Easy Pickled Onions
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A little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and a whole lot tangy, my easy and quick pickled onions recipe is a Southern gem that’s going to change your life (yes, really).
Pickled onions and cornbread is a meal fit for the hardcore Southerner. I’m going to start this post out with a disclaimer: half of you will hate even the thought of this pickled onion recipe, but the other half will take one bite and set about doing paperwork to rename all of your children after me. Pickled onions are not for the novice who is new to Southern food. These are hardcore, for old-school Southern tastebuds – but oh will they make those buds sing!
The life-changing moment
Would you believe that I had them for the FIRST TIME this past weekend? We went to a restaurant in Nashville with the kids and they brought out a bowl of pickled onions and hot cornbread, still in the cast iron skillet it was cooked in. I reached for a wedge of cornbread and put it on my plate where I topped it with a spoonful of pickled onions. Not knowing what to expect but trusting the instinct of my Alabama roots, I dug my fork in to get a bite full of hot bread and onion and tasted all that was reverent and good in the world of old-fashioned soul food.
As soon as we left the restaurant I called Mama and Grandmama and by the time I was home, I had a recipe. I ended up serving mine with a bowl of pinto beans and ham and a side of cornbread and the rest is history! These heavenly pickled onions are now on heavy rotation in my home… and my family’s. I sent a pint jar of them to my 81-year-old grandmother yesterday along with a quart jar of pintos. She called at 5 this morning. “Did you try it yet, Grandmama?” “LORD Yes! Done had me two bowls! That was the best stuff. Lord oh that was so good.”
Fortunately, my quick pickled onions recipe is so quick and easy to make. We’re just going to boil the ingredients together to make the pickle. This includes a delicious combination of sugar for sweetness, salt, pepper, and garlic powder for seasoning and flavor, and apple cider vinegar for that quintessential pickled tang. Then we toss the onions into the pickled mixture and let them marinate in the fridge. That’s it! They’re ready to serve in no time at all and the serving options are endless… but I’ve included plenty of ideas below. So let’s get pickling, hey?
Recipe Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Sweet onions (preferably Vidalia)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar
How to Make Pickled Onions
In a medium saucepot, place the apple cider vinegar…
Sugar…
Salt…
Black pepper…
And garlic powder.
Stir that up well and put over medium-high heat to bring it just to a boil while you cut up your onions.
Keep a watch on this and stir it often.
Peel your onions and slice them into rings.
I cut my rings in half, too, to make them easier to eat.
You can even do diced onions if you want.
Oh, look! Our pickling liquid is boiling!
Now, if you or anyone you know has their sinuses stuffed up, all ya gotta do is invite them into your kitchen and have them stir this pot! Actually, cider vinegar is an old folk remedy for many an affliction.
Remove pot from heat.
Dump your sliced onion in and stir them to coat.
At first, it will seem like there are way too many slices, but just let them sit for about five minutes and they will wilt a bit.
Until they look kinda like this. Now place all of these ( and included) in a container and cover it to put in your fridge.
If you do not cover it, your sinuses will clear each and every time you open your fridge, which is good or bad depending on how stuffed up you are! Come to think of it, maybe this is a good springtime recipe in the south when our world is coated in that lovely yellow dust.
Voila! My refrigerated pickled onions are all ready to make my stomach happy!
Here I’m serving them with a big bowl of pinto beans and ham and a side of cornbread, of course.
But however you serve it, just git ya some!
Storage
When stored in an airtight container or a in the fridge, pickled onions will last up to 3 weeks.
Recipe Notes
- These can well. For canning instructions, check out this blog post.
- If you want to add some heat, add a 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- You only need to let the homemade pickled onions marinate and cool down for about 30 minutes before serving. However, the longer you leave them in the fridge, the more pickled they become.
- I prefer to use Vidalia onions, but many pickled onion recipes use red onion instead, which you can totally do as well.
- Some easy substitutions include cane sugar for granulated sugar, , sea salt for kosher salt, and black pepper for about 10 whole peppercorns.
- For added , you can also purchase in stores like Walmart, which is usually some combination of these spices: cinnamon, allspice, , coriander, bay leaves, ginger, , cardamon, black , and dill seed.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?
You can definitely use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. Personally, I just love the extra little tang and flavor the cider vinegar gives my pickled onions. For English , is actually the traditional choice, but other options include .
How do you serve pickled onions?
There are so many ways to serve homemade pickled onions:
- are a popular topping on tacos, burritos, nachos, and fajitas.
- They also work as a topping for burgers, sandwiches, and salads.
- English pickled onions are often served on baked potatoes, alongside fish and chips, on a Ploughman’s Lunch, with cream cheese dip, and as a hot dog relish.
- Enjoy them as a side dish with barbecue meat like beef brisket or pulled pork, Southern fried catfish, salmon patties, or steak.
- Add them to a bagel with lox and cream cheese or as a topping on avocado toast for a different kind of breakfast.
You may also enjoy these other onion-based dishes:
Delicious Hamburger Steak Recipe With Fried Onions
Keto Chaffle Recipe With Onion Rings
Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad
French Onion Soup Restaurant-Style
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized sweet onions like Vidalia
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the onions into a saucepot over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil while stirring often.2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- While the pickling liquid is coming to a boil, peel onions and slice them into rings. Separate each ring.4 medium-sized sweet onions like Vidalia
- When the vinegar mixture comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and add sliced onion. Stir and allow to sit for five minutes, or until the onions have wilted down into the vinegar slightly. Stir again and let sit for another five minutes.
- Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled and ready to serve. Serve as a side relish or as a topping on pinto beans.
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Nutrition
It requires less character to discover the faults of others
than it does to tolerate them.
~J. Petit Senn
I can’t wait to try your recipe for pickled onions. But I just have to comment on your plate. My mom has the exact same plates. They bring back so many childhood memories. She recieved them as a wedding gift in 1971. She still uses them today. Gotta love the durability of Corelle and of course in family tradition I received some when I got married.
Oh my goodness, they are my favorite!! What a wonderful tradition that you received some as well.
I loved the pickled onions at Top of the River in Gadsden. They were so
Good I had to find the recipe. Going to make some for diner tonight. They
Will go so good with baked chicken. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
This is the same place I had my first pickled onions and I also came looking for a recipe! Thanks!
My Mama has always pickled onions with cucumbers and they are just about the only summer pickles that we eat regularly. She does the hot brine but adds some pickling spice in the mix. I’m definitely going to try your way next!
I hope you enjoy them Jenn!
First time I had these was at Top O’ The River in Guntersville, AL. This is a great restaurant with a wonderful view of Lake Guntersville. They bring out to the table small pans of cornbread, bowls of pickled onions and tin cups of cole slaw. Lord, I ’bout ate my weight in this, forgetting about the huge meal of shrimp and catfish I had just ordered. So, I had a doggy box that night. The appetizers were better than the meal!
Top O’ The River is where I had my first taste also! 🙂 Great food and great people in Guntersville!
We just ate at Top of the River in Guntersville on the way back to Florida from a road trip to Huntsville. I could not believe the pickled onions, soooooo good. Being English pickled onions are part of our staple diet, you couldnt have a ploughmans lunch without a good hunk of Cheddar cheese & some pickled onions! My grandmother made the crunchiest pickled onions every year & bottled them for all the family.
So thanks for the recipe, lets see if I can start a tradition over here!!
how do you store, what is shelf life
Please don’t prevent us from copying your recipes. This is the second one I wanted and was unable to paste and copy. It seems to me copying is the nicest form of flattery. Please change. Thank you. Denise
I haven’t altered any of the settings that would allow you to do that, Denise. Maybe check your computer or try another way to highlight it?
You can also click “print this recipe” and even if you don’t have a printer, it just opens up a new window with the recipe only 🙂
Gratefully,
Christy
So yummy Christy! It is along the same lines of several other marinated vegs, the one with “can can” in the title where you put in green peas, regular or shoepeg corn, green beans then the onion celery carrot. also opt: sweet or spicy pepper pieces. If you ever get your hands on some small spicy fresh peppers, you can save the tall skinny bottles and stuff in the peppers, top with apple cider vinegar and microwave for a few seconds……….the color will stay nice in the bottle of peppers. Our family always used not just plain vinegar, loved pepper vinegar to douse on cooked greens and beans. Girl, you are keeping the south in our mouth!