Pickled Onions
Thinly sliced red onions in a warm-spiced vinegar brine, ready to eat once cooled and even better after a few hours in the fridge. A simple upgrade for tacos, burgers, salads, and sandwiches.
Slice the onion as thin and even as you can, thin slices pickle through evenly in the brief brine time, while thicker pieces can end up under-pickled in the centre. Prefer more crunch? Pour the hot brine over raw sliced onion in the jar instead of boiling them together.
Stored in a sealed, sterile jar in the fridge, these keep for several weeks. The flavour genuinely deepens if you leave them a few hours or overnight before digging in.
Pickled Onions
CONDIMENT · SIDE · EASY
A quick condiment that upgrades almost anything
Warm spices like cumin, coriander, and star anise turn a basic pickled onion into something with real depth, not just sharp and acidic.
You get a choice in texture too, boil the onions briefly in the brine for a softer pickle, or pour hot brine over raw onion for something with more crunch. Both are genuinely good options.
These keep for weeks in the fridge, so it's worth making a jar just to have on hand. A spoonful brightens up tacos, burgers, salads, or a cheese board without any extra effort.
Pickled Onions
Ingredients
- 2 Red Onions Sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Crushed
- 250 ml White Vinegar
- 250 ml Water
- 6 g Salt
- 45 g White Sugar
- 2 g Cumin Seeds Optional
- 2 g Coriander Seeds Optional
- 0.5 g Caraway Seeds Optional
- 1 g Black Peppercorns Optional
- 1 Star Anise Optional
Method
- Thinly slice the onions and add them, along with all of the remaining ingredients, to a saucepan.
- Place over high heat, mix well, and make sure the onions are covered in the brine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the mix to a clean, sterile jar. Seal with the lid and store in the fridge.
How long do pickled onions keep in the fridge?⌄
Several weeks, stored in a sealed, sterile jar in the fridge. The flavour actually improves over the first few days as everything sits in the brine.
Can I make these without boiling the onions?⌄
Yes, heat the brine and pour it hot over raw sliced onion in the jar instead of boiling everything together. You'll get a crunchier pickle this way.
What can I use pickled onions on?⌄
Tacos, burgers, sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, or straight on a cheese board. Anywhere that needs a bit of acidity and crunch.
Can I skip the whole spices?⌄
Yes, they're all marked optional. You'll still get a good, simple pickled onion with just the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar base.
