Sweet and tangy, quick pickled red onion is a delicious condiment on tacos, other Mexican foods, and even burgers. You’ll love this easy recipe!
I have dreams about the pickled red onions I had last time I was in Mexico. They took what were already the best street tacos I’ve ever had into an out of this world realm of deliciousness. We went to the same taco cart ten separate times in our week long trip there – they were that good!
Pickled red onion recipe
I’ve been lusting after good pickled red onions ever since and created a similar version as soon as I got back stateside. Something about that mix of tangy, sweet and spicy with the crisp crunch of the onion just makes every taco without them seem inadequate and mundane.
If you’re skeptical since you aren’t a raw onion fan, don’t worry, they don’t have the same bite. Blanching takes the oniony punch out and marinating overnight cuts it entirely.
If you use the quick marinade, they’ll still have a bit of a bite to them, but it really isn’t a turn off. And this is coming from someone that isn’t a raw onion fan at all, so I’d let you know if this wasn’t the case!
The hint of tart lime is offset by the sweetness of the fresh orange juice creating a perfect balance of flavors that will leave you wanting more, unable to stop eating them.
Uses for pickled onion
The crisp texture of this condiment is the perfect addition to tacos, nachos, dips, sandwiches, wraps, burgers and whatever else you can dream up. Here are a few recipe ideas to get your wheels turning
- Turkey Tacos – sooo bomb
- Enchilada Casserole – its practically begging for a few red onions on top
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos – easy and delicious spicy crockpot chicken
- Vegetarian Taco Lettuce Wraps – light but not lacking any flavor
- Cilantro Lime Crockpot Chicken – so fresh and easy
- Black Bean Quinoa Casserole – one of my go-to one dish weeknight dinners
- Mexican Layered Bean Dip – perfect appetizer for a crowd
And you get the point right? Add them to anything and everything. They’re that good.
Recipe notes
If you want to make this sugar free, you can certainly leave the sugar out. Frankly, they won’t be as good though. Plus, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a recipe that is this tasty without a touch of sugar. It helps offset the sour/salty flavors and really elevates the overall flavor.
I used coconut sugar but you can sub in regular table sugar too.
You can also leave the jalapeño out if that isn’t your jam. Just know that, like the onion, it gets toned down during the blanching and quick pickling process. It adds a nice kick and I like the contrast in color too.
Whatever you choose to put these pickled red onions on, just put them on something already! Then come back and tell the rest of us what you did to give us some new ideas. 😉
Quick Pickled Red Onions (No Cook, 15-Minute Prep)
Ingredients
- 2 small red onions or one large, thinly sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
- 2 jalapeños, seeds removed and sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. coconut sugar (or 1 Tbsp. coconut aminos for Whole30 or Keto)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Put onion and jalapeño into a strainer and run hot water over them for 2 minutes to blanch. Run cold water over them to chill.
- Mix all other ingredients in a bowl to create marinade.
- Add onion and jalapeño and stir.
- Chill for at least two hours and preferably overnight. Stir before serving. Keep onions in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
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(Recipe originally published March 9, 2014, but pictures and post text have since been updated)
Comments & Reviews
I love this recipe!! I have been following it for years. As a matter fact, people asked me to bring it to get togethers.
Thank you for coming back and letting me know! It really makes my day!
Not good. It smelled like vomit at first and didn’t have any flavor the next day. Needs way less orange juice and more vinegar.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that Melody. Is it possible your onions, OJ or something else you used was rancid?
Hi! I saw another commenter mention that only a small portion of the onion mix was submerged in the liquid… is that normal? I’m looking at the pictures on here and mine looks like yours but I’ve never made pickled veggies that weren’t submerged in the liquid so I’m confused? I’m going to just leave it and refrigerate it but I’m worried about consistency in flavor between each bite since only a small portion is actually submerged. Hopefully it turns out alright!
Hi Rachel- I just saw your comment, how did the pickled red onions turn out? From my experience the salt and acidity ends up leaching more liquid out of the onions so the amount of liquid increases as it sits. Sometimes I give the container a shake or stir once or twice though to make sure they all get saturated.
Any suggested alternatives to coconut sugar?
Just plain sugar works great! You could also use brown sugar, agave syrup or pretty much any other sweetener.
Yum! Have made this several times now for carnitas, burgers & more.
Sounds like what I do! I make a big batch and add them to any and everything until they’re gone.
Much better than other recipes!
So happy you like it! I tried to cut the sugar down in this recipe and think adding orange juice helps add some natural sweetness to make up for it.
I mean, I certainly think so. They’re so great to have in the fridge – adds an extra pop of flavor to pretty much anything!
This is my 3rd time in 2 months that i am making this, i love it
Now that we have the correct measurements ironed out for the blog, is this worth making?
This was originally one of the first recipes I posted when I started blogging and I have been working through re-testing and deleting old recipes that weren’t written well. This one has been re-tested several times and thoroughly vetted! 🙂
Hi! Trying to make these pickled onions. Should the mixture of juices and apple cider vinegar be enough to cover all of the onions/jalapeños? After I mixed everything together, half of the onion/jalapeños are actually in the juices rather than everything being submerged.
Hmm, is your bowl really deep? I don’t think mine are ever submerged fully and I just stir when I pull them out of the fridge before serving. If any aren’t quite as pickled, that way they get mixed in with the super pickled ones and it isn’t a problem. I’ll add a note on this to the recipe. How did yours turn out?
Hi, I just made the Pickled Red Onions and was curious if a typo may have been made in the recipe.
It calls for 1 Tblsp of Salt and only 1/2 tsp of Sugar. It is VERY salty! and not that sweet, maybe the pickled onions I’ve had in the past are of a totally different place but it just doesn’t seem like they should ever be that salty.
Thanks!
Yikes, that does look like a typo – I’m so incredibly sorry about that! I just fixed it in the recipe. Thank you for coming back and letting me know!