30 minutes and five ingredients is all it takes to have these tangy, crunchy, spicy pickled onions on your table. Keep them around for adding something extra to sandwiches, tacos, salads, or even avocado toast. Pickled onions are a mouthwatering all-purpose condiment, and once you learn how easy they are to make, you won’t want to be without a jar in your fridge.
Pickled onions are really having a moment. Not that they are new, or haven’t been around for, well, ever, but they are everywhere right now. I’m seeing them on social media, in food blogger recipes, and on restaurant menus of all kinds. We all know spicy pickled onions are amazing on tacos, and I've recently expanded to using them in regularly as a condiment for all kinds of dishes.
Spicy pickled onions in a flash
There are two tricks to getting pickled onions on the table quickly. The first is to slice your onions very thinly which, quite obviously, allows the vinegar solution to penetrate the slices more quickly. The second is to warm your vinegar solution, which softens the fibers in the onion just enough to help them marinate faster.
Be sure not to pour hot our boiling vinegar solution over your onions, as this will cook them and make them mushy. We still want to maintain that incredible crunch that makes these pickled onions extra-delicious. Let your vinegar solution sit for 5 minutes or so after you bring it to a simmer before pouring it over your sliced onions.
With these two steps your pickled onions should be ready after marinating for about 20 minutes. Any that you have left over will continue marinating and be even better and even spicier the next day.
Ideas for using your spicy pickled onions
- Quick pickled onions are fantastic in any fresh Tex-Mex inspired dish such as my bright and fruity cowgirl caviar.
- Add them to any tacos, especially fish, shrimp, and vegetarian tacos.
- These spicy pickled onions are also fantastic on salads like this shrimp and avocado salad with avocado-cilantro dressing. They'd also be a great addition to this arugula and roasted pepper salad.
- Use them to spice up sandwiches such as this grilled vegetable sandwich with tapenade.
- Grilled burgers topped with guacamole and spicy pickled onions. Need I say more?
Ingredients and substitutions
- Red onion - White onions or shallots can also be used.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - ACV is traditional, but red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar will work in a pinch.
- Water - Cuts the vinegar a bit.
- Sugar - Honey can also be substituted for regular granulated sugar. You can also just leave the sugar out if you prefer.
- Kosher salt - I test all of my recipes with Morton's kosher salt.
- Jalapeno - I like to use jalapeno to spice up this recipe but a pinch of red pepper flakes will work as well. If you want your pickled onions to be very spicy, use both! You can make your onions even spicier by adding a couple of slices of jalapeno to the vinegar solution as you heat it up.
Use a mandoline for perfectly sliced onions
I'm actually someone who enjoys slicing and dicing ingredients but for this recipe I always bring out my trusty OXO Good Grips mandoline slicer. Using a mandoline ensures the onions are all evenly sliced, which keeps the texture uniform as well. The OXO mandoline is perfect for anyone who doesn't use a mandoline regularly. It's easy to use, dishwasher-safe, and folds flat for convenient storage.
I also use these cut-resistant gloves any time I use a mandoline to keep my hands safe. Mandoline blades are SHARP!
FAQ
Here in the Pacific Northwest (and on Amazon) Foster's Pickled Red Onions are easy to find and quite delicious. They have a slightly herby flavor profile and are not overly sweet, and their onion flavor and texture are on-point. Mezzetta, which is available nationwide, offers jarred pickled red onions and spicy pickled onions. While their flavor is good, they are not as crunchy as the Fosters.
Pickled onions typically last 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. They will continue to marinate, and the texture may soften over time, so I recommend consuming them within a week. Discard them if the brine begins to turn cloudy or they begin to smell a little "off."
Yes, they can, but not this recipe. Please refer to the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for a safe recipe for canning. The closest recipe to this one is called "Vinegared Red Onions." If you use a canning recipe found online, make sure it has been tested and approved for safety.
Due to the processing required to pickle onions safely, canned pickled onions are not as crunchy as the refrigerator version, but they are still quite delicious.
Safely storing your pickled onions
Store your pickled red onions in a tightly sealed jar in your refrigerator. They should last 2-3 weeks. If they start to get too spicy for your taste, remove the jalapeno slices (which are also delicious if you like jalapenos). Discard if the brining liquid turns cloudy or they begin to smell a little "off."
Did you make this recipe?
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Spicy Pickled Onions
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Pint jar with lid
- Knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Pickled onions:
- ½ large red onion - about 1¾ cups, sliced
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar - see notes for substitutions
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar - or other sweetener of your choice (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 jalapeno pepper - thinly sliced, or a pinch of red pepper flakes (or both!)
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium, stirring, until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Bring to a bare simmer. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.Note: if you like your pickled onions really spicy, add a couple of slices of jalapeno to this solution as you heat it up.¾ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- While the vinegar mixture cools, cut the red onion in half and thinly slice (refrigerate the rest for another use). Slice as much of your jalapeno pepper as you would like to use (these don't need to be as thin). Pack into a pint-sized mason jar or similarly-sized container with a tight-fitting lid. Add the sliced jalapenos as you pack your onions.½ large red onion, 1 jalapeno pepper
- Pour the warm pickling juice over the onions. Be sure to cover the onions completely. Add a little more vinegar if they are not covered. If you have a fermenting weight, you can use it to keep your onions submerged.
- Cover loosely and allow to steep for at least 20 minutes. The longer they marinate, the more flavorful they will be.
Notes
Need more servings?
To adjust a recipe for more or fewer servings, hover your cursor over the number servings on the recipe card. This will bring up a slider that you can move to the number of servings you want to make.
Nutrition*
*All nutritional values are estimates only. They are calculated by an online resource.
Sarah | Well and Full says
These are AMAZING, I love anything spicy!!
Lex Bishop says
Loveeeee a good pickling! YUM!
Dagny says
So good!
Erica says
Sooo yummy!
Todd says
Another fabulous recipe from my favorite food blog!!
Marie says
Tangy and sweet and spicy...it's hard to think of a better condiment for just about anything! Fabulous on any kind of fish or seafood taco. YUM.
Kathryn Keisling says
It was absolutely amazing. I tried it on avocado toast. Now I need to find a good place to buy avocados so I can have it very morning. Excellent on tacos.
Lisa says
Avocados are kind of hard to find right now! Hopefully that will change soon. I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!