Keeping a jar of spicy pickled red onions in the fridge means instant flavor! Add these flavorful veggies to sandwiches, top a salad, or chop them into potato salad. It will take you just minutes to make them.
I love having little “extras” to serve with a meal, and these refrigerator pickled onions are easy to put into the rotation. It’ll take just 15 minutes to make them, though you’ll have to be patient — they need to sit in the brine for 48 hours before they’re ready to eat.
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Since this recipe is a refrigerator pickle, not a canned product, you can use any upcycled jar you have on hand. No need to use up your precious canning jars! The recipe calls for a quart sized jar, but you can divide the ingredients between two pint sized jars as well.
Ingredients
Onions — Sweet red onions are the best choice here, both for their flavor and the resulting deep pink hue that the onions get after sitting for a day or two. You won’t break anything if you try it with yellow onions, though!
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Hot pepper — Add a little kick to the mix with a hot pepper or two. I used a jalapeno pepper, but any kind will work. Obviously, the heat will vary depending on the variety you use.
Fresh thyme — Add a few sprigs of fresh thyme for extra flavor. You can substitute a half teaspoon of dried thyme.
Seasonings — A bit of salt and sugar round out the brine.
Making Pickled Red Onions
Slice the red onions thinly, and pack them into a jar along with garlic cloves, a hot pepper, and fresh thyme.
If you have a food processor, you can use the slicing blade to make quick work of this recipe.
Combine the brine ingredients in a large measuring cup and stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Pour the brine over the vegetables in the jar.
As the sliced onions sit in the brine, the liquid takes on a brilliant pink color.
FAQs
How do I store pickled onions?
Once the onions have pickled on the counter, move them to the fridge. These will keep for 2-3 weeks in an airtight jar. Use a canning jar with plastic lid or recycle a wonderful pickle or marinara jar. You can also freeze these onions, but they may lose a bit of texture when thawed. If freezing, move them to a different container, or make sure and use a wide mouth jar without shoulders and leave plenty of room for expansion so your jar doesn’t crack.
Do I see bubbles in my jar?
You are fermenting, which means yeast and good bacteria are going to work – so bubbles or fizz is good! The action will slow down some when in the fridge. If you were to leave this on the counter then you might have too much fermentation – not always a good thing!
More Refrigerator Pickles to Try
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Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickled Onions
Equipment
- 1 quart jar with lid
Ingredients
- 4 cups red onion sliced (about 3 medium)
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 - 2 sprigs fresh thyme
For brine:
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Slice red onion thinly, cutting each onion in half and then into thin slices. Cut pepper in half.4 cups red onion, 1 jalapeno pepper
- Fill a quart-sized jar with the onions, pepper, garlic, and thyme, pressing lightly to compact the ingredients a bit.4 cloves garlic, 1 - 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Combine brine ingredients; stir to dissolve salt and sugar.1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup hot water, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar
- Pour brine over the onions in the jar, filling it to within a quarter inch of the jar rim. Cover and refrigerate for 48 hours before using.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Notes
- Recipe yields 1 quart.
- Feel free to use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar if you prefer.
- Since this recipe is a refrigerator pickle, not a canned product, you can use any upcycled jar you have on hand. No need to use up your precious canning jars! The recipe calls for a quart sized jar, but you can divide the ingredients between two pint sized jars as well.
Nutrition
Seen this recipe on Facebook, Its the same as my Family’s without the Jalapeno, Made it a few days back with the Jalapeno and extra garlic cloves. Delicious.
Can these be preserved for longer storage?
This is not a canning recipe, no.
How do I make the brine?
Thank you
You just combine the brine ingredients and stir until dissolved, it’s listed in the recipe card if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the post.
Is it possible to make these with less, or even better for me, no salt?
It’s safe to cut out the salt, but it will alter the flavor.
Hi Kris, do you need to heat the vinegar and sterilise the jars?
You don’t need to heat the vinegar since the brine is made with hot water. You can sterilize the jars, but it’s not completely necessary.
Hi Kris,
I just came across your recipe for ‘Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickled Onions’ on facebook. I’m low carb and no sugar. Thinking of trying this using stevia or monk fruit. Thoughts on using these sweeteners?
Thanks for your recipes.
Kris, I also wanted to ask how long do these last? I’m the only eating them. Thanks again for your time. Carla
Oh, gosh. Months!
I haven’t tried either of those so I’m not sure how they’d taste. If you try it keep in mind that you’d use less stevia than sugar since it’s a lot sweeter. Good luck!
My great grandma use to make pickled onions for us. They were delicious, but I haven’t had them years. I will definitely be trying out this recipe!
You’ll love it!