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Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe

Quick Pickled Red Onions are very easy to make and add so much flavor to all your favorite sandwiches, burgers and wraps. Making quick pickles is a great way to jump into the world of canning recipes.

With barbecue season fast approaching having a jar of pickled onions on the table to serve at your next family barbecue is a great way to take those summer burgers and dogs to the next level.

I am also hosting a little giveaway so read below to find out how to win!

Why You Should Make Quick Pickled Red Onions

Making Quick Pickled Red Onions is so easy. You don’t need any special canning equipment.

Quick pickles are not meant to be shelf stored long term so you don’t need to worry about canning them in a hot water bath canner or having any specialized canning equipment on hand.

Quick Pickles will last 3 to 4 months in the refrigerator.

After you fill jars with the fresh vegetables you want to pickle then pour a hot pickle brine over them you put the jars into the refrigerator and allow them to pickle.

In the case of these Quick Pickled Red Onions, you can eat them in an hour or two.

If you’re pickling thicker cut of vegetable and making quick or refrigerator pickles you would allow them to pickle for a couple of days to a week before eating.

Quick pickles are called quick because they are really quick to make and you can start eating them almost immediately.

All you need are a couple of red onions and the ingredients for a basic quick pickle brine.

What is Pickling Salt?

Pickling Salt is a salt product that is specifically made for pickling and canning. It is very fine-grained and dissolves quickly.

Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking products. Table salt is not the same as pickling salt and should not be substituted for pickling salt in this or any other pickle or canning recipe.

Pickling salt does not contain iodine or anti-caking products which can cause the brine to become cloudy and not dissolve completely and may collect at the bottom of the jar.

How To Eat Quick Pickled Red Onions

Now that you have made these awesome quick pickled red onions how are you going to eat them? Pickled onions can be eaten anywhere you would enjoy the flavor of onions.

You can top burgers, hot dogs, sausage, sandwiches, and wraps with Quick Pickled Red Onions.

You can also put Quick Pickled Red Onions on a salad.

How To Make Quick Pickled Red Onions

Quick Pickled Red Onions Ingredients

2 medium red onion
2 cups 5% white vinegar (Please read the vinegar bottle and make sure it says 5%)
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons white sugar, or honey
1 tablespoon pickling salt (Please buy pickling salt only)
1 teaspoon pickling spice, per jar (sometimes you can buy Ball Pickling Spice at Walmart and some grocery stores)

Directions

Thinly slice the red onion using a sharp knife or a vegetable spiralizer.
Put 1 teaspoon of pickling spice in each jar.
Pack the sliced onions into each canning jar or a recycled jar you have with a lid.
In a medium-sized stainless steel or non-reactive saucepan mix the white vinegar, water, sugar and pickling salt. Stir until the sugar and the salt dissolves. Bring the brine ingredients to a boil. Remove the pot from the stove.
Ladle the hot brine over the sliced onions in the jar.
Use a canning bubbler or plastic spoon to push the onions down under the brine. You can pack more onion slices into the jar when the onions start to settle.
Wipe the rim of the jar with a paper towel and place a flat canning lid on top. Screw on a canning lid band.
Allow to cool to room temperature for about an hour.
Refrigerate and store for up to four months.

Helpful Products to Make Quick Pickled Red Onions

Vegetable Spiralizer: Make slicing onions a breeze.
Wide Mouth Canning Jars: Wide mouth jars are much easier to fill. You could also recycle jars you may have already. This is safe to do only for refrigerator-style pickles.
Wide Canning Funnel: Make filling jars with brine very easy.
Large stainless steel ladle
Pickling Spice: Sometimes you can find Ball pickling spice at Walmart.
Pickling Salt: Walmart and most grocery stores sell pickling salt.

Helpful tips to make Quick Pickled Onions

I doubled the brine for this recipe and made 3 half pint jars of pickled onions.
Depending on the size of jar you use you may need to make double the amount of brine. Make one batch of brine at a time and fill the jars. The brine needs to be hot when poured over the onion slices.
I used the OXO Zoodle machine to cut the onions into thin strips. Took less than 5 minutes to do 2 onions this way.
I used a mixed pickling spice which has all the needed spices. This pickling spice can be used to make quick pickled beets, refrigerator pickles or any other canned pickles recipe.

Enter the giveaway!

I want to spread my love of canning to my readers so I am giving away a copy of my favorite canning book.

The (affiliate link) All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes has become my go-to canning recipe book.

You will find this Quick Pickled Red Onions recipe in the book along with many other quick pickles recipes and hot water bath canning recipes.

One reader will win the paperback copy of my favorite canning book. Enter the Rafflecopter sweeps form below.

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