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5.0 from 21 votes

Quick Pickled Red Onions

This quick pickled red onions recipe is incredibly easy to make, and it's a simple way to jazz up everything from tacos to salads to burgers! They're tangy, sweet, and crunchy.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 22 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 medium red onion
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons grenadine or white sugar see note
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel and then slice the onion thinly. I prefer using my mandoline for this and set it to a 3mm thickness (1/8"). Add the onion slices to a mason jar.
  2. Add the vinegar, water, grenadine (or sugar) and salt to a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and stir until it's a smooth mixture. Let it cool for a few minutes.
  3. Carefully pour the vinegar mixture into the jar. Give it a stir. Leave it to cool to room temperature, and then put the lid on and refrigerate. They will be ready to eat after they've cooled, but I do prefer to let them sit in the fridge for at least a few hours first prior to serving. I like the taste/texture of these within the first few days, but they'll keep in the fridge for a couple weeks.

Notes

  • Grenadine is bright pink and helps enhance the color of the onions, so if you happen to have some in your home bar, it works great. The photos show the color a few hours after using grenadine to do the quick pickle. I used Rose's grenadine. If using sugar, the onions will be a bit more muted in color. Feel free to adjust quantities if you prefer a more/less sweet pickle. They're a bit sweeter with the sugar than the grenadine, I find, so you could easily increase the grenadine quality if you prefer it sweeter.
  • Mason jar size: I like using 16 oz/500 ml wide mouth mason jars. If using a smaller jar, you may not be able to fit all the onions or pickling liquid.
  • See blog post for more tips and substitution/variation ideas.
  • This recipe is not intended for canning. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 22kcal (1%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 0.2g (0%) Fat 0.01g (0%) Saturated Fat 0.01g (0%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.003g Monounsaturated Fat 0.001g Sodium 294mg (12%) Potassium 22mg (1%) Fiber 0.2g (1%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 0.3IU (0%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 5mg (1%) Iron 0.04mg (0%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 22

% Daily Value*

Calories 22kcal 1%
Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 0.2g 0%
Fat 0.01g 0%
Saturated Fat 0.01g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.003g 0%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.001g 0%
Sodium 294mg 12%
Potassium 22mg 0%
Fiber 0.2g 1%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 0.3IU 0%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 5mg 1%
Iron 0.04mg 0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.