No-Heat Pickled Red Onions

These are easy no-cook quick pickled red onions, with no heat at all needed. It’s a super simple recipe with just four ingredients and no need to boil water, cook anything at all, or do much beyond chopping some onions – the resting time does all the work for you.

This method makes for the most vibrant, beautifully pink pickled onions that are mild and have the best texture. It does take longer than 15 minutes, I’m afraid, but only in terms of waiting time. Just slice the onions, mix in a jar, and set aside for a couple of hours.

Pickled onions last quite some time in the fridge, at least a couple of weeks, so you can make a big batch and use it for a while. Since I have so many recipes that use them (see below) this is a useful separate guide on how to make this staple recipe.

These are very common in Scandinavian food, and I see them everywhere in Sweden, but I’ve been making them this way since I was a kid. It’s so easy, it’ll become one of your go-to recipes!

I first shared this recipe in 2019. It’s been updated with improvements to the recipe instructions and slight improvements to the recipe, new photos, including step-by-step photos, and more helpful information.

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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

You need just four staple ingredients to make pickled onions, and it all comes down to method. These are my notes from recipe testing – I’ve been making pickled onions this way for at least 20 years – and you can find the full recipe card with complete measurements and instructions below.

• Onion: pictured is a pink onion, but any type of red or pink onion is good. The end colour will change slightly depending on the shade of pink or purple you start with. My favourite is rose des Cévennes but it’s hard to find outside of France – Roscoff are almost as good but any red onion will do.
• Lemon: try lime instead if you can get it! Citrus juice tastes best but half the amount of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be substituted.
• Honey: maple syrup, sugar, or another light-tasting sweetener can be used. Don’t omit the sweetener.
• Salt: added salt seasons the pickled onions but also softens them. I always use fine sea salt. Coarse salt will take much longer to dissolve.

How to Make Pickled Onions

My preference is the shake-in-a-jar method, because you need much less liquid overall and the onions are made in the same handy container they can be stored in. This is the same way I make vinaigrettes and highly encourage you to hold onto some glass jars for kitchen use like this.

Step 1: thinly slice a red onion and place it in a jar with the other ingredients. The jar size doesn’t matter much but you want one that doesn’t have too much empty space in it – don’t use a 2 litre jar for a single onion.

Step 2: cover and shake very well to dissolve the honey and salt. Note that if you use creamed honey, it’ll take some time and some serious shaking to get it to dissolve fully – if it just won’t dissolve, set it aside for a few minutes to soften and then come back and shake some more.

Step 3: set the jar aside for a couple of hours, until the onions are evenly pink, and serve. You can speed up the process by placing the onions somewhere warm, like on a radiator (make sure the jar is heat-safe!) which I often do if I forgot to make them early enough.

Serve Your Pickled Onions With

These are the recipes I always served pickled red onions with – they’re good all year and onions don’t really go out of season, so they’re a staple feature with anything a little Mexican-inspired, any burgers, chili, sandwiches, and so on.

Easy Black Bean Burgers
Vegan Chili
Quick Vegan Refried Beans
Vegan Chickpea Burgers
Mushroom Fajitas
Spicy Pinto Bean Soup
Lentil Chili
Roasted Potato Tacos
Vegan Burrito Bowls
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Or add to anything you think could use a bit more bite or colour. Purple pickled onions are my secret weapon during winter, when everything seems to be beige. They’re great with veggie balls and burgers, tacos, bean bowls, sandwiches or wraps, hummus/cheese and crackers, and so on.

Lots of sushi restaurants in Sweden serve pickled onions alongside the ginger and seaweed, and it’s excellent. Give it a try!

Expert Tips

• Give it time: it takes at least a couple of hours, depending on temperature, for these to turn into good pickled onions. Be patient, it’s a process – like caramelised onions, good things take time!
• Use a warm place: the onions will soften more quickly if the space they’re set in is quite warm. If I forgot to make them ahead of time, I often place the jar in a sunny spot. If you have lots of time, though, they should be kept somewhere cool.
• Add vinegar: they won’t last as long if you use only lemon juice, but they taste better that way – if you want to make a larger batch and store it for a week or two, use some plain white vinegar as well.
• Use a jar: any old jar with a tightly-fitting lid is ideal for this recipe. You want to be able to really shake it, so make sure it doesn’t leak.
• Try add-ins: you can add spices and other additions to the onions, like star anise, hot pepper flakes, and herbs. Think of this as a base recipe.
• If you don’t have red onions: white onions can of course also be used and the taste will be virtually the same. You won’t have the same vibrant colour, of course, but it doesn’t matter.