Mouthwatering pickled yellow onions add crunch and tangy flavor to any meal. The easy homemade pickle recipe is perfect for burgers, salads, and snacking.
If you enjoy onions, don’t miss out on tangy sumac onions!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The quick pickles come together quickly using simple pantry ingredients.
- Use the pickles on everything from BBQ to sandwiches, tacos, and salads. You can also feature them on a charcuterie board in a cute bowl.
- I always keep a jar of quick pickled onions in my fridge to add to all my meals!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Onions: Thinly slice regular yellow onions using a sharp knife or mandolin about ¼-inch.
- White Vinegar: I use distilled white vinegar to pickle yellow onions, but you can also use white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
- Honey: Balance the flavor of the other ingredients using honey. You can also use sugar, maple syrup, or monk fruit if you want a sugar-free alternative.
- Salt: Flavor the pickle brine with kosher salt or sea salt.
- Whole Spices: Flavor the pickled yellow onions with whole coriander seeds and black peppercorns.
Additions and Substitutions
- You can mellow the sharpness of raw onions by blanching them briefly in boiling water before adding them to the glass jar for pickling.
- Include more whole spices like red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, and bay leaves.
- Try pickling red onions, white onions, or pearl onions instead.
How to Pickle Yellow Onions
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm water, white vinegar, honey, salt, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer.
Step 2: Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions and pack them into the bottom of a glass jar like a mason jar. Set them aside.
Step 3: Remove the saucepan from heat and carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the sliced onions. Press the onions into the glass to remove any bubbles, and let them cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips
- Select fresh, firm yellow onions for the best texture and flavor.
- Thinly slice the onions for quick pickling.
- Pour the hot brine over the raw onions, ensuring they are completely covered. Leave some space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion during the pickling process.
Searching for More Like This?
If you love this recipe, pair them with one of these dinner favorites!
How to Use Pickled Yellow Onions
Pickled yellow onions are a perfect topping, and they add a nice, sweet, crunchy, acidic pop to tacos, sandwiches, potato salad, nachos, hot dogs, and burgers, or use them as a topping for salad or pizza. You can also chop the onions finely and mix them with other ingredients to make McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce.
What to do With the Leftovers
- Storage – After the onions cool, transfer them to a glass jar or container. The easy pickled yellow onions will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best onions for pickling?
If you enjoy pickle onions, try a variety of onions, each with a different flavor. Some of my favorites to pickle are pearl onions, cipollini onions, red onions, sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla, and yellow onions.
How long should pickled onions be left before eating?
Fresh pickles are ready to eat within 1-2 days. After 24-48 hours in the refrigerator, the flavors have had time to develop, making the onions even more delicious.
More Pickled Recipes:
Pickled Yellow Onions
- Glass Jar
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced, ¼-inch
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- Warm water, white vinegar, honey, salt, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions and pack them into the bottom of a glass jar like a mason jar. Set them aside.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the sliced onions. Press the onions into the glass to remove any bubbles, and let them cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Select fresh, firm yellow onions for the best texture and flavor.
- Thinly slice the onions for quick pickling.
- Pour the hot brine over the raw onions, ensuring they are completely covered. Leave some space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion during the pickling process.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.