Spicy Pickled Onions

A closed jar of spicy quick pickled onions sits on a cutting board.

30 minutes and five ingredients are all it takes to get these spicy pickled onions ready for your next batch of tacos, salad, or sandwiches!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Pickling time20

Total Time30

Servings:

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

Red onions come in a variety of sizes. Most of the ones I find are HUGE, which is why I call for ½ onion in this recipe. If yours is smaller, it may require the entire onion to fill your jar. ½ of a large red onion yields about 1-¾ cups sliced onions for me.

Apple cider vinegar works best in this recipe, but I also like red wine vinegar and champagne vinegar.

If you prefer not to use granulated sugar, honey is a good substitute, or you can leave it out altogether.

Pickled onions will keep for 2-3 weeks in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator. I recommend labeling your jar with the date they were made. Discard if the brine becomes cloudy or they begin to smell a bit "off."

Nutrition