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Pink Onions (Pickled)

from 10 reader reviews

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You are going to love these pickled pink onions! Pink onions are lovely bright pink and super easy to make in minutes with thinly sliced red onions, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic cloves, and whole peppercorns. Let sit for at least 6 hours for the flavors to fully meld and you’ve got a delicious condiment for salads, pizza, tacos, burgers, Buddha bowls, and more.

three jars with sliced onions peppercorns and garlic filled with liquid with fork lifting some onions out of jar

Craving a little something extra on your plant-burger? These are the best sweet pickled onions with a stunning pink color! Yes, I know they are actually pickled red onions…I call them pink onions because that’s what my kids used to call them when they were young:)

These bright pink pickled onions are a little sweet, a little tangy, a little spicy, and a lot delicious! Make them in a few minutes, let them sit for a few hours, and you’ve got a tasty quick pickled onions recipe that will soon be your favorite condiment for sandwiches, salads, and more!

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big jar and two small bowls with pink onions with pinterest text overlay

Ingredients needed to make these tasty sweet pickled onions:

  • red onions, sliced thinly
  • apple cider vinegar
  • red wine vinegar
  • water
  • granulated white sugar
  • sea salt
  • whole garlic cloves
  • whole peppercorns
ingredients needed for pink onions

How to make pink pickled onions

It’s rediculously easy and only takes a few minutes to make these tasty quick pickled onions. It does take some patience though; becuase the longer they sit, the more the flavors will develop!

Step 1: PRepare the glass jars.

Do you need to use glass jars? Can you use plastic containers instead? I suppose…but why would you want to? The pink pickled onions are stunningly beautiful showcased in glass!

three jars with sliced onions peppercorns and garlic filled with liquid

Use a one or two quart jar or three smaller jars. If you use a one-quart jar, the onions will be pretty tightly packed. They will be much looser in a two quart jar. I’ve done both.

Prepare your jars by washing in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher. You don’t want to introduce any bacteria in the jars because you will be storing the pink onions in the liquid for up to three weeks.

Step 2: slice the red onions

You will want to slice the red onions as thinly as possible. Either use a sharpe knive or a mandoline slicer. I peel and cut the red onions in half and slice so that I’ll get a half-moon shape for my thinly sliced onions.

slicing red onions on mandoline

Be very careful because the mandoline blade is very sharp! This particular mandoline slicer has safety features and there is NO WAY one can cut oneself….or is there?!? Well I wasn’t careful and I did…I can be a clumsy slicer and it is my fault for not taking the safety precautions!

Slice until you have two cups of thinly sliced onions. This will take about two small onions or one red onion. You don’t want to use more than the two cups, even if you have more onion to slice. This recipe is measured out just right so that the amount of liquid will cover the amount of red onions used.

mandolin container filled with sliced red onions

Step 3: Make the hot pickling liquid

I use apple cider vinegar for it’s tangy sweet flavor and red wine vinegar for it’s rosey hugh. I also use water to add volume to my pickling brine without adding an overwhelming vinegar flavor.

Stir together the vinegars, water, sugar and salt in a medium-sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn to simmer and continue to cook for about three minutes. This will ensure the salt and sugar have completely dissolved.

Step 4: Add the onions to the jars

jar with sliced red onions with garlic and pepper corns in forground

Place the onions in the the glass container or containers of choice. You can add the garlic cloves and peppercorns now or after you’ve poured in the hot liquid. It doesn’t really matter.

If you are using three small jars rather than one large jar, add an extra colve of garlic so that every jar will have one. Spinkle the peppercorns in the jars in even portions.

three jars with sliced onions peppercorns and garlic ready for liquid

Step 5: Add the cooked vinegar mixture

Carefully pour the hot pickling liquid into the filled jar, making sure the onions are completely covered. If you are using more than one jar, ensure the liquid is evenly distributed.

pouring heated vinegar mixture into jar with sliced onions

Add the peppercorns and garilc clove if your haven’t already.

Final step: Refrigerate

Put the lids on and place the filled jars in the refrigerator for at least six hours. The flavors will continue to develope if you leave the jars in overnight.

three jars with sliced onions peppercorns and garlic filled with liquid

Serving suggestions

These pretty pink onions are honestly tasty eaten with a fork! BUT be sure to add them to salads, use in salad dressing, top burgers, or tacos. Add them to grilled vegetables, a Buddah bowl or nourish bowl for a pop of flavor!

burger with pink onions with big jar and two small bowls with pink onions with fork in background
The pink onions made a tasty addition to my Beyond Burger!

Some recipes from Veggie Fun Kitchen that would be perfect with these easy pink pickled onions:

The Printable Recipe card for Pink Onions

buddha bowl with rice, vegetable potato bake, garbanzos, and pink onions
Pink onions are a tasty condiment for your favorite Buddha bowl.

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three jars with sliced onions peppercorns and garlic filled with liquid with fork lifting some onions out of jar

Pickled Pink Onions

You are going to love these pickled pink onions! Pink onions are a lovely bright pink and are super easy to make in minutes with thinly sliced red onions, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, and whole peppercorns. Let sit for at least 6 hours for the flavors to fully meld and you've got a delicious topping for salads, pizza, tacos, burgers, Buddha bowls, and more.
from 10 reader reviews
Print Pin Rate
Course: Topping
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pickled onions, pink onions
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
cooling time in the refrigerator: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 50kcal
Author: Cindy Rainey

Ingredients

  • 2 cups red onions sliced thinly
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup water
  • cup granulated sugar
  • teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

Instructions

  • Slice the onions very thinly and peel the garlic. Add the sliced onions to a clean one-quart mason jar or several smaller jars. If you are using more than two jars, Cut the garlic cloves accordingly.
  • Add the vinegars, water, sugar, and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn down to med/low and simmer for five minutes.
  • Carefully pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions, covering them. The vinegar mixture should cover the onions. Add a little water to fully cover if necessary. Add the peppercorns and whole cloves of garlic and seal the jar. Place in the fridge for six hours.
  • Keep tightly covered for about three weeks.

Notes

The nutrition information may not be accurate because you won’t consume all of the vinegar/sugar mixture.
You can reuse the pink pickling mixture for more onions, carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers, etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 470mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

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By on April 28th, 2022

About Cindy Rainey

Veggie Fun Kitchen by Cindy Rainey
Welcome to Veggie Fun Kitchen where you will learn to recreate family favorites the plant-based/vegan way! Let me know if I can help. I'm here for you.

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2 thoughts on “Pink Onions (Pickled)”

  1. When Pickling My Bermuda Onions, O use Balsamic Vinegar!… Basically the same Recipe, But, on place of your 2 different Vinegars, I Use Only “1”!… “BALSAMIC VINEGAR”!…

    Reply

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