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Quick Pickled Onions

Photo of pink pickled onions on a rimmed plate with sliced radish and chopped onion for tacos or nachos.
Quick Pickled OnionsChristopher Testani

This indispensable condiment adds tangy crunch and a bright pink note to your tacos.

Ingredients

Makes about 1/2 cup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 red onion, thinly sliced
  1. Whisk first 3 ingredients and 1 cup water in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion in a jar; pour vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill. Drain onions before using.

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  • These are awesome! I use them on everything I can. Today I even sliced up a locally grown cucumber and placed it in the brine with the red onion. So delicious!

    • Val Miller

    • Smithfield, VA

    • 7/9/2022

  • Easy and good

    • Anonymous

    • NJ

    • 6/10/2020

  • I am now obsessed with always having pickled onions on hand. I always double the recipe, and I reuse the brine for one or two more rounds of onions. Beautiful and pink, and perfect on tacos! (You can do this with any type of onions, but it won't be as pretty.)

    • lauraj47479685

    • Boston, MA

    • 5/16/2020

  • What a cheap and delicious side dish or topping!!! Made a double batch today since I had some spare time and I'm so excited to find uses for this!

    • Trashpanda420

    • San Diego, California

    • 9/13/2019

  • So delicious. One of my pantry staples. I sometimes substitute the vinegar for fresh lime or lemon juice.

    • aliciabird

    • Los Angeles

    • 5/25/2016

  • Just threw together a batch to use as topping for a Super Bowl dinner buffet that includes my Cochinita Pibil. I'm sure this is the dish that ewylen below sampled in Merida. This is the traditional condiment served with that heavenly achiote roasted pork. Perfect accompaniment!

    • kittypro

    • Houston, TX

    • 2/1/2015

  • Love them. They are super easy, keep well, taste great and go well with a variety of foods.

    • sbowl

    • 1/8/2015

  • These are priceless for summer bbq's and salad greens. I use them all year long as a condiment for burgers,hot dogs, sausage on a bun and all kinds of sandwiches.

    • beaublair

    • Ontario,Canada

    • 6/18/2014

  • These onions are the best condiment ever! They are great on everything, and they really are ready in an hour. We use them on tacos, burgers, sandwiches, pork chops... They will also last several days in the fridge.

    • stephandjosh

    • annapolis, md

    • 8/18/2013

  • I had these onions when I visited Merida, Yucatan for a wedding, and they were served to me in my friend's home as a topping for a sandwich (which was made with some yummy sliced pork the likes of which I have not seen in the States). I fell in love with them then and make them frequently as a topping for tacos. They could be probably be used with any sandwich such as cold cuts, or hamburger too, I would think. They are super easy to make and worth a try.

    • ewylen

    • West Central Fla

    • 7/19/2012

  • This is definitely the quickest recipe for pickling! I use it for jalapeños, red onions, and today, doing radishes from the garden. The best ever.

    • Connie the Cook

    • 9/2/2023

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