This quick and healthy red onion and lime pickles recipe instantly adds a burst of tangy flavour to your meals. They are incredibly easy to prepare and can be enjoyed in next to no time.
Plus, the dazzling pink hue will make your meals look simply amazing, your friends will be so impressed that you made these yourself!
These pretty pink pickles work fantastically with mexican flavours, why not combine with some shredded chicken coated with my homemade chicken taco seasoning recipe to create some delicious tacos!
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? Ingredients
- Red Onions: Red onions lend their vibrant colour and a mild, sweet flavour to these pickles.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This vinegar is a candida diet superfood and provides a delightful tanginess to the brine. Read more about the benefits of consuming apple cider vinegar on a candida diet.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds zesty citrus notes to the pickles.
- Salt: Salt enhances the overall flavour and aids in the pickling process.
- Black Peppercorns: These bring a hint of peppery warmth to the pickling liquid.
- Granulated Xylitol (Optional): Xylitol offers sweetness, but it's optional, so you can adjust the pickles' sweetness to your preference. The level I use in the recipe is enough to offset any bitterness but will not result in a sweet pickle.
See recipe card for quantities.
? Instructions
1. Thinly slice red onions. The thickness of the onion will determine the final crunch. Thicker slices will result in a crunchier pickle.
2. Thoroughly clean a glass jar with a capacity of approximately 600ml (21 fl oz). Add the sliced red onion.
3. Prepare the brine by adding the apple cider vinegar, water, lime juice, salt, xylitol, and peppercorns to a stainless-steel pan. Heat the brine on a low-medium heat, while stirring in order to dissolve the salt and xylitol. Once dissolved, take off the heat.
4. Pour the still hot brine over the onions in the jar and secure with an airtight lid. Ensure that the onions are completely submerged. Allow the pickles to cool down to room temperature before refrigerating the jar.
Enjoy your pickles in as little as an hour, but preferably leave overnight to let the flavours develop for even tastier pickles. In this time, your pickles will also transform from dull brown to bright pink.
Hint: double-check that your jar holds the adequate volume to hold your onions and the liquid!
? Substitutions
Of course, you can use white onions instead of red, but you won’t get to enjoy the same vibrant pink colour.
⚖️ Variations
The flavour possibilities of homemade pickles are simply endless. Here is a list of a number of aromatics that you can experiment with until you find your own favourite combination:
- Whole clove
- Various whole peppercorns
- Cinnamon sticks
- Bay leaf
- Coriander seeds
- Mustard seeds
- Allspice
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh dill
- Juniper berries
- Celery seed
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh ginger
You also don't have to stop at pickling onions, why not try one of the following vegetables that also love a good pickling:
- Radish
- Fennel
- Cherry tomatoes
- Bell pepper
- Green beans
- Cauliflower florets
- Courgette
- Cucumber
? Serving Suggestions
Get the most out of your batch of homemade red onion and lime pickles recipe by adding to salads, burgers, sandwiches and tacos.
The acid profile of these pickled onions also work brilliantly alongside fish such as tinned sardines or mackerel as well as tuna.
? Equipment
It's important to always use a stainless-steel pan when making these pickles, this is because vinegar can react with certain metals on contact, causing your pickles to taste metallic.
Also, always store your pickles in a glass or ceramic jar instead of plastic.
Finally, when serving yourself the pickles, do not leave the metal utensils sitting in the jar for prolonged periods.
? Storage
Please note that these are quick refrigerator pickles and not preserved pickles, therefore, they are not shelf stable at room temperature.
Although these pickles can usually last for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, I would recommend aiming to consume them within 1 week to be on the safe side, especially while following a Candida diet. This is to prevent any development of, and thus exposure to harmful bacteria.
✨ Top Tip
To make the pickles stay fresher for longer, practice good hygiene such as not double-dipping your utensils, and not leaving them out of the refrigerator for extended periods.
❓ FAQ
No, these are quick pickles and therefore must be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within one week. See Storage notes above for further details.
Heating the vinegar and water mixture first is required to dissolve the salt and xylitol - otherwise it will just sink to the bottom! Heating the vinegar also helps to infuse the pickles more evenly with flavour.
Pairing
These are my favourite dishes to serve with this red onion and lime pickles recipe:
Quick and Healthy Red Onion and Lime Pickles Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Glass jar with lid approx 600ml (21 fl oz)
Ingredients
- 2 red onions
- 120 ml apple cider vinegar
- 120 ml water
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated xylitol optional
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice two red onions and place them into a clean glass jar with an airtight lid.
- In a stainless-steel saucepan, add the apple cider vinegar, water, lime juice, salt, xylitol (if using), and peppercorns.
- Bring the liquid to a simmer and stir for 1-2 minutes to infuse the brine and fully dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Pour the still-hot brine over the sliced onions, cover loosely with the lid, and leave at room temperature to cool down. Once cool, fasten the lid and store it in the refrigerator to chill fully.
- The pickles can be eaten after as little as 1 hour, however, the flavour will continue to develop and improve with time and will taste their best after 1 day.
Notes
Last step! If you make this recipe, will you do me a huge favour and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review letting me know what you thought? It really helps! Thanks for your support!!
Disclaimer: Nutritional info is approximate and for general guidance only. Unit conversions are automatically generated and may not be accurate.
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