These authentic Mexican pickled red onions get their zesty flavor from generous lashings of lime juice. If you've ever had Mexican street tacos, you'll be familiar with these tangy pink onions.
While Mexican onions are the natural sidekick to tacos, you can also use them to brighten up salads, burgers and salsas with this easy quick pickle recipe.
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Mexican pickled onions, called "escabeche de cebolla" in Spanish, always have a spot in my fridge. I love to pile them onto burgers and potatoes skins just as much as tacos. Pickled onions also make a great addition to a vegetarian charcuterie board.
Their vibrant, cheerful color is a fuchsia feast for the eyes, and their zesty tangy flavor is guaranteed to liven up everything you add them to.
Top Tip: If you like pickled veggies, you might also like these Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots and these pickled mustard seeds.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
✅If you're looking for an authentic Mexican pickle recipe, this is it. And, it's so simple to make.
✅Pickled red onions level up any dish you add them to with their tangy, citrus flavor.
✅Level up your sandwiches and stews by adding pink onions. They even make a tasty addition to omelettes.
✅You only need to spend about 10 minutes hands-on time to make this recipe.
Ingredients
- Red Onion: You can also pickle with onions in lime juice, but we'll be using red onions here for their milder flavor and vibrant color.
- Lime Juice: Lime juice is one of the cornerstones of Mexican cuisine. Choose fresh limes over bottled lime juice.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: You could also use white wine vinegar or rice vinegar here.
- Sea Salt: Salt is one of the key ingredients in the pickling process, so be sure not to skip it.
*Note that Mexican pickled onions are always tangy with a sour note. If the taste is too sour for your liking add a teaspoon or two of sugar or agave nectar.
Optional Add Ins
Customize your Mexican pickled onions with these optional add ins:
- If you like a spiky kick of heat, add jalapenos. Or go to crazy town and add habaneros!
- Add 2 teaspoons of oregano. If you can find Mexican oregano you'll get a more authentic flavor, but Italian oregano is a worthy substitute.
- Take a page from Diversivore's cookbook and make your Mexican onions with orange juice.
- You don't have to just stick with red onions. You can add radishes, carrots or cabbage. They'll take on the pink hue of the red onions.
- Add black peppercorns, or alternatively, add a teaspoon of ground white pepper.
- Turn down the tang with a teaspoon or two of sugar, or agave nectar.
How To Make Mexican Pickled Red Onions
- Thinly slice the onion into half moon shapes. Try to keep the onion sizes somewhat uniform so they all pickle at the same rate.
- Squeeze the juice out of the limes into a small bowl and set aside.
- Boil your water and transfer it to a non-reactive bowl large enough to hold your onions. Stir in the vinegar, lime juice and salt.
- Add your onions to the brine and press down with the back of the spoon to ensure they're all covered in the brine. Allow the onions to soak for at least 30 minutes to overnight. The longer the onions soak in the brine, the softer they'll get and the pinker the brine will turn.
- Transfer to a glass jar, and store in the fridge.
Quick Pickling Vegetable Tips
- Always cut your vegetables in uniform sizes. Cutting your veggies the same size ensures that they'll all pickle at the same rate.
- Always use a non-reactive bowl. Avoid cast iron, copper and brass.
- Wash and dry glass jars thoroughly before adding pickled onions (or any other veg) to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anthocyanins is the molecule that makes red onions red. When exposed to an acid (such as vinegar), they turn a deep pink color.
Some are, and some aren't. Some store bought pickled onions contain a lot of refined sugar. However, it's quite easy to make pickled onions that only contain acids (such as lime juice and vinegar) and salt. Pickling retains all the nutrients of the onion, so eaten in moderation pickled onions can be part of a healthy diet.
Store bought pickled onions will last for 2-3 months once opened because they contain preservatives. Home made pickled onions will last for 2-4 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
📖 Recipe
Mexican Picked Red Onions
Ingredients
- 2 small red onions
- 4 limes juice of
- ½ cup boiling water
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar * or rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onion into half moon shapes.
- Squeeze the juice out of the limes into a small bowl and set aside.
- Boil the water and transfer it to a non-reactive bowl large enough to hold your onions. Stir in the vinegar, lime juice and salt.
- Add the onions to the brine and press down with the back of the spoon to ensure they're all covered in the brine. Allow the onions to soak for at least 30 minutes to overnight. The longer the onions soak in the brine, the softer they'll get and the pinker the brine will turn.
- Transfer to a glass jar, and store in the fridge.
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