Quick pickled onions made from only five ingredients and made in only one hour! These are great for adding fun color and flavor to a wide variety of meals – especially salads.

I’m so excited to kick off a new series… #EBFbasics. There are so many basic recipes I want to include on the site but sometimes feel silly because they’re so simple. I decided to get over that fact and dive all in into a series. You’ll have to let me know what you think about this! I feel like it’s these types of recipes that I’m always searching for/looking up so I hope I can be a resource for you!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• As the name suggests, its quick!
• You need minimal ingredients you probably already have on hand.
• It’s a great way to add flavor, texture and a fun pop of color to meals!

Here’s What You Need

• apple cider vinegar – not all pickled onion recipes call for apple cider vinegar (ACV), but that’s what I prefer to use. If you’re new around here, you might not know my obsession with apple cider vinegar. ACV has a ton of great health benefits and works in a wide variety of recipes – everything from detox drinks to salad dressings and brussels sprouts.
• water – mixed with the apple cider vinegar for more liquid.
• sugar – you just need 1 Tablespoon of sugar. I used maple syrup, but you can also use coconut sugar or any sugar you have on hand.
• sea salt – a crucial ingredient for pickling anything!
• red onion – we’re using one whole red onion for this recipe, sliced nice and thin.

How to Make Quick Pickled Onions

So let’s jump into #EBFbasics with quick pickled onions. I love all things pickled but rarely play around with pickling things at home. I’ve done some quick pickled spicy cucumbers but nothing beyond that… until now. Pickled red onions are so flavorful (both sweet and tangy) and I love the pretty pink color.

The name of this post doesn’t lie – they’re quick! You only have to “pickle” for about one hour before enjoying. I kept this recipe super simple but feel free to add more spices and seasonings to your liking (pepper, dill, garlic would all be delicious additions). I can see myself making these weekly just to have on hand.

To start, mix vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a bowl until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Add the onion slices to a mason jar and pour the vinegar mixture over top, ensuring all onion slices are covered with liquid.

Let the mixture sit out at room temperature for 1 hour before covering and placing in the fridge. That’s it! You have quick pickled onions.

How to Serve

As I’ve already mentioned, there are countless ways to use these quick pickled onions!

Try them in salads, tacos, grain bowls, omelettes, scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, egg salad… the list could go on!

Here are some of my favorite salads to top them with:

• Superfood Salmon Salad
• Garlicky Kale Salad
• Blackened Chicken Cobb Salad
• Avocado Egg Salad
• Greek Salad
• Massaged Kale Salad

Storing Tips

Store the onions in the mason jar and liquid in the refrigerator. They should be good for up to two weeks, but you’ll likely eat them all before then!

Use a fork or slotted spoon to remove the onions from the liquid before using.

More How To Recipes

• How to Freeze Bananas
• What Is Tempeh (and How to Cook It)
• How to Make Oatmeal
• Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
• How to Make a Flax Egg
• How to Make a Chia Egg
• How to Make Almond Milk + Almond Milk Recipes
• How to Cook Quinoa

Check out my full collection of how-to recipes here at EBF!

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