Five minutes and five ingredients are all you need to make these pink pickled onions. They are deliciously tart, with just a pinch of sweetness, and make the perfect addition to sandwiches, burgers, and salads. They are the meal topping you never knew you needed!
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How to use pink pickled onions
When I was a kid, I used to think pickled onions were one of the grossest things on the planet. Fast forward to adult life, and they are one of my favourite ingredients to add to my meals. That sweet, tangy flavour had me hooked at first bite!
Pink pickled onions are versatile and can be added to so many different dishes. Spice up your meals by adding them in the following ways…
- Sandwiches: add extra zing to a plain grilled cheese or amp up the tanginess by adding them to a Vegan Egg Salad sandwich.
- Salads: take your tastebuds by surprise and add them to a greek-style salad. Olives + pickled onions make an unstoppable combination!
- Burgers: brighten up your burger with a zesty pink pickled onion. Combining them with avocado or aioli is always a great idea!
- Bowls: bring a bit of acidity and colour to your favourite buddha bowl.
- Eat them straight from the jar: I won’t tell anyone.
Ingredients
Five ingredients and five minutes are all you need:
- Water: Enough said.
- Apple cider vinegar: a sweeter vinegar that still has a seriously tangy kick.
- Maple syrup: a natural sweetener that helps enhance the natural sweetness of apple cider vingear.
- Salt: use any you have on hand - table salt, Himalayan, sea salt.
- Red onion: sliced into rings, or smaller sections.
How to make this recipe
This recipe is a real brain buster… just kidding! It’s probably one of the easiest things I’ve ever made.
All you have to do is add the water, apple cider vinegar, salt, and maple syrup to a mason jar. Screw the lid on tightly and shake the jar to mix. (Be careful it doesn’t go flying from your hands… it’s painfully messy if you accidentally let go!)
Add the sliced red onion to the jar and ensure they are completely covered with liquid. Screw the lid on tightly and pop in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour. Done!
Tips for making perfect pink pickled onions
This recipe is pretty foolproof, but there are always ways to make it even better!
- Let your onions sit for over an hour. By letting them sit longer in the acid (apple cider vinegar), it’ll cause the colour of the red onions to soak into the solution and then back into the onion. The longer you wait, the pinker they will get.
- Use natural sweeteners: This recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, which is one of the more sweet vinegars. Using a bit of maple syrup cuts through excess acidity and brings out more of that sweet, sweet flavour. Coconut sugar, honey, or monk fruit sweetener are also great options.
- Turn on an exhaust fan: I won’t lie, your kitchen might get a bit stinky when you make these. If you love the smell of vinegar, you’re winning, but for the rest of us - using an exhaust fan will cut down on the pungent odour.
- Slice your onions according to taste: If you want to add just a bit of tanginess to your meal, slice your onions thinly (using a mandoline slicer really helps). If you love the acidity of onions and vinegar, use thicker slices that will really pack a tangy punch.
Recipe variations
There are plenty of ways you can change this recipe up based on what ingredients you have on hand or what flavour combination you want to end up with. Customize it however you like! Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Pepper it up: add 1 teaspoon of peppercorns or freshly cracked pepper.
- Garlic it up: add 1-2 minced cloves of garlic.
- Herb it up: add dried or fresh oregano and rosemary to the liquid and let the onions soak up all that delicious herby flavour.
- Spice it up: use red pepper flakes, jalapenos, or cayenne pepper to add a spicy kick.
- Warm it up: use cinnamon, turmeric, or cumin to add a bit of spicy warmth to the recipe.
- Change up the vinegar: experiment with the different tastes that other vinegars have to offer by using distilled white, rice, white wine, or balsamic vinegars. These aren’t as sweet as apple cider vinegar, so you might need to add a tad more sweetener to the mix. Also, if you’re strictly gluten free - avoid malt vinegar. It contains gluten (as it's derived from barley).
- Change up the onions: Use white, yellow, or sweet onions instead of red. You won’t get that vibrant pink colour, but it’ll definitely change up the flavour. Go even further down the onion rabbit hole by experimenting with pickled shallots or scallions.
How to store pink pickled onions
Making this recipe is easy and storing the finished product is even easier! Keep your mason jar of pickled onions in the fridge and they’ll be good to eat for at least a week.
An important note
This recipe was intended to be stored in the fridge, NOT canned. It hasn’t been tested using an appropriate canning method. If you want to pickle onions for longer-term storage, please use a recipe specific to canning.
PrintRecipe
Pink Pickled Onions
These pink pickled onions are ridiculously easy to make. Five ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need to make a delicious topping that adds a serious kick to salads, sandwiches, and burgers!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 red onion, chopped into slices (or rings)
Instructions
- In a pint-sized (16oz. / 500mL) mason jar, add the water, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and salt.
- Screw the lid tightly onto the mason jar and give it a shake.
- Add in the chopped red onion, ensuring all pieces are covered with liquid.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to serving to let all of the flavour combine.
Notes
- This recipe was intended to be stored in the fridge, NOT canned. If you want to pickle onions for longer-term storage, please use a recipe specific to canning.
- Storage: keep your jar of pickled onions in the fridge for a least a week.