Pickled Onions

Our Best Quick-Pickled Red Onion Recipe Is Ready in Just One Hour

How do you make pickled onions from scratch? We’re betting it’s a lot easier and faster than you’d imagine! Quick pickles are just that—quick! They last and last in the fridge and they’re the ideal addition to so many meals. Add them to sandwiches, top salads with pickled onions, tacos of course and the list goes on and on. A light, pink-ish hue also means that these slightly crisp, powerfully tart quick pickled red onions are the perfect way to dress up a cheese plate—they’re a nice pop of color and bring the ideal contrast to all that cheesy richness.

Which Vinegar Is Best for Pickling?

For this classic pickled red onion recipe, we wanted to keep things really simple and let the pickling spices do the talking. That means that we’re calling for the absolute most straightforward vinegar—distilled white vinegar! It is as neutral as can be, while packing the most serious tangy vinegar punch of all! We like that it doesn’t impart any flavor of its own (other than tartness) and so it lets the flavor of the red onion come through.

Our Very Favorite Blend of Pickling Spices

Red onions have their own beautiful sharpness, and distilled white vinegar—plus a little salt and sugar—alone would be enough to pickle them if you really want the most simple, basic quick-pickled red onions ever. But we like to add a few seasonings to lift and add some complexity to these irresistible pickles. Once you’ve got the hang of the pickling process, you could certainly play around with the herbs and spices that flavor the pickles, but our favorite combo is this simple foursome:

• Whole cloves

• Fresh garlic

• Bay leaf

• Cinnamon sticks

How to Pickle Red Onions

Making pickled onions from scratch is such a handy thing to know, and it’s easy to learn. Once you’ve got the hang of our recipe, we’re certain you’ll be making it all the time from memory—it really is so basic. And after a week or so of having pickled onions in the fridge at all times, well, you’ll find that you’re spoiled! You’ll be making them on the regular and adding them to everything because they’re just so snackable and fabulous. Here’s how to make quick-pickled onions:

1. Make the brine: stir together the vinegar, cloves, garlic, sugar, salt, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick in a glass jar until the sugar dissolves.

2. Prep the onions: place the sliced red onions in a mesh strainer and slowly pour boiling water over the onions.

3. Onions, meet brine: use tongs to move the hot onions to the brine. Gently press the onions down to fully submerge.

4. Cool! Pop a lid on the jar and put it in the fridge for at least one hour before eating.

Uses for Pickled Onions

We really do use these on everything, and we also just snack on them on their own (but we’re real pickle lovers). They dress up almost anything and there’s no wrong way to use them. Here are a few ideas for serving, just to get you started:

• All the tacos!

• All the burgers!

• Gyro Bowl

• Mediterranean Wedge Salad

• Tuna Salad and Chickpea Stuffed Avocado

• Grilled Romaine Caesar

Tools You’ll Need

• 1-quart glass jar with a lid

• Fine-mesh strainer

• Sharp knife

You Can Pickle That!

You can pickle that red onion! No really, you can do it! It’s crazy easy to do! And when you make this pickled red onion recipe, we want to hear about it! Tell us how easy it was, and what you’ve been eating them on—we always love to hear of new ways to use them and you’re all full of great ideas. Bring it on! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!