Pickled Onions (Vinegar Onion)
Pickled Onions is a tangy accompaniment that is very common in all North Indian restaurants across India. Basically, these small, pink or red onions go great with Punjabi, Mughlai food or any rich dish as they tone down the robustness and make the food tastier. This is my recipe of the beautiful and flavorsome Vinegar Onion.
About Pickled Onions
Vinegar in Hindi is ‘sirka’ and onion is ‘pyaaz.’ Thus, the Vinegar Onion or Pickled Onions in India is commonly referred to as Sirke Wale Pyaaz.
This recipe is a quick way of preparing a batch of restaurant style Vinegar Onion or Pickled Red Onions at home.
Pickled Onions, Onion Salad and Mint Chutney usually go hand in hand, and are served together at most of the Indian restaurants.
People love this combination and often ask for it too. Like pickles, these vinegar onions are basically served complimentary with the main course dishes.
The onions are very sour if you use a lot of vinegar. I have learnt how to make these Pickled Red Onions from my MIL and she always advises not to use too much vinegar.
Also, there’s no need to cover the onions completely with the vinegar-water solution. Shake the jar 2 to 3 times a day till it is ready.
Why This Recipe Works
This Pickled Onions recipe is not only delectable, but is beautiful too. Ideally made with small red onions, but shallots or pearl onions can also be used. In the absence of red onions, a small piece of beetroot is added to get the crimson red hue.
The onions are steeped in a vinegar solution and kept for 2 to 3 days. They soften while developing a lovely taste of vinegar in them, and lose their pungency too. Eventually, you have sour onions, but also with a light inherent sweet flavor.
This Pickled Red Onions recipe doesn’t take much time in its preparation. It is ready to be consumed after 2 to 3 days, post which you can refrigerate to make it last longer. However, the more you let the onions sit in the solution, the tastier they become.
Sirke Wale Pyaaz or Vinegar Onion is best enjoyed with Tandoori snacks or rich Indian curries like Paneer Butter Masala, Kadai Paneer, Dal Makhani and more.
These also taste yum with Dal Tadka or Dal Fry served with Jeera Rice or Saffron Rice. You can use these Vinegar Onions as a tangy, zingy filling for burgers, sandwiches, tacos and pita breads too.
How to make Pickled Onions
Prep Onions
1. Peel 15 to 20 small red onions or shallots or pearl onions. You can also use regular red onions. But do slice them in rounds before soaking them in the vinegar.
2. Rinse the peeled onions in water and drain them very well.
3. Place all the onions in a glass jar, ceramic jar or any other non-reactive jar. Kindly do not use steel jar or plastic jar as the vinegar may react with these.
Make Vinegar Solution
4. In a bowl, add 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup of clean filtered water.
Note that if the small onions are larger in size, then increase the amount of vinegar and water. Or you can use half a portion of these kind of onions to use the vinegar and water proportions mentioned in the recipe.
5. Then, add ¾ teaspoon salt or according to taste.
6. Mix very well.
Make Vinegar Onion
7. Pour the vinegar mixture in the jar containing the onions. Alternatively, you can add vinegar, water and salt directly in the jar.
8. Shake the bottle or jar. Cover and seal the jar with its lid.
Let the onion sit in the vinegar solution for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
9. Shake the bottle or jar 2 to 3 times a day.
10. After 2 to 3 days, once the onions are pickled, keep the jar in the refrigerator covered and sealed with its lid.
Serve the Pickled Onions or Vinegar Onion with any North Indian main course dish like matar paneer, aloo paneer, kadai mushroom, chole masala or dal makhani.
What is Pickling
Pickling is not just a phenomenon of the modern world, but one of the most oldest forms of preserving the shelf life of foods or soaking foods in solutions to prevent spoilage. These Pickled Onions are an Indian favorite.
From Indian fruit and vegetable pickles to the American pickles made in brine, the Japanese pickles made with miso and the healthy Korean kimchi and more; the science of pickling is truly gobal.
Pickles are majorly classified under 2 broad categories:
- First, where food items are preserved in strong acidic solutions like that of vinegar, which inhibit the survival of few bacteria.
- Second, where food items are preserved in brine (solution of water and salt), which aids in the growth of ‘good bacteria.’
Not just a food preservation technique, pickling also alters the aroma, taste, flavor and texture of the ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Generally, small onions, pearl onions or shallots are used for this Pickled Onions recipe as these are not too strong and blend well with the vinegar.
- Before using the onions for this recipe, make sure to rinse and drain the peeled onions well.
- The longer you rest the onions in the vinegar, the better the liquid will seep in. Make sure to let the onions sit in the vinegar solution for about 2 to 3 days before consuming.
- Using a ceramic jar to store the Sirke Wale Pyaaz is always a better option. If you don’t have one, make sure to use a jar that’s non-reactive to the vinegar solution.
- Shake the bottle 2 to 3 times a day so that the vinegar solution gets mingled well.
- You can store Pickled Red Onions in the refrigerator for about a week.
- You can also add chilies, ginger and some spices to enhance the flavor of this Vinegar Onion.
- If one batch of Vinegar Onions get over, you can add more onions to the same vinegar solution till it is used up completely.
FAQs
What is the effect of vinegar on onions?
Soaking the onions in a solution of vinegar softens the onions and imparts a pleasantly tart flavor to them. This, when accompanied with robust gravies or dishes, cuts down on the richness and makes the food more palatable.
What type of onions are used to make this pickled onion recipe?
It is best to use small red onions to get a naturally red colour in this recipe. If you don’t have them, you can also use regular small onions, shallots or even pearl onions to prepare this Sirke Wale Pyaaz.
How do I get a red color in my Vinegar Onion?
The red color is naturally due to the use of small red onions. However, if you don’t have them, add a small piece of beetroot to get the red color.
How soon can I consume these Pickled Onions?
You must soak the onions in the vinegar solution for about 2 to 3 days before consuming. During that time, keep shaking the bottle 2 to 3 times a day so that the solution mingles well with the onions.
What is the shelf-life of this pickled onions recipe?
You can refrigerate the Sirke Wale Pyaaz to keep them good for a week. If the onions are over, keep adding more onions to the leftover liquid till all of the solution is used up.
Can I add other ingredients along with the onions in the vinegar solution?
Yes, you can add ginger, chilies and some spices other than the onions or along with them.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 15 to 20 small red onions or 8 to 10 shallots or pearl onions
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water – filtered
- ¾ teaspoon salt or add as required
Instructions
- Peel small red onions or shallots or pearl onions.
- Rinse the peeled red onions in water and drain them very well.
- Place all the onions in a glass jar, ceramic jar or any other non-reactive jar.
- Add the vinegar, water and salt to the onions. Alternatively, you can mix vinegar, water and salt in a bowl, then add this mixture to the onions.
- Shake the bottle. Seal the jar with its lid.
- Let the onions sit in the vinegar solution for 2 to 3 days.
- Shake the bottle 2 to 3 times a day.
- Refrigerate after the onions are pickled. Keep the jar in the refrigerator. Ensure that the jar is always sealed and closed with its lid when refrigerating.
- Serve the Pickled Onions with any rich Indian dish.
Notes
- If you use regular onions, then slice them in rounds before pickling.
- Use fresh onions to get the best flavor and taste.
- The recipe can be scaled to make a large batch.
Nutrition
This Pickled Onions post from the blog archives first published in June 2013 has been republished and updated on 15 April 2022.
Only 1 teaspoon of vinegar?
Yes for ¼ cup of water. This recipe makes a small batch.
Too great described recipe. Once will try.
Thanks and I hope you like it.
Should we keep it covered in airtight jar…just after making it?
Keep the jar air-tight and covered at all times after you add the vinegar and even after the onions are pickled.
How long do they stay crunchy?
they have crunch till they are over. they do not soften like cooked onions.
Hi
I love your recipes and have been using them for my even everyday cooking. Can I put pieces of beetroot too for color and for eating?
yes of course you can add small pieces of beetroot. they taste good too.
Hey .. is there any option to make it instantly??
juhi, I don’t know any such method.
Hi Dasana,
Love your recipes !! Just had a quick question, Is white vinegar all right to consume?
Thanks Antora. you are not consuming the white vinegar directly. You are having onions which have absorbed the flavor of the vinegar. these pickled onions are very common in north indian restaurants. Don’t drink the vinegar, only have the onions. Instead of white vinegar you can also use apple cider vinegar.
Once we finish the onions can we reuse the vinegar left in the jar?
yes you can use the vinegar.
Thank you very much for all your recipies. They are really hit with my husband as he finds my cooking skills to be improving. Thank you very much once again.
welcome always smruti 🙂 and glad to know your hubby liked them too.
Hi there,
I used to live in dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) and there is a nice restaurant called the Mid-Town. I take my family to the restaurant every weekend, either for lunch or for dinner. They used to serve a special sour and spiced onion pickle which was just great. Now I moved to New York and I have always been thinking about this pickled onion. And guess what luckily I came across this website and Lo!!! I see the pickled onion again. What a pleasant reunion. And I immediately got down to making this pickled onion by following your recipe. And I am glad I know the name too…Sirke wale pyaaz….what a name..and thank you so much Dassana ji. I am also looking at your daal makhani and my mouth is already watering. I will rate and this recipe after I taste the one I tried to make. But one question though….do I refrigerate the pickled onion immediately after I added all the ingredients or after sometime? Thanks a zillion. Dhanyawaad!!!!!??
welcome tenzin. glad to know this. you can refrigerate immediately. they go well with many north indian dishes.
It’s a nice recipe.
Hi,
Can the ordinary onions be cut into chunks and pickled in this manner? I cant get any small onions where I live and I really want to try this!
the regular onions will give a different taste and can be sharp too. but still you can try.
Hi Dassana! Thanks for yet another wonderful recipe! I want to make this pickled onion. I live in mumbai. I want to know if there is any name for these small red onions so that I can ask the vendor. Also is vinegar absolutely necessary? Or will lemon juice do the same work?
welcome sathya. vinegar is essential. you just see if you can get small onions. there is no particular name. you can even make with shallots. these are small onions but not the sambar onions.
Thank you Dassana. Will try and get small onions
welcome sathya
Lovely presentation 🙂
I wonder which type of vinegar to be used for pickling,apple cider or malt or white one..
Thanks
you can use apple cider or the regular white vinegar. malt vinegar can be very strong.
I have one question, after 3 days of soaking, do I remove the vinegar water from the bottle before refrigerating?
kan, no need to remove the vinegar.
I always wanted to learn this.What’s the shelf life of these onions!
Btw I love your site I always hop to this site if I in need of recipes. You are doing great job!
prachi, better to store in fridge and stay good for a week. shelf life also depends upon climate condition in your city. so can not generalize. in room condition it will only stay good for 1-2 days.
I sometimes add a piece of purple plum to add red color to the onion. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for the tip anna. its a good one.
this site is amazing
really works
i try lots of receipe n get good taste
thanks dimple
Hi, this recipe is very useful, thanks. We love these onions! One question- can the solution of vinegar-water be used again for second or third time to marinate more of these onions?
i don’t think the vinegar water solution can be used again.
I usually use the vinegar mixture in a Chinese dish where onion is already present. Also great site, it is my goto resource for cooking as a grad student.
thanks akshat for sharing your suggestion. thats a good tip. usually i never use but will start using now onward.
Sounds funny but seriously I can eat the whole jar of this. Love onions with my Indian food.
we often make this pickle in summers..tastes great..
My husband loves sirke wale pyaaz. In fact that’s the only thing he enters in the kitchen to make. But now since he has stopped doing even that, I have to take the charge. Thanks for reminding me how easy they are and I shouldn’t be lazy!
I thought that pickled onions are immersed completely in vinegar. but as per ur recipe it is 1 tsp vinegar to ¼ cup water. Hope there has not been an error. Please confirm.
the recipe is right ruchika. i generally don’t immerse them completely in vinegar. in fact, for the amount of small onions mentioned here, the water-vinegar solution was just covering about ¼ of the jar from the bottom. too much vinegar makes the onions very sour.
i was wondering how cum pink color in onion ! every time when i have this onion 🙂 its because of vinegar 🙂 my favorite ! i use to dip it in the kebab chutney and taste ! yummy !
i love them too. never thought of making them at home though! 🙂