Quick & Easy Pickled Red Onions
Thinly sliced red onions are packed in a jar with pickling spices, then covered in a warm brine that makes them a pink, tart, tangy, crunchy treat.
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium sized red onions, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp pickling spice
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup grenadine syrup
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Slice the red onions thinly, divide between two pint sized mason jars.
- Put 1 Tbsp of the pickling spice in each jar over the onions.
- In a small saucepan, combine the two vinegars, water, grenadine syrup, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for just 30 seconds to 1 minute until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
- Carefully pour half the liquid in to each jar.
- Gently push down the onions in to the liquid using a fork.
- Let sit on the counter until they come to room temperature – about 30 minutes.
- You can use immediately then put the lid on the jars and keep in the refrigerator. (They will keep for 2-3 weeks refrigerated.)
Notes
A couple of tips for this recipe:
- Pickling spice is available pre-made in most grocery stores in the herbs and spices aisle, (I get mine at Walmart super inexpensively.) However, if you want to make your own, you can use a combination of any of the following: whole peppercorns, whole coriander seed, whole mustard seed, whole allspice, crushed red pepper.
- How many onions you will use depends on the size of the onions. Just slice enough to fill both the jars.
- Slice your onions as thin as you can get them – I did mine with a sharp knife, but a mandolin works brilliantly! Just watch your fingers and USE THE GUARD. (I may be talking from experience here.)
- If you don't have grenadine syrup, you can skip it and double the sugar - but the syrup makes them an even more beautiful shade of pink. (I watched Bobby Flay use it in his red onions on Food Network and haven't looked back.)
- To pour the liquid in to the jars I use a canning funnel- it keeps everything in the jar and not all over the counter. If you don’t have a funnel, transfer the liquid in to a measuring pitcher over the sink then use the pitcher to pour it in to the jars!
- This recipe makes two jars – I keep one and gift one. If you want to just make one, then just half the recipe.