Pickled onions are so simple to make at home and taste way better than those you can buy in the supermarkets. Scroll down for my full proof recipe.
A Christmas classic
Pickles are always present on our Christmas buffet table. Just the sight of a jar of picked onions or pickled gherkins gets me thinking of leftover cold turkey and half drunk glasses of sherry sat next to a festive roaring fire.
I'm sure we're not the only family across the UK that has that giant jar of sweet pickled onions waiting to be cracked open on Christmas afternoon, or perhaps Boxing Day when aunts, uncles, grandparents and other more obscure family members all show up for a big Christmas buffet.
With so many store cupboard staples it's easy to resign yourself to picking up the same old jar off the supermarket shelf but I vouched this year that I wouldn't fall into this trap. Pickles are so easy to make at home that you'd be crazy not to give it a go.
For those of you not so familiar with this particular type of pickle, the onions are both sharp and sweet making your taste buds really wake up and come alive. It is also this combination of sweet and sour that also makes them perfect for cutting through the rich turkey meat and creamy Christmas cheese that is found at Christmas parties.
So I've convinced you they're good and that you should make your own, but how do you actually do it?
Well, pickled onions are incredibly easy to make. With just 4 ingredients, roughly 25mins prep time and a salty bath for the shallots overnight you end up with a classic Christmas food without breaking out into a sweat. You really can't get this wrong.
The key to perfect pickled onions
Onions
The first ingredient you will need is the little onions. You can either use baby onions or shallots. Shallots give a sweeter taste but either are fine. My family recipe also includes honey (that will be ingredient number 4...) so if you can only get hold of baby onions they will still taste delicious!
You can try and find the nicest, roundest most perfect looking pickled onions but you know what...you won't be able to fit as many in a jar! This is another reason why I love shallots, you can cram even more in! Greedy, I know...
Vinegar
The second most important ingredient in all of this is the vinegar. Pickling is the process of preserving food using vinegar and that's exactly what we are doing here.
To get the best flavour in your pickled onions use a malt vinegar, rather than the clear stuff.
Salt
You may wonder why the onions are left in a brine overnight if we are going to pickle them with vinegar anyway? Well , there is a good reason I promise. By soaking the onions in salty water you make sure that the onions retain that crisp bite. To make sure they stay this way it's also important to let your vinegar and honey cool down before pouring into the jars.
Sugar and spice
You can use any combination of pickling spices you like. Most supermarkets sell their own blend but I always include bay leaves, peppercorns, coriander seeds and mushroom seeds!
Last but not least you're going to need some honey. This is purely to sweeten the finished product. If you use baby onions rather than shallots I would add a little extra honey but it really is up to you! If you follow a plant based diet you can swap the honey for another liquid sugar of your choosing.
Now that I've explained the ingredients you need. Here's my family recipe.
The recipe
Pickled Onions
Equipment
- 1 litre jar
Ingredients
- 500 grams shallots
- 500 millilitres malt vinegar
- 50 grams salt
- 1 tablespoon honey or vegan alternative such as agave
- 4 tablespoon pickling spice
Instructions
- Begin by peeling the shallots and trimming the roots, discarding any inedible skins and tough pieces.
- Place in a large bowl and pour over the water and salt. Give the mix a good stir helping the water to dissolve and leave the shallots in the brine overnight.
- After leaving the shallots to soak, drain them and rinse them well before patting dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen roll.
- Sterilize your jar by washing in warm soapy water and placing in an oven on a low heat until completely dry.
- Whilst sterilizing the jars warm the vinegar in a pan along with the honey until the honey has dissolved. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before moving on to the next step.
- Once the jars have dried immediately pack the shallots into the jars and cover with the cool vinegar mixture.
- Seal the jars and store in your cupboard ready for Christmas.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
So there you have it - with this simple pickled onion recipe you will never want to buy shop bought again. Why not make multiple jars and share them with all your friends and family? They go really well in a Christmas hamper or served alongside a cheese board.
More pickle recipes
Do you make pickled onions at home? Perhaps you've experimented with flavoured vinegars and herbs. I'd love to hear in the comments.
Robby Nimmo says
it is great that you are cooking so young.- that's inspiring in this tech world.
My mum was a working mum and my sisters who were older were not great in the kitchen.
I started cooking young and have not looked back.
It's a great passion to share with family.and friends, and I am sure everyone is looking forward to your home made Xmas gifts.
I am doing same this year,it is a couple of years since I have done pickled onions, so googled around and found your recipe.
efwalt says
Hi Robby fantastic to hear from you. I cant agree more! More young people should cook - I am very much the odd one out in my circle of friends! Im sure your loved ones will enjoy their gifts too! Do let me know what you decide to make.
Robby Nimmo says
And at the risk of being a pain, how best to get your recipe in a cut and paste format so that I can print it out and cook.
I don't trust my lap top in my galley- not a neat cook.
Many thanks,
efwalt says
Haha I dont take my laptop near the kitchen easier...it might get a bit sticky! You should be able to copy and paste it from within that box. Let me know if you get stuck.
Robby Nimmo says
This year, I did pink grapefruit marmalade instead. Some years I do this as a gift, a bout 50 jars.
efwalt says
Wow pink grapefruit marmalade! That sounds amazing. Do you have a recipe you could share? X
Jane Aldridge says
I made Clementine Chilli Jam. Lovely with cheese and salads.
I always make my own pickled onions and send some out to my brother in Oz for Christmas with some favourite chutneys. Also a family recipe for Xmas pudding carried down through the generations. Will be extra meaningful this year as we sadly lost my Mum in June and she was a marvellous cook.
Wendy says
Great recipe, but how long do you soak in water?
Emma says
Hi Wendy, the recipe says overnight ideally but you could get away with doing it for as little as 6 hours. Hope that helps.