Pickled Pink Onions

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• Pickled pink onions will give any dish a great burst of color.
• The red onions will turn pink soon after the hot pickling liquid is poured over them.
• You can serve this small batch of refrigerator pickles as soon as they have cooled. But it is best to leave them for about an hour or more for the flavor to develop.

Ingredients In This Recipe

The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Red Onion - are sweeter and milder in taste than other onions. Pick ones that a firm and have not started to sprout. 

Vinegar - any vinegar will do, we used white vinegar, but you could also use apple cider vinegar, malt vinegar, or wine vinegar. 

Salt - is not only for giving flavor. It is also a preservative.

Sugar - use white sugar. Sugar is a preservative like vinegar and salt, plus it balances the flavor of the pickling liquid by reducing the sourness of the vinegar.

Water - is used to dilute the strength of the vinegar.

Step By Step Instructions

1. Peel the onions and cut them in half from the top to bottom root section. Next, cut into thin slices.
2. Place the onion slices into a dry sterilized jar.
3. Make the pickling liquid.
4. Pour the hot liquid over the onions, use a clean fork or spoon to push the onions down into the liquid, then put the lid on.
5. Allow it to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then store in the fridge.

Variations

You could add any of these ingredients to the jar with the onions for extra flavor.

• Add a clove of crushed garlic.
• Mix in dried herbs, like oregano, or thyme, or basil, or other dried herbs you like.
• Add in whole seeds like coriander, or peppercorns, or cumin, or fennel, or allspice berries, or celery.
• Add small sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, or thyme, or basil, or mint, or other fresh herbs.

Recipe Tips

Sterilize the jars

Use glass jars with metal lids and sterilize them before filling. 

• Wash the jars and lids thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinse very well. 
• Then carefully pour boiling water into the bottles and over the inside of the lids.
• Use a folded tea towel to protect your hands and carefully empty the hot water from them.
• It is best not to use a tea towel to dry them because they will air dry quickly because they will be hot. 

Making the pickling liquid, after heating the liquid and dissolving the sugar, taste it and add more sugar or salt to taste if necessary, then bring to the boil again before pouring into the jar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Size

A serving size of these pickled pink onions is about 50 grams (1.7 ounce).

Calories Per Serve

There are about 35 calories in each 50 gram (1.7 ounce) serving.

Serving Suggestions

• Use pickled pink onions as a filling for sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and wraps.
• Serve them as a quick and easy side to grilled meats or roasts.
• Serve them as a simple side to Mexican, Indian, and other Asian foods.
• Use them as a topping on tacos and pizzas.
• Put them into salads for pops of color.
• Use them on vegetable platters and charcuterie platters.
• Use them as a simple topping with cream cheese on crostini.

Storage

This pickle will last longer if stored in an air-tight jar in the fridge and will last 2-3 weeks.

Don’t freeze onion pickle because it is so easy to make and has a nice texture when made fresh. When frozen, the texture changes and the onions become too soft and mushy.

More Veggie Recipes

You might also like this recipe for Achar an Indonesian vegetable pickle, or this quick carrot pickle recipe, or these recipes:

• Homemade allspice recipe
• Pickled ginger
• Mango pickle