Quick Pickled Red Onions (No Cook)

Name: Quick Pickled Red Onions No Cook
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 red onions; 100 ml raw apple cider vinegar; 100 ml water; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 teaspoon sea salt or himalayan salt.; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns

Jump to Recipe

This is a fantastically simple quick pickled red onions, no-cook recipe. Use them to top salads, falafel, tacos, and to add a touch of zing to lift the flavours of your dish!

This takes only 5 minutes of prep time to make. I swear, once you've tried it you'll ditch any pre-bought versions for your own. It's super delicious!

A silver fork lifts a few slices of red onion pickles from a small mason jar of pickles.

It's also amazing on top of hummus, avocado toast, with vegan cheese and crackers or on just about anything savoury.

The flavour of quick pickles (also known as refrigerator pickles) are quite different to a traditional jar of pickled onions. You might argue that canned versions have more depth of flavour (my partner thinks so).

However, I love them for their freshness and for how light, tangy and vibrant pink they are. So pink, they make everything I put them on extra pretty!

I really believe this is the best pickled onions recipe.

Jump to:

Ingredients
How to make a no cook pickling brine
Instructions
How to get red onion pickles super thin
Variations
Storing
Top tip
FAQ
Pairing
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Did I mention that this recipe is for no cook pickled red onions?

Ingredients

This recipe calls for 5 simple ingredients plus your choice of flavourings. I've made my fave recommendation for those below and also under the heading "Variations".

red onions
raw apple cider vinegar
water
sea salt or himalayan pink salt
maple syrup

Flavourings:

fennel seeds
mixed peppercorns

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make a no cook pickling brine

To make the pickling mixture I use a basic half and half vinegar to water ratio. It's easy and reliable for quick pickles.

The salt and vinegar together help to prevent any unwanted bacterial growth so that it remains fresh for 2-3 weeks.

To make pickled onions with apple cider vinegar I use a raw, unpasteurised apple cider vinegar with the mother. It's a store cupboard staple at home, so I always have it on hand.

If you like, you can mix the brine ingredients together in a measuring jug and then pour them over the onions. I prefer the lazier way which is to fill a jar with sliced red onions, then pour the over vinegar until half way and top it up with water.

Add in the salt, sweetener and any flavours you like then mix together.

That's it. How easy is that?

Instructions

This is the one of the easiest recipes I know of, and basically consists of slicing the onions then stuffing them into a jar along with the rest of the ingredients.

Pop on the lid and give it a really good shake so that it all mixes together. That's it. Yay!

Here are the steps to make my easy pickled red onions:

Step 1 - finely slice the red onions and push them into a jar.

Step 2 - add salt, maple sugar, any flavourings and spices.

Step 3 - pour over the vinegar until it reaches halfway up the jar. Fill the rest of the jar with water. Leave a little gap of 1-2 cm at the top of the jar so that it's not overly stuffed. Secure with a lid then give it a good shake to mix everything together.

HINT - If you have time you could leave it out on the counter top for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavours to assimilate somewhat. Otherwise just pop the jar in the fridge straight away. A little time passing helps the flavours to develop.

Finely slice red onions

A mason jar filled with finely sliced red onions. The lid is open.

Push red onions into a jar

Vinegar is being poured into a mason jar filled with red onion slices.

Add spices, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and water

How to get red onion pickles super thin

To get the onions super thin I like to use a mandoline with the finger guard that came with it. You get a nice even slice with a little bit of crunch preparing them this way. Alternatively, just use your regular sharp kitchen prep knife.

After a day or two, the slices do soften a little, so I don't see the need to use hot water or do any cooking here to soften the onions up.

Variations

Why not change up the recipe by spicing it up a little?

Spice it up - try adding different spices to find your perfect mix e.g. garlic, cumin, coriander, dried chilli flakes, bay leaf, dill, rosemary
Vinegar - try using raw, unpasteurised wine vinegars instead of apple cider vinegar
Sweetener - alternative liquid sweeteners are agave and honey (honey isn't vegan)

Storing

Store the finished homemade pickled onions in the fridge for 2-3 weeks tops. This is not suitable for freezing.

Top tip

Push the thinly sliced red onions down into the jar with a fork so they're fully submerged in the brine. This helps them to stay fresh.

FAQ

How long will quick pickled onions last?

Quick pickled onions will last for 2-3 weeks when fully submerged in the brine and stored in the fridge.

What's the difference between pickling and quick pickling?

Quick pickles can be enjoyed straight away and typically only keep for 2-3 weeks when refrigerated. Traditional pickling is a great way to store foods for months or more in the pantry and is a more involved process.

Pairing

These are some of my favourite dishes to serve quick red onion pickles with:

📖 Recipe