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    Home » Recipes » Homemade pickles & preserves

    Sweet pickled onions (red or white)

    Apr 27, 2020 by Becky Striepe
    Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Recipe Video Print
    jar of pickled onions on a marble countertop next to a yellow and white tea towel

    Sweet pickled onions are basically the ultimate condiment. Add them to salads, tacos, chili, or sandwiches. Pretty much any savory dish is better with pickled onion!

    pint jar of sweet pickled onions on a marble tabletop with a yellow and white tea towel in the background

    These sweet pickled onions are adapted from my basic refrigerator pickles recipe. You can seriously use that recipe to pickle almost anything, and it works like a charm with red or white onions!

    Jump to:
    • What are refrigerator pickles?
    • Pickling onions: the basics
    • How long do pickled onions last?
    • What can I use pickled onions for?
    • Sweet pickled onions recipe

    What are refrigerator pickles?

    Refrigerator pickles -- also called quick pickles -- are different from canned pickles. Let's go through the pros and cons.

    The pros

    Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make. Since you're not putting these up for months in the pantry, you don't need to sanitize any jars or worry about your brine's acidity. There's no hot water bath at the end to seal your jars.

    That means you have more room to experiment with refrigerator pickles! It also means they're a lot less of a project to make.

    The cons

    Because you don't sanitize the jars or seal them, their shelf life is much shorter. Pickles that you can in a hot water bath will last for months or even years.

    With refrigerator pickles, like these pickled onions, you're looking at a shelf life of one to two weeks.

    sliced red onions on a cutting board next to a knife

    Pickling onions: the basics

    Pickling is a process where you soak vegetables (and sometimes fruit) in a seasoned, acidic liquid to extend their shelf life and make them tart and extra delicious.

    To pickle your onions, start by slicing them thinly, then transferring the sliced onion to a pint jar.

    Now, it's time to make that brine! Brine is just the acidic mixture that you're using to marinate your onions. In most pickle recipes, the acidity comes from vinegar, and this recipe is no exception.

    To make the brine for these sweet pickled onions, combine apple cider vinegar, water, sea salt, and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat it up on medium-high, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

    Then, it's time to pour the brine into your jar. Make sure you totally cover the onions with brine.

    Now, loosely cover the jar until it's cool enough to handle. When you can pick them up comfortably, tighten the lid, and transfer the pickled onions to the refrigerator.

    You can eat these right away, but they're even better if you can wait a few hours or even overnight. The flavor deepens with time.

    sliced pickled onions stuffed into a mason jar before adding the vinegar

    How long do pickled onions last?

    Like I mentioned above, these are refrigerator pickles, so their shelf life is shorter than hot water canned pickles. Refrigerator pickles, including these pickled onions, have a shelf life of approximately one to two weeks.

    overhead photo of plantain and black bean tacos with sweet pickled onion on top

    What can I use pickled onions for?

    Not sure what to do with these beautiful, pickled onions that you just made? I have some suggestions!

    • Spoon some on top of your next bowl of 3-bean chili.
    • Use them as a topping for sandwiches.
    • Sprinkle them onto any salad to up the oomph.
    • Pile them on top of Plantain Tacos.
    • Top your next grain bowl with some red onions for a big flavor boost.

    They're so versatile! Once you start using them, you'll find yourself reaching for sweet pickled onions at every meal.

    jar of pickled onions on a marble countertop next to a yellow and white tea towel

    Sweet pickled onions recipe

    Sweet pickled onions are basically the ultimate condiment. Add them to salads, tacos, chili, or sandwiches. Basically any savory dish is better with pickled onion!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Keyword: pickled red onions, pickled white onions, sweet pickled onions
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 16kcal
    Author: Becky Striepe

    Ingredients

    • 1 sliced onion - Red or white is fine. You'll end up with about 2 cups, sliced.
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
    • ¼ cup sugar

    Instructions

    • Stuff the onions into a pint-size mason jar.
    • Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, and heat them until they boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. This should only take a few minutes. Turn off the stove, and pour the hot brine into your jar. The heat from the brine will soften the onions.
    • Screw the lid onto your jar loosely, and set it on the counter to cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle, you can tighten the lid and stick the jar into the fridge.

    Equipment

    • mason jars

    Video

    Notes

    • You can eat these as soon as they're cool enough to handle, but they're even better if you can wait about 24 hours, to give the onions time to soak in that beautiful brine!
    • Your pickle onions will keep for 1-2 weeks. I recommend writing the date on the jar, because I hate playing, “When Did I Make These, Again?”

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Sweet pickled onions recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    16
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    0.02
    g
    0
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    0.01
    g
    0
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    0.003
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    0.001
    g
    Sodium
     
    293
    mg
    12
    %
    Potassium
     
    31
    mg
    1
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    3
    g
    1
    %
    Fiber
     
    0.2
    g
    1
    %
    Sugar
     
    2
    g
    2
    %
    Protein
     
    0.2
    g
    0
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    0.3
    IU
    0
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    1
    mg
    1
    %
    Calcium
     
    5
    mg
    1
    %
    Iron
     
    0.1
    mg
    1
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

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    About Me

    photo of Becky Striepe
    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

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