Quick Pickled Red Onions

Name: Quick Pickled Red Onions
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 43 min
Ingredients: 2 red onion, halved and very thinly sliced; 120 ml apple cider vinegar; 120 ml water; 1 tbsp sugar; 1½ tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper (optional); 1 bay leaves (optional)

Vegetarian

Thinly sliced red onions steeped in a hot, lightly sweet vinegar brine until bright pink and tangy — ready in 30 minutes.

Quick Pickled Red Onions is an International pickle, ready in about 43 minutes and made with red onion and apple cider vinegar. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Quick Pickled Red Onions — Photo: Ekologiskt_Skafferi / Pixabay · Pixabay Content License

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 3 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 43 min
Serves: 8
Level: Beginner
Calories: 18

Ingredients

8 servings (about 2 tbsp each)

2 (220 g) Red onion (opens in a new tab), halved and very thinly sliced
120 ml Apple cider vinegar (opens in a new tab)Swap: White vinegar; Wine vinegar; Lime juice (As in Yucatecan-style onions.)
120 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (13 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
1½ tsp (9 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
½ tsp (1 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab) (optional)Whole peppercorns.
1 (0 g) Bay leaves (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pack the sliced onions into a clean 500 ml jar with the peppercorns and bay leaf (opens in a new tab), if using.
- 5 min
2
Step 2
Heat the vinegar, water, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt in a small pan, stirring, just until the sugar and salt dissolve and it starts to steam.
- 3 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Pour the hot brine over the onions, pressing them down so they are submerged. Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes, until pink and softened, then cover and refrigerate.
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainA modern, everyday preparation with no single place of origin.Also popular in Mexico, United States, United Kingdom
Dish: Pickles & ferments · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method: Marinated / cured
Taste: tangy, sour, sweet
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Red onion · Apple cider vinegar · Sugar
Techniques: Marinating · Curing

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

18 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 60 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

Protein 5%
Carbohydrate 95%
Fat 0%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	18 kcal	30 kcal
Protein	0.2 g	0.4 g
Carbohydrate	3.8 g	6.3 g
Net carbohydrate	3.5 g	5.9 g
Sugars	3 g	5 g
Added sugars	1.6 g	2.6 g
Fibre	0.2 g	0.4 g
Fat	0 g	0 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	440 mg	731 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	1.8 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 44 mg
Calcium: 8 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 4 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: black pepper, bay leaves.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Slice the onions as thinly as possible — a mandoline helps — so they pickle quickly.

Common mistakes

Using a reactive metal container; use glass for vinegar pickles.

Serve with

Pile onto tacos, grain bowls, avocado toast, burgers or the lentil bowl.

Food safety

A fridge pickle, not a canned one: it is not shelf-stable, so keep it refrigerated and use a clean fork each time.

Storage

Keeps in the fridge, covered with brine, for up to 2 weeks.

Variations

Cebollas encurtidas (Mexico): Use lime and bitter-orange juice instead of vinegar with a little oregano, as in the Yucatán.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Goes with

Cochinita pibil

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & DrizzleCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Red onion, halved and very thinly sliced2 piece · 220 g

Used in step 1

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

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