Pickled Pink Onions are the perfect addition to any dish, as they add they slight crunch with a sweet yet tangy pop of flavor.
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If you have never had pink pickled onions, you must give it a try especially if love both pickles and onions. I’m not even joking when I say this, but they are truly life changing. From adding these to chicken tacos or a veggie hummus wrap, these truly take any dish to the next level.
To learn more about red onions, visit the USDA for more information.
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What We Love About This Recipe
- Best Topping: Pickled Pink Onions are the perfect topping to finish any dish from burgers to tacos to hot dogs to sandwiches to salads.
- Easy Ingredients: All you will need is 5 simple ingredients.
- Makes Great Leftovers: These pickled red onion are even better the next day.
Ingredient Notes
- Red Wine Vinegar: For these homemade pickled onions, you will need red vinegar, you can also use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar or white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar.
- Red Onion: You will need one medium to large sized red onion.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is best for this recipe, however you can also do cane sugar or maple syrup.
- All Spice: To add a little extra flavor to these pickled pink onions use all spice. You can also just add salt and whole peppercorns.
Equipment Needed
- Microwave Safe Bowl
- Saucepan
- Glass Jar
- Wooden Spoon
- Knife
- Cutting Board
How to Make Pickled Red Onions
These are the basic steps for making Pickled Onions. Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
STEP 1: HEAT UP THE SOLUTION
For the brine, to a medium microwave safe bowl combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and all spice, stir. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes on high or bring to a boil in a sauce pan. While the solution heats up, chop up the red onion. You can also slice with a mandoline to make this step easier.
STEP 2: MAKE RED PICKLED ONIONS
Remove bowl from microwave and add chopped red onion and toss to evenly coat in the pickling liquid. For quick pickled onions let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Allow to refrigerate overnight for the best results.
Prep and Storage Tips for Sweet Pickled Onions Recipe
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME
This recipe for homemade pickled onions is very better made ahead of time. I recommend making these 2-3 days ahead for the best flavor and slight crunch.
HOW TO STORE THIS RECIPE
These pickled pink onions are best stored in a glass jar with a sealed lid in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions for Spicy Pickled Onions
Pickled pink onions are actually very good as they are high in probiotics which aids you gut enzymes to help foster a happy and healthy gut.
This recipe can easily be doubled or halved, just use a half of and onion or 2 onions and proportionally increase or decrease ingredients.
Pickled pink onions are actually red onions that have been fermented in vinegar resulting is a bright pink color. It is also important that in making these, you use thinly sliced onions.
Expert Tips for Making This Sweet Pickled Onions Recipe
- Spicy Pickled Onions: Make this recipe spicy by adding 1-2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Sweet Pickled Onions: To make a sweet pickled onions recipe, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of sugar depending on how sweet you would like them to be.
- Add to Tacos: Pickled pink onions are one of the best tacos condiments. Try adding these to Fish Baja Tacos, Steak Street Tacos, or Carnitas Pulled Pork Tacos.
- Variations: If you want to play around with the flavor, you can try adding other herbs and seasoning such as a bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin, or oregano. Juices can also be a great addition to this recipe. Lime juice or lemon to taste can be a great addition.
- Stovetop: You can simmer this recipe on the stovetop in a saucepan.
What to Serve with Pink Pickled Onions
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Pickled Pink Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- 1 small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
Instructions
- Combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt and all spice in a medium microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture boils. You can also bring the mixture to a boil in a saucepan on the stove.
- Add onions and toss to coat.
- Let stand for at least 30 minutes
Expert Tips
- Spicy Pickled Onions: Make this recipe spicy by adding 1-2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Sweet Pickled Onions: To make a sweet pickled onions recipe, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of sugar depending on how sweet you would like them to be.
- Add to Tacos: Pickled pink onions are one of the best tacos condiments. Try adding these to Fish Baja Tacos, Steak Street Tacos, or Carnitas Pulled Pork Tacos.
- Variations: If you want to play around with the flavor, you can try adding other herbs and seasoning such as a bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin, or oregano.