Nitrate & Nitrite Free Quick Apple Cider Pickled Onions
Pickled onions from a store or deli counter often sneak in preservatives you'd rather avoid, but this homemade version keeps things completely clean. The brine is nothing but apple cider vinegar, water, honey, sea salt, fresh ginger, and a pinch of turmeric — every ingredient is exactly what it sounds like, with zero hidden additives. Those onions go from sharp and raw to beautifully tender and a stunning deep pink in under an hour, which feels almost like a magic trick. The ginger adds a gentle warmth and the turmeric gives the brine a golden glow that makes the whole jar look as good as it tastes. Pile them onto tacos, grain bowls, sandwiches, or a cheese board and watch them disappear faster than you expected. They mellow and deepen overnight, so if you can resist, a jar made the evening before is even better the next day.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced into rings
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Pack the sliced red onion rings into a clean 16 oz glass jar, pressing them down gently so they fit snugly.
- 2
Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, honey, fine sea salt, grated ginger, and turmeric in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the honey and salt are fully dissolved, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat.
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