Quick & Tasty Pickled Onions Recipe (Under 30 Minutes) (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to soak onions in salt before pickling? ›

Now roll your bald onions in salt and leave in a bowl overnight, rinsing the salt away in the morning before patting dry. Although this stage is optional, the salt-and-rinse method will extract moisture from within the onion and you will be rewarded with a crisper, crunchier, firmer pickle in the long run.

That said, the two main reasons that people boil their liquid for pickled onions are: 1) for canning purposes or to make them last longer. 2) to help the liquid get absorbed into the onions faster.

Let the pickled onions cool to room temperature (about 20 to 30 minutes), at which point they should be sufficiently pickled for serving. Cover and refrigerate leftover pickled onions for later. Quick-pickled onions are best consumed within three days, but they keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Allow the jars to cool to room temperature before covering them and transferring them to the fridge. Your onions will be ready to eat when they are bright pink and tender. This could take anywhere from 1 hour to overnight, depending on the thickness of your onions. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Any fresh-pack pickle recipe that calls for as much or more vinegar than water and provides a finished product with at least 1/4 cup of 5 percent acid vinegar per pint jar of pickled products can be safely made without salt. Sweet pickles generally taste better without salt than dill pickles.

Simply coat cut onions in a generous pinch of salt, and let them sit for 15 minutes; this will draw out much of the moisture, and some of the compounds that result in the pungency.

Blanch red onions.

This step will help cut the raw onion flavor for those who prefer a milder tasting pickle. If you don't mind the raw flavor of onions, feel free to skip this step. Once the water is at a boil, submerge onions for about 10-15 seconds.

Temperature, light, and humidity can all affect how long your home-canned pickled onions last, so be sure to store them somewhere that is dark and dry with a cool, even temperature. Fluctuations that can lead to freezing or overheating will cause them to go bad prematurely, so choose your storage location carefully.

Place the vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, sugar, peppercorns and thyme in a large noncorrosive saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the onions to the hot liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the onions to steep for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar. This is the clear, colorless vinegar made by fermenting grains. It has a mellow aroma, tart acid flavor and does not affect the color of light-colored vegetables or fruits.

Do I have to boil vinegar for pickling? ›

Vinegar-based pickling is a much faster process than fermentation pickling. In its quickest form, you'll just boil a vinegar solution, pour it over the the object of your pickling desire, let it all cool and stash it in the fridge.

Pickled onions, for example, can be a beneficial part of a healthy diet. The pickling process does use a large amount of salt and sugar, but when eaten in moderation and considering the fact that pickled vegetables retain their nutritional values, they can be included in your diet.

Pickled Onions

Shallots and red onions are best to use for pickling because of their vibrant, purple-red color. To preserve their bright color, pickle the sliced onions in red wine vinegar, which shares the same hue.

Soak peeled onions in concentrated brine solution for 24 hours (no more no less) before pickling. This stage is really necessary as it draws the moisture out of the onions and it is this that contributes most to keeping them crisp.

When salt is applied to onions, it draws out moisture from the onions, which helps to break down some of the compounds that contribute to their strong smell and taste. This can make them more palatable and easier to work with, especially if you are sensitive to the strong flavor of onions.

Salt them generously with kosher salt and massage them with your fingers for a minute. Wait 10 minutes, then serve. The salt softens the onion's fibrous texture and mellows the sharpness of their flavor.

Discard the liquid, then rinse and dry the vegetables before pickling or canning as usual. The salt helps to pull the moisture out of the vegetables and makes them crisper.