Spicy Pickled Onions

Pickled onions add a burst of tangy flavor with a slight crunch to grain bowls, sandwiches, tacos, and so much more.  Make a batch and have them on hand to add extra flavor to your meals. 

You only need a few simple ingredients to make the spicy onions and they don’t take long to prepare.  They’ll even last for weeks in the refrigerator.

This spicy pickled onion recipe is a quick pickle recipe since it uses vinegar instead of salt brine for fermenting. For more condiments try corn mango salsa, quick pickled radishes, or cucumber pico de gallo.   Try the spicy quick pickled onions on veggie burgers, vegan toast, hummus cucumber sandwiches, vegan taco bowl, vegan rice bowl with black beans and mango, or deconstructed vegan sushi bowl.

Recipe features

• Easy way to add a punch of flavor to a variety of dishes!
• The recipe only requires a few simple ingredients!
• They can be stored for weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

The spicy pickled onions use simple ingredients but please see the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Red onion - Red onions are one of our favorites to quick pickle, but feel free to use something else like carrots and cucumbers. For another quick pickle recipe, try pickling white onions or pickled balsamic onions.

Serrano chili pepper - Thinly slice the serrano peppers into rounds and keep the seeds in.  For even spicer onions try a Thai red chili or a habanero.  For a milder kick try one serrano or use a jalapeño.  Chilies stored in vinegar become more mellow and less spicy over time.

Rice vinegar - Our favorite is rice vinegar, but apple cider vinegar or white vinegar will also work.

Sugar - I use cane sugar but maple syrup will also work.  The maple syrup will give the onions a slightly different flavor.

Salt - To help balance the flavors.

Tips

• You can always adjust the serrano chilies by using more or less, but over time the chilies mellow out while in the vinegar.
• Boil the vinegar, sugar, and salt to dissolve the sugar and salt into the vinegar.  This method also softens the onions much quicker.
• If you want to skip the sugar and salt, you can thinly slice the red onion and add it to a jar with vinegar and water. With this method, the onions don’t absorb the liquid and soften as quickly when compared to heating the liquid.
• Keep the onions and chilies below the liquid.
• This spicy pickled onion recipe is very forgiving.  Add more sugar for a sweeter version or more salt to make them even saltier.  Change out the chilies for a different variety or leave them out.
• Use a mandoline for very thin uniform slices.   

How much liquid is needed

The water and vinegar measurements in the recipe card below are for the average-sized red onions that I tested with. To find a better estimate of how much liquid you need for your size onion, start by slicing the red onion (add chilies now or later).  Add them to the jar you’ll use for storage, pack down the onions, and then cover them with water. 

Then drain the water off into a liquid measuring cup, this is your estimate for the total liquid you’ll need to quick pickle your onion.  Divide the total in half, one half will be the measurement for water you’ll need and the other will be your measurement for vinegar.

For example, if you get 1  ½ cups of water, use ¾ cups of water and ¾ cups of vinegar.  If you get an odd amount that can’t be evenly divided into 2 then round up slightly. 

How to make spicy pickled onions

Use equal parts water and vinegar.  During testing, ¾ cup of each was usually plenty to cover the sliced onions and chilies. Be sure to slice the onions thinly.  Add the slices of onion and the sliced serranos to a jar.  Use a nonreactive heat-proof container, we use a wide-mouth glass jar.

The recipe is very forgiving.  Use more sugar for a sweeter version or more salt to make them even saltier. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally.  Only simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved, it won't take long.

Then carefully pour the hot liquid into the glass jar covering the sliced red onion and sliced serranos. Let them cool to room temperature before covering them with a lid and storing them in the refrigerator.  They’re ready once they have cooled, but they taste better and are softer after soaking for 24 hours.

Serving suggestions

Our favorite way to enjoy these spicy onions is to add them to grain bowls, but they add a punch of flavor to so many dishes.  Here are a few suggestions.

• Enjoy them on Buddha bowls and grain bowls.
• Add them to a falafel bowl with couscous or rice, olives, cucumbers, broccoli, greens, and hummus.
• Try them on a tofu Buddha bowls with peanut sauce, a butternut squash Buddha bowl with tahini dressing, a maple mustard tempeh bowl with quinoa, or a roasted sweet potato nourish bowl.
• Top vegan toast or vegan avocado toast with the pickled red onions.
• Add them to vegan sushi bowls.
• Use them in hummus cucumber sandwiches or other sandwiches.
• Top veggie burgers with them.
• Enjoy them on fajitas, nachos, or lentil walnut tacos.
• Mix them into vegan taco bowls.
• Try them on a vegan black bean rice bowl.
• Add them to salads, try them on a vegan spinach salad instead of raw red onions.

Storage

Quick pickled spicy onions will last for about 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  We use a heat-proof wide-mouth glass jar to store the onions.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes

• Cashew Lime Crema
• Vegan chipotle sauce
• Mango corn salsa
• Pickled white onions

I hope you enjoy the recipe!  If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment.