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    Home » Quick pickles

    Easy pickled red onions

    Updated: Jun 12, 2025 · Published: Nov 23, 2021 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 7 Comments

    Jump to recipe Watch video
    Text overlay: Easy pickled red onions. Jars of pickled red onions on table.

    Easy pickled red onions add a wonderful tangy crunch to sandwiches, tacos, salads, and bowls. Plus, you’ve got to love that vibrant pink color!

    They’re made with just five ingredients and take only 15 minutes of active cooking. The rest is just waiting for them to soak up brine in the refrigerator.

    Glass jar of red pickled onions in front of sandwich.

    I love making healthy eating easy on myself. I’m so much more apt to grab veggies when they’re prepped and ready to go.

    So if you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve wanted onion for a sandwich but felt too lazy to cut & peel one, do I have a solution for you…

    A vinegar solution!

    Quick pickling thinly sliced onions means you can prep them when you have the time, energy, and inclination. Then keep them on hand in the refrigerator for weeks. Ideal for when you’re in a rush!

    Just pull a few slices from a jar with a fork. Add them to your dish. And you’re on your way.

    Sandwich with pink colored pickled onions, lettuce, and Tofurky.

    These bright and briny pickled red onions go well anywhere you’d put raw onions. But they’re even more delicious because they don’t have the nose-clearing bite of the standard raw variety.

    Add them to tempeh tacos and burritos.

    Sprinkle them on bowls.

    Use them as a garnish for chili.

    Spread them generously over salads.

    Enjoy them with spreadable non-dairy cheese and crackers.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Why readers love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Make them your own
    • How to use them
    • Storage instructions
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why readers love this recipe

    5 stars

    “I’m obsessed with making these now. So easy and so delicious. Thank you, Cadry!” – Julia

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

    Labeled picked red onion ingredients on table.

    Sea salt: Use the non-iodized variety.

    Sugar: I use organic evaporated cane juice.

    White vinegar: Look for it near the other vinegars in the center aisles of the grocery store. It can be replaced with white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or even apple cider vinegar.

    Red onion: You can use any color of onion, but red gives the prettiest color.

    Step by step instructions

    This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Pot on stove with vinegar, water, salt, and sugar.

    Put water, salt, and sugar into a pot.

    Bring to a medium heat. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolves.

    Turn off the heat and add white vinegar. Stir to combine.

    Then set the vinegar solution aside to cool while you slice the onions.

    Red onion sliced in half by pile of sliced onions.

    Cut the ends off of a red onion, and remove the peel.

    Cut the onion in half – from top to bottom. Then slice it into very thin half moons.

    If you like, gently pull the onion slices apart with your fingers.

    Add the sliced onions to a clean jar.

    Pour the cooled vinegar solution over them. Press the onions down, so that they’re completely submerged.

    Cover with a lid & move to the refrigerator.

    Glass jar of pickled onions in front of whole red onions.

    They will be ready to eat in about an hour, but they taste best after at least four.

    The longer the onions marinate in the brine, the pinker they will become overall.

    Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them.

    Make them your own

    Glass jar with sliced onions in vinegar brine.

    You can make these easy pickled red onions your own by adding flavorful ingredients, changing up the vinegar, or adding more sugar.

    Here are some ways to personalize this recipe:

    • Use a different type of onion
    • Cut the onions a little chunkier
    • Replace some or all of the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar
    • For less vinegar tang, increase the sugar
    • Include flavorful add-ins to the jar like sliced garlic, peppercorns, or fresh herbs like dill

    How to use them

    Bowl of ramen with pickled onions, jalapenos, cabbage and seitan.

    There are so many ways to use quick pickled onions – from filling a sandwich to topping a bowl of ramen.

    They’re also a great addition to a vegan cheeseboard!

    Pickled red onions are terrific on tacos

    Use them as a topping on black bean tacos, double decker tacos, chickpea tacos, refried bean quesadillas, loaded nachos, and taco pizza.

    Use them as a sandwich or wrap filling

    Add thinly sliced pickled onions to a hummus bagel sandwich, Rachel sandwich, vegetable sandwich, BBQ sandwich, falafel sandwich, or vegan chili dog.

    Enjoy them at breakfast

    They add an eye-catching pop of color and tang as a garnish on avocado toast, tofu scramble, and breakfast tacos.

    Great in salads

    These briny onions are terrific in salads like a chef salad, taco salad, or kale salad.

    Delicious in bowls or wraps

    Pickled onions make a crisp & crunchy addition to a falafel bowl, hummus bowl with roasted cauliflower, burrito bowl, or veggie wrap with vegan chick’n.

    Storage instructions

    Store pickled onions covered in their vinegar solution in a jar.

    They will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

    (I usually eat them within 3 or 4 weeks.)

    Glass jars of red pickled onions and jalapenos.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Easy pickled red onions in glass jars.

    Pickled red onions

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 9 votes
    You'll want to add these pickled red onions to everything! Pop them on a salad. Add them bowls. Use them as a topping on tacos or chili. They add a delicious, vinegary crunch to everything they touch.
    Makes about 2 cups of pickled red onions.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Resting time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 people
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: DIY, pickling recipe

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup water
    • 1 Tablespoon sea salt
    • 1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar
    • ½ cup white vinegar
    • 1 medium red onion

    Instructions

    • Fill a small to medium sized pot with water, salt, and sugar. If you like very tangy onions, use just 1 Tablespoon of sugar. If you like them a little sweeter, use 2 Tablespoons.
    • Bring to a medium heat and stir until the salt and sugar dissolves. Once they have fully dissolved, turn off the heat. (This generally takes 2 or 3 minutes.)
    • Add white vinegar to the pot, and stir to combine.
    • Cut the ends off of a red onion & remove the peel. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom. Then slice the halves into very thin half moons. If you like, use your fingers to pull strands of onion apart into individual slices.
    • Add the sliced onion to a clean jar. Use your fingers to really press all of the onion inside. Then carefully pour the cooled vinegar solution over the sliced onions in the jar. Make sure the onions are totally submerged. Cover with a lid & move to the refrigerator.
    • The pickled onions will be ready to eat in about an hour, but they taste best after at least four hours or so. Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat them. They will keep for several weeks.

    Watch how to make it

    Notes

    If properly covered with brine, pickled onions will last 3 or 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 11kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 699mg | Potassium: 16mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 9 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    1. JF Nelson

      June 10, 2025 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      Tastes great
      Looks great

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        June 11, 2025 at 8:51 am

        Glad to hear it! Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    2. Julia

      April 04, 2025 at 6:22 am

      5 stars
      I’m obsessed with making these now. So easy and so delicious. Thank you, Cadry!

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        April 04, 2025 at 9:30 am

        Yay! That’s so nice to hear! My refrigerator isn’t complete without them either.

        Reply
    3. Shell

      September 01, 2024 at 8:49 am

      5 stars
      I love this easy way to pickle red onions. So delicious!

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        September 03, 2024 at 12:14 pm

        That’s great to hear! Thanks for the excellent feedback. 😀

        Reply
    4. David

      November 24, 2021 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      I love these – the onions are so crisp and delicious, and it is so easy to just pull a few out and add them to a salad or sandwich.

      Reply

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