Mexican Pickled Onions
These Mexican pickled onions are the perfect sweet, tangy, and spicy combo and will turn your tacos into something special! One bite and you will never want a taco without pickled red onions again!
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Why make this recipe
Pickled onions are one of my favorite condiments! They add flavor, a little crunch, and a beautiful color to your meals without adding additional fat, sugar, or calories. They taste delicious and don’t have an overwhelming onion flavor, as you may expect.
These quick pickled onions not only take your tacos to the next level but are also delicious on vegan nachos, tofu wraps, seitan gyros, and Falafel wraps.
We love making a lot of refrigerator pickles, pickled carrots, and daikon for tofu banh mi, but these pickled red onions are our favorite for any Mexican-style meal and have become a staple in my fridge.
They go great with anything, especially when paired with some vegan cilantro-lime crema or cilantro-garlic sauce.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Red Onions – you could also use white onions, yellow onions, or Vidalia onions, but red onions have a beautiful color and great flavor.
- Sugar – I use organic cane sugar, but you can use any sweetener that you want.
- Salt – sea salt or kosher salt has the best flavor.
- Fresh Lime Juice – This gives the pickles a Mexican-style flavor, unlike regular pickled onions, which don’t use lime juice.
- Vinegar – I like to use white vinegar for a brighter color, but you can also use apple cider vinegar.
- jalapeños – this is optional, but I find that a sliced jalapeno adds a little spice and a lot of flavor to the pickled onions.
Helpful tools
- A glass jar with a sealable lid – to store the pickled onions.
- A mandoline – to slice the onions very thin and keep them a uniform thickness. If you don’t have one, you can simply cut them with a knife.
How to make Mexican pickled onions
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Cut the top and bottom off the red onion and peel away any tough outer layers. Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to slice the red onions into thin strips.
Step 2 – Place the sliced red onion in a bowl (with a sliced jalapeno if desired) and sprinkle with sugar and salt.
Step 3 – Mix it around with your hands, massaging the salt and sugar into the onion slices, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
Step 4 – After 5 minutes, add lime juice, vinegar, and water. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks before serving.
Pro Tips
- Allow the onions to pickle in the liquid for at least an hour before using. They are best when left to sit overnight.
- Follow directions carefully if using a mandoline to slice your onions. Be sure to keep your fingers away from the blade.
- The jalapenos are optional, but they add a nice flavor to the pickled onions. You can leave the seeds on the jalapenos for spicier pickles or remove them for less heat.
- You can also add a dash of Mexican oregano to the pickling liquid for more flavor is you wish.
Can I reuse the pickle brine?
If you use up your onions in the first few days after making them, you can simply slice more onions and add them to the jar of brine. Throw away the pickle juice after 2 weeks since your first batch and start again.
Storage
Refrigerate: These Mexican pickled onions will keep well in the fridge for 2 weeks in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid.
What to put the onions on
Pickled onions are delicious on tacos, sandwiches, burritos, salads, tostadas, grain bowls, or just about any Mexican-style dish. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them.
Mexican pickled onions recipe
Mexican Pickled Onions
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion
- 1 large jalapeno, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup lime juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Cut the top and bottom off the red onion and peel away any tough outer layers. Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to slice the red onions into thin strips.
- Place the cut onion in a bowl (with a sliced jalapeno if desired) and sprinkle with sugar and salt.
- Mix it around with your hands massaging in the salt and sugar to the onion slices and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add lime juice, vinegar, and water. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks before serving.
Notes
- Follow directions carefully if using a mandoline to slice your onions. Be sure to keep your fingers away from the blade.
- The jalapenos are optional, but they add a nice flavor to the pickled onions. You can leave the seeds on the jalapenos for spicier pickles or remove them for less heat.
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Just finished jarring these up, only used half a red onion because it’s all that would fit in the jar. Initially cut the measurements in half but had to add a little more brine to make sure they were submerged. Also used honey instead of sugar. Super excited to try them once they’re ready! (:
Would coconut sugar work as a sweetner substitute for this recipe?
Yes, it will, but it may make your onions slightly brown.
Thank you!