Keep a jar of these Sweet & Sour Pickled Onions in your refrigerator so you always have a bright, crunchy flavor boost for sandwiches, salads, charcuterie boards, and more.
When there’s a jar of bread-and-butter-style pickles around, someone inevitably scoops out the onions. The solution: give these pickled onions their own container so they’re ready whenever you need a tangy bite.
Ingredients for Sweet & Sour Pickled Onions
- Red onions – very thinly sliced (rings or vertical strips)
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
- Distilled white vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Yellow mustard seeds
- Celery seeds
- Ground turmeric
Do I have to use red onions?
No — white or yellow onions work well too. I prefer red onions for their color and milder flavor, but use whatever you like or have on hand.
- Combine the sliced onions and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1½ hours.
- Transfer the onions to a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain well.
- Return the rinsed onions to the bowl.
Use a mandoline or a sharp chef’s knife to slice the onions very thinly — take care if using a mandoline. Thin, even slices pickle best and give a pleasant crunch.
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric.
- Heat over medium until the mixture comes to a simmer, stirring until the sugars dissolve.
- Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the prepared onions.
- Gently toss to combine and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Best containers for storing pickled onions
Any airtight container works, but glass jars are ideal because they don’t retain flavors and look attractive. Filling pint-size jars makes it easy to keep one in your fridge and give another as a gift.
Sweet & Sour Pickled Onions
Keep a batch of these crunchy pickled onions on hand to brighten sandwiches, salads, and cheese boards.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
- pinch of turmeric
Instructions
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Combine sliced onions and salt in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 1½ hours. Transfer the onions to a colander, rinse under cold water, drain, and return them to the bowl.
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In a small saucepan, combine the sugars, vinegars, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions, mix gently, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
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Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Note: Some product mentions in the original post were affiliate references. This version presents the recipe and instructions without external links.
More pickled goodness…
