Refrigerator Quick Pickled Red Onions is a recipe you’ll use again and again to add flavor to your salads, grain dishes, sandwiches, tacos and avocado toast.

If you’re looking for more pickled recipes, take a look at my recipe for Quick Refrigerator Bread & Butter Zucchini Pickles. Another fun recipe to try is Refrigerator Tomato Jam. It’s so good!

Don’t you just love a recipe that’s super easy to make and adds amazing flavor to your meals?  I’m not a person that cans things – but refrigerator pickling is my jam.  Why?  Because it’s easy.

There’s something so comforting about making our own food.  Plus, it’s just so fun to open your refrigerator and finding jars of homemade condiments waiting to be used in future dishes.

I found this recipe many moons ago in Mollie Katzen’s cookbook Vegetable Heaven.  

If you don’t know who Mollie Katzen is, she was the owner of a famous vegetarian restaurant called Moosewood.

One of my most popular recipes on the blog (To-Die-For Hungarian Mushroom Soup) came from one of her cookbooks.

Whenever I talk about my stash of pickled onions in the refrigerator, I always get asked “How do you make pickled red onions?”

It surprises me more people don’t make their own, because they are so simple to make and keep on hand.

Once you start making this quick pickled red onion recipe, you’ll be like me and never be without them again.  I always buy a large bag of red onions because I know I’ll use them up.

What I love about making Homemade Pickled Red Onions is how the onions go from a deep red color to just a gorgeous purplish-pink color because of adding the hot water.

The jars full of these pinkish onions are simply beautiful!

The onions stay crunchy and add that special touch to your food.  This recipe is made with apple cider vinegar, so your adding a healthy ingredient to this yummy condiment.

I like to make pickled onions with honey instead of sugar, but sugar can be used instead.

Red onions are loaded with antioxidants, may boost digestive health and have antibacterial properties.  Plus, they make everything taste a little bit more delicious!

Quick pickled red onions make a great gift idea as well.  Put a couple of jars of pickled onions in a basket, along with some whole red onions, a jar of local honey, and a print-out of the typed up recipe rolled in a scroll and tied to one of your jars.

Your friends and family will love your thoughtfulness.

Refrigerator Quick Pickled Red Onions Ingredients: 

This recipe has just five ingredients besides water.  It has red onions, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and peppercorns.

That’s it.  Super simple to make, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand.

I once read a cookbook that featured a line-up of famous chefs.  They asked the same question of all of them – “What things do you always have on hand in case you might have a last-minute guest?”

One of the most popular responses was pickled vegetables in the refrigerator.  It makes sense, because you can always put together a quick quesadilla, tacos or a charcuterie board.

You’ll look like a rock star with this handy recipe in your arsenal.

Cozy Living Group

Since you found this recipe for quick pickled red onions, I’m guessing you like all things cozy living. I created a Facebook group called Creating a Cozy Life with over 52,000 like-minded souls.

It’s a group where we share recipes, pictures of things that leave you in awe, and ideas on how to make your life just a little bit more snug.  Join here to be part of the virtual cozy cabin.

How to Make Quick Pickled Red Onions:  

Ingredients for Pickled Red Onions

2 medium red onions

4 cups boiling water

For the Marinade:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons honey (you can substitute sugar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon peppercorns

How to Make Refrigerator Quick Pickled Red Onions

1) Peel the red onions.  Slice the onions thinly (I use a Mandoline – if you don’t have one you don’t know what you’re missing!) 

2) Transfer onions to a medium-sized bowl.

3) Pour the boiling water into the bowl over the sliced onions.  Let the onions soak in the boiling water for at least 5 minutes.

4) Drain the onions in a colander.

5) Let the onions sit in the colander while you mix the marinade.  Combine all the ingredients of the marinade in the medium-sized bowl, and stir well.

6)  Add the onions into the marinade mixture and let them sit for at least 10 minutes.

7) Transfer the red onions with the liquid to jars with tight-fitting lids.

8) Chill the pickled red onions in the refrigerator until very cold.

Printable Version Quick Pickled Red Onions:

Tips for making the Quick Pickled Red Onions:  

1) On the original recipe there was 1/2 teaspoon of whole cloves that was optional.  Since I’m not a big fan of cloves, I omitted them.

2) For a healthier vinegar, use apple cider vinegar with the mother.

3) One of the ladies in our Cozy Living Group prefers spicy pickled red onions.  She suggested adding chili pepper flakes for a nice kick.

You can also add a couple cloves of garlic and a minced jalapeno for a different variation.

4) For pickled red onions no sugar, you can substitute Stevia for the honey.  For every tablespoon of honey, you can use 6-9 drops drops of liquid Stevia.

How long do Quick Pickled Red Onions last?

According to Mollie Katzen, these Homemade Pickled Red Onions will keep for months in the refrigerator with a tightly-lidded jar.

What to do with Quick Pickled Red Onions:

Hot Dogs and Sandwiches

Quick pickled red onions work well on sandwiches and hot dogs. Whether you put them on an Italian sub, favorite burger, gyro, or grilled cheese sandwich, everyone will love the zing these onions will give your next culinary adventure.

Quesadillas

Put some pickled red onions in your next quesadilla to take it to a whole other level.

Tacos

Fish tacos, beef tacos, and chicken tacos will all taste better with these red onions.

Burritos

Refrigerator red onions all wrapped up in a burrito with your favorite beans, rice, or meat is the perfect combination.

Eggs

Add the pickled onions to scrambled eggs, quiche, or omelet.

Here’s some fun pickling cookbooks I found on Amazon: 

Pickling Everything: Foolproof Recipes for Sour, Sweet, Spicy, Savory, Crunchy, Tangy Treats 

Fermented Vegetables:  Creative Recipes for Fermenting 64 Vegetables & Herbs in Krauts, Kimchis, Brined Pickles, Chutneys, Relishes and Pickles

We’ve reached the end of Refrigerator Quick Pickled Red Onions. I hope you enjoyed it.

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Let me know in the comments below how you liked this easy quick pickled red onions recipe. 

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Thanks for stopping by.  I’m so happy you found us!

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