Quick Pickled Red Onions
Bright pink, tangy-sweet onion rings that wake up tacos, salads and burgers — sweetened without sugar and ready in 30 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
2 tbsp- Net carbs
- 1.4g
- Calories
- 9kcal
- Protein
- 0.2g
- Fat
- 0g
- Total carbs
- 2.6 g
- Fiber
- 0.3 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Lime & jalapeño (taqueria): Lime juice, sliced jalapeño and oregano make the zesty pink onions served at taquerias — best with tacos and grilled meats.
- Make the brine with the lime juice and white vinegar in place of the cider vinegar, and skip the heating — lime juice tastes fresher cold. Shake it in a jar until the sweetener and salt dissolve.
- Layer the jalapeño and oregano with the onions and let stand at least 1 hour before using.
Pickled jalapeños: The same quick brine turns sliced jalapeños into tangy, crunchy rings for nachos, burgers and eggs — with fewer carbs than the onions.
- Wear gloves to slice the jalapeños. Keep the seeds for heat, or shake some out for milder rings.
- Pour the hot brine over them and let them stand 1 hour before refrigerating; they keep 2 weeks.
Refrigerator dill pickles: Cucumber coins with dill and garlic in a doubled brine make crisp, sugar-free fridge pickles that are ready the next day.
- Pack the cucumbers, dill and all the garlic into a 1-quart (1 L) jar.
- Heat all the vinegar and water with the sweetener and salt until dissolved, let it cool until just warm (hot brine softens cucumbers) and pour it over. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before eating; they keep 2 weeks.
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Nice to have (optional)
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $1.32 for 12 servings ($0.11 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Peel the onion, halve it if you prefer half-moons, and slice it as thinly as you can — about ⅛ inch (3 mm). Pack the slices into a clean 1-pint (500 ml) jar with the peppercorns and garlic, if using.
-
Combine the vinegar, water, sweetener and salt in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, just until it steams and everything dissolves, 2–3 minutes. (No stove? Shake it all in a jar until dissolved — the onions just take a little longer to soften.)
-
Pour the hot brine over the onions, pressing them down so they are fully submerged. Let the jar stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until the onions turn bright pink and soften slightly.
-
Use right away, or cover and refrigerate — the flavor is best after a few hours. Lift the onions out with a fork and let the brine drip back.
Tips for success
-
An honest note on carbs: onions are a moderate-carb vegetable, which is why a serving is 2 tablespoons — under 1½ g net carbs, and plenty to brighten a plate. Most of the brine stays in the jar. - Allulose dissolves instantly and never turns gritty in the fridge; granulated erythritol works too but can form crystals on the onions after a few days.
- Pile them onto carnitas, carne asada, turkey burgers or a taco salad, or fold a few into avocado chicken salad.
Nice to have, not needed
- A mandoline slices paper-thin rings in seconds — a sharp knife works fine.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 7 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Serve cold
Prep tip: They actually keep up to 2 weeks in the brine, so one jar covers plenty of tacos, salads and burgers.
Refrigerate in the brine up to 2 weeks. Do not freeze.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosLime & jalapeño (taqueria)
FlavorLime juice, sliced jalapeño and oregano make the zesty pink onions served at taquerias — best with tacos and grilled meats.
- apple cider vinegar → fresh lime juice
- + ¼ cup white vinegar
- + 1 jalapeño
- + ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
1.7 g net · 10 kcal · 0.2 g protein · 0 g fat · ≈$0.12 per serving (+0.3 g net carbs vs the original)
Pickled jalapeños
SwapThe same quick brine turns sliced jalapeños into tangy, crunchy rings for nachos, burgers and eggs — with fewer carbs than the onions.
- red onion → jalapeños
0.7 g net · 7 kcal · 0.2 g protein · 0.1 g fat · ≈$0.13 per serving (−0.7 g net carbs vs the original)
Refrigerator dill pickles
SwapCucumber coins with dill and garlic in a doubled brine make crisp, sugar-free fridge pickles that are ready the next day.
- red onion → Kirby cucumbers
- + ½ cup extra vinegar (white or cider)
- + ½ cup extra water
- + 4 tbsp fresh dill sprigs
- + 2 cloves extra garlic
1.2 g net · 10 kcal · 0.2 g protein · 0 g fat · ≈$0.24 per serving (−0.2 g net carbs vs the original)
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