Easy 30 minute Quick Pickled Red Onions are the perfect way to add a little extra tang and crunch to everything from tacos to falafel to everyday salads! Make a batch and store them in the refrigerator for up to a month.

I usually focus on desserts or quick weeknight dinners at Bunsen Burner Bakery. This week, however, we’re sharing a recipe that is quite clearly neither.

Whenever I ask what kind of recipes readers want, the response always includes some requests for more dinners – which I’ve been working on for the past few months. As I was planning a posting schedule through the summer, I realized nearly all the dinner recipes included these quick pickled red onions.

So many recipes, in fact, it only made sense to add them as their own separate post.

As the name implies, these are quick. Make a batch in the afternoon and they’re ready for dinner. They also last for quite a while; 4 weeks is the official safe length, but in our family where we like to live dangerously and just give foods the good old sniff test, we’ve had jars going for quite a bit longer.

Another big benefit to this recipe? It uses almost entirely pantry staples, so you can make them any time. All this recipe needs is vinegar, water, and kosher salt, with some optional honey and red pepper flakes for a little sweetness and spice.

We always have a jar of these in our refrigerator, and once you see how quick, delicious, and versatile quick pickled red onions are, I have a feeling you will, too! They’re the perfect way to add a little extra color, crunch, and zip to oh-so-many dishes.

What is Quick Pickling?

Quick pickling involves packing vegetables in a solution made from vinegar, salt, and water, and storing this in the refrigerator. Thicker vegetables, like these garlicky dill refrigerator pickles, require several days in the solution.

Thinly sliced vegetables, like these quick pickled red onions, however, take far less time. To speed up the pickling process, we’re going to use a hot brine – which means these pickled onions are done in only a few hours! And make sure the slice the onions thinly using a sharp knife or mandoline.

Pro tip: because we’re going to heat the vinegary brine, this will make your kitchen smell like vinegar! The smell will dissipate with time, but I always recommend opening windows or turning on your range hood.

Quick pickled vegetables are stored in the refrigerator and do not require canning. Nearly any vegetable can be quick pickled, like tomatoes, asparagus, green beans, or peppers.

Brining Solution

The key to quick pickling onions, or any other vegetable, is the brining solution. This includes vinegar, salt, and water and helps preserve the vegetables for an extended period of time, along with adding the vinegary pickle flavor.

A variety of vinegar can be used — white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white wine or champagne vinegar, rice vinegar, etc – but I like the combination of white vinegar and apple cider vinegar for red onions.

Why do we add salt and vinegar to our pickling solution? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Salt and vinegar both prevent the growth of bacteria, allowing for longer storage of vegetables in the refrigerator.  The salt in the brine produces lactic acid, while vinegar lowers the pH of the vegetables, both of which significantly slow the growth of bacteria.

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Using Pickled Red Onions

In our house, these are a staple that goes on nearly everything!

We like them added to tuna or egg salad or in Classic Italian Pasta Salad, or pile some on a typical side salad.

Pickled red onions are delicious on nachos, tacos, huevos rancheros, or on fajitas (we especially like them on fish tacos!).

Add them to falafel or homemade gyros, sloppy joes, or falafel, or homemade gyros.

Perhaps a better question is: what savory foods don’t go with pickled onions?! 🤔

Recommended Tools to Make Pickled Red Onions

• 2 Quart Saucepan: A small heavy-bottomed saucepan is ideal for making the brining solution.
• Glass Measuring Cup: A 1-cup glass measuring cup can be used to heat the brine in a microwave instead of on the stovetop.
• Mandoline: While a sharp knife will work, a mandoline guarantees the onion will be sliced thinly and uniformly.
• Wide-Mouth Mason Jar: A wide-mouth mason jar makes it much easier to pack in the sliced onions and to pull them back out.

Frequently Asked Questions about Quick Pickled Red Onions