Lena's Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe (2024)

Posted: May 24, 2021 by lena gladstone | Updated: March 12, 2024

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.

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Recipe 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 basem*nt 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:

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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:

Lena’s Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe

4.8 from 196 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Resting Time: 4 hours hrs

Total Time: 4 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

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.)

Notes

TIP: Reuse the liquid up to 4 times. Make sure to adjust the salt, vinegar and water ratio to taste when you do.

VINEGARS: Make sure your rice vinegar DOES NOT have any SUGAR. This will change the flavor. I would NOT recommend apple cider or white vinegar. They are just not the perfect fit for this pickling liquid. I’ve tried them with both and found the flavor to be overpowering, which will not give you the intended flavor meant for this recipe.

Course: Condiment, Dinner, Garnish, Salad, Sandwich

Cuisine: Asian, Mediterranean, Russian

Keyword: condiment, onions, pickled, side dish, vinegar

Nutrition

Lena's Kitchen Pickled Onions Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak onions in salt water before pickling? ›

Some people choose to soak their onions in a salt water mixture before pickling, but I don't find it necessary. In theory, this step draws out extra moisture to keep the texture of the onions nice and crisp even as they sit in the vinegar mixture.

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Are pickled onions still healthy? ›

Pickled red onions can be part of a healthy diet. Adding fermented foods to your diet helps with a healthy gut.

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Why are pickled onions so addictive? ›

Because it is high in salt, this plays a major factor in pickled products' addictive nature . It could also indicate a sign of low blood pressure. 'Pickle juice is also popular with those following a ketogenic diet as they may need more sodium to manage electrolyte balance,' says Shona Wilkinson, aka DR VEGAN.

Is pickled onions a high risk food? ›

Are pickled onions high risk food? No. Foods stored in an acidic environment are generally safe from contamination as germs cannot thrive in such conditions. Pickled foods are high in acidity.

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Are pickled onions good for gut bacteria? ›

Fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut or pickled red onions contain high amounts of good probiotics and digestive enzymes. Maintaining a healthy gut flora can aid your digestion and overall energy levels.

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Can bacteria multiply in pickled onions? ›

Pickling produces a similar “zing”-y taste to fermentation but doesn't create an environment where beneficial bacteria (or any bacteria) can thrive.

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Why don't pickle jars say pickles? ›

Olive all use the term on their websites, in advertisem*nts, and in the product descriptions of their pickle varieties. When asked why the word isn't on the front of the jars, all three companies provided nearly the same answer: They feel the word “pickle” isn't necessary on pickles packaged in clear glass containers.

Why are my pickled onions slimy? ›

if your pickled red onions are slimy and limp then you May be cutting them the wrong way. we have two primary ways to slice onions pole to pole or orbital.

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Is it necessary to salt onions before pickling? ›

Salt is a very important component when pickling, as it helps prevent the production of harmful bacteria by drawing out moisture. There are two types of 'salting'. Dry salting prior to the pickling process (which the recipe below uses) or wet salting, which uses a brine as part of the pickling process.

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What does soaking onions in salt water do? ›

Wait 10 minutes, then serve. The salt softens the onion's fibrous texture and mellows the sharpness of their flavor. There are other ways to tame raw onion, of course. You could soak slices in lemon juice for 20 minutes, which lends a slightly pickled flavor, as in this Tomato and Herb Salad with Sumac.

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What does salt do to pickled onions? ›

3 Salt your onions

Although this stage is optional, the salt-and-rinse method will extract moisture from within the onion and you will be rewarded with a crisper, crunchier, firmer pickle in the long run. Worth the extra effort.