Quick Pickled Red Onions

A glass jar filled with vibrant pink pickled red onions, garnished with a lime wedge. Slices of lime and a spoon are nearby, and another jar of pickled onions is blurred in the background.

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4.60 from 5 votes

Prep Time5

Total Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 14kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

2 red onions
2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1/2 cup lemon juice about 3 lemons, or more (see notes)

Instructions

Slice 2 red onions very thin. Here's a refresher on How to Cut an Onion. Add them to a medium bowl.
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt on the onions. Add freshly cracked black pepper. to taste. (I like to add a lot! At least 1/2 teaspoon)
Squeeze the juice from at least 3 lemons (or limes!) over the onions. (Or more. See notes.)
Stir and let sit for at least 5 minutes. I prefer to let my onions pickle for at least 30 minutes. They are even better (and much pinker) after 2-3 hours. Be sure to stir them occasionally so all the pickle love can be distributed!
Add to Turkey Burgers, Tacos, Gyros, Veggie Sandwiches, Pozole Soup, Quesadillas, Burrito Bowls, literally any salad, whatever you want!
Store leftovers in the lemon and salt brine in a tightly sealed container, like a glass jar or tupperware with a lid, for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

EXTRA PINK: I've received some comments from folks whose onions aren't turning pink. The answer is more lemon/lime juice, and more time. If you want them super duper pink, the onions should be nearly submerged in lemon or lime juice, and you will need to let them pickle for at least 3-4 hours. You don't need to add more salt. And there is no way to mess this up by adding too much citrus juice, so just keep going until the onions look like they are swimming a bit! I love to use my electric juicer to speed up the juicing process.

Nutrition