How to Make Pickled Onions That Are Good for You (2024)

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

• Vinegar (apple cider, white, red, or white wine vinegar)
• Onion (red, yellow, or white)
• Optional spices (cinnamon, cloves, anise, black seeds, freeze-dried ginger, cloves, black peppercorn)
• Red chili pepper (optional)

See the recipe card for quantities.

🧅 Substitutions

• Onion - Red onions have the most antioxidants, followed by yellow and white, but all onions work in this pickled onion recipe.
• Red chili pepper - omit for less spicy
• Spices - mustard seeds, whole cloves, cumin seeds, anise, Ceylon cinnamon sticks, ginger, garlic, and black peppercorns are my go-to spices for their studied health benefits but most spices are suitable
• Vinegar- Use white, apple cider, red or white wine vinegar, or a mixture.
• Sweetener - to lightly sweeten pickled onions, add about 2 teaspoons of agave or maple syrup

Enjoy these (no-cook and no-sugar) Pickled Red Onions with my 5-minute vegan Edamame Guacamole with plant-based protein!For more healthy toppings, visit my Vegan Condiment Recipes page.

📖 How to Make Pickled Onions That Are Good for You

For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.

Step 1. Transfer the vinegar to a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Once the vinegar is simmering, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cloves, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, seeds, and black peppercorns. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Step 2. Remove the papery skin from the onion and no additional layers. These outer layers are highest in antioxidants.

Step 3. Meanwhile, slice the red onion with the grain using a sharp chef’s knife or mandolin. Slicing the onion with the grain, instead of against the grain, results in the least bitterness.

Step 4. If using red chili pepper, slice roughly and remove the seeds, or include the seeds for more spice.

Step 5. Place the onion and red chili pepper into a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Add the vinegar and spices.

Step 6. Add 1 cup water, plus more as needed to cover the onion.

✔️ Expert Tips

• How to peel onions: Only remove the papery skin. Do not remove the first few layers of the onion. These have more than 10 times more antioxidants than the core.
• To decrease the sharpness of red onions, cut them into thin slices and cover them with boiling water. Set aside covered for about 30 minutes. Drain. Boiling reduces the health benefits only slightly.
• These No-Cook Pickled Red Onions can be used immediately but taste best after being refrigerated overnight.
• For more flavor let the spices simmer in the vinegar for 5 minutes. Yet, placing the spices in the warm vinegar and refrigerating overnight allows the flavors to concentrate further over time. I chose not to simmer and to wait overnight as simmering the spices may destroy some benefits.
• Enjoy the vinegar in dressings and consume the spices with the onions! Nothing should go to waste.
• Storage: Refrigerate Quick Pickled Onions (no sugar) in an airtight container for up to 7 days. I used this container and it works very well as you can flip it over and easily remove the onion. (This is a paid affiliate link but not sponsored.) The capacity of the half that stores the pickles is 700ml/23.7 ounces, so use one around that size.

Can onions help reverse aging?

Compounds naturally derived from plants like onions can inhibit the enzyme Target of Rapamycin (TOR), sometimes called the 'engine-of-aging.' TOR regulates cellular growth and proliferation within the human body. Elevated TOR expression has been observed in breast cancer tumors.

Are onions healthy?

Alliums, such as onions, garlic, and leeks, stand out as excellent choices for cancer prevention among vegetables. Plus, they boast anti-blood clotting abilities, increase the absorption of iron and zinc when added to a meal, and so much more! (Note: The antiplatelet activity in onions is lost with cooking.)
In addition, a mere tablespoon of raw red onion daily might reduce dioxin toxicity by fifty percent. However, it's crucial to sustain the immune-boosting benefits of these phytonutrients by incorporating foods rich in them into our daily diet.

Can eating onion lower blood sugar?

Raw red onions have been shown to lower blood sugar in people consuming sugar almost as much as with an anti-diabetic drug, but research is limited.

No-Cook Pickled Onions Without Sugar

Nisha Melvani

This No-Cook Pickled Onions Without Sugar recipe is made with spices high in antioxidants and other healthful nutrients that may promote longevity.

Nutrition

Calories: 11kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.3mg

This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.