What Are Pickled onions and How Can I Use Them?
Pickled onions rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 5 recipes to cook with them.
Key Points
- Onions preserved in vinegar brine; the acid softens the raw bite and turns them tangy.
- Quick fridge pickles take an hour; traditional malt-vinegar onions age for weeks.
- A 1 cup vinegar to 1 cup water brine with a tablespoon each salt and sugar works.
- Slice thin, ⅛ inch or less, so the acid reaches the core and softens evenly.
- Keep homemade pickles submerged in brine and refrigerated for about 2 to 3 weeks.
What are pickled onions?
Pickled onions are onions preserved in an acidic brine of vinegar, salt, and usually a little sugar. The acid softens their raw bite and turns them tangy and crisp, often staining red onions a vivid pink.
The name covers two very different things. Quick pickles are sliced onions steeped in warm brine for an hour and kept in the fridge for a week or two.
Traditional British pickled onions are whole small onions packed in malt vinegar and aged for weeks into a sharp, crunchy pub snack.
Both start with the same idea: vinegar tames the onion and keeps it.
How to Use Pickled Onions
Quick-pickled red onions are the workhorse. A forkful on top cuts through anything rich, which is why they finish tacos, burgers, grain bowls, and pulled-pork sandwiches so well.
Spoon them over fatty or smoky food and the acid resets your palate between bites. They lift an antipasto platter alongside olives and cured meats, as in this Best Antipasto or a Make-Ahead Antipasto.
Don't waste the brine. That leftover pink liquid is a ready-made dressing base or a splash for marinades like Citrus Chicken.
Making a Quick Brine
A reliable everyday ratio is 1 cup vinegar to 1 cup water, with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Warm it just enough to dissolve the salt and sugar, then pour it over thinly sliced onions.
The common mistake is brining onions sliced too thick. Thick wedges stay harsh and crunchy in the middle because the acid never reaches the core. Slice thin, ⅛ inch (3 mm) or less, and they soften evenly in under an hour.
Substitutes
For tang and crunch in a finished dish, a forkful of sauerkraut or pickled shallots covers the same job. Pickled cabbage or quick-pickled fennel also brings the acid-plus-crunch contrast, though without the onion flavor.
In a pinch, raw red onion soaked in cold water for 10 minutes loses some bite and stands in. It won't have the vinegar tang that makes the pickled version work.
Buying & Storage
Jarred pickled onions sit near the olives and condiments. Choose firm, evenly colored onions in clear, not cloudy, brine; cloudiness in a commercial jar can signal spoilage.
Homemade quick pickles keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for about 2 to 3 weeks, fully submerged in their brine. Always use a clean fork, never fingers, to avoid introducing bacteria that shorten their life.
Traditional malt-vinegar onions are shelf-stable once sealed. Once opened, treat any jar like the quick version and refrigerate it.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 腌洋葱
- British (UK) term
- Pickled onions
- en français
- oignons marinés
- en español
- cebollas en escabeche
Recipes using pickled onions
There are 5 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Citrus Chicken
Golden-browned chicken breasts braised with pearl onions in a bright lemon-orange sauce with fresh ginger, honey, whole-grain mustard, and thyme. A British-style one-pot supper ready in under an hour.
Microwave Chicken with Sauce Supreme
Microwave chicken with sauce supreme cooks a whole cut-up chicken in under 30 minutes, then gets coated in a cream-of-chicken soup sauce with parsley and pickled onions. A retro 1980s weeknight classic.
Make-Ahead Antipasto
Make-ahead Italian antipasto with tuna, olives, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and vegetables simmered in tomato sauce. Freezes for up to three months.
Marinated Rabbit
Marinated rabbit braised in red wine and chicken broth with allspice, thyme, and bay leaves, finished with sauteed mushrooms, pickled onions, and stuffed olives.
Best Antipasto
Best antipasto is a big-batch homemade relish of cauliflower, green beans, peppers, mushrooms, olives, tuna, and anchovies in a tangy tomato-vinegar base. Spoon it onto crackers for a make-ahead party and holiday spread.
