The weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer, which means I need to start cooking for myself more. While it is easy to pop some chicken nuggets into the microwave or air fryer, I have decided to challenge myself this year and learn more recipes. 

Perhaps as a consequence of that challenge, my TikTok feed has recently been filled to the brim with cooking videos, each one making me progressively hungrier. While most of the recipes are incredibly difficult, I finally found one that caught my eye. 

If you are like me, grocery shopping for hours doesn’t appeal to you. This recipe is not only cheap, but it also uses only a few ingredients. I am, of course, talking about pickled onions! 

For those who are uninformed, pickled onions are the all-around players in the food world. Depending on how you make them, you can put these on absolutely everything from salad, tacos or whatever comes across your mind. While I would not recommend putting them in your smoothies, nothing is stopping you!

It is important to keep in mind that you can make these onions with minimal equipment and effort. As long as you follow the steps, you will have some delicious pickled onions to impress your friends. 

The best part of this recipe is you can make it whatever you want. This may seem like a major sidestep for a recipe article, but you need to trust me on this. Changing just a few of the spices or garnishes in the recipe can make it taste incredibly different. I would encourage you to experiment with different varieties and see what appeals to you! 

I hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole red onion
• 2 teaspoons sea salt/kosher salt
• 2-4 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS

• Red pepper flakes 
• Pickling spice
• Garlic

INSTRUCTIONS

Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 10-20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours or overnight

Cutting the onion:

1. Peel the outside layer of the onion. Taking off one layer of skin is not a big deal if it happens.
2. Cut the onion in half from root to stem.
3. Placing the flat side on your cutting board with one cut root facing you. Cut vertically long strips.
4. Make sure these onion strips are as thin as possible. A sharper knife is preferred.

Preparing the pickling mixture:

1. Add equal parts water and vinegar to a saucepan (half white and half apple cider vinegar).
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add  in 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Let the mixture boil for a few minutes as you prepare your pickling jar.

Prepping your jar:

1. Add a small coating of brown sugar to the bottom of the jar.
2. Pack the jar full of your cut onions, and don’t overfill it.
3. Once your pickling mixture is ready, pour it into the jar, filling it almost to the top.
4. Let it cool for about 15 minutes. 
5. Once it is cool enough, seal the jar and pop it into your fridge for four hours or overnight.
6. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavor sinks in!

Get ready to be amazed!