The Best Tangy Pickled Red Onions

Looking for the ultimate tasty topping to your avocado toast or tacos? The Best Tangy Pickled Red Onions recipe is here and comes together in minutes with minimal work. With just a handful ingredients, you'll have tangy, tart aromatic pickled red onions in minutes!

Love pickled red onion like I do? Try my Carne Asada Mushroom Tacos with Pickled Red Onion, Cajun Catfish with Cheesy Grits and Pickled Red Onion or BBQ Smoked Chicken Mac & Cheese with Pickled Red Onion!

Pickled Red Onions are my new favorite topping! As a matter of fact, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you're just about tired of seeing me use them, that's how much I enjoy pickled red onions!

I have the Best Tangy Pickled Red Onions recipe and I'm so excited to share it with you today. It's an easy, no fuss recipe including a how-to video if you're a visual learner like me! If you're a skeptic or never tried pickled red onions, it's important to realize, you'll want to stick around to read through this post!

WHAT DO PICKLED RED ONIONS TASTE LIKE?

Pickled Red Onions have a distinct flavor and texture. For one thing, they hold true to the crunchiness and slight bite that raw or cooked onions provide. Once pickled, they become sweet, tangy and slightly aromatic providing a tasty addition to an array of dishes. If you like dill pickles or pickled food items, I'm certain you'll love pickled red onions!

They are usually served with breakfast toast such as avocado toast or eggs on toast and are mostly known for being a unique topping for tacos! As a matter of fact, I haven't met a taco that pickled red onions wouldn't be a great addition for, they are just that good!

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS RECIPE?

The amazing part about this recipe is it's only household pantry and fridge items required. There's several ways to build this recipe, of course start with the base of the recipe, here's what you'll need.

• Red Onion
• Hot Water
• Garlic Clove
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Sugar
• Salt
• Black Peppercorn (optional)

ANY OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS TO ADD TO THE RECIPE?

What's exciting about this recipe and pickling red onions is that the additions and flavors are endless! Again, you can't go wrong with adding your favorite herbs and spices. It truly depends on the flavor profile you're seeking, the longer the onions pickle, the more in depth the flavor becomes.

Here are a few ways you can add additional ingredients to enhance the flavor.

• The garlic in my recipe is optional. Omit it and you'll have a more traditional flavor profile of pickled red onions. By the same token leaving it in, provides a slight aromatic garlic flavor that's delicious.
• Black peppercorns is an optional ingredient too. This just provides a slight peppery note to the onions that pair well if you're looking for a hint of spice. As a matter of fact, crushed red pepper could work great!
• Dried Herbs such as rosemary, dill seed, basil, cilantro, bay leaf, mustard seed and practically mosts dried herbs will work with this recipe. It really provides the strong pickled flavor your taste buds are accustomed to.
• Add fresh lemon or lime juice! While I haven't tried this variation yet, I've had several friends rave about adding particularly lime juice. This addition is more traditional for mexican inspired pickled red onions but I'm certain it tastes amazing!
• Different types of vinegar! Get festive and try different variations of vinegar. While this recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, try rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar. I'm certain they all provide an excellent flavor profile!

HOW TO STORE PICKLED RED ONIONS

Pickled red onions are best stored in an airtight container. Such as the suggested items below.

• Mason jar with attached lid.
• Mason jar with pickling lid and screw cap.
• Old glass jars with lids that seal tightly.
• Tupperware that is glass or ceramic with a tight lid.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST TANGY PICKLED RED ONION

First, start with a red onion. For this recipe I used a small red onion based off the size of my mason jar. At the same time, thinly slice the onion into small ringlets or cut in half depending on the size of your jar. Next, place sliced onions to the side and begin prepping your hot water.

At this instant, determine if you'll heat the water by boiling it on the stove or microwaving it. In either case, the water needs to be piping (almost boiling) hot. After the water is to temperature, add the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved.

As soon as the vinegar solution is dissolved, place the red onions in the desired container of your choice. To point out, I used a small glass mason jar with an attached lid. Next, pour the vinegar solution over the raw red onions pouring until the onions are completely emerged in the solution.

Then top with fresh garlic slices and black peppercorns closing the lid tightly. At this moment, gently shake the mason jar to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the jar.

Finally, allow the red onions to pickle (and come to room temperature) for at least 20-30 minutes and for best results, let pickle overnight. It's important to note, these pickled red onions get better with time.

HOW LONG CAN PICKLED RED ONIONS BE STORED?

It's important to note that you should allow the pickled red onions to come to room temperature before storing them in the fridge. Once they are cool and ready to be refrigerated, keep these important notes in mind!

• Pickled red onions have a shelf life (stored in the fridge) for 2-3 weeks.
• Best served the first week when they are fresh. I promise they'll only last about a week anyway!
• If the onions begin to have a "bad" smell or become bubbly, discard them and make a new batch.

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