Pickled Red Onions
On October 25, 2022
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These pickled red onions are little bites of tangy heaven. Even the biggest onion critics will find themselves reaching for serving after serving of these addictive onions. They are THE side to serve with your platter of BBQ and are a perfect complement to pork, beef, sausage, or chicken.
Pickled Red Onions
I love to pickle vegetables. They help the veggies keep longer in the fridge and completely transform them into delicious additions to your BBQ recipes.
“But I don’t like onions!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this when I mention pickled onions. This is definitely one of those situations where you shouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it. By pickling the red onions, you rid the onion of that sharp bitterness that many people dislike. Similar to how sautéing onions changes the flavor and gets rid of that onion “bite,” the same thing happens when you pickle the onions.
Plus, did I mention how delicious pickled red onions are with a pile of pulled pork? I personally love them with my BBQ Brisket Burnt Ends. They complement the richness of the meat and give you a crunchy, tart bite. The acidity in the onions is the secret trick to BBQ. If you have something tart to eat with your meat, you cleanse your palate and are able to enjoy more meat! Score!
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Pickling red onions is easy, FAST, and extremely straightforward. You only need 4 ingredients to get the perfect pickled onions: red onion, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. That’s it! No need to fancy it up with additional ingredients.
I prefer to have my onions prepped and in the fridge the day before I plan on using them so they’re off my mind and ready to go. Pickled red onions can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed glass jar for up to 1 week (assuming they last that long!).
Honestly, if you open my fridge at any point during the week, you’re guaranteed to find a jar of these onions. They’re that good, and delicious with many different foods (think tacos, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and of course, grilled and smoked meat).
Ingredients for Pickled Red Onions
This recipe only calls for 4 ingredients, many of them you might already have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need to make these quick pickled red onions:
- 1 red onion
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
Bam! That’s it! Once you have all these ingredients assembled, you’re ready to get this good stuff going!
How to Pickle Red Onions
Once you have your ingredients assembled, you’re ready to get those onions pickled! Here’s how to pickle red onions (quickly!)
- Cut the onions. Begin by slicing the onion into nice, thin slices. I recommend using a Kamikoto Kanpeki knife to make quick work of slicing or chopping your vegetables.
- Make the pickling juice. Cook the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat until the brown sugar and salt have dissolved (approximately 2-3 minutes).
- Pickle. Place your sliced onions in a wide-mouth mason jar and pour the juice over the onions, making sure they are fully submerged. Let everything cool, then refrigerate the jar for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Enjoy. These taste best when allowed to chill for a bit, so I always recommend planning ahead before serving these with some Beef Brisket or Burnt Ends.
Tips for Pickled Red Onions
Now that you know the basics to making this pickled red onion recipe, here are a few tips to help you make these the best of the best.
- Try to cut the onions as thin as you can. While you don’t need them paper thin, you want them thin enough to fit easily in your jar and give you a good bite as you add them to your favorite meats.
- Use RED onion. White and yellow onions tend to be more potent with a sharp onion flavor. Red onions are better consumed raw and make for a more delicious pickled onion.
- Use the right container! Make sure to use an appropriate container for these onions – one that is approved for pickling, canning, or fermentation. I prefer to stick these in a wide-mouth, glass mason jar with a canning lid. This ensures that no flavors leach from your container, and your onions stay fresh and flavorful in your fridge.
- Get creative with flavor. You can always get creative when pickling red onions. Adding herbs and spices changes the flavor of the onions and brings a new punch to your BBQ. Add a couple of sprigs of fresh cilantro, rosemary, or thyme, or 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns to the jar if you’re feeling adventurous.
Recipes for Pickled Red Onions
Have a jar of these red onions in your fridge? Try them on some of these delicious Hey Grill Hey recipes:
- Texas Style Smoked Beef Brisket
- Simple Smoked Pulled Pork
- Burnt Ends Sandwich with Pickled Red Onions
Pickled Red Onion Recipe
Follow the recipe, and I’ll teach you the simple steps to making your own pickled red onions at home. If you’re looking for the ultimate way to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero, join my members-only group The Grill Squad for full access to all my meat, rubs, sauces, and meat buying masterclasses, podcasts, and so much more.
This post was originally published in May 2019. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Pickled Red Onions
Video
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup salt
Instructions
- Cut the onion. Using a sharp knife, cut the onion into very thin slices.
- Make the pickling juice. Heat the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until all ingredients have dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.
- Add the onions. Add the sliced onions to a wide-mouth mason jar. Pour the pickling juice over the onions until they are fully submerged in the liquid.
- Pickle the onions. Tightly screw a lid on the jar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Use and store. Onions can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! Not salty!Since a teaspoon of table salt is heavier than a teaspoon of kosher salt, due to the difference in grain size, you need to use more kosher salt if you’re swapping it for table salt, or use less table salt if you’re substituting it for kosher salt. (Morton Salt has a handy conversion chart.) One teaspoon of table salt is equivalent to 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt, while 1 teaspoon of kosher salt is equal to 3/4 teaspoon of table salt. That being said, I always use kosher salt unless it states what salt to use.
Made 1 batch. 2 500 ml jars. Dumped both. Unbelievably salty.
What kind of salt did you use?
Seriously no idea how this recipe doesn’t have 5 stars? I had never eaten a pickled onion in my life until I made these and they are UH-MAZING! We made them to go with our smoked brisket tacos but now we put these babies on everything – sandwiches, burgers, etc! Yum!
Do you use Kosher Salt or just regular table salt?
I love pickled onions. I do an Asian bbq version with rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, a clove of garlic, a star anise pod, a dried chili de arbol pod, 2-3 cloves, a teaspoon of black pepper corns, and a teaspoon of coriander seeds. Microwave the juice and spices in a 2 cup glass measuring cup and pour over the jar of sliced onions.
Why are they only good for 1 week? Is it the added sugar? Normally pickled onions can last months in fridge.
Have you ever tried canning these?
These pickled onions are fantastic to break up the fat on my pulled pork!
Making them tonight to have with dinner. Poor mans burnt ends, spinach stuffed mushrooms, ribeye and pickled red onions
That sounds amazing!
The instructions included in ‘How to Make Pickled Red Onions’ states cook the vinegar, sugar, and salt… the recipe states shake to dissolve.
I assume both methods work, which would be the preferred method?
Both methods will work but adding heat will definitely dissolve that stuff faster! Ultimately, it’s up to you!