Name: Sous Vide Pickled Onions
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup red wine vinegar; 1/2 cup water; 2 t salt; 1 t sugar; 1 T pickling spice mix

Making sous vide pickled onions is faster than making a refrigerator pickled onions. Precision temperature in a short amount of time will produce a crisp, flavorful pickled onion.

These would be delicious added to a cheese board as a compliment or as a topping for a black bean burger. Don’t underestimate the deliciousness of pickled onions when added as a topping for pulled pork, pulled chicken or roast beef. Another recipe that you are going to want to try is my sous vide pickled banana pepper recipe. Be sure to check out my complete collection of sous vide recipes.

How do you pickle onions quickly?

I found the way to pickle onions quickly is with sous vide cooking. In less than 30 minutes you can have crisp, flavorful, pickled onions. New to sous vide? I explain in simple terms everything I know about sous vide cooking.

How long will pickled onions last?

Stored in the refrigerator, these pickled onions will last for a minimum of 6 months.

How do you make sliced pickled onions?

Sliced picked onions are made by thinly slicing an onion. I prefer a red onion but a vidalia sweet onion could be a good alternative. Together with vinegar, salt, sugar and spices, the onions marinade in the brine and become preserved.

Should you keep pickled onions in the fridge?

These pickled onions are not shelf stable and should be kept in the refrigerator.

What spices to use in pickled onions?

I am using a premixed pickling spice for this recipe but spices that would be delicious in a pickled onion would be peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaves, allspice, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. It is personal preference as to the combination of pickling spices so play around with it and have fun with your flavors.

A simple pickling spice mix

If you are in need of a simple picking spice mix with out having to buy a premixed jar, try this combination:

10 peppercorns
2tsp mustard seeds
1tsp coriander seeds
2 bay leaves

What other food items are popular for pickling?

Onions are popular for picking but you are also going to want to try your hand at pickling cucumbers, pearl onions, cauliflower, baby corn, watermelon rind and green beans.

What do pickled onions taste like?

In my opinion pickled onions do not taste like a raw onion. They are crips but not hard in texture, have and acidic bite to the with an after taste of sweetness. Depending on the spices used, there will be notes of those spices.

Pickled Onion Ingredients

red onion, thinly sliced
red wine vinegar
water
salt
sugar
pickling spice mix

Sous Vide Pickled Onions in a sous vide bath

How to sous vide pickled onions

In a zip top bag, add the red wine vinegar, water, pickling spice mix, salt and sugar.
Place the bag in the water of your sous vide using the water displacement method.
Heat your sous vide to 180ºF (82ºC).
While the sous vide is heating, slice your red onion thinly or to your desired thickness.
Once your water comes to temperature, agitate the liquid contents of the bag to be sure that the salt and sugar have dissolved.
Add the sliced onion to the bag and re-submerge the bag using the water displacement method. Secure the bag to the side of the pot with a clip.
Cook for 25 minutes.
Remove from the water bath and shock (stop the cooking) the onions in an ice bath.
Store the pickled onions in their brine, in a closed container.

Yield: 1 cup