Quick Pickled Red Onions With Orange

These Quick-Pickled Red Onions come together in just 5 minutes, last 2 weeks in the fridge, and go on just about everything from tacos, burgers, salads, or grain bowls. This recipe adds a touch of orange peel that gives these a slightly sweeter taste and a gorgeous color.

Pickled red onions are the condiment you never knew you needed until you made a jar and started putting them on everything. They're sharp and bright and crunchy, and they make whatever you pile them on taste more interesting. I make these constantly - for skirt steak tacos, burgers, grain bowls, chicken banh mi sandwiches - and once you have a jar in the fridge, you'll find a million reasons to use them too.

My version has one twist: a strip of orange peel and a splash of fresh orange juice in the brine. The orange mellows the sharpness of the raw onion, adds a subtle sweetness, and adds a gorgeous pop of orange to the bright pink onions. It's a small addition that does a lot. Sure, you could buy pickled onions at the store, but these take about five minutes of actual effort, and they're so much better.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Ready in 30 minutes, mostly hands-off. Once you pour the hot brine over the onions, you just sit back and wait. The onions do all the work while you finish making the rest of dinner.
• They make everything taste better. That tangy, briny punch cuts through rich flavors (cheese, meat, avocado) and brightens simple ones (salads, rice bowls). Even a basic taco becomes something you'd make every week. A small spoonful goes a long way.
• Easy to make your own. This base recipe is reliable, but this is also one where a single addition - a smashed garlic clove, a few peppercorns, a slice of jalapeño - completely changes what comes out of the jar. You do you.
• Keeps for two weeks. Make one big batch, and you've got a ready topping for whatever comes out of your kitchen over the next two weeks.

Key Ingredients

• Red onion. The best onion for quick pickling. Its natural sharpness mellows beautifully in the brine, and it produces that signature bright pink color. Slice thin - about ⅛ inch - for the best texture and fastest pickling.
• White vinegar. My first choice for quick-pickled red onions. It has a sharp, clean acidity that produces the brightest flavor and the most vivid pink color. See the vinegar section below for other options and how they compare.
• Orange peel and orange juice. The twist that sets this version apart. A strip of orange peel (use a vegetable peeler and do your best to avoid the bitter white pith) and a splash of fresh orange juice mellow the onion's sharpness, add a gentle sweetness to the brine, and give the whole jar a beautiful color.
• Sugar. Balances the acidity and helps the onions mellow. Regular white sugar works perfectly; honey or maple syrup are good substitutes if you want a slightly different flavor.
• Kosher salt. Draws moisture from the onions and seasons the brine. Kosher salt is the best choice here, as regular table salt is finer and can make the brine too salty.

How To Make Quick Pickled Red Onions

Step 1: Slice the onions. Slice the red onion as thin as possible - a sharp knife or a mandolin both work. Thinner slices pickle faster and have a better texture (important when you need these in a jiffy!); thicker slices stay crunchier but need a bit more time.

Step 2: Pack the jar/bowl. Add the sliced onions and the orange peel to a heatproof jar or bowl. Important! If you're using a mason jar, warm it first by running hot tap water over it - pouring hot brine into a cold jar can cause it to crack. Alternatively, pour the hot brine into a heatproof bowl first and transfer to the jar once it's cooled slightly.

Step 3: Make the brine. In a small saucepan, combine the white vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Remove from heat and add the orange juice.

Step 4: Pour and wait. Pour the hot brine over the onions and orange, making sure they're fully submerged. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The onions will soften and turn a vivid pink as they sit. Longer is better - an hour produces noticeably more mellow, flavorful onions.

Step 5: Refrigerate. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate. They're ready to eat after 30 minutes and get better over the next day or two.

Expert Tips

• Warm your jar before adding the brine. Pouring very hot liquid directly into a cold mason jar can cause it to crack. Run hot tap water over the jar for 30 seconds first, or pour the brine over onions in a heatproof bowl first and let it cool slightly before transferring.
• Slice the onions as thin as you can. Thin slices pickle faster, have a better texture, and are easier to pile onto tacos and sandwiches. A mandolin makes this effortless, but a sharp knife works just fine, too.
• Let the onions sit longer than 30 minutes when you can. Thirty minutes is the minimum, but one to two hours produces noticeably mellower, more flavorful onions. Overnight is even better.
• Use a vegetable peeler for the orange peel. You want the orange part only. The white pith underneath is bitter and will make the brine taste a bit off. Long, thin strips work best.
• Make a big batch. This recipe doubles easily, and the onions will keep for two weeks. A full jar in the fridge means you always have a delicious topping ready.

The Best Vinegar for Quick Pickled Red Onions

The vinegar you choose changes the flavor and color of the finished onions more than any other ingredient. Here's how the main options compare:

I use white vinegar here because it gives you the sharpest flavor and that vivid hot pink color. Apple cider vinegar is the easiest swap and produces a slightly mellower, fruitier result. Red wine vinegar works well but makes the brine darker and more assertive. Rice vinegar is the mildest - a good call if you want something a little less tangy.

How Long Do Quick-Pickled Red Onions Last?

Quick-pickled red onions keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in a sealed jar. They're at their best in the first week - still crunchy, bright, and tangy - and soften slightly toward the end of the second week. They won't be unsafe to eat after two weeks, but the texture and color start to fade.

A few things to know: these are quick pickles, not shelf-stable pickles, so they have to stay refrigerated. Don't store them at room temperature. And always use a clean utensil when you scoop them out, as introducing moisture or other food into the jar will shorten their shelf life.

Pickled onions also make a genuinely great gift. A jar of these with that vivid pink color, pop of orange, and tied with a ribbon - swoon! Make an extra batch the next time you're heading to a dinner party.

Make It Your Own

The base recipe is solid on its own, but this is one of those recipes where a small addition can completely change the taste. Think about what you're going to be serving this with (Mexican? Thai?) to lead you in the right direction. A few additions I've tried and liked:

• Black peppercorns. Add a teaspoon to the jar before pouring the brine. Subtle heat and a slight earthiness.
• Red pepper flakes or sliced jalapeño. For heat. Start with ¼ teaspoon of flakes or a few jalapeño slices and adjust from there.
• Mustard seeds. A classic pickling addition that gives a gentle pop of flavor and a little visual interest.
• Honey or maple syrup. Swap the sugar for either of these for a slightly more complex sweetness.
• Fresh herbs. A sprig of thyme, rosemary, or dill added to the jar infuses quietly into the brine over time.
• Smashed garlic clove. Add one to the jar for a garlic-forward pickled onion that's excellent on burgers and grain bowls.
• Skip the orange. The classic version without the orange is just as good and a bit sharper. Simply omit the peel and juice and use the brine as written.

How to Use Pickled Red Onions

Where should you add these babies? The short answer is: on everything! Some favorites worth calling out:

• Tacos. This is where these onions were born, at least in my kitchen. They're the finishing touch on skirt steak tacos, Baja shrimp tacos, shrimp tostadas, and vampiro tacos.
• Nachos. A handful of pickled onions over loaded steak fajita nachos adds a tangy contrast to the richness of the cheese and meat.
• Rice bowls and grain bowls. A few slices over this street corn chicken rice bowl or a smoked salmon sushi bowl, and the whole thing comes together.
• Sandwiches. Excellent on chicken banh mi sandwiches, Italian grinders, and burgers. Really, anywhere you'd reach for a raw onion, these are better.
• Salads. Toss them into a chickpea cucumber feta salad, layer them over a Mediterranean salmon pasta salad, or use them to add color and flavor to a simple kale crunch salad.
• Avocado toast. One of my favorite ways to use them. This will change your breakfast game!

Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing

Make ahead: These are one of the best things you can make ahead since they actually improve with time. Make them the morning of or even a day or two before you need them.

Storage: Keep refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 2 weeks, and always use a clean utensil when serving.

Freezing: I don't recommend freezing this one. The texture of the onions changes significantly when frozen and thawed, and is…not good.

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Made these? Drop a star rating and a comment below! And please - tell me what you put these on first! I'd love to know!