Pickled Red Onions: The Quick & Easy 5 Minute Way To Dress Your Salad like A Pro


pickled red onions

Pickled red onions are a great way to add some flavor and crunch to your favorite dishes. They can be eaten alone or used as an ingredient in many recipes, including salads, sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, and more.

While some folks taut pickled onion as the best for losing weight, I like to think of weight loss as more about eating fewer calories while burning more energy than just eating pickled onion food recipes.

Uses For Pickled Red Onions 

Pickled red onions are not just for tacos and nachos. They’re great in salads, sandwich wraps, omelets, and more! And if you don’t want to eat them right away or can’t finish the jar before they go bad, you should freeze or store them as canned pickles in your dry food storage pantry so that your loved ones always have a tasty treat on hand when they need it most. 

Still, there are plenty of ways to enjoy pickled red onions with daily everyday food recipes.

Pickled Red Onions For Tacos

Tacos are a staple in Mexican cuisine. They are traditionally made with sliced meat, onions, and cilantro, but you can also add other ingredients like beans or avocado to the mix. If you’re looking for an easy way to dress up your tacos without adding many ingredients, pickled red onions will be perfect! 

Pickling is one of those techniques that dates back centuries ago and has been perfected over time. The process of pickling involves soaking vegetables in vinegar or salt water and letting them ferment for a few weeks until they reach their desired flavor profile. This not only adds flavor to your dish, but it also preserves the produce, so it’s ready when you need it! 

What I like the most about pickled red onions is how one can whip a delicious meal so quick and easy, using pickled red onions and a few other ingredients lying about in your kitchen or fridge. And, making tacos at home is one of the best family mealtimes; we regularly use simplified recipes with pickled onions.

Shrimp tacos with pickled red onions recipe.

Shrimp tacos with pickled red onions are not your average menu. They are delicious, low on calorie count, and packed with nutritional benefits. 

If you’re looking for a new recipe to try this weekend, shrimp tacos with pickled red onions might be a perfect choice. 

The dish is light and refreshing, and anyone can easily make it in under 30 minutes. To make these tacos extra flavorful, I recommend adding some cilantro and lime juice before serving.  

In addition to being delicious, these shrimp tacos are also low carb! One serving contains only 2 grams of carbs (1 gram of which come from fiber). Best of all? You can make gluten-free tacos with this recipe too! 

So even if you’re on a diet or have dietary restrictions, you can enjoy this meal without feeling guilty about your choices. With so many health benefits packed into one dish, what more could you ask for? 

Ingredients

  • Red Onion Salad 1/2 cup white wine vinegar  
  •   1/2 cup sugar  
  •   Salt  
  •   1 medium red onion, thinly sliced  
  •   1/2 cup fresh orange juice  
  •   1 small white onion, finely diced  
  •   1 tablespoon pure maple syrup  
  •   2 tablespoons malt vinegar  
  •   1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds  
  •   2 tablespoons vegetable oil  
  •   2 tablespoons fresh lime juice  
  •   1/2 large ripe mango, cut into thin sticks  
  •   1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage  
  •   1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves  
  • Shrimp Tacos 1 tablespoon vegetable oil  
  •   1 small white onion, finely chopped  
  •   1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined  
  •   Salt and freshly ground black pepper  
  •   1/2 cup barbecue sauce  
  •   1/2 cup shredded jalapeño Jack cheese  
  •   Four 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed.  
  •   2 tablespoons salted roasted pumpkin seeds, 1 thinly sliced seeded serrano chile, and 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves for garnish.

If you are a taco fanatic like Iam, then you know that the most important part of the taco is the toppings. Pickled red onions add texture and flavor to your tacos, and they are as easy to make as slicing an onion! 

These pickled onions can be used on all sorts of dishes, so don’t just limit them to tacos – try using them in your next salad or sandwich for a spicy kick! 

Shoppers who love Mexican food will want to get started with these quick and easy pickles. They’re perfect for adding zestiness to salads, sandwiches, rice bowls or any dish that needs some extra spice. Plus they store well in the refrigerator for up to 3 months if properly sealed!

Pickled Red Onions For BBQ.

Pickled Red Onions are a great way to add flavor and crunch to your BBQ. They can be used as a topping, in place of pickles on sandwiches, or even as part of the sauce for your pulled pork sandwich. 

There are plenty of recipes suited for BBQ and pickled onion so easy to fix quickly and many of them yield about 4 cups of onions which will last up to 6 months refrigerated! 

The southern Red onion recipe for BBQ is one that I enjoy the most. You can easily adapt this recipe to meet your taste palate and bring in the flavors you want to build on.

Pickled Red Onion Recipe For BBQ.

Red onion is a staple on any BBQ menu. It’s versatile, adding flavor to anything from pulled pork sandwiches, grilled burgers, and even corn on the cob. But sometimes red onions can be too intense for some people’s tastes. 

This recipe will give you an easy way to pickle your red onion so that it has just enough tangy sweetness without being overpowering or acidic. The best part? It only takes 10 minutes! 

Give this recipe a try next time you’re looking for something new at your next BBQ, and don’t forget to snap a picture of it if it turns out well!

Ingredients

  • Ingredient Checklist 1 cup hot water 
  •  1/2 cup red wine vinegar 
  •  1 tablespoon granulated sugar 
  •  1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 
  •  1 red onion, thinly sliced

If you are making your pickled red onions in batches, you need to know the right amount of vinegar to water ratios to keep them fresh and tasty long term.

What is the ratio of vinegar to water for pickling

Pickling is a great way to preserve fruits and vegetables for use throughout the year. The most common pickles are cucumbers, onions, green beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Pickles can be fermented or brined (pickled). 

In general, 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to 2 cups of hot water ratio is needed to preserve your pickled red onions long-term.

Fermentation is the process of preserving food by adding saltwater or brine while being stored in an airtight container such as a jar or crock. 

Brining means soaking food in a solution of salty water before storing it in an airtight container. To make pickles with vinegar, you need to know how much vinegar to add to your jars; there’s no exact ratio because different types of produce have different levels of natural acidity. 

Pickled Red Onions For Curry.

It’s hard to imagine a dish without onions. They add such richness and depth of flavor that they make the perfect base for any dish. 

But, especially in curry recipes, you can’t just use regular old white or yellow onions. You need something with a bit of extra punch! 

That’s where these pickled red onions come in handy! These are easy to prepare and will provide your curry recipe with an intense oniony taste while still staying within the realm of traditional Indian cuisine. 

Every time curry is on the menu, I make sure to enjoy pickled red onion as a must-have tasty side dish to go with curry!

Pickled Red Onions Recipe For Curry

The pickled red onion recipe for curry is for those of you who love curries and want to add a little something extra to the dish. With this recipe, you can make pickled red onions that will give your curry a beautiful pink hue and a fantastic flavor.  

This recipe is straightforward and can be adapted to suit your liking too! All it takes is time and patience, but the result will be worth it.

Ingredients

While most curry ingredients remain evenly the same, the little tweaks that each region adds to their curry make them stand out. So, if you are selecting your recipe ingredients, do not overthink the ensemble of your key ingredients, provided you keep a tight ship when making your pickled red onion toppings to go with your curry dish.

Chicken curry with Pickled Red Onion & Corriander.

  • 2 tbsp of ghee or vegetable oil
  •  1 tbsp of mustard seeds
  •  1 large onion, sliced
  •  3 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
  •  1 tbsp of garam masala
  •  500g of chicken thigh, boned and diced
  •  6 vine tomatoes
  •  1 chili, deseeded
  •  3 tbsp of tomato purée
  •  1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
  •  1/2 tsp salt(1)

Coriander and red onion quick pickle

  • 2 red onions, finely sliced
  •  20g of coriander leaves, chopped
  • 200g of lightly seasoned pickling vinegar

Can you use red onions in a curry dish?

Pickled red onion is the perfect option if you’re looking to make a curry and have red onions in your pantry but aren’t sure if they will work. 

In general, you can use red onions in a curry dish. Red onions are often used in Indian cooking, and onion(pickled or paste) is one of the most common ingredients in curries. You could even use them raw to help add some extra flavor to your dish! 

In Indian cuisine, several dishes include onions or have onion paste as an ingredient. But it’s not for everyone, and some people find red onions too strong for their taste and can’t stand the smell. 

So what you should do is add more sugar and curry powder to make it sweet enough for your palate. If you don’t want any onion at all in your dish, then just omit them!

Pickled Red Onions For Pulled Pork.

Unless you first tasted a pulled pork sandwich with pickled red onion coleslaw salad topping from a food truck, I’ve got no better way of explaining how I have been hooked on having pulled pork with pickled onion salad. 

The tang of the vinegar in the sauce and pickles makes it taste amazing! That’s why if you are going to have pulled pork on your BBQ menu, you can’t have it without the slaw or coleslaw with pickled red onions for pulled pork topping. 

Especially now that many people make their own version, there are recipes that are considered an easy way to put together some great-tasting homemade coleslaw using pickled red onions. 

It’s got that familiar mayonnaise dressing but with a little extra kick from some horseradish and mustard for bold flavor. Don’t forget about those onions because they add so much color and crunchy texture to any dish!

Pickled Red Onions For Salad.

Pickled red onions are a quick and easy way to add flavor and color to any salad. The onion must be sliced thin to absorb as much of the vinegar as possible, which gives them their tangy taste. 

If you want to make pickled onions, you’ll need: 

  • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced into rings 
  • 2 cups white distilled vinegar 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 2 tablespoons salt 
  • 4 whole cloves garlic- peeled and crushed with the flat side of the knife.
  • 1 bay leaf (optional) 
  • 5 peppercorns (optional)

Pickled Red Onions For Cochinita Pibil.

Cochinita Pibil is a traditional dish from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is made with pork that has been marinated and cooked, shredded into pieces, then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked again. Pickled Red Onions are used as a topping for this dish. The recipe below will teach you how to make these pickled onions at home! 

Pickling vegetables makes them last longer than just storing them in water or oil alone. This means they can be stored up to two months without spoiling! 

  • You’ll need 4-5 cups of thinly sliced red onion, 
  • 1 cup of apple cider vinegar (or rice wine vinegar),
  •  2 tablespoons of sea salt, 
  • 3 cloves garlic, 
  • Ground black pepper to taste ( This slow-roasted pork dish features pickled red onions and habanero chilies for a spicy kick of flavor. 

Pickled Red Onions For Fish Tacos.

Pickled red onions are the perfect addition to your next fish taco, and they’re surprisingly easy to make. They add a tangy flavor that really complements the fish tacos, and with only three ingredients for this recipe, it’s quick and easy!  

You can even use these pickled onions as a topping on salads or in other dishes that need some added spice. Pickle what you have today so you’ll always have them on hand when you need them tomorrow!

Pickled Red Onions For Canning.

Canning your own red onions is a great way to save money and get creative with the flavors at home. Pickling red onions lets you make numerous dishes using canned red onions you preserved in the summer when onions are plentiful and cheap or any time of year if you have your own garden. 

With so many recipes utilizing fewer ingredients, canning pickled red onions never run short of some creative meal ideas and on how to add some flavor to classic recipes. 

How do you make pickled red onions?

As pickled red onions continue to grow in popularity on our dinner tables, it only makes sense to know how to make this staple condiment at home. So, if you are going to make pickled red onions at home, you are going to need few ingredients on hand:

  1. 2-5 Large red onion cloves
  2. 1 Cup of apple cider vinegar
  3. An airtight food-grade mason jar to bottle your pickled red onions.
  4. Half a Cup of Honey
  5. 1 Teaspoon sea salt.

How To Make Pickled Red Onions With Apple Cider Vinegar. 

To make pickled red onion with apple cider, you first slice the red onion into thin rings. Next, place the rings in a jar and pour over them enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Finally, add honey and salt to taste before sealing with an airtight lid for 3-5 days before enjoying! 

This recipe is relatively easy as it only requires three ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store. Enjoy these pickled red onions on sandwiches or salads!

Pickled red onions with white wine vinegar 

Pickled Red Onions with White Wine Vinegar is a wonderful addition to any salad. They can be used as an appetizer or side dish, but they’re also great in sandwiches and wraps. 

Pickling is the process of preserving food by submerging it in an acidic solution, usually vinegar or brine. The acidity inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold, which causes spoilage. 

There are many pickles to choose from, such as sweet cucumber pickles made with sugar and spices, dill pickles typically made with fresh dill weed and garlic cloves. 

The bread-and-butter pickles are particularly loved for their little sweetness caused by the sugar content, while salty kosher dills have more salt than any of the other types of pickled onions mentioned above.

Pickled red onions are a staple in many dishes, and they’re surprisingly easy to make. And pickled red onions with white wine vinegar are no different. They are tasty, crunchy, and also a great way to use up old onions that might be past their prime. 

To make your homemade pickled red onion with white wine vinegar, you need a recipe for either a small jar of pickled red onion, or you can easily adjust the same for larger batches or increased quantities if required.    

Once your pickled red onion with white wine vinegar is made, it will need a maturing period where the process will take about 5-7 days before your pickled red onion is ready to eat!

Frequently Asked Questions About Pickled Onions.

Every now and then, you and I always have questions about pickled onions. So I took some time to research and find answers to commonly asked questions everyone seems to have.

Why do my pickled onions go soft?

There are many different reasons why pickled onions go soft, but the most common is that you did not properly process your pickled onion.

In general, brine cause onions to go soft when it is not properly made. Failing to add enough sugar or salt to the brine can leave your onions at risk of going soft. They have enzymes that break down and soften the onion when they come into contact with water. 

When you don’t add enough sugar to your brine, these enzymes will react with oxygen in the air and start breaking down the onion. This is what causes them to go soft, which can lead to spoilage.  

If you notice that your pickles are going soft, discard any of those jars immediately as they could be contaminated or spoiled by bacteria from spoiling food items like meat. Pickling recipes usually call for a 2:1 ratio of white vinegar and water.

Do pickled red onions need to be refrigerated?

Pickled red onions are a traditional ingredient in many dishes and can be eaten straight out of the jar. But do pickled red onions need to be refrigerated? 

In general, pickled onions do not need to be refrigerated prior to opening the airtight jar. They can sit on your dry food pantry fresh for up to six months and remain fresh, crunchy and tasty. You only need to keep your pickled onion refrigerated when you open a preserved jar for use and have left-over onions. 

Keeping them in the fridge for their shelf life to last as long as possible is highly recommended.    

How To Tell If Pickled Onions Have Gone Bad?

Pickled onions will go bad from time to time, and you need to know what to look for when you have stale pickled onions. If you’re not sure if your pickles have gone bad or are still good, make sure to check on these telltale signs: 

  • They smell sour or vinegary – Freshly pickled onions are tasty and tangy. But, if they smell sourly or vinegary, it means they’ve gone bad!
  • They turn an unnatural color like brown or blue – Preserved pickled onions maintain their natural colors and crunchiness. If they turn into an unnatural color like brown or blue, this also means they’ve gone bad!
  • You don’t feel any crunch when biting into them – Pickled onions maintain their crunch and firmness when you pinch them or when you bite into them. If they are soft and slippery, it means that they have been sitting open way too long and will go bad.

How long do pickled red onions last

The question of how to store pickled red onions and how long pickled preserves last has been a common topic on the internet. When it comes down to it, there is no right answer because this depends on personal preference and taste. 

In general, storing pickled onion in airtight jars helps to keep them fresh longer at room temperature or refrigerated. Whichever option you get to choose will extend their shelf life longer than if they were not prepared to be stored at room temperature or inside a refrigerator. 

However, some people say that refrigerating pickled onions can change the flavor or texture of the onion too much. If you are like one of these people who prefer to keep their onions in an airtight container at room temperature, you can rest assured that they will remain fresh for up to 6 months.  

Are Pickled Red Onions Beneficial?

Red onions are a favorite for many recipes but did you know they also have amazing health benefits. They’re packed with vitamin B9 and folate, which can help improve heart health in addition to other vitamins and minerals. 

And if your digestive system needs some love too, red onion is great because it’s full of good probiotics that promote healthy digestion as well as enzymes that keep things running smoothly.

Are pickled onions one of your 5 a day?

Pickled onions are a great option for a little zing in your salad, sandwich or burger. But do they count as one of your 5-a-day?

Pickled onions are do not count as your 5 a day meals. They are a delicious and healthy addition to your diet, but they are also high in salt. Pickled onions are low in calories, high in fibre, rich in Vitamin C but they are not fruits to count towards your one of the five recommended portions of fruit or vegetables per day. 

They are an easy way to get more veggies into your diet and they work well with a wide selection of flavors from street tacos, sweet mangoes, and zesty lemons. Pickled onions have something for everyone. 

Eddie Mcfarren

Eddie Mcfarren is an avid Pet blogger who is passionate about pet welfare and everything to do with animals. His passion for writing does not intend to provide veterinary advice. However, when he writes about pets, he will go to great lengths to help users better understand their dogs. His pet dog Tess helps him in understanding a great deal of care and living with pets at home. On a serious note, the content on this blog is not a substitute for veterinary guidance. Only competently trained Vets can offer qualified advice about your pet's ailments. Therefore, make sure to seek advice from your local veterinarian officer near you!

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