Easy pickled red onions

The short answer: to make pickled red onions, thinly slice 1 large red onion into a pint jar. Heat 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until dissolved, pour it over and wait 30 minutes. They keep 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge.

• Key numbers: 1 onion · 1:1 vinegar to water · 1 tbsp sugar · 1 tsp kosher salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt) · 10 minutes hands-on · about 61 cents a jar
• No stove? Stir the brine cold until dissolved and chill 2 hours
• Free and paid next step: get the free recipe book starter pages (we email it to you) to keep this ratio on a recipe card, or plan taco night with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).

This pickled red onions recipe, its salt amounts and the prices below were checked November 4, 2026. The sections below cover ingredients, step-by-step pickling, a salt guide by type, vinegar swaps, a scaling chart, flavor add-ins, ways to use them, cost per jar and storage.

Pickled red onion ingredients

This makes one 16-ounce (pint) jar, about 1 1/2 cups of onions or 12 servings of 2 tablespoons.

How to make pickled red onions

1. Slice the onion thin. Halve it from root to tip, peel and slice into thin half-moons about 1/8 inch thick. A mandoline makes even slices fast.
2. Pack the jar. Loosely fill a clean pint jar with the onion slices and any add-ins.
3. Make the brine. In a small saucepan, warm the vinegar, water, sugar and salt over medium heat, stirring about 1 minute until clear. It only needs to dissolve, not boil hard.
4. Pour and press. Pour the warm brine over the onions and press them down with a spoon so they are covered.
5. Wait. Let the jar sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. The onions turn bright pink in 1 to 2 hours.
6. Chill. Cap the jar once it is cool and refrigerate.

Salt guide: why pickled onions turn out too salty

The most common complaint about pickled onion recipes is too much salt. Salt crystals are different sizes, so the same spoonful of each type carries a different amount. Use the line for the salt you have, per 1 cup of brine:

The FDA puts 1 teaspoon of table salt at about 2,300 milligrams of sodium. With 3/4 teaspoon in the jar, each 2-tablespoon serving carries no more than about 145 milligrams, and less because much of the brine stays behind in the jar. Taste the brine before you pour: it should taste pleasantly tangy, not like seawater.

Choosing the vinegar

Use any vinegar labeled 5% acidity. Mixing two, such as half white and half apple cider, is a good middle ground.

Scaling chart for more jars

Flavor add-ins

• Garlic and pepper: 1 smashed garlic clove and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns per jar.
• Spicy: a sliced jalapeño or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
• Taco-style: a pinch of dried oregano, a bay leaf and lime juice for half the vinegar.
• Herby: a few sprigs of fresh dill or thyme.
• Warm spice: 1/2 teaspoon coriander or cumin seeds, lightly toasted.
• Mixed pickle: add thin carrot coins, radish slices or cucumber spears to the same brine.

How to use pickled red onions

A spoonful brightens almost any rich or plain dish:

• Tacos, nachos and a taco salad
• Wraps and pitas such as chicken shawarma
• Bowls of chili, vegetarian chili or chicken tortilla soup
• A breakfast sandwich, burgers and avocado toast
• Packed lunch ideas such as grain bowls, potato salad and green salads

What a jar of pickled red onions costs

Homemade pickled onions cost a fraction of a store jar. Red onion pricing is from the USDA AMS National Retail Report of grocery ads running October 24 to November 5, 2026. Vinegar, sugar and salt are Great Value prices on Walmart.com, all checked November 4, 2026.

That works out to about 5 cents per 2-tablespoon serving. Keeping a running list of what staples cost in a grocery price book shows how small extras like this stretch a weekly budget, and they pair well with meal planning on a budget and the tips in how to grocery shop on a budget.

Pickled red onion nutrition

Based on USDA FoodData Central values for raw onions (40 calories and 1.7 grams of fiber per 100 grams) and the sugar in the brine, a 2-tablespoon serving has roughly 5 to 10 calories, almost no fat and up to about 145 milligrams of sodium.

Storing pickled red onions

• Fridge: keep the jar covered and cold for about 2 to 3 weeks. Use a clean fork each time.
• Texture: the onions are crunchiest in the first week, then soften slowly.
• Toss them if: the brine turns slimy, smells off or shows mold.
• Reuse the brine: pour it over a second batch of sliced onions within a week, or use it in place of vinegar in a dressing.
• Shelf-stable jars: quick pickles are refrigerator pickles. For pantry storage, use a tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation instead.

Plan prep day and save the recipe

• Meal Planner & Grocery List, $3.99. A weekly menu grid and an aisle-sorted grocery list, so red onions and vinegar are on hand for taco night and prep day.
• Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Fillable recipe pages and cards for your brine ratio and favorite add-ins.
• Family Life Admin Bundle, $15.99 ($23.95 bought separately). Includes both printables above plus three more family organizers.

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