If you love quick pickled red onions but dread the smell of boiling vinegar... good news! This method calls for boiling just the water, and pouring in vinegar. No heated vinegar smells necessary. It makes one simple 16-ounce jar-perfect for topping bowls, sandwiches, tacos, or salads all week long.
For me, 2025 has been a year of pickling and fermenting. I quick pickled strawberries in spring, cucumbers in summer, and even dabbled in homemade curtido.
And one of my favorites to keep in my fridge at all times? Pickled red onions. They're one of those simple staples that fit right in with the way I like to cook: flavorful, seasonal, and practical for everyday life.
When I first learned to pickle red onions, the method involved boiling the vinegar brine. Loved the results, but we have some sensitive noses in our house, and boiling vinegar wasn't a favorite. So I found a way to make exactly one jar of pickled red onions that still uses 50% vinegar... but doesn't require boiling it.
And once you have a jar on hand, you'll find yourself reaching for it constantly! Their tang brightens any dish. Make them today, and they'll be ready to top tacos or anything you make. Just imagine: a random Tuesday night, 15-minute ground chicken tacos made even better with some pickled reds. No one will know you only spent a few minutes on dinner 😉
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Key Ingredients
- The best vinegar to use - I've used all kinds of vinegars to pickle, but my favorite is white vinegar or white pickling vinegar (essentially the same thing, found in the same section of the grocery store).
- Salt - If you have pickling salt, it'll make the clearest brine because it's pure NaCl, no additives. Otherwise, another salt without iodine or anti-caking agents is perfect. Salt with anti-caking agents and iodine can create a metallic taste when pickling, which I personally like to avoid!
Slicing the Red Onions
I've made this recipe dozens of times over the past couple years, both slicing with a mandoline and a knife.
The mandoline will create paper thin slices, which will break down much more quickly in the boiling water, and they get quite floppy in the brine. Perfect if you want them to behave when staying on a sandwich or taco.
Alternatively, you can cut thin slices with a knife, which won't be quite as paper thin as with a mandoline slicer. I find that these are slightly sturdier, and the crunch is a little more prominent. Usually, this is what I like best! Especially when I use them in recipes like this black bean quinoa salad with sweet potato or Italian Brussels sprouts chopped salad.
How to Make Pickled Red Onions Without Boiling Vinegar
Step 1
Boil water on the stove or in a teapot. Meanwhile, fill a 16-ounce jar full of thinly sliced red onions, then add salt and sugar. I love using a widemouth mason jar for these!
Step 2
Pour the just-boiled water over the red onions, filling the jar halfway.
Step 3
Fill the remaining half of the jar with vinegar, then cover and gently shake and tip upside down to mix. Remove the lid to let them cool completely, then cover tightly and place in the fridge.
When are the pickled red onions ready?
If I'm eating them the same day, I like to give the red onions at least 30-60 minutes to pickle. The longer the better! This works well if you're preparing a dish that takes about 30 minutes (berbere chicken and roast potatoes, for instance), and the pickles are ready to eat when you are.
Pouring the boiling water over the top also helps speed things up by softening the onions a bit.
Do you need sugar?
Technically, you could make pickled red onions without the sugar. Personally, I like the taste better with a small bit of sugar-it makes their tanginess pop!
That said, you can skip the sugar and it'd totally work. You can also swap in maple syrup, agave, or honey if you're looking for a natural sweetener.
Sustainability Tips
- Onion skins - Save these in a freezer bag with other veggie scraps to add to a homemade broth in the future.
- Buy local - If they're season, buy local red onions to support your community and the planet!
Serving Recommendations
Did you make these pickled red onions? I'd love to hear how they turned out! Leave a ⭐️ rating and comment below, and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and my newsletter for more everyday seasonal recipes.
📖 Recipe
Easy Pickled Red Onions (No Boiling Vinegar!)
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 16-ounce jar 1x
Description
Quick pickled red onions made without boiling vinegar, so there's no lingering vinegar smell in your kitchen! Crisp, tangy, and lightly sweet, they're an easy way to add brightness to salads, grain bowls, tacos, sandwiches, and more. Ready in minutes and great to keep in the fridge for an instant flavor boost.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 medium-large red onion, peeled, halved, and sliced thinly
- 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (pickling salt, or salt without anti-caking agents & iodine)
- 1 cup white vinegar (or pickling vinegar)
Instructions
- Boil water. Start the water boiling in a small pot on the stove or in an electric tea kettle.
- Pack jar. While water comes to a boil, pack a 16-ounce jar (widemouth is great here) with the thin slices of red onion. Top with the sugar and salt.
- Pour & shake. Once the water has boiled, remove it from the stove and immediately fill the jar halfway full (you might not use all the water). Fill the remaining half of the jar with the vinegar until a little space remains at the top. Gently shake and/or turn the jar a few times to mix everything together.
- Pickle. Remove the lid to let the red onions cool. Once cooled, replace the lid and let them pickle on the countertop or in the fridge for about an hour. Top something immediately or store in the fridge for tomorrow!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Water & vinegar. You may not need all of the water and vinegar, but better to have slightly more than enough ready to go! I like to pour the vinegar directly from the bottle so I don't measure out too much and end up having to pour some back.
- Salt. When it comes to pickling, I do prefer a pickling salt or salt without iodine & anti-caking agents because it takes away that metallic taste when pickling.
- Using a mandoline. You want thin slices here, and some people like to use a mandoline for that. Personally, I like the onion texture with a little more crunch and thickness, so I use a chef's knife to slice thinly, but not paper thin (as a mandoline would). Both are great!
- Storage. These can be stored in the jar that you made them in, in a fridge, for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Pickle
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 8
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Sodium: 73.8 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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