Artificial Flavors Free Classic Pickled Red Onions
Tangy, vibrant, and impossibly easy to make, these pickled red onions are the kind of condiment that quietly upgrades everything they touch — tacos, grain bowls, sandwiches, you name it. Store-bought versions often sneak in preservatives, natural flavor blends, or other additives that can be hard to track down on a label, so making your own is genuinely the smarter move. Every single ingredient here is exactly what it sounds like: red onion, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and a couple of whole spices. Nothing hidden, nothing synthetic, just a clean brine that does all the work. The hot vinegar mixture transforms the raw onion slices into something silky and brilliantly pink in under an hour, with a sharp, lightly sweet flavor that mellows beautifully as it chills. A little heat from optional red pepper flakes is the only flourish you need. Keep a jar in the fridge and you'll find yourself reaching for it constantly.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced into rings or half-moons
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pack the sliced red onion into a clean 16 oz mason jar, pressing gently so the slices fit snugly without crushing them.
- 2
Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and kosher salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat.
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