Pickled Red Onions

So you want an easy pickled red onion recipe. Well. You have come to the right place. This method will give you the PINKEST red onions and you don’t even have to pull out a pan for it. Anyone who says you need a stovetop is lyinnngggg. All you need is a few simple ingredients, the right proportions and a bit of resting time.

Once you make your own pickled red onions and see how pink they can be, there truly is no going back.

What makes pickled red onions pink?

Pickled red onions turn bright pink for two reasons. First, when the heat from the hot water mixture hits a raw red onion, this causes the cell walls to break down slightly, allowing some of the red color in the skin to escape. This also causes the white part of the onion to lean more to the translucent side. But the second part of the reaction is what really brings out the pink.

Red onions share the same color molecule as red cabbage, anthocyanins. These color molecules are stable in heat, but very sensitive to acidity. So the vinegar in this recipe reacts with the anthocyanins, causing the red color that bleeds out of the onion, to turn a bright pink.

It’s a gorgeous reaction, and all it takes is a little science to understand 😉

Ingredients for these quick pickled red onions

When it comes to pickling these red onions, you need sugar, salt and an acid. These are my preferred ingredients to get the most bright-pink pickled onions out there:

• 1 large red onion peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• A teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns optional
• 1/2 cup boiling water

How to pickle these red onions

This quick pickled recipe is super simple. Just mix the ingredients and pour them over the onions. Here is everything broken down into specifics:

• Thinly slice the red onion. Use your hands to make sure all the pieces are separated and add them to a glass jar.
• In another bowl or cup, add the vinegar, salt, sugar and peppercorns. Pour the boiling water over the top and stir so that the sugar and salt dissolve.
• Pour this over the red onions and make sure they are fully saturated. If you need more, add equal parts vinegar and hot water until the onion pieces are fully submerged.
• Seal the jar, give it a shake and let it sit on the counter for 1 hour. Then move it to the fridge. Within 4 hours the onions should be bright pink and ready to go!

Tips! Tips Tips Tips.

And I would never give you a basic recipe without TIPS! I’ve been making pickled red onions for years, but these are a few of the things I wish I knew before I started pickling:

• Cut the onions however you like, but make sure that the slices are thin and that they are separated before they go in the jar. This helps maximize the surface area that the pickling mixture can reach, giving you more chances to make a bright pink.
• Don’t skimp on the vinegar – this is the queen of the reaction, so always make sure you use a good amount!
• Stir stir stir – this recipe is so simple that it might be easy to forget that you need the salt and sugar to combine, but you do! Don’t skimp on the stirring before you pour over the onions.

How to store this pickled red onion recipe

This recipe is best stored in the fridge. It will keep for an extended period of time, and you can just grab and use it whenever you want!

I like to store my onions in classic mason jars, but you could also do this recipe in jars like this. Just try to use a glass container, as they store and keep the pickled red onions the best.

And that’s it for this pickled red onion recipe! It’s so simple, so I hope you add it to your kitchen basics repertoire!

And if you make it and take pics, please tag me on Instagram or Pinterest, I would love to see!

And of course leave a comment if you have any questions! You all know this is the best place to reach me.