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Pickled onions jazz up any dish! Grain bowls, sandwiches, burgers, tacos, potato salad, regular salad and so much more! I make this quick almost every week.

I don’t know when pickled onions became a thing but I’m so glad they did. I was first introduced to them at my favorite mediterranean restaurant (along with pickled turnips, which are also amazing) and I never looked back.

Pickled onions are a great return on investment. They require minimal effort but you get a huge flavor payoff. They instantly liven up salads, taco bowls, sandwiches, nachos, burgers, and my most recent usage – potato salad!

Ingredients to make pickled onions

Red onion: you can also use white or yellow onion, red is just more common

Vinegar: I use white distilled vinegar and a small amount of red wine for flavor

Salt

Sugar

Additional spices: Dried oregano is my go-to, but feel free to get creative and try other spices you might like. (Ideas: peppercorn, cumin seed, maybe even some garlic cloves!).

How to make pickled onions

Do you have to heat the brine for pickled onions before pouring onto onions?

Most recipes you find will tell you to heat the brine (vinegar, water, sugar, salt and sometimes spices) and then pour over the sliced onions. I almost never do this.

I simply just place the onions in a jar, add all the remaining ingredients, shake well and refrigerate for a couple of hours (It’s basically the same method as my quick-pickled lettuce recipe). The sugar and salt will dissolve on their own and I really can’t tell a difference in flavor or texture.

If you want to heat the mixture first, you definitely can, I just am always all about cutting out extra steps (and dishes) whenever I can.

What to eat with pickled onions

You can use pickled onions in so many dishes! Think of them like a condiment or topping, though you could probably also saute them and use them anywhere you would use regular onions. I love them on my curry & apricot turkey burgers. Salads and sandwiches are also places of heavy usage!