Name: Pickled Onions with Apple Cider Vinegar (Keto)
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 6 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ red onion, sliced; ½ cup water; ½ cup apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon cumin; 2 bay leaves; salt

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These Pickled Onions with Apple Cider Vinegar (Keto) are made with red onion, water, apple cider vinegar, cumin and bay leaves and made in under 5 minutes.

These Pickled Onions with Apple Cider Vinegar (Keto) are made with red onion, water, vinegar, and bay leaves and made in under 5 minutes.

Red pickled onions are an amazing indispensable ingredient to have in your kitchen. I love the bright pink color, and it’s a great addition to most meals, and deliciously crunchy. They go well on sandwiches, tacos, bowls, avocado toast and salads. It serves as an amazing garnish with a great pop of color. I love making a big batch of this stuff since I love using it on most foods. The vinegar taste on the onions are so delicious and really brightens every dish. Making these pickled onions only takes 5 minutes to make and it is amazing.

We are huge fans of pickled onions, especially on Cochinita Pibil, my favorite meat to use on tacos, gorditas or even empanadas. These really help liven up even the most boring dishes!

If you love this recipe, feel free to try adding these onto Chicken Tinga.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Pickled Onions with Apple Cider Vinegar (Keto)
Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Red onion
Water
Apple Cider Vinegar
Cumin
Bay leaves
Salt

See recipe card for Pickled Onions with Apple Cider Vinegar (Keto) quantities.

Instructions

Add onion, water, vinegar, cumin, salt and bay leaves into a small pot and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Then remove from heat and let it cool. Add into a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Hint: You can add this to chicken, steak, or veggies for an extra kick.

Substitutions

Red Onions: I like using red onions for best taste. It also changes to a nice bright pink color which is the bets garnish.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Best to used apple cider vinegar to pickle onions. You can also use white vinegar, rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar.

Salt: We will add salt to help bring out all the flavors.

Water: I like to add equal parts water and vinegar to have a milder flavor.

Mandolin: For best results, use a mandolin to get finely thin sliced onions. You can also pickle thicker sliced onions - it is up to you and your preference!

Cumin: You can season with whatever you want to add to your brine. I like using cumin or coriander.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Use thicker onions. You do not need to use a mandoline if you prefer thicker slices of onion. They will need to pickle for a longer time, at least twice the amount.

Make it spicy. Feel free to add a habanero or a jalapeno in the brine, or even a pinch of red pepper flakes works.

Make it Mexican. In the Yucatan peninsula, it’s traditional to pickle the onions using Seville oranges instead of vinegar.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Make sure to simmer until the onion turns pink.