 pint (16-ounce) mason or bell jar. For each layer, add some de-skinned raw garlic cloves (crush them with the side of a knife or slice roughly), some peppercorns, and some red pepper flakes alongside the onion. Once packed full, sprinkle some sugar and sea salt over the top of the onions.
- In a medium pot, bring some distilled white vinegar and water to boil. Once boiling, pour this carefully over the top of the onions, until the jar has been filled within ¼-inch of the brim. While filling, tap the jar gently to release any trapped air bubbles. Be careful as the liquid is hot. Discard any excess liquid.
- Now, screw on/snap on an air-tight lid. Set the jar aside and allow it to cool off a bit. Once cool enough to handle, ensure the jar is sealed well, and then turn the jar gently from top to bottom a few times.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving for best results, but the onions can be ready to eat in as little as 2 – 3 hours. These can be stored in the fridge for about two to three weeks.
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
Pickled red onion has a special place in my heart. The vinegar turns the onion a beautiful magenta color that compliments any dish with flavor, aroma, color and crispness. I think they are especially good on a sandwich.