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    Home » Recipes

    Easy Mexican Pickled Red Onions For Tacos

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    These sweet, tangy and flavorful red pickled onions are the perfect topping for tacos, rice bowls or salads. They add brightness to any dish and are easy to make.

    Why you will love this recipe

    Pickled onion pack a flavor punch to any dish. They add a bright, savory note that is refreshing.

    These are easy to make. They don't require any fancy ingredients and they last in the fridge for well over a week.

    These red onions are the best topping for tacos, salads, rice bowls or any dish that needs a fresh pop of flavor and color.

    Ingredients

    This pickled onion condiment only uses a few ingredients and most of them if not all, are pantry staples.

    • Red onion: I like to make these onions once a week so a small to medium size onion is best for this recipe.
    • Sugar: It helps in the pickling process and balances out the vinegar in the recipe.
    • Salt: These onions are both sweet and savory so the salt helps balance the sugar in the brine.
    • Pepper: I add a dash of pepper to my pickled onions but it is optional.
    I like to store my pickled onions in mason jars

    How to pickle onions

    There are several ways to pickle onions. You can use citrus or vinegar but I like using red wine vinegar best.

    thinly slice red pickled onion

    In this case I'm using red wine vinegar because I love the mild, sweet taste of it. But you can use white vinegar or apple cider.

    I like to leave my onions at room temperature for about 1 hour after I mix all the ingredients together, then I store them in the fridge.

    What do you eat with pickled red onions?

    I love to add them as a topping to my tacos, specially the carne Asada ones. the acidity from the onions, help cut through the fat in the meat and adds a layer of flavor to the tacos.

    Carne Asada Tacos with pickled red onions

    Another great use for these is in salads. The pickled juice serves as a perfect dressing for any salad or rice bowl.

    My favorite is to add the onions to a green salad with chicken and avocado.

    chicken rice bowl with avocado, pickled onion and lettuce
    Chicken rice bowl

    Another fun way to use them is in wraps, giros or paninis. They add just the right amount of tangy and sweetness to pretty much any dish.

    chili pork in pita wrap
    Green Chili pork pita

    Tips to make pickled onions

    Pickled onions are perfect when they texture, they are crunchy yet soft and the onion flavor has mellowed down.

    The secret to amazing pickled red onion is in the way you slice them. I like to slice mine with a mandolin, but be extremely careful with this kitchen gadget.

    When using a mandolin, I always wear a protective glove and use the mandolin blade guard. Trust me, I'm talking from experience.

    Purple onions pickled.

    Red Pickled Onion

    Isabel
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Resting time 3 hours hrs
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Mexican
    Calories 148 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 Red onion Thinly sliced
    • ½ cup water
    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar Can substitute for white or apple cider
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • Pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Slice the onion into thin slices
    • Add the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a sauce pan and bring to boil over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. About 3-5 minutes.
    • Add the onion slices to a jar with a lid such a mason jar.
    • Allow the vinegar mixture to cool down almost completely before adding it to the sliced onions.
    • Let them sit on the counter uncovered for about one hour.
    • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The onions will be better the longer they sit in the fridge.

    Notes

    The secret to amazing pickled red onions is to slice them not too thin or thick and to add the vinegar mixture once it is cooled down.
    This recipe can be easily adjusted to your taste, add more sugar if you want a sweeter onion. Start with the measurements provided and adjust to your taste.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 1gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 2341mgPotassium: 185mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
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