Quick Pickled Onions

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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!
Ingredients measured out to make pickled onions: red onion, water, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and sea salt.

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.
Side by side photos of red onions in a jar getting the pickling liquid poured in, and then the onions pickled in the jar.

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.

Salad greens in a bowl topped with quick pickled onions.

How to Serve

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

Try them in saladstacos, 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:

A tall, slender jar containing quick pickled onions.

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.

A small bowl of quick pickled onions on the side of a salad bowl topped with quick pickled onions.

More How To Recipes

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

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5 from 6 votes

Quick Pickled Onions

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.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients  

  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, coconut sugar or any sugar you have on hand
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced

Instructions 

  • Add vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a bowl and whisk together until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
    A small bowl containing vinegar, water, sugar and salt.
  • Place onion slices in a mason jar.
    A jar containing sliced red onions.
  • Pour vinegar mixture on top, making sure all onion slices are covered with liquid. Let mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour before covering and placing in the fridge. 
    Pouring the vinegar mixture into the jar of onions.
  • Store in the liquid in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Use a fork or slotted spoon to remove the onions from the liquid before using.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of recipe | Calories: 9kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Keyword: quick pickled onions
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

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About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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12 Comments

  1. I think the quick/basic recipe ideas would be super helpful! I’ve never tried pickling my own vegetables before, but I love how approachable this is! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Hello lovely! I make this recipe for pickled onions all the time and just linked to it in my new blog post 🙂 I hope you don’t mind! I’ve loved you since teaching you a Pure Barre class at PB Lake Norman with Julie ? hope you’re well! You continue to inspire me! xx

  3. 5 stars
    I made these as part of my Salad Every Day journey using Brittany’s book! This recipe was so simple and the flavor is spot on! If you love fresh onions but don’t want to chop them every day, this is your answer! They are always ready to go, and I put these on everything!

    1. Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Megan! So glad you’re loving this recipe and the ebook. 🙂

  4. I found your recipe and loved that I didn’t need to boil the vinegar mixture. I tried it, and they are delicious! Thank you!

    By the way, why do some recipes require boiling the vinegar mixture? I’m new to pickling food. 🫣

    1. Hi Vanessa – I am so glad you found this recipe and are enjoying it! Quick pickling (or refrigeration) recipes do not require boiling. Boiling recipes will speed up the process so you can eat them almost immediately. Hope that helps. Thanks so much for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!