Easy Refrigerator Pickled Red Onions

Tangy, crispy, and vibrant pickled red onions made quick and easy.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Resting Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Servings

Calories 36kcal

Author Jason

Add boiling water to a large, pourable measuring cup.
Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside to cool.
Peel the onion and slice in half vertically. Using a mandolin slicer, slice the onion halves into small slivers. The exact size isn’t set in stone, just keep them thinner.
Fill each mason jar with the red onion slices.
Pour the prepared liquid over the top of the onions until they’re covered. Immediately place the lid on the jars. Leave to sit on the counter until they have reached room temperature.
Retighten the lids on the mason jars once they’ve cooled.
Place in the fridge until they turn pink (this can take anywhere from 1-4 hours). I tend to leave them overnight for best results. Enjoy!

This is a refrigerator style pickling recipe, which means it needs to be stored in the fridge at all times. These tend to last for months. Once you open the jar, this releases its tighter seal and you’ll want to use them up within the next 3-4 weeks. Do not freeze.
The time it takes for the red onions to turn pink in the fridge varies. However, even when they turn pink, I prefer to leave them overnight before using them as it just has better flavor that way.
I keep getting giant red onions from the neighbors, but if you’re going with store-bought red onions, you might need to use two of them, as they tend to run a bit smaller.
You don’t want to pour the water over the onions while it’s still boiling. I do it when it’s still warm, but you don’t want to cook the onions, you’re just wanting to pickle them. I have found that warm water instead of boiling, allows for the perfect texture.