How Long Should You Pickle Onions For Maximum Flavor?

Pickled red onions are the perfect delicious and crunchy bite to have on hand in the fridge for all of your topping needs — whether you want to elevate your morning eggs or slap them on a sandwich. Like other pickled foods, the longer you can let the onions marinate in the brine and pickle, the more intense and developed the flavor will be. If you don't have lots of time to spare and would like to eat your pickled onions right away, you can still enjoy them with a quick pickling method.

Once a vibrant pink color develops in your pickled onions, you'll know they're absorbing all the wonderful flavor from your pickle brine. For a quick pickling method, you'll need to wait around 30 minutes to taste the desired flavors. A slower pickling method will take around three days for maximum flavors to develop. Whether you choose to go with a slow or quick pickling method, there are important steps to follow when preparing your onions to make sure they develop maximum richness of flavor. 

To allow your onions to develop complex flavors with depth and nuance, a slow pickling method is your best bet. The ingredients you choose to add to your brine are instrumental in making your pickled onions pop. A typical red onion pickle brine consists of red wine vinegar, coarse salt, sugar, and water, which all help bring the zingy and sweet characteristics of a pickled onion crunch. 

A slow pickling method will also help preserve the crunch of your onions. Prime your onions for the brine by pre-soaking your onions in a bowl of salt water for one hour, which will help soften the harsh bite of the onions. In the meantime, boil your brine so that all of the flavors of your ingredients can infuse together, and then allow it to cool completely. Drain and rinse the onions when they're done soaking, and then combine the onions and brine into a tightly sealed jar and place it into the fridge. In three days, you'll be able to enjoy crunchy pickled onions that have maximum depth of flavor. 

You can always substitute your red onion for a sweet onion if you prefer a milder pickled taste. Red wine vinegar can also be swapped for apple cider vinegar for a more fruit-forward brine. Whole spices like cloves of garlic, coriander seeds, and fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary will make for a pungent pickled onion. Note that these substitutions don't necessarily lengthen or shorten the amount of time it takes to pickle the onions. However, the more complex you make your brine, the more amount of time you'll want to give the onions to marinate in all those flavor notes.

If you don't have three days to wait for flavors to meld, you can create zesty pickled onions in just 30 minutes with a quicker pickling method. An important factor to consider if you're on a time crunch is how thinly or thickly you slice your onions. Hint: The thinner they are, the more quickly they pickle! So, if you want a high amount of flavor in a short amount of time, opt for thinner sliced onions. Break out the handy mandoline, or slice your onions carefully using a sharp chef's knife. Another great hack for pickling onions in a pinch is to heat your onions along with your brine. Bring your pickling brine ingredients to a boil on the stovetop, add in your sliced onions, and cook them over low heat until they begin to soften. Softening the onions is a quicker way to prepare them for flavor absorption than the previously mentioned salt water soak method.

Once softened, allow the onions to cool, and then pour the brine and onions into a jar and let the mixture marinate in the refrigerator. These quick-pickled onions should develop maximum flavor within 30 minutes, or as soon as the mixture has cooled. How long your pickled onions last will depend on how you store them, but you can generally keep quick-pickled onions in the refrigerator for about three to four weeks, and slow-pickled onions for two months. After this window, your pickled onions are still safe to consume, but you may find they've become too vinegary and overpowering. While both quick and slow pickling methods are effective in delivering a powerful bite, the slower route will yield more nuanced flavors and greater structural integrity of the onions.