Learn how to make the bright, crunchy, and easy Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe. Give sandwiches, salads, bowls, and more a “bright pop of flavor.” With only four ingredients, you’ll end up with a sweet and tangy topping for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Jump to RecipeRecipe for Pickled Onions
If you’ve been following me for a while or have been watching my Instagram stories or live cooking sessions, you know I love making dish-enhancing elements such as sauces and sides. This may be my Ukrainian background speaking, but I find that there’s something very special about elevating an entire meal with very simple additions, like Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions.
Pickled onions and vegetables are also a huge nostalgic item for me. Making them brings up fond memories of being in the kitchen as a child, watching my mom and grandma spend time cutting up a variety of vegetables to pickle over the winter. We would bring jar after jar down into the basement with heaps of other yummy varieties.
It doesn’t get much easier than this. Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe is ready to enjoy in only FOUR steps! Here’s how it’s done:
How To Make Pickle Red Onions
- Chop your red onion in half and slice thinly into half-circle slices.
- Add them to a bowl, rinse with warm water, and lightly squeeze the onions to drain the excess water.
- Place the onions into a mason or Weck Tulip jar. Add in the salt, warm water, and rice vinegar, and finish by mixing with a spoon or sealing the jar with a lid to shake.
- Refrigerate the pickled onions for at least 4 hours, or for the best results, leave them overnight.
Keep a full jar of Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions in your fridge so they’re on hand when you need to spruce up a meal. This recipe will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator, however, they’re so delicious, they may not even last that long! My family goes through an entire batch in less than a week.
What Onions To Use For Pickling?
My favorite onions to use are red onions and shallots, because of the oink hue they give to your dishes. But here are some others you can play around with or use what you have. If you only have white or yellow onions and happen to have a raw beet, you can add a few slices to give you that beautiful pink hue too.
- Red Onions – my favorite onions to use, you will get great pink color from them.
- White Onions – will be stronger in flavor once pickled.
- Sweet Onions – will add a natural sweetness.
- Shallots – will add a stronger and more pungent flavor to your dishes with a light pink hue.
Best Vinegar For Pickling?
Pickled onions can be used with any variety of vinegar. This is the time to experiment if you want! I suggest using a combination of vinegars, one strong + one more mellow for a smoother tangy flavor.
- Rice Vinegar is my favorite vinegar to use, because of its mild flavor.
- Champagne Vinegar will add a touch of natural sweetness to the onions.
- White Wine Vinegar will also add a touch of sweetness.
- Apple Cider Vinegar will add a little more funky flavor to the onions.
- White Vinegar will give you the strongest flavor, I would use less vinegar to water ratio.
Vegetables For Pickling
This pickling recipe is not exclusive to red onions! As I did as a child, you can pickle almost any vegetable and transform it into a tart, tangy, and sweet garnish. Swap the onions for your favorites, or try any of these suggestions:
- Thinly sliced cucumbers
- Radishes, thinly sliced or quartered
- Carrots, cut into matchsticks
- Cabbage (for this, I add a few cloves of garlic, fresh dill, and a bay leaf)
- Daikon radish, either sliced thinly or cut into matchsticks
Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onion Recipe Tips
- Slice the onions very thinly: The thinner the red onions are, the quicker they will absorb the vinegar and pickle faster. Use a sharp knife or a mandolin to achieve this.
- Rinse your onions: Rinsing the onions before pickling will prevent the onions from being that strong onion flavor. I just squeeze them a bit in warm water and then add to the jar.
- Choose the vinegar wisely: No sugar added rice vinegar is my top choice for this recipe. It’s a very neutral flavor that compliments the red onions, and the finished results are not too sweet. White wine or champagne vinegar are nice alternatives but will taste slightly sweeter. I would NOT recommend using apple cider or white vinegar as they both resulted in an overpowering flavor.
- Be patient: In only four hours, these easy pickled red onions are ready to munch on. However, for the absolute best results, I highly recommend leaving them in the fridge overnight. This way, the onions will soak in all of the flavors and become much more flavorful.
- Make multiple batches at a time: This recipe is extremely flexible. Easily double or triple the batch and seal them in mason or Weck jars. Consider gifting small jars of the pickled onions to friends or family!
- Reuse the liquid: After your first batch is all used up, you can reuse the pickling liquid up to 4 times. Adjust the vinegar, salt and add some hot water to the next batch.
How To Use Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onion Recipe
A jar of Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe is always on my table, ready to compliment my next meal. They go well with either breakfast, lunch, or dinner! As to not overwhelm you, my quick-pickled onions will allow any of the following recipes to shine:
- Smoked Salmon Street Tacos
- Game Day Taco Salad
- Low Carb Asian Pork Lettuce Cups
- Healthy Taco Bowls With Mexican Beef
- Fully Loaded Keto Deviled Eggs
- Low Carb Mediterranean Burger Salad
- Crispy Chicken Cutlet Sandwich
- Low-Carb Breakfast Bowl
If you make LENA’S KITCHEN PICKLED ONIONS Recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photo’s of your creations is my favorite!
Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup rice vinegar, you can sub with white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar only
- 2 cups water, hot
- 1 ½ tbsp sea salt
Instructions
- Chop red onion in half. Peel and slice very thin into half-circle slices. Use a mandolin if you have one.
- Add the onions into a bowl with warm water, and lightly squeeze the onions to release the onion flavor. Drain the water.
- Place the onions into a jar. I use a 35.9oz Weck Jar, or you can use a wide mouth 32 oz mason jar. You want to have enough space for everything to fit. In a measuring cup add the salt, hot water, and rice vinegar. Mix with a spoon. Pour on the onions.
- Let cool on the counter. Then cover with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours, or leave them overnight in the refrigerator for the best results. (Reuse the liquid up to 4 times. Adjust vinegar and salt each time if needed.)
Annette
Made the pickled onion and so glad I did it is super easy makes alot and very tasty something I’d find in a fancy restaurant. This will be my go to for many of my foods I make at home. Thank you Lena.
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to hear that Annette. Thank you so much for sharing.
Larissa
This is my favorite, go-to pickled onion recipe – it’s not only simple and tasty – but the hot pink onions make for an incredible garnish… I also love that I can re-use the pickle water by adding more onions 🙂
Susan
I can’t wait to try this! I love pickled veggies but always forget to make them!
Anna
I didn’t realize my rice vinegar was “seasoned” rice vinegar.. I haven’t tried the pickled onions yet but do you think it will be too salty now?
Natasha G
Love adding this beauty to almost everything!
Olga Ostapyuk
Soooo sooooo good!!!!!
inna
is it ok to use Apple cider vinegar?
Debbie
Can’t wait to make this tomorrow. Any idea what the Net CARB count would be? Thanks!
Sara Ettestad
This is the recipe that introduced me to Lena’s Kitchen. My coworker brought these onions to work and gave me the recipe and told me about Lena’s Instagram, after that it was all over! I have made these onions several times and they can be used with so many things. Thank you for sharing this with all of us!
Lena
Hi Lena. Is it ok to use seasoned rice vinegar? That’s the only one I have on hand right now.
Yuliya
Hi Lena! I made this recipe and it has been marinading for over 24 hours. The onions are really strong and bitter tasting-is that normal?
lena
I shared some tips in the blog post about rinsing the onions, if you rinse in warm water and squeeze them a bit with your hands, it helps to remove the bitterness and strong onions flavor. Please make sure to read thorugh the post for the tips.
Lana Y
Finally got a chance to make these! Best thing ever. Made a salad with this and it was the yummiest . Thank you Lena. I love you blog and following your recipes .
Irina
This is my second time I’m making pickled onions and everyone love them? …thank you for sharing your recipe…
Maryna
I love these pickled onions!! Just made them last night and they are going on everything – they just make everything taste better. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Kendra
The recipe is easy and delicious. I always keep a jar in the fridge now.
Dasha
These pickled onions are a game changer. I have been obsessing over them and got my family hooked. I add them to everything!
Emiliya Kerez
Lena’s Pickled Onions are seriously a must-try! I tried making these for the first time, about two months ago. This was my first time pickling anything, and I was absolutely blown away by how simple to make and addicting these are! I re-made these multiple times since. They are so versatile, because they taste delicious practically on any savory dish! I add them into everything. Give them a go! Thank you Lena for an amazing recipe. #peaceloveandpickledonions
Roberta Dall'Alba
I’m gonna make them today ?
Natalya
Husband approved:) he put some on his breakfast sandwich today and said they were pretty good! I can’t eat onions, but I trust his taste.;)
Thank you for the great recipe!
P.S. I wish someone told me the house would stink like one huge onion while you’re making them (and all night, if you’re making them at night?)
Barbara
Favorite pickled onion recipe ever!! I make this quite often and usually add whole garlic cloves and use red wine vinegar (I prefer the taste and the lovely color it lends to the onions). Even better, you can use the recipe to pickle other veggies as well <3
lenaskitchen
Glad to hear that you have your own spin on the recipe. I tried it with other vinegars when testing this and still prefer the rice vinegar and since I use red onions it gives the pretty pink color. But glad that you found what works for you too…
Evelina
So good! So easy to make and i put these pickled onions on EVERYTHING. Thank you for this recipe.
lenaskitchen
So happy to hear that you enjoy the onions as much as we do too. Happy cooking.
Lena Kozyan
Just made another batch of onions, per husbands request. We add them pretty much everywhere. So tasty and so easy to make! Thanks Lena for this bomb recipe!❤
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to hear that, happy husband is a good thing. Tell him enjoy and glad you are loving them.
Angela
Hi Lena. Do you know if it’s possible to settee pickled onions after they have finished pickling. I just tasted some that I made and they aren’t as sweet as I would have liked.
lenaskitchen
You know, I haven’t tried doing that, but I bet they would work great if you have some leftover and need to use them up. Did you use red onions?
Claudia
I just made Lena’s pickled onion for the first time and it was so delicious and simple ?? I will definitely be making it again and want to thank her for sharing her goodies with us! I was expecting the pickled onion to have a super strong taste but surprisingly it didn’t, you are able to enjoy it by itself. It’s really good and it compliments a lot of dishes. Thank you Lena!
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to hear that Claudia. They are just so good on pretty much everything.
vera
love this recipe… my favorite
Alla
Loved it , thanks for recipe Lena
Yanni
I’ve been following Lena on insta for awhile and I can’t believe it took me this long to try these pickled onions. They’re amazing and delicious with so many dishes. I like to put it on an avocado toast which I got the idea from Lena too. This is a must have in your fridge year round. I made it yesterday and I’ve been eating it all day, which I should probably slow down. lol Seriously though its amazing and so so delicious!!!!
lenaskitchen
Yanni,
So happy to hear that you love these onions as much as we do. Happy cooking!
Tanya Kukharets
These onions are so simple to make and seriously are so amazing!! They are the perfect touch to any meal!
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to see that you love them as well. One of my favorite staples to have at home. Happy Cooking.
Lena
Absolutely love these pickled onions! They are good on everything and with everything! Will definitely make them again. Thank you, Lena for the recipe!
Zhanna Kartyshev
Made these and I’m hooked! I will absolutely be making this weekly all summer long! I used white wine vinegar and made a smaller batch using a mason jar but next time I want to try the rice vinegar.
Tracy
This is my favorite pickled onion recipe! So simple and absolutely delish. Perfect add on for tacos!
lenaskitchen
I am so happy to hear that Tracy, it’s my favorite to have too. Happy Cooking!
Lisa Starovoytov
These onions are absolutely amazing. I add them to pretty much any dish I make .
lenaskitchen
I feel the same way. My favorite thing to have in the fridge along with my homemade mayo, if you haven’t tried it, you so should.
Inna Parashchak
I just downed a whole portion of daikon radish in this marinate. I’ve tried others&this one is the best! Not too overpowering and super light. This will be a staple in my fridge from now on!!!
lenaskitchen
Inna, I am so happy to hear that and so glad you gave it a try. We love this recipe in our house too. Thank you for leaving your feedback.
Laura Zurawell
These pickled onions are amazing! Made them tonight to put on my fatoush salad, and happy to say I will always have these in my fridge. Thanks Lena for the awesome and EASY recipe!
lenaskitchen
Laura,
I am so happy to hear that. I made this batch and we ate it in 3 days… I need to start a new batch every two days so we don’t run out for sure. So glad to hear that you love them as much as we do.
diana kolo
Can I do it with wine vinegar ?
lenaskitchen
You know, I prefer the taste or rice vinegar or champagne vinegar because its a lighter flavor and not as intense. If you do use regular vinegar, I would use less vinegar and a bit more water to dilute the strong vinegar flavor. But if you like the flavor and try it, let me know how it turned out.