Easy Mexican Red Pickled Onion

I know you are going to love my best red pickled onions recipe. This 2-ingredient recipe (plus seasoning) is incredibly tasty! The best bit is how surprisingly different the pickled red onions taste and they only take minutes to make!

Quick Pickled Red Onions

I have been making this recipe for years, decades even. These are a little different to the traditional British-style pickled onions recipe. They are quick and easy with no boiling or cooking required.

Quick pickled red onions in lime juice are the perfect accompanying side dish for Mexican cuisine. But, not only that they team perfectly with all salads, burgers, eggs and more. I use them for all meals including breakfast dishes.

Why You Will LOVE this Recipe

1. It’s so tasty. These quick Mexican pickled red onions are far from the old pickled onions I ate as a kid. This is a no sugar low carb recipe.
2. Quick and Easy. Just two main ingredients and all you need to do is slice, mix and chill them.
3. NO cooking needed. This is a no-cook pickle recipe. Yay!

You really only need to ingredients in this super low carb and keto friendly onion recipe. This is a sugar free pickle recipe. Sugar or sweetener is just not needed for either the pickling process or flavour in this recipe.

Red onions – aka Spanish onions are perfect for this recipe. I use fresh red onions for pickling not frozen. You can use white onion if you prefer.

Lime juice – I prefer lime juice over apple cider vinegar for pickled onions. You can however use apple cider vinegar if you prefer. It does make the red onions more bitter and vinegary but if that is what you would prefer go for it. ACV will also lower the carbs a little.

Seasoning – salt flakes, black pepper or red pepper flakes are perfect for this quick pickle recipe.

Step 1. Peel and slice the red onions. Place them into a glass bowl or directly into a mason jar to store them in.

Step 2. Cover with lime juice and seasoning. Mix to combine or pop the lid on the jar and shake to combine. Chill for 20-30 minutes before using the sweet pickled onions on your favourite tacos, burgers, salad or comfort food. Served here with our delicious Savoury Mince recipe.

Pickled Red Onion Variations

There are loads of easy ways to make simple onion pickles. For me, this is the best pickled red onions because it is quick. A true “quickle” recipe.

If you only have white or brown onion you can still make it. I would recommend adding a little sweetener as those onions are not so sweet in flavour.

Korean Pickled Onions – add a little soy or coconut aminos and chillies (to taste)

Asian Pickled Red Onions – swap the lime juice for rice wine vinegar. Add 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced ginger too. (These are super delicious).

Ranch Pickled Onions – Oh yeah baby! Add two teaspoons of our Ranch Seasoning and that is all you need! Maybe even add some sliced dill pickle for some extra yumminess!

Frequently Asked Questions

Mexican Red Pickled Onions

Zesty, tangy, easy and delicious Red Pickled Onions! A simple, and very quick pickle that can elevate any dish!

5 from 82 votes!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time: 1 minute min

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 21 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan

Recipe Category: Low Carb

Calories: 9kcal

Author: Megan Ellam

Servings: 8 serves

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 (1) red onion thinly sliced
• ▢ 0.5 cup (0.5 cup) lime juice approx. 5-6 limes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt flakes

Instructions

CONVENTIONAL METHOD

• Place all ingredients into a large jar and shake to combine.

THERMAL METHOD

• Place all ingredients into the mixer; mix 30 sec/ reverse/speed 1. Transfer to a jar and cover with lid. Chill for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Notes

This recipe yields approximately 8-10 servings. The actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. 

To calculate the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe by 8-10. The result will be the weight of one serving. 

Nutritional values shown are guidelines only. They are for 1 serving using the ingredients listed. 

Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. Metal can be reactive to the acid in the lime. Add more onion to the pickle juice if needed as you use them. 

Instead of lime you can substitute lemon juice or a pickle juice brine from any dill pickles or pickled chillies for added flavour.

The recipe card instructions contain the most basic of steps and list of ingredients. If you have any queries, questions or are unsure of substitutions, please scroll up to the blog post for more information.

Mexican pickled onions a little goes a long way. Remember that onion carbs can really stack up so use sparingly as a garnish and flavour boost to your meal.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1serve | Calories: 9kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg | Magnesium: 3mg | Net Carbs: 2g

Tried this recipe?Mention @meganellam or tag #madcreations!

Megan Ellam is an Australian keto recipes blogger and author of amazing keto cookbooks such as Keto Mojo, Slow Cook Keto, Keto Loco, The Healthy Family Keto Cookbook and Every Day Keto.

Megan has been following a ketogenic diet since being diagnosed with insulin resistance in early 2017.