Sesame Free Garlic-Herb Quick-Pickled Red Onions
These quick-pickled red onions are the kind of condiment that quietly transforms everything they touch — tacos, grain bowls, sandwiches, cheese boards, you name it. The brine is a simple blend of apple cider vinegar, water, honey, and sea salt, and the addition of smashed garlic, fresh thyme, and rosemary gives the whole jar a fragrant, herby depth that goes way beyond basic pickling. Because you're making this yourself from scratch, there's no need to scan labels for hidden sesame oil or sesame-based additives that sometimes sneak into store-bought pickled products. The process is genuinely low-effort — you heat the brine just until the honey and salt dissolve, pour it over the packed onions, and let the refrigerator do the rest. Within 30 minutes the onions turn a gorgeous deep pink and develop that perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and savory. They keep mellowing in the jar over the next day, so if you can wait, the flavor just gets better. Make a batch on Sunday and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced into half-moons
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
- 1
Pack the sliced red onion into a clean 16 oz glass jar, pressing gently so the slices fit snugly.
- 2
Tuck the smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprig down into the jar among the onion slices.
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