Easy and Quick Pickled Red Onions

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Our Easy and Quick Pickled Red Onions are thinly sliced onions pickled in a delicious red wine vinegar with a touch of sweetness and spice. They are ready to eat in about 30 minutes but get better the longer they sit. Get ready to try your new favorite condiment!

A hand holds a fork lifting pickled red onions from a glass jar filled with sliced onions and spices, placed on a wooden surface.

Y’all know I love onions. Red ones, VIDALIAS, white ones and sweet yellows too! I am that person who loves a slice of raw onion with my cornbread and PEAS.

I tend to buy a ton of red onions so I always have plenty around. In my off months, I don’t use them as much as I should and have found this recipe is a good way to use them before they go bad. Not to mention, they are the perfect condiment. They go good on a grilled cheese, a steak, BBQ pork and sometimes, I just like them on a sweet club cracker.

Ingredients

No canning required here! We take just a few simple ingredients and put together a refrigerator ready staple that is almost instantly ready to eat.

A glass jar filled with thinly sliced red onions pickling in brine, with visible spices. The jar sits on a wooden surface next to a metal lid and tongs.

What You’ll Need

2-3 Small red onions – you can use other onions but this color is beautiful.
Red wine vinegar – a little sweet briny flavor.
Cooled, boiled water – to add to our flavor mixture and dilute.
White sugar – for just a touch of sweet.
Black peppercorns– a staple in pickling of any kind.
Salt – the spice of life! Salt adds to the pickling flavor and brine.
Red pepper flakes – for a kick of heat and color.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Why You Will Love These Quick and Easy Pickled Red Onions

No Canning Required – these are perfect to stow away in the fridge so you can have them on anything!
Versatile Condiment – they can be used on top of so many things. I love them with BBQ chicken or pork but they really add to things like burgers and nachos too!
Control Your Spice Level – it is so easy to make them hot or not! Adding in more spices that you love can enhance the flavor even more.

Instructions

You will spend more time boiling your water and slicing the onions than anything else! They will be ready in a flash so you can get to having them on everything.

A cutting board covered with thinly sliced red onions, a mandoline slicer, and kitchen tools sits on a wooden countertop next to a stove with a stainless steel pan.

Ahead of time, gently boil about a cup of water. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. cut ends and remove skin of onions and carefully slice thin.

A person holds a bottle of Pompeian red wine vinegar next to a clear bowl, with a cutting board of sliced red onions and a stainless steel saucepan on a stovetop nearby.

In a large measuring cup, add red wine vinegar.

A person holds a saucepan above a glass measuring cup filled with liquid next to a yellow cutting board with sliced red onions on a wooden countertop near a stovetop.

And cooled water.

A person adds salt from a wooden container into a measuring cup filled with a red liquid next to a cutting board with sliced red onions on a wooden countertop near a stove.

Add salt to the red wine vinegar mixture.

A person scoops white sugar from a container into a measuring cup of liquid, next to a cutting board with sliced red onions on a wooden counter, beside a stove and a saucepan.

Add in the sugar, having the water still warm will help it dissolve.

A person holds jars of spices above a cutting board with sliced red onions. A saucepan is on the stove, and a measuring cup with red liquid sits nearby on a wooden countertop.

Have the peppercorns and red pepper flakes standing by.

A person holds whole peppercorns above a jar of sliced red onions. A cutting board with more sliced onions, a saucepan on a stove, a spoon, and a measuring cup with liquid are on the wooden countertop.

Pack about half of the sliced onions into a quart jar. Add in half of the peppercorns and red pepper flakes.

A person pours reddish liquid from a measuring cup into a jar of sliced onions on a wooden countertop. A pan is on a stove at the left, and a spoon is on the counter to the right.

Add in the remaining onions, peppercorns and red pepper flakes. Cover with red wine vinegar mixture.

A person wearing a smartwatch and bracelets tightly seals a jar on a wooden cutting board. A spoon, a clear measuring cup, and a blue-patterned cloth are nearby. A stainless steel pan is on the stove at the left.

Place the lid on and tighten the band just to finger tight.

Person holding a jar of sliced red onions on a wooden cutting board, with a saucepan on a stovetop, a spoon, and a lid nearby.

Set on the counter to cool. Jar will seal as it cools.

A glass jar filled with sliced red onions soaking in a pickling liquid, viewed from above on a wooden surface.

Once cooled, store in the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat as soon as they cool or about 30 minutes.

Why Brooke loves this recipe!

Recipes are like antiques. They are meant to be handed down from one generation to another. Each one holding a special memory or nostalgic memory. Here is why we love this one!

My sweet Daddy Joe loved a homemade pickle. He had them with everything. Even breakfast! When I make our REFRIGERATOR PICKLES, I think of him often. I knew when I made these pickles that he would have loved them too! Food takes us back in time and can remind us of those we hold dear in our hearts. This recipe does that for me!

Substitutions

While we use what we consider to be pantry staple ingredients, we know that sometimes when you want something you may not have everything on our list. Here are some options for that!

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Vinegar – you can sub the red wine vinegar for apple cider or even champagne vinegar for a more sweet or mild onion. Balsamic is a great option too but really makes them dark.
Sugar – substitute the white sugar for brown sugar or even a cup for cup sugar substitute. Honey and maple syrup would be a good sub here too.
Peppers – you can make them super mild and leave out the red pepper flakes. Or use simple ground pepper if you don’t have peppercorns, the multi color ones work great here too.
Onions – Red, white and yellow onions would work in this recipe too. You would get a sweeter pickled onion and not the beautiful red color but use what you have!

Equipment

🔧 I love to share recipes that are no special equipment required but here are a few things that would definitely make this recipe easier!

Storage Tips

Because vinegar can be fickle, make sure you use good, clean glass jars. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Freezing is not recommended as the onions will surely turn to mush.
Recycle your brine! When the onions get low, slice and add some more to keep the jar full!

A glass jar filled with thinly sliced red onions and pickling spices, sitting on a wooden tray next to a metal lid.

⭐ LOVE THIS RECIPE? It would mean so very much to me if you would take a moment to rate this recipe and leave me a sweet comment in the recipe card below! ❤️❤️We hope you love all of the Southern and healthy recipes we share here at The Buttered Home and would love to see you back here often!

**DON’T MISS OUR TIPS AND TRICKS BELOW THE RECIPE CARD!

A glass mason jar filled with pickled red onions, visible thin onion slices, peppercorns, and brine, sits on a wooden tray with a metal lid on top.

Easy and Quick Pickled Red Onions

Simple quick pickled red onions recipe: Thinly sliced red onions in red wine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, black peppercorns & red pepper flakes. Ready in 30 mins!

Serving Size

Ingredients

2-3 red onions small, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup boiled water slightly cooled
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsps peppercorns
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

Boil about 1 cup of water and set aside to cool slightly. Carefully slice onions thinly with a knife or mandolin slicer. Set aside. Clean and dry a quart jar and set aside.
2-3 red onions
In a bowl or measuring cup, add in red wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar. Mix to dissolve the sugar and salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup boiled water, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt
Place half of the sliced onions in the jar. Add in half of the peppercorns and half of the red pepper flakes. Add in the remainder of the onions, peppercorns and red pepper flakes. Pack in to reserve 1 inch of head space in the jar.
2 tsps peppercorns, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Carefully pour the red wine vinegar mixture over the onions in the jar. Place the lid on the jar and tighten the band finger tight. Allow to cool on the counter. Ready to eat in about 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

See How To Make It!

Notes

*Pro Tip* If you are trying to watch your sugar, substitute the sugar with honey or a low calorie, cup for cup sugar substitute.

*If you wanted to prepare these to be shelf stable, check with your county extension office for water bath canning instructions.

🍴 PRO TIP!

Make these beauties ahead of time if you can. They will be ready to eat in like 30 minutes but like other brine based foods, they just get better if made at least one day in advance.

🗹 RECIPE FAQ’S

Do I have to boil the water?

No, I would use water that is as hot as you can get it though as it is needed to help dissolve the sugar.

Are these shelf stable?

No, our recipe is for refrigerator storage only. For shelf stable pickled onions, you would need to use a safe, water bath canning method which can usually be easily found at your county extension office website.

Can I double or half this recipe?

You certainly can. All of our recipes are fairly easy to double or reduce. Just use smaller or larger or multiple jars!

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