• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cooking With Our CSA logo

  • Recipes
    • Category
      • Appetizers & Small Bites
      • Breads & Baked Goods
      • Breakfast & Brunch
      • Desserts & Sweets
      • Dressings & Marinades
      • Drinks
      • Entrees
      • Holidays
      • Pasta
      • Pizza Picnics
      • Salads
      • Sides
      • Soups & Stews
    • Diet
      • Gluten-Free
      • Paleo & Whole 30
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Season
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Autumn
  • Resources
    • About CSA
    • Farm Feature Friday
    • Food & Meal Prep
    • Home & Kitchen
    • Urban Gardening
  • Meal Plans
  • Classes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • My Faves
    • Gift Guides
    • Merch
Home » Sides

June 7, 2022

Easy Pickled Red Onions

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

It’s no secret there are a lot of pickled red onion recipes to find and choose from. Consider this recipe for Easy Pickled Red Onions my offering to the wealth of pickled red onion recipes out there.

These pickled red onions are bright and briny with just a tiny bit of heat, which I personally love. When we get red onions in our CSA box, I immediately make these with an onion or two. Batch prep these for the week ahead and have a delightful topping for your breakfast tacos, burritos, rice bowls, and so much more. Read more below on how we make these.

A small glass jar is filled with the featured recipe for Easy Quick Pickled Onions

Table of Contents

Toggle
    • Prepping Pickled Onions with Ease
    • Important Pickling Tips
    • How to Use Pickled Red Onions
  • Easy Quick Pickled Red Onions
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
    • Instructions 

Prepping Pickled Onions with Ease

These pickled red onions are ready in 15 minutes or less making these easy enough to make during the weekday or batch prep a bunch on the weekend. Here’s what you’ll need to make these flavorful pickled onions:

  • Apple Cider Vinegar: We love this for a hint of sweetness to bring out the sweet flavor of the onions. It’s also important to use vinegar as it both is the flavoring and preserving agent for our pickled onions. You can also use white distilled vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.
  • Filtered, Distilled Water: We want to use the same ratios of water and vinegar to prepare our pickling brine. Using distilled water also helps us in avoiding a cloudy brine.
  • Assorted Dried Seasonings: I love the combo of red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and crushed garlic here. They pump up the volume of flavor for the brine. I also make sure to discard the garlic and bay leaves after jarring up the onions.

To prep your pickled onions, bring apple cider vinegar and water to a simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan. Slice onions thinly using a sharp knife or a mandoline. In a small prep bowl, combine dried seasonings. Once the apple cider-water mixture begins to simmer, add in seasonings and stir to combine. Add in onions and allow them to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes just until the onions soften.

Remove from stove and allow to cool to room temperature before storing in a glass jar. These onions can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks or more—though they honestly won’t last that long. They’re so good. 😉

Important Pickling Tips

It’s important to keep in mind food safety when pickling. Deviating from the vinegar and water ratios, for instance, will not only yield inconsistent results but can comprise the brine, diluting the vinegar, which can lead to increased risk for illnesses like botulism. It’s important to use vinegars that have 5% acetic acid, such as distilled or apple cider vinegar. Any vinegar with less than 5% acetic acid is considered a salad vinegar and is not suitable for pickling.

The University of Minnesota Extension offers a comprehensive guide on pickling and food preservation. The National Center for Home Food Preservation also offers helpful information on food preservation and canning for a variety of vegetable types.

How to Use Pickled Red Onions

What can we use our fresh batch of pickled red onions on? Pretty much anything! I personally love them on a good breakfast taco with soft scrambled eggs, crumbled cotija cheese, torn cilantro leaves, and a bit of salsa. It’s my go-to breakfast most weekdays.

I love them on any taco really. From Pollo al Pastor to Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos and even Vegan Black Bean Sopes. These pickled red onions offer a bright and tangy accent to any dish.

Breakfast tacos on a plate topped with easy pickled red onions, cilantro, and cotija cheese.

Let me know if you make this recipe by tagging me on Instagram. I can’t wait to see what you make!

In the meantime, cheers to the next nourishing meal. ❤️

A small glass jar is filled with the featured recipe for Easy Quick Pickled Onions

Easy Quick Pickled Red Onions

Frances Kellar
These Pickled Red Onions are ready in less than 15 minutes and are flavor packed with a hint of heat that I'm confident you'll love. This recipe yields 1 generous cup, or approximately 12 ounces, perfect to fill a 13-ounce glass jar.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 ounces

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon coriander seed
  • 1 whole dried bay leaf
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed

Instructions
 

  • In a small sauce pan, bring apple cider vinegar and water to a simmer over medium heat. In a small prep bowl, combine all remaining seasonings.
  • Slice onions thinly. Once the apple cider-water mixture begins to simmer, add in seasonings and stir to combine. Add the onions and bring them to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes just until the onions soften.
  • Remove from heat and allow onions to cool to room temperature before storing in a glass jar.
  • Store pickled red onions in the fridge for up to one month—though they honestly won’t last that long. They’re so good.
Keyword easy recipes, pickled red onions, pickled vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: Sides, Breakfast and Brunch Tagged With: red onions, Meal Prep, Pickling

Primary Sidebar

Photo of blogger and recipe developer, Frances Kellar, chopping vegetables on cutting board. Smiling at camera.

Hi, I’m Frances! Welcome to Cooking with Our CSA. I’m a self-taught cook, recipe developer, and food blogger. I’m here to help you cook and eat well with the changing seasons all while supporting our local food systems.

Cooking doesn’t need to be complicated; but it does need to be delicious! Let’s get cooking!

Learn More →

Currently Trending

  • Flatlay photo of overhead shot of a plate of Dry Brine Garlic Herbed Roast Turkey Breast served atop a bed of cauliflower puree and a seasonal green pesto.
    Dry Brine Garlic Herbed Roast Turkey Breast Recipe
  • Portrait photo of finished dish of Baguette French Toast with Mascarpone Custard Recipe. The dish is garnished with fresh raspberries and maple syrup.
    Baguette French Toast with Mascarpone Custard Recipe
  • Portrait image of a slice of the Breakfast Strata for Two that's generously served on a wide rimmed ceramic plate.
    Breakfast Strata for Two with Spinach and Mushrooms
  • Portrait photo of 4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin on that have been roasted until crisp and golden brown for this French Roast Chicken Recipe.
    Simple French Herbs Roast Chicken Thighs Recipe

In Season: Spring

  • Flatlay photo of the finished dish of Carrot Top Pesto with Sauteed Peas and Carrots.
    Carrot Top Pesto Pasta with Sauteed Peas and Carrots
  • Flatlay photo of finished Cherry Arugula Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing Recipe. The salad is arranged with rows of feta, cherries, and slice snap peas before tossing with the dressing.
    Cherry Arugula Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing Recipe
  • Flatlay photo of prepared Carrot Top, Radish Top, and Parsley Recipe. The finished pesto is accented with fresh carrots and remaining carrot tops towards the upper right portion of photo.
    Easy Carrot Top, Radish Top, and Parsley Pesto Recipe
  • Flatlay photo of the assembled Easy Sugar Snap Peas, Radish, and Mint Salad Recipe. A white ceramic shallow bowl cradles a single serving portion of the salad. A white and blue striped kitchen towel is underneath the bowl atop a wooden cutting board.
    Easy Sugar Snap Peas, Radish, and Mint Salad Recipe
See more Spring →

Footer

↑ back to top

Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use

Stay Connected

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates
  • Contact me here

Learn More

  • Press
  • CSA Resources

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2024 Brunch Pro on the Feast Plugin

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required