Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe
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My quick Pickled Red Onions recipe is easy to make with four basic ingredients. A sweet and tangy condiment that’s delicious on sandwiches, salads, and burgers! Ready in 30 minutes.

Pickled red onions have been a favorite in my kitchen for years. They are a delicious addition to so many salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and more. They add a bright, tangy flavor with an irresistible, zesty crunch.
I first learned to make them from my Grandmother. She would routinely make them and keep them in her refrigerator to add to dishes throughout the week.
How to Make Quick Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients
You only have to have four basic ingredients, with one optional ingredient:
Red onions: thinly sliced using a sharp knife or a mandoline.
Vinegar: I love using apple cider vinegar for the naturally sweet, mellow flavor it adds to the recipe. Alternatively, you can use white vinegar for a more transparent color in the jar.
Water: I use equal amounts of vinegar and water for my recipe.
Salt: I use a fine sea salt in this recipe.
Optional ingredient: You can include sugar in your recipe if you prefer. It enhances the sweetness of the onions and yields a syrupy consistency to the liquid, which some enjoy.
Key Steps: How to Make Pickled Red Onions
- Add the sliced onions to a Mason jar.
- Whisk together the vinegar, warm water, salt, and sugar (if using).
- Pour over the onions, top the jar with a lid, and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
What to Serve
Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve my quick pickled red onions:
- Salads: I love to use them in my BLT pasta salad, broccoli salad, grilled chicken fiesta salad, and a few of my other favorite salads to add a zesty flavor, like my tuna salad, egg salad, and classic chicken salad.
- Sandwiches and Wraps: The added punch of flavor is perfect for enhancing hot and cold sandwiches and wraps, such as turkey bacon and avocado wrap, BBQ chicken, pulled pork, cobb salad lettuce wraps, and more.
- Burgers: We love to top our favorite hamburgers from time to time with pimento cheese and a few slices of these pickled red onions. The sweet and tangy addition adds another layer of flavor to the burgers! They are also a great topping for hot dogs!

Storage Tips
Refrigerate the pickles for up to 2 weeks.
Here’s my easy Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe
Equipment
- Knife or mandoline
- Mason jar (10-ounce)
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (255 g) vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 cup (236.59 g) water, warm
- 1 tablespoon (18 g) fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) cane sugar, optional
Instructions
- Add the thinly sliced red onions to the glass Mason jar.
- Add the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar (optional) into a measuring cup. Stir to combine until the salt and sugar are disolved. Pour over the onion slices in the Mason jar. Affix the top securely to the jar and refrigerate.
Notes
Refrigerate up to 2 weeks
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo