These quick pickled red onions are SO easy to make and so delicious! It only takes 5 minutes and a handful of pantry friendly ingredients (no sugar!) that you probably already have on hand. An staple condiment that you’ll want to add to everything from tacos to burgers to bowls!

A glass jar filled with pickled red onions, with a fork lifting a small portion out of the jar. A bowl of more sliced onions is visible in the background on a light gray surface. — Briny, zippy, and the most beautiful shade of pink, pickled red onions add a little spot of magic to any dish they’re added to!

The best zippy pickled red onions

Quick pickled red onions are a condiment that we’ve been making at our house for such a long time.

The first time I tried them was on a trip to Mexico, where we ate them on everything from chilaquiles at breakfast to tostadas for lunch to tacos for dinner – literally on all the things. I was sold.

It was that moment I realized how incredibly versatile (and delicious!) they are, and how they can give a quick and easy upgrade to so many types of meals.

After that trip I promptly learned how to make them at home so we could continue to devour them on every possible thing!

They are THAT good.

When I first started making homemade pickled red onions I used sugar, but I’ve since realized that they are just as easily made without sugar and still taste absolutely perfect.

👉🏼 All that to say, this recipe has been a long time coming. These pickled red onions are a staple in our refrigerator and I’m so excited to show you how to make them so they can be a staple in your kitchen, too!

Overhead shot of a large glass bowl filled with bright pink pickled red onions and a fork pressing the onion slices under the pickling liquid. — You’ll want to slice the red onion as thinly as possible. The thinner you slice them the faster they will pickle! A **mandoline** can be helpful for getting even, thin onion slices, but a sharp knife and cutting board also work. They can be cut into rings, a half-moon shape, or even diced.

Ingredient highlights

This is such a super pantry friendly recipe, and the perfect thing to make if you have a lot of red onions you need to use up!

🌟 Based on my experience, red wine vinegar is best for pickling red onions. You could use another light vinegar, such as white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or champagne vinegar in a pinch. I would, however, suggest avoiding balsamic vinegar, which is too rich and won’t properly “pickle” the onions the way you see here.

A note on salt: Because these red onions are a “quick pickle”, they are not fermented. The combination of vinegar + salt is what pickles the onion. I used Diamond kosher salt, but you can use whatever you have on hand. If making a substitution, keep in mind that kosher salt has a different structure than table salt, so you may want to reduce the amount slightly. The pickling liquid should taste salty but not overly so.

How to make quick pickled red onions

Overhead shot of ingredients for quick pickled red onions - a large red onion next to another large red onion cut in half, a measuring cup with red wine vinegar, a small dish of kosher salt, and a jar of water. — Because you don’t need sugar to make this recipe, these quick pickled red onions are literally made with just FOUR ingredients and that includes the onions and water.

An overhead shot of a spoon stirring together the red wine vinegar pickling liquid with a wooden spoon. On a light grey background next to a plate of thinly sliced red onions. — Because you don’t need sugar to make this recipe, these quick pickled red onions are literally made with just FOUR ingredients and that includes the onions and water.

A 45 degree angle shot of a medium sized glass jar filled with bright pink thinly sliced red onion and a glass measuring cup pouring pickling liquid into the jar. — Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced onions. This can be into a jar…

Overhead shot of a large glass bowl filled with red onion slices, and some red wine vinegar pickling liquid being poured into the bowl. — Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced onions. This can be into a jar…

Serving suggestions

These pickled red onions would be delicious with so many different meals! From breakfast to dinner and everything in between. Because they are so bright and zippy, they’re especially delicious with dishes where they cut through rich flavors.

They’d be great with:

Greek Chicken Meatball rice bowls
BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls with Creamy Cilantro Ranch
Scrambled eggs
Chilaquiles
Any type of savory breakfast
Sandwiches
Burgers
Salads
Tacos
Baked potatoes
BBQ chicken or pork
Pizza!

A bowl filled with sliced grilled chicken, corn, avocado, pickled onions, shredded lettuce, and rice, topped with a green sauce and garnished with lime wedges and cilantro. A fork rests in the bowl.

A single serving of vibrantly colored baked curry chicken and rice in a shallow speckled bowl topped with pink pickled red onions, cilantro, sliced almonds, and a lime wedge.

A glass jar filled with thinly sliced pickled red onions, with a fork inside. In the background, there is a bowl of more sliced onions and scattered onion peels on a light gray surface.

If you enjoyed these easy pickled onions we’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review them below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place to get your questions answered, and helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!