Sweet and Spicy Pickled Onions (Quick and Easy Recipe!) - Urban Farmie (2024)

There's nothing quite like the taste of sweet pickled onions - crunchy but not pungent, and great as a taco topper. I love pickling onions and adding them to everything!

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💭 Why you'll love this recipe

• Sweet and spicy: Onions when pickled, take on a really sweet taste and when pickled in a liquid with some red pepper flakes, provide the perfect complement of flavors!
• Super easy to make: This recipe comes together in literally 15 minutes, and needs basic ingredients you probably have at home.
• SO versatile: I love adding sweet pickled onions to everything - Tacos? Check. Grain bowls? Check. Sandwiches? Check. Eat them raw? You bet.

📋 Ingredients and notes

You'll need a red onion, a cup of distilled white vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic cloves and some red pepper flakes (if you choose to make it spicy!)

Notes and Variations

• Adjust seasoning: This is a simple pickled onion recipe, but you can also adjust the seasoning if you want to make it more spicy, more sweet (e.g. by adding cinnamon sticks) or use other warm spices in the pickling liquid!
• Works with other onions: I've used red onions here because it provides the sweetest flavors for pickling, but this recipe works great with whatever onions you have on hand. And if you're interested in other types of pickled onions - check out my Mexican pickled onions (with just four ingredients!), my pickled white onions, or pickled shallots!

📖 Step-by-step instructions

Slice the onions thinly and place in a jar

You'll want your onions sliced quite thinly, so I suggest using a sharp Chef's knife or a Mandoline slicer for this step. You can either slice it in whole circles, or chop the onion into halves, and then slice those pieces.

Place these onions along with two to three cloves of garlic, and some red pepper flakes in a large enough jar (you'll want enough space so the liquid can cover all the onions)

Prepare the pickling liquid and pour into jar

In a small sauce pan, add vinegar, equal parts water, salt, and sugar and heat until the sugar and salt fully dissolve in the liquid. Then, pour this liquid into the jar with onions. Let it sit uncovered until the brine cools down.

Give it all a quick stir and toss it in the fridge

Ideally, I recommend placing this in the fridge for about an hour or two, but make sure to chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Your quick pickled sweet onions are ready!

👩🏽‍🍳Top tips and FAQs

🍴 Serving and storage suggestions

This recipe takes about an hour to make, assuming 45 minutes of chill time, and will last in your fridge for 2-3 weeks. Note that this has to be stored in an airtight jar or container in the fridge, and the recipe as written, is not meant for canning.

If you like this recipe, don't forget to try out my avocado pickle or jalapeno pickle recipe!

📖 Recipe