Our town has a restaurant that serves pickled red onions with many of their traditional Mexican dishes. They are scrumptious, and it’s not uncommon for my son and I to gobble them up before eating anything else! These Sweet Pickled Red Onions are as close as I have been able to get to those restaurant onions. They make a versatile condiment that adds a tangy-sweet crunch to a variety of home-cooked meals.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can quickly prepare a batch to have ready in your fridge to add to pretty much anything you want. You can’t go wrong when adding these onions to salads, sandwiches, grilled meats, and even as a topping on tortilla soup.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Makes 2 pints
- 1 cup 5 percent acidity white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unrefined whole cane sugar (or finely grated piloncillo)
- 1 teaspoon pickling salt
- 2 (3- to 4-inch) sprigs fresh Mexican oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano) (see Cook’s Notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
- 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick
- 2 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- Zest and juice of 1 small lime
Equipment
- 2 wide-mouth pint (16-ounce) jars with screw-on lids
- Small (2- to 4-quart) saucepan
- Slotted spoon
- Ladle
- Wide-mouth funnel (optional)
Wash the pint jars and lids in warm, soapy water. Rinse them well and set them aside to dry.
Add all the ingredients except the onions and lime to a small saucepan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the onions and stir well to combine. Put the lid on the saucepan, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the lime zest and juice. This is your pickling brine.
Use a slotted spoon to evenly divide the onions into the 2-pint jars.
Using a ladle, pour some of the hot brine over the onions, ensuring that they are fully submerged. If you need additional liquid, you can add equal parts of vinegar and water. Leave about a 1/2 inch of headspace. (Optionally, you can use a wide-mouth funnel placed over the pint jars as you ladle in the pickling brine.)
Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth and seal with the lids. Transfer the filled jars to the refrigerator.
Let the onions pickle in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, allowing them to absorb some of the brine before using. They should be stored in the refrigerator and will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
Cook’s Notes
Can you use Italian oregano instead of Mexican oregano in this recipe?
Although these two herbs contain the same name, their flavor profile differs because they are from different plant families. So, when making these onions, be sure to search for Mexican oregano. You will be pleased with the hints of citrus and anise flavors it lends to these onions.
Excerpted from “The Modern Pioneer Pantry,” reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2025 by Mary Bryant Shrader
