The Best Quick Pickled Red Onions (With a Cozy Spice Twist)

There’s something about having a jar (or two!) of homemade pickled red onions in the fridge that makes you feel like you’ve got your life just a little bit more together. It’s one of those humble homemaking wins—a quick, easy recipe that adds big flavor and makes even an ordinary sandwich feel gourmet.

These pickled onions are the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and warmly spiced. I love slipping a few onto roasted veggie bowls, sourdough toast with hummus, grilled meats, and anything that needs a bright, zippy punch. And they’re so pretty—those pink ribbons just sing in the jar.

Here’s how you can make a batch to keep in your fridge or share with a neighbor.

Ri

Right click on the image to download and print the recipe card.

✨ Ingredients:

• 3 small red onions
• thinly sliced 2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• ⅓ cup cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns
• 8–10 whole cloves Dash of red pepper flakes (optional but lovely)
• 2 pint-sized mason jars and lids

🍴 Instructions:

1. Slice your onions.
   Peel and thinly slice the red onions. I like to go paper-thin so they soak up flavor quickly and look extra elegant on the plate. Pack the slices tightly into your clean mason jars. Don’t be afraid to really stuff them in—they’ll soften with the brine.
2. Make your brine.
   In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic cloves, peppercorns, cloves, and red pepper flakes. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. That scent? Oh, it’s divine.
3. Pour and let it pickle.Carefully pour the hot brine into each jar over the onions, making sure they’re fully covered. Use a spoon to press the onions down if needed. Seal the jars with lids and let them cool to room temperature.
4. Refrigerate and enjoy.
   Once cool, place the jars in the fridge. The onions will turn a gorgeous pink and start tasting amazing after just a couple hours—but if you can wait until the next day, they’ll be even better. They keep for at least two weeks (if they last that long!).

🥗 Ways to Use Them:

• On avocado toast or egg toast
• Tucked into sandwiches or wraps
• As a garnish for soups or grain bowls
• On tacos, salads, or even chopped into potato salad
• Straight from the jar when no one’s looking

A Little Encouragement from the Kitchen Table

Homemaking isn’t always grand or glamorous, but it is holy work. Even in these small, ordinary acts—slicing onions, boiling brine, washing jars—we are caring for those we love. We’re nourishing souls as well as stomachs.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)

Let’s be the kind of women who fill our homes with the scent of good things, the kind who pickle onions and pass along the extra jar to a friend in need of a little brightness.