Bring acidity, crunch, and vibrancy to any dish with these quick Mexican pickled onions! This simple recipe is easy and delicious with lime juice and fresh herbs pickling with the sliced onions, they're going to take your tacos to the next level!
Mexican Pickled Red Onions for Tacos, Tortas, and More
Friends, be prepared to keep this pickled red onion recipe in your fridge year round. I make these pretty in pink onions all the time, especially in the summer, as a crunchy, bright, flavorful condiment on so many of our favorite Mexican dishes like spicy chicken adobo tacos and carne asada tortas.
A quick and easy recipe, make Mexican pickled onions in just 30 minutes (though I love how much flavor they absorb overnight). Put them on tacos, nachos, sandwiches, and so much more.
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Ingredients
- A Large Red Onion - white onions and yellow onions work, too.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - you can sub this for white vinegar or white or red wine vinegar for a different flavor.
- A lot of Limes - we're using the juice and the zest.
- Mexican Oregano - dried or fresh, but use ½ the amount for dried oregano.
- Granulated Sugar - just a little bit to add sweetness.
- Kosher Salt + Ground Black Pepper
How to Make Pickled Red Onions
Step 1 | Peel and slice the onions thinly. Use a mandoline, if possible.
Step 2 | Put the onions, oregano, sugar, lime zest, salt, and pepper into a glass jar or other glass container. Cover the onions with the vinegar and lime juice and put on the lid. Give a stir or a shake and put into the fridge for at least 30 minutes for a quick pickle.
Step 3 | Keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks!
Variations and Pro Tips
- Make it Spicy - add in sliced habanero or jalapeno peppers to give your onions some heat. Or use a pinch of red pepper flakes to make it only a little spicy.
- Lime Pickled Mexican Onions - The tart citrus juice has enough acidity to cure the onions on its own. Swap out the vinegar for all lime juice.
- Quick Pickled Red Onions - the onions take on flavor as quickly as 30 minutes, you don't have to pickle them overnight if you don't want to wait.
- The onions will shrink a bit as it sits in the fridge, this is totally normal and expected!
- You can pickle any vegetable you like in this brine. Great for all that overflowing summer produce!
Storage Instructions
You want to use a very clean glass jar with a lid (i.e. a Mason jar) as the container for this recipe. Do not use metal or plastic to store your pickled onions.
If you are looking to can your pickled onions for long term storage, try this recipe instead.
Serving Suggestions
- Pickled red onions are the perfect condiment on fish tacos or steak fajitas!
- They are classic on tortas just like you find in a Mexican restaurant.
- Swap the raw onions in a salad for pickled onions, instead!
- Pickled onions aren't just for Mexican food! My husband makes pickled onions to go with mangú y los tres golpes, his fave breakfast from DR.
Equipment
- A Finger-Friendly Mandoline - I know how nervous we all get with a mandoline. This one is the one I use, it has many guards and works kinda like a slap-chop! (Remember those ads?)
- A Mason Jar - or other glass container with a lid. We want glass, not metal or plastic, because of the high acidity.
FAQs
You can make pickled onions without a mandoline, you'll need a sharp knife and steady hands to slice the onions thinly.
This pickled red onions recipe is meant for storage in the fridge, therefore it doesn't need any canning equipment.
If it's within the first couple of days, you can add more onions or other vegetables to make more pickles once. But more than that and the brine will lose its flavor.
More of our favorite condiments
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Mexican Pickled Onions (Cebollas Encurtidas)
Equipment
- Mandoline this one is finger-friendly
- 16 ounce Mason Jar (or other glass jar with a lid)
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, peeled and halved
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- 1 sprig fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
Instructions
- Use your mandoline or a very sharp chef knife to thinly slice your red onion into half moons.1 large red onion
- Put the red onions, lime zest, oregano, salt, sugar, and black pepper into your mason jar. Pour over the lime juice and vinegar.½ teaspoon lime zest, 1 sprig fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ⅓ cup lime juice, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Twist the lid on finger-tight and shake everything together. Set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before use.
- Serve the pickled onions on tacos, tortas, nachos, salads, or anything that you want to add a bright crunchy topping to.
- Keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (it'll start tasting a little stronger after that but it keeps for up to 90 days before the onions get soft, in my experience).
Recipe Notes
Variations and Pro Tips
- Make it spicy - add in sliced habanero or jalapeno peppers to give your onions some heat. Or use a pinch of red pepper flakes to make it only a little spicy.
- Lime Pickled Mexican Onions - The tart citrus juice has enough acidity to cure the onions on its own. Swap out the vinegar for all lime juice.
- Quick Pickled Red Onions - the onions take on flavor as quickly as 30 minutes, you don't have to pickle them overnight if you don't want to wait.
- The onions will shrink a bit as it sits in the fridge, this is totally normal and expected!
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