Quick Pickled Red Onions are extremely easy to make and add flavor and pizzaz to basically anything. Perfect for topping tacos, burgers, grain bowls, and more these are a kitchen staple you should always keep in your fridge!
This post may contain Affiliate Links.
Quick Pickled Onions
Quick Pickled Onions are wonderful. I am going to get up on my food blogger stage and tell you how much I love them as a parent.
Okay why as a parent do I love them so much?
Because they give you the freedom to make one singular meal for your family while giving the adults that extra flavor burst.
Pickled Red Onions and other condiments like this are so key to me. If I am making some sort of tacos for dinner but I want more than just the meat base, cheese, and sour cream that my kids are so fond of, bam pickled red onions to the rescue (hot sauce too obviously). But with just 5 minutes of prep I can have these in my fridge and everyone can have taco night their way!
The best part is they are so easy to make and last a while in the fridge, so it is a win-win.
Pickled red onions belong in pretty much everything try adding them to Avocado Black Bean Salsa, Crispy Chicken Wrap Recipe, or Grilled Chicken Street Tacos!
Ingredients
- Red Onion
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Kosher Salt
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.
Instructions
Remove the skin and thinly slice the onion. I find half circles to be easiest.
Add the sliced onions to a jar or container with a lid, along with the salt and vinegar.
Close and shake everything together. Let rest at least 30 minutes on the countertop shaking every so often before transferring to the fridge. Can be eaten after 30 minutes but they are best after 2 hours.
Tips, Tricks, & Questions
How Long Do Pickled Red Onions Last?
In a covered container in the fridge (a glass jar works best), quick pickled onions should last at least 2 weeks, up to 3 weeks if stored properly.
The vinegar isn’t covering all the onions?!
The amount of vinegar will not cover all the onions right away. The onions will quickly break down from the salt and vinegar. After only about 1 hour they should be mostly covered while they continue to break down.
See the photos below for the timing difference between the pickled onions sitting 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour.
I don’t have red wine vinegar, can I substitute a different kind?
Yes, if you are all out of red wine vinegar I suggest using apple cider vinegar instead!
Don’t I need to add sugar? Or if I want to can I add sugar?
You don’t need any type of sugar to make quick pickled red onions, they will be awesome without it. But that being said if you feel like you would like a little to cut down on the vinegar bite go ahead and add in 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar or maple syrup.
Take the flavors up a notch by adding in more aromatics.
While I love just plain pickled red onions you can take the flavor even farther by adding aromatics such as: Whole Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Cloves, & Fresh Herbs like Dill or Cilantro.
Pickled Red Onions for Tacos
My favorite way to use pickled red onions is as taco toppings, so take your pick:
- Black Bean Quinoa Tacos
- Easy Chicken Tacos
- Red Lentil Tacos
- Tuna Steak Tacos
- Crockpot Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Barbacoa
- Slow Cooker Chipotle Pineapple Carnitas
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Quick Pickled Red Onions are extremely easy to make and add flavor and pizzaz to basically anything. Perfect for topping tacos, burgers, grain bowls, and more these are a kitchen staple you should always keep in your fridge!
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Remove the skin and thinly slice the onion. I find half circles to be easiest.
- Add the sliced onions to a jar or container with a lid, along with the salt and vinegar. Close and shake everything together. Let rest at least 30 minutes on the countertop shaking every so often before transferring to the fridge. Can be eaten after 30 minutes but they are best after 2 hours. Will keep 2 weeks in the fridge.
Notes
The amount of vinegar will not cover all the onions right away, the onions will quickly break down from the salt and vinegar. After only about 1 hour they should be mostly covered while they continue to break down.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 7Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 316mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
Skip to Recipe
Leave a Reply