How to Make Pickled Onions

5 from 3 votes

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Pickled onions add such vibrancy and life to so many dishes. And they take all of about 5 minutes to make!

How to Make Pickled Onions

Pickled onions are amazing. They add such vibrancy and life to so many dishes. And they take all of about 5 minutes to make. Seriously! Is that surprising? I think so.

How to Make Pickled Onions

Pickled onions take about 5 minutes to make, and add such vibrancy and life to so many dishes.

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How to Make Pickled Onions

All you have to do is blanch (which is a fancy way of say cook super quickly) sliced onions in water, then drain them, then bring them to a quick boil in a combo of vinegar, water, and a bit of salt. That’s it. Then they cool in their brine, and you can store them in the fridge for months.

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the onions and cook for 30 seconds (this quick cooking is called blanching). Drain the onions in a colander.
  2. Return the onions to the pot and add the vinegar, sugar the salt. Add enough water to just cover the onions. Bring to a boil over high heat, the transfer the onions and the liquid to a glass container and cool. You can use the onions right away, or seal the container and refrigerate them for up to 4 months.
Mushroom Spelt Soup / Katie Workman / themom100.com / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen

How to Use Pickled Onions

You can use them on soups, like this Mushroom Spelt Soup. Serve them with Slow Cooked Pork Roast or Oven Baked Beef Brisket, top Sautéed Swiss Chard with them, pile them on carnitas or tacos of all kinds, like Alaska Rockfish Tacos, or add them to grilled cheese or pulled pork sandwiches.

Once you have a container of them in the fridge you will be plotting all kinds of ways to add them to different dishes.

Swiss Chard Frittata / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Storing Pickled Onions

Store in the fridge in a sealed glass container. Metal can react with the vinegar, and plastic might absorb the flavors, so if you go with plastic, know that the container might always be your pickled onion container. You can use the onions right away or seal the container and refrigerate them for up to 4 months. They probably have the optimal flavor and texture between weeks one and four.

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5 from 3 votes

How to Make Pickled Onions

Pickled onions add such vibrancy and life to so many dishes. And they take all of about 5 minutes to make!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients 

  • 2 red onions (thinly sliced)
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the onions and cook for 30 seconds (this quick cooking is called blanching). Drain the onions in a colander.
  • Return the onions to the pot and add the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add enough water to just cover the onions. Bring to a boil over high heat, then transfer the onions and the liquid to a glass container and cool. You can use the onions right away or seal the container and refrigerate them for up to 4 months.

Notes

Store in the fridge in a sealed glass container. Metal can react with the vinegar, and plastic might absorb the flavors, so if you go with plastic, know that the container might always be your pickled onion container. You can use the onions right away or seal the container and refrigerate them for up to 4 months. They probably have the optimal flavor and texture between weeks one and four.

Nutrition

Calories: 23kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 293mg, Potassium: 62mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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2 Comments

  1. I have not made this yet, but have a question: As a diabetic, I would like to know the amount for the nutrition infomation. 23g of Carbs, but how many onions.

    1. Hi! It’s actually 4 carbs, but 23 calories per serving. That’s for essentially 1/4 of an onion: 2 onions, divided by 8. The nutritional info is a little misleading in some recipes like this one though, because it assumes you are also drinking 1/8 of the brine, which you are not. So there are fewer carbs consumed in reality. You can also reduce the sugar or leave it out if needed. Hope that helps!