Homemade Pickled Red Onions (Refined Sugar Free)

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These homemade pickled red onions are crisp, tangy, slightly sweet, and incredibly easy to make. They're the perfect topping for tacos, sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, burgers and more!

A bowl of pickled red onions, with two bibibop-style bowls.

Pickled red onions are so easy to make. You do a quick-pickle - no canning necessary.

And they're the perfect addition to so many foods - tacos, nachos, sandwiches, bowls, the possibilities are endless!

I'm sharing this recipe as part of my homemade Bibibop series, but you can put pickled red onions on just about anything for a delicious tangy crunch.

Check out my other homemade Bibibop recipes

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Check out my other homemade Bibibop recipes
Why You'll Love These Homemade Pickled Red Onions
What Are Pickled Red Onions?
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Step-by-Step Instructions
Ways to Use Pickled Red Onions
Elizabeth's Kitchen Notes
FAQ & Expert Tips
Recipe Prayer
Related Recipes
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Why You'll Love These Homemade Pickled Red Onions

Quick Pickle - No canning equipment or complicated preservation process required.
Tangy & slightly sweet - pickling takes away some of the bite of raw onion, and leaves a tangy, yet slightly sweet crunchy topping
Versatile topping - Add them to tacos, sandwiches, salads, bowls, burgers, and more.
Lasts forever - quick pickles last in the fridge forever! One batch lasts several months

What Are Pickled Red Onions?

Pickling involves heating water and vinegar to slightly cook but also preserve a vegetable. What we think of as pickles are actually pickled cucumbers. But you can pickle any vegetable!

These pickled red onions use a quick pickling method. So you don't can or preserve the pickles like a store-bought jar.

They are way easier to make and still last in the fridge for several months.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Red Onions: you can also quick pickle other onions, but red onions are classic!
Hot Water: I typically boil water in my kettle and pour it on a minute or so after it's done. The water doesn't have to be fully boiling.
White Vinegar: white vinegar is the classic pickling liquid - you can use apple cider vinegar in a pinch
Maple Syrup: I like using maple syrup instead of white sugar, to keep the dish refined sugar free. You can also use agave.
Salt

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Slice the onions as thinly as possible. You can use a mandoline slicer if desired.

Homemade pickled red onions step 1 - slice the onions.

Step 2. Place the onions, hot water, vinegar, maple syrup, and salt in a large bowl. Cover loosely and let sit for an hour. The onions are ready when they're a bright pink color. Store covered in the fridge, along with the liquid.

Homemade pickled red onions step 2 - add the remaining ingredients.

Ways to Use Pickled Red Onions

As a topping for tacos or nachos
On a burrito bowl
In sandwiches like my chicken bacon ranch or hummus bagel sandwich
On avocado toast or lentil toast
Tossed in salad, like my nicoise salad
And more!

Elizabeth's Kitchen Notes

Slice the onions thin: try to slice the onions as thin as you can get them! Sometimes I use a mandoline slicer for this.
Pickling time: I find that I'm happy to eat the pickles after an hour or so. But you can let the pickles sit overnight, and the flavor will continue to develop as they sit stored in your fridge

FAQ & Expert Tips

How long do homemade pickled red onions last?

Homemade pickled red onions last several months when stored properly in the fridge.

Do pickled red onions need to be refrigerated?

Yes! Since we are not canning and preserving the pickles, they are not shelf stable.

Why did my pickled onions turn pink?

This is normal! The vinegar and water transforms the onions into the classic pink look.

Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for these pickled red onions, thank you homemade versions of our favorite foods.

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