Are you wondering how to make pickled red onions easy? The truth is that making pickled red onions is extremely easy! Before you rush out to buy them, have a quick read through this recipe. You will never ask where to buy pickled red onions again!

Easy Pickled Red Onions
This recipe calls for only 4 ingredients; red onions, vinegar, sugar, salt, and some warm filtered water. I like to make this recipe when I'm meal prepping, which means its very quick and easy to make. My favourite ways to enjoy this recipe are:
- On tacos
- In salads
- On sandwiches
Keep a jar of the pickled onions in your fridge and add to any of the above dishes for a huge flavour booster. It really does take an ordinary salad / sandwich to the next level.
How Do you Make Pickeld Red Onions?


To make the best pickled red onions, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2-3 small red onions, or 1-2 large
- ½ cup of vinegar (use white vinegar, apple cider, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar). I use white vinegar in this recipe
- 1 tablespoon of sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar). I use coconut sugar in this recipe
- 1 teaspoon of salt (I use a fine grain pink Himalayan salt in this recipe)
Instructions
- Slice red onion into to very thin rings
- To a glass jar, add warm water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until salt and sugar has dissolved
- Add thinly sliced onion rings. Push onion rings down until completely submerged in liquid
- Close the lid and let sit on your kitchen bench for 1-2 hours
- The onion will start to turn bright red in colour
- Use immediately or store in your fridge for later use
Press play on the video below to watch me make this simple pickled onions recipe in less than 5 minutes
How long do pickled red onions last?
If you buy pickled onions from the store they will last much longer than your home-made version. For this recipe, the onions will last 2-3 weeks in the fridge. You will notice that the red colour will start to disappear from the onions and the onions will start to go extremely soft. I like to keep mine for a maximum of 2 weeks, and usually use them all within the week to enjoy them at their peak flavour and freshness.
How to make sweet pickled red onions?
To make your pickled onions sweet, add more sugar! This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar. Increase this to 2-3 tablespoons to achieve your desired sweetness.
Can I add more flavours?
I keep this recipe extremely simple and use minimal ingredients. But some simple ideas to add more flavour to the pickled onions includes:
- Fresh garlic. Add 1-2 crushed cloves of garlic to the liquid and stir
- Fresh ginger. Add 1-2 teaspoon of grated ginger to the liquid and stir
Looking for more pickled recipes?
I also like to make pickled red cabbage. The process is exactly the same as this one but with red cabbage. Read more about my pickled red cabbage recipe here

Pickled Red Onions Easy Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 small red onions
- ½ cup white vinegar refer to blog notes for alternatives
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar refer to blog notes for alternatives
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup warm filtered water
Instructions
- Slice red onion into to very thin rings
- Add to a glass jar; warm water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until salt and sugar has dissolved
- Add thinly sliced onion rings. Push onion rings down until completely submerged in liquid
- Close the lid and let sit on your kitchen bench for 1-2 hours
- The onion will start to turn bright red in colour
- Use immediately or store in your fridge for later use
Matt says
These are an awesome addition to any plant based burger, so good
Georgia Papas says
Yes they are! ☺️