Hot Honey Pickled Red Onions (Printable)
Sweet, tangy onions with a kick of heat from hot honey. Ideal topping for tacos, burgers, and sandwiches.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
→ Brine
02 - 1 cup apple cider vinegar
03 - 1/2 cup water
04 - 2 tablespoons hot honey (or honey plus 1/2–1 teaspoon hot sauce)
05 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
06 - 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
→ Spices & Aromatics
07 - 1 garlic clove, sliced
08 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
09 - 5 whole black peppercorns
# Directions:
01 - Pack the sliced red onions into a clean, heatproof 2-cup jar. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns.
02 - In a small saucepan, combine apple cider vinegar, water, hot honey, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve.
03 - Pour the hot brine over the onions in the jar, ensuring they're fully submerged. Press down with a spoon if needed.
04 - Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. For best flavor, marinate overnight.
05 - Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- These onions transform even the simplest weeknight dinner into something that feels like a restaurant meal
- The hot honey adds this mysterious sweet heat that makes people ask whats your secret ingredient
02 -
- Make sure your jar is heatproof before pouring hot liquid in I learned this the hard way with a salsa jar that cracked in half
- The onions are best after at least 24 hours in the fridge when the sweet heat has really permeated every layer
03 -
- A mandoline creates perfectly uniform slices that pickle evenly, but hand-cutting works perfectly fine
- If your onions taste too sharp after the first hour, give them another day the mellowness develops with time