You’ll always find a jar filled with quick cebollas curtidas, Mexican pickled onions in my fridge. It is a staple in my home, and we use it on tacos, salads, soups, tortas, sandwiches, and soups. We use them everywhere! They are a great condiment.
Fall in love with these Mexican pickled onion recipe
Having a jar of these quick Mexican pickled onions is total peace of mind. These pickled red onions have the power to transform every dish.
They transform it giving great texture, flavor-wise and visually. Great on tacos, salads, or as an accompaniment to any dish!
When preparing lunch for myself, I add some quinoa or rice in a bowl, some beans or lentils, greens, some dressing, half an avocado, and top it all with onion slices. And… BAM!!! Without any effort, I have a magical and fantastic lunch.
Benefits of red pickled onions
You may ask yourself, is eating pickled onions good for you? Of course! They are full of probiotics and digestive enzymes, critical for maintaining gut health.
How to make Mexican pickled red onions?
- Slice red onions into thin rounds.
- Boil water, vinegar and spices: Mexican oregano, bay leaf, black peppercorn, salt and white vinegar.
- When the water is boiling, turn the heat off and add the sliced red onion until they’re submerged in liquid and let them cool.
- When the onions are completely cooled down, strain them and put them in a jar or glass container.
- Pour the lime juice, taste for seasoning. Adjust if needed with salt.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use. Enjoy.
Tips and tricks to make the best Mexican pickled onions
- Best material cookware. Use a glass container to store these Mexican pickled onions. Also, it is best to use stainless steel, ceramic, or glass bowls to make them. This recipe has a lot of acids that could make other materials breech.
- How to store? Store these pickled red onions in the refrigerator
- Vinegar substitutions. If you don’t have any white vinegar, you can also use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar (affiliate link), or another mild vinegar
- I love to use a Mexican lime/lemon squeezer. It is super effective in getting all the juice out; it also gets some oils and great flavors from the peel.
- Wait at least 30 minutes before serving them.
- In some states in Mexico, they use white onion for this condiment. Use what you have on hand.
How long do pickled onions last?
Anywhere from 2-4 weeks when properly refrigerated. See above.
how to use this pickled red onions Mexican condiment?
- They are the BEST on top of SOPES (here is a complete post on how to make
sopes ) - You could finish enchiladas with them.
- Put them on your favorite tostadas.
- They go great with these awesome vegan nachos.
- Or, if you want just a quick salad for lunch or dinner, you can always do a quick bowl with rice, beans, greens, a yummy dressing, and these onions.
- If you liked this pickles recipe, check out my Mexican Pickled Jalapeños
- They also go great as burger toppers.
- These quick pickled red onions are a must for cochinita pibil tacos, tacos dorados Sinaloa style, and many more authentic Mexican dishes. In Spanish they are called cebollas encurtidas or cebollas en vinagre.
- If you want more taste from the herbs, you can lightly toast them on a grill or saucepan.
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Mexican pickled red onions
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 bay leave
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 red onions medium-sized, thinly sliced
- 1-2 limes juice
Instructions
- Boil the water with the vinegar, bay leaf, pinch of salt and oregano. When the water is boiling vigorously, turn it off and add the onions.
- Let it cool completely and strain.
- Add the onion into a jar or other glass container and finish with the juice of a lime and a pinch of salt. It should be a bit salty and with a good punch of the lime juice at the end.
- Taste or seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Video
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I have a Profesional Certification in vegan cooking; in the world of cooking based on vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes… in clean, organic and vegan food.
My cookbook is called Yo Cocino Latino..
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I agree, they are good on EVERYTHING!!
I love pickled onions with everything! Even sweet plantains Ale!
I love this vegan option for adding flavor to the food. And also so easy to make!
So I have a question: Mexican oregano. If you go to a Mexican grocery store, is it just labeled “oregano”?
So sorry for the late response. You can find Mexican oregano in all grocery stores, but if you have oregano at-home, use that one. Mexican oregano is a bit stronger than the regular one, so maybe add 1/4 teaspoon more if your oregano isn’t strong enough.
Girl. These are soooo good!! I made them probiotic, healthier, and easier. LACTO FERMENTED. YUM!! So Instead of the vinegar, I filled it up with water to cover and weighed it. The weight of the onion recipe and the water x .02 equals the amount in grams of salt that you add to the water, making a brine. Sat it on my countertop to ferment for a week. Probiotic and so delicious!
SO good!! The best flavor, plus you can eat a lot of it and not get all the onion breath! I put so much of them onto the top of my sopes that I just made.
One thing: Mexican oregano. This was before I read your kind response below. I went to the supermercado and found “oregano” there. Was that just regular oregano or Mexican? I didn’t know so I just substituted marjoram and it was wonderful.
Thank you!
Can’t wait to make your version! Sounds so good!