This Spicy Pickled Onions Recipe adds a delicious, tangy, and crunchy flavor to everything. It is made by preserving onions in a brine solution that is infused with spices and heat. It is rich with delightful flavors by combining red onions, garlic, vinegar, jalapeno, peppercorns, and sugar.
These Spicy Pickled Onions are a must-have all the time in our fridge. I love adding this condiment to almost everything I eat for lunch and dinner. It is just so convenient to make this on Sundays to include in meal prep.
This pickle can be enjoyed in various ways. Try adding them as a topping for sandwiches, salads, burgers, and tacos. Feel free to experiment with different spice combinations and levels of heat to find your preference.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
It's a pretty basic list of ingredients for these Spicy Pickled Onions. I've made a couple of notes worth reading below about the ingredients and what you can substitute for them.
- Red Onion - Red onions are slightly sweeter than yellow onions. I love the bright color that it adds to the pickles. You can also use yellow onion or sweet onion for this recipe. Some people add beet juice to color their pickles, and it looks more appetizing.
- Garlic - This is optional, but to me, onions and garlic are always a perfect combination for everything I make.
- Vinegar - I used raw apple cider vinegar for this, but you can use any distilled vinegar. I prefer apple cider vinegar because I love to drink pickle juice, and it has a lot of health benefits in general.
- Serrano Pepper - I love making hot and spicy red onion pickles with jalapeno or serrano pepper. Adjust the level of spiciness by adding more or less serrano pepper. You can also add chili flakes (for heat).
- Peppercorn - Great addition and flavor booster. I use whole peppercorns, but you can use ground pepper too.
- Sugar - Sugar adds a slightly sweet taste and balances the flavors. It is optional; skip the sugar if you don't like your pickles sweet.
Instructions
This Spicy Pickled Onions Recipe is really easy to make from start to finish.
Grab a sharp knife and cutting board. Peel and slice the onion in half and slice them in thin moon shape onions as thin as possible. Smash the garlic and slice the serrano pepper or jalapeno.
In a mixing glass jar, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. You don't need to boil the liquid in this recipe.
Place the sliced onions, jalapeno, smashed garlic, and peppercorn into the clean mason jar. Pour the dissolve vinegar brine into the mason jar container.
Be sure that everything is submerged for all the flavors to infuse together. Cover with a lid.
Let it set to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. It taste better overnight in the fridge but you can enjoy it in the same day that you make it.
Storage Tips
This Spicy red onion pickles will last a long time in the refrigerator if stored properly. Keep the lid on and be sure the onion is submerged into the brine, and it will last a few weeks. In our house, it will be gone in a few days, but It will definitely last a lot longer.
Helpful Tips
- For the best result, use fresh ingredients if possible. Fresh vegetables taste better and have more flavor. Fresh red onions are firm with bright colors.
- Use a clean glass jar or mason jar, and avoid using plastic containers. The acid from vinegar may react with the plastic, which produces an aftertaste.
- Add your favorite herbs and spices.
FAQ
You can use any type of onions to pickles. My favorites are red onions since they are mild in flavors and give pinkish red color after its been pickled in the jar for few hours.
While you can use pre-cut onions for convenience, they will usually lose their flavor and textures after they've been cut from the grocery stores.
Properly stored pickles onions last a long time in the fridge. Be sure to use utensils while grabbing them from the jar. Keep the lid close tightly while storing in the fridge.
Why I think you will love this recipe
- Easy to make: These spicy pickled onions are so easy to make.
- Preserving: If you have lots of onions, pickling can be one of the best ways to preserve them, and there is no canning involved.
- Versatile: You can add this to your salads, salsa, burgers, and more. If you love more recipes like this, check out my Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo, Cucumber Pico de Gallo, and Easy Pickled Cherry Tomatoes.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Spicy Pickled Onions Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1½ cup water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar optional
- ½ large serrano pepper
- 1 teaspoon peppercorn
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and slice the onion in half and slice them in thin moon shape onions as thin as possible. Smash the garlic and slice the serrano pepper or jalapeno.
- In a mixing glass jar, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. You don't need to boil the liquid in this recipe.
- Place the sliced onions, jalapeno, smashed garlic, and peppercorn into the clean mason jar. Pour the dissolve vinegar brine into the mason jar container.
- Be sure that everything is submerged for all the flavors to infuse together. Cover with a lid.
- Let it set to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. It tastes better overnight in the fridge, but you can enjoy it on the same day that you make it.
Notes
HELPFUL TIPS
- For the best result, use fresh ingredients if possible. Fresh vegetables taste better and have more flavor. Fresh red onions are firm with bright colors.
- Use a clean glass jar or mason jar, and avoid using plastic containers. The acid from vinegar may react with the plastic, which produces an aftertaste.
- Add your favorite herbs and spices.
- Keep the lid on and be sure the onion is submerged into the brine, and store this in the fridge for a month.
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