Perfectly Tangy Pickled Red Onions

This recipe for pickled red onions is quick, easy, and will add the perfect tang to any dish. They are sure to be a new favorite you reach for again and again.

These pickled red onions are so easy to make! With just four ingredients, you will have them made in no time.

I started making these pickled red onions a couple of years ago. Once I had them in the fridge, I found myself grabbing them so often.

They make a great addition to a salad or a snack plate! (And, if I’m being honest, sometimes I just eat them right out of the jar.)

I’m a big fan of pickled things - except for pickles. Weird, right? Thing is, I don’t like cucumbers. So I don’t like pickles.

But give me all your other pickled things. Peppers, okra, green tomatoes, brussel sprouts (yes, that’s a thing, and yes, they’re good).  And especially these red onions. So let's make them, shall we?!

These are pretty easy to make, but here are a few tips and tricks to help you out. 

Raw red onions can be really pungent. If you tear up every time you cut an onion, try one of these onion hacks:

• Put the onion in the freezer for 10 mins before you cut it
• Once you peel the onion, rinse it under cold water before slicing
• Keep the root ball intact when slicing and cut it off last

I only ever do the second and third ones. I’ve heard the freezer trick works, but every time I get to my red onion I think, “Damn, I didn’t put this in the freezer. Oh well.”

Here's how to make them:

First, slice your red onion into strips like these.

Then pack them into a mason jar. You want to pack as many in as you can, so push them down and get them in there tightly!

Sprinkle the sugar (coconut or otherwise) and salt over the top.

Pour the vinegar into the jar, all the way to the top.

Screw the lid on the jar tightly, shake well to mix, and you're done! Give them at least 24 hours in the fridge before diving in.

Try to think outside the box on ways you could use these. They’d be so good chopped up and sprinkled on top of this Sweet Potato Salad, or served with these Jamaican Hot Pepper Shrimp from Charla over at That Girl Cooks Healthy.

Recipe notes:

If you are feeling lazy or thrifty, you can reuse the liquid in the jar one more time. Just cut up another red onion, pack it into the liquid, and stick it back in the fridge for a few days.

Unless you practice canning methods, these are not sealed and need to be stored in the fridge. Because they are packed in vinegar, they will keep for up to a month or so. (Mine have never lasted that long!)

If you’re not paleo or don’t have coconut sugar, you can substitute regular sugar instead.

These will be ready to use after about 24 hours, but will gain their best flavor after about a week.

You can use this recipe to pickle anything. Just replace the red onions with whatever it is you want to pickle!

If you’ve tried this pickled red onion recipe or any other of my recipes on the blog, I want to see! Tag me on social media and follow along for more delicious recipes. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious food and what I’m getting into.

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