Quick Pickled Red Onions Without Sugar
Are you craving some tangy and crisp pickles? You have come to the right place. Today, I will introduce you to amazing pickled red onions with no sugar. They are tart and tangy with a fresh crunch. What a delight!
Pickled red onions without sugar are the perfect condiment to your sandwiches and salads. They are easy to make. Trust me! You can make pickled red onions in less than 10 minutes with 2 simple ingredients; salt and vinegar. It is super quick!
Easy and Quick Pickled Red Onions Without Sugar
What Is Pickling?
Before having refrigerators, people needed to preserve their food and harvest. They wanted them to last longer. One of the ways they used to preserve vegetables was to pickle them. These pickles were necessary for winter days when there was no harvest. This way they preserved the food for out-of-season use and for long journey.
However, these days people pickle vegetables because they enjoy the taste. They pickle cucumber, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, dill, beets, and other vegetables. Pickles are used as condiments for different recipes.
Pickling is a combination of vinegar and salt. Some may add some sugar to this brine. The flavors of the veggies mellow a bit. In this recipe, pickling makes the raw pungent onion taste tangy and crisp.
Add Pickled Red Onions to your Favorite Dishes!
Do you like an extra crunch in you sandwich? Try to add the pickled red onions with no sugar. They will give an extra oomph that you crave for. These pickles are amazing condiments for:
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Burgers
- Salads
- Pizza topping
What Can Be Done with the Pickling Liquid
When you make pickled red onions, the liquid has salt and vinegar with no sugar. After you finish the delicious onions, keep the liquid. There are tons of great ideas to reuse it.
First, the pickling liquid can be used to pickle another patch of onions. You can reuse it for pickling 2 or 3 times maximum. You may need to adjust the mixture to your taste.
Vibrant Pink Gems in a Jar!
The pickling liquid is also perfect to brine chicken. You can also drizzle it over fish. It suits perfectly to marinate the beef since it can tenderize the meat and give it an extra flavor.
Another idea for pickling liquid is to use it in sauces or dressings. Drizzle this vinegary liquid over your salad. It twins perfectly with potato salad, macaroni salad, chicken salad , or tuna salad. You can also use it in your tartar sauce. It boosts the flavors and adds extra moist.
Here is a crazy idea! Do you crave for vinegary and salty taste? Turn this liquid into ice cubes by freezing it in the ice tray.
Make Some Variations to the Pickled Red Onions Without Sugar Recipe!
Salt and white distilled vinegar are the basic ingredients in my recipe. You will get bright pink tangy onion pickles. There are some optional variations you may try.
I always keep some pickled red onions with no sugar in my kitchen. I suggest that you add some pepper corn. If you want your onions to be a bit garlicky, add one or two garlic cloves to the jar. The flavor will be a bit more complex.
Tart and Bright Crunchy Goodness!
White distilled vinegar is awesome for this recipe. However, you can use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar. You can even add a little amount of each to boost the vinegary taste.
Do you like hot pickles? Add a dash of red chili pepper to your jar of red pickled red onions with no sugar. Make it extra hot by adding a jalapeno.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shallots have a more delicate and sweet flavor than red onions. Also, they are usually smaller. So, when sliced, you will get smaller onion rings. You can use it to pickling, but the flavor would lose some intensity. Give it a try!
Pickling is all about vinegar and salt, not sweetness. It is better not to use sugar when you pickle red onions to keep all the sharpness. It is ok to add some sugar, but not too much. You want your brine to be lean salty, not syrupy.
Pickled onions with no sugar can be kept in the fridge for 2 weeks. After that, the vinegar might be a bit cloudy. The onions might start to degrade and loose their texture.
Get Ready to Pickle Some Red Onions With No Sugar!
Grab your Mason Jars and follow the instructions. Let’s Go!
Ingredients
- Medium red onion
- White distilled vinegar
- Water
- Salt
- Peppercorn (optional)
Steps to Prep
First, heat the vinegar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the salt dissolves.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the red onions.
Then, place the sliced onions and peppercorns in a 16-ounce jar.
Pour vinegar mixture over the onions and screw on the lid.
You have to press down the onion to ensure they are all submerged under the vinegar.
Set the jar aside to cool down at room temperature.
Store it in the fridge.
Pickled onions will be ready to eat once they’re bright pink.
Store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
It is important to note that when you buy onions to pickle, choose red onions with strong purple-colored outer layers. When pickled, the rings will be vibrant and saturated pink.
When you slice the onions, keep them thin. If you want to slice them thick, you need to give them extra time to be pickled.
Save, Pin, and Share!
Making pickled red onions with no sugar is incredibly easy. The tangy flavor and bright color deserve a try. The ingredients for this recipe are available in your kitchen. I hope I have inspired you to make some savory crunchy pickles to take your sandwich game to the next level! Once you try it, do not hesitate to share your experience in a comment. Stay safe!
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Quick Pickled Red Onions Without Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon peppercorn Optional
Instructions
- Heat the vinegar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the salt dissolves.
- Thinly slice the red onions.
- Place sliced onions and peppercorns in a 16-ounce jar.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the onions and screw on the lid.
- Press down the onion to ensure they are all submerged under the vinegar.
- Set aside to cool down at room temperature, then store in the fridge.
- Pickled onions will be ready to eat once they're bright pink.
- Store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Can I use a Vidalia onion instead of red onion.
Yes, you can use Vidalia onions, but they won’t have the same color or taste.
I used white and apple cider vinegar and added red pepper flakes. Good and sour like I like it. However, I don’t think 16 ounces of liquid and a whole onion, no matter how thin you slice it, will fit in a 16 ounce jar.