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Pickled Onions

By Chelsea Sugar
Pickled Onions
Makes 3 Litres serving
  • 27 reviews

  • Difficulty Easy
  • Prep time 8 hrs
  • Cooking time 15 mins
  • Serves
    Makes 3 Litres
Ingredients

    1 kg small pickling onions, peeled and left whole
    1/2 cup salt
    5 cups water
    1 litre malt vinegar
    1/2 cup Chelsea White Sugar
    1 tablespoon pickling spice

Method

    Put the onions, salt and water in a large bowl. Cover and stand overnight. Next day, drain the onions and rinse well under cold running water. Pack them into 500 ml sterilised jars. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir over a medium heat as you bring the mixture to the boil. Then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool. Strain the cold vinegar mixture over the onions to cover completely, and seal the jars.

    Tip
    You can customise pickled onions by adding sprigs or herbs, chillies, garlic, cloves or different spices to subtlely change the flavour.

    Makes approximately 3 litres of pickled onions.

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Reviews

Average Rating
4.527
(27 reviews)


I subbed the malt vinegar for white and used a cup of brown sugar and 2 tbsp honey in mine!
Ready to eat 5 weeks....i write date ready to eat on top of jar lid

Don't know who tested this recipe but I only got1ltr plus a small jar, but hopefully will still taste good
Cheers Andy

This picked onion recipe is so easy, thank you.

One of the best pickled onion recipes ever. Nice crunchy onions with good spice flavour

Can you do this hot (hot jars and hot pickling liquid)? So that the heat seals the jar?

Hi Chelsea!

I've just made the pickled onions with 5 cups of water with the vinegar! Recipie is miss leading! Do I just tip it out and start again? Or will it still work with all that water?

Very helpful recipe thanks. How long should the onions stay sealed before it is ready to eat?

Can you leave the spice, and not drain it out?

I did as suggested by one commenter, and omitted the rinsing step, just transferring the onions straight from the salt water to the jars. They turned out perfect - best pickled onions I've ever eaten.

I found pickling spice in Bin Inn, so I can buy just the amount I need.

HI, just wanted to know if comments are now closed for this recipe?
I tried a “review” a few days back with a query and can’t see it here yet. Maybe it was too long, just trying to figure it out.
Many thanks.

Third time trying with my second comment

HI, just wanted to know if comments are now closed for this recipe?
I tried a “review” a few days back with a query and can’t see it here yet. Maybe it was too long, just trying to figure it out.
Many thanks.

HI, just wanted to know if comments are now closed for this recipe?
I tried a “review” a few days back with a query and can’t see it here yet. Maybe it was too long, just trying to figure it out.
Many thanks.

HI, just wanted to know if comments are now closed for this recipe?
I tried a “review” a few days back with a query and can’t see it here yet. Maybe it was too long, just trying to figure it out.
Many thanks.

Great recipe, I swapped the malt vinegar out for white vinegar and used Mrs Rogers pickling spice mx. Looking forward to eating them if I get a chance before my 3 gannets (kids) swoop in and commandeer the lot. Cheers

It's extra work to peel the onions (instead of soaking peel off) and brine them but it's worth it for crispy onions. This recipe makes strong onions - not for the faint-hearted. If you like them extra strong, just keep reducing the vinegar for a bit longer. I cannot recommend this recipe enough. Rinsing the brine off as suggested in another comment doesn't affect the crispiness at all

are you able to use diffrent kinds of vinegar?

The salt brine dries the onions before pickling, making them super crispy, so I cannot recommend the rinsing in fresh water step. Transfer them straight from the salt water (after 8 hours) into the pickling solution and leave them sealed for a minimum of 5 weeks in a dark cupboard, for super crispy, extra spicy, healthy pickled onions!

I've just grown some pickling onions but have left them in the ground for a bit longer than I would have liked so they are a bit big to pickle whole, can you cut them into quarters to pickle or do they need to be whole? This recipe looks very yum though :))


CHELSEA SUGAR: Hi there, we think that should work ok! Enjoy!

Hi, just trying to figure out the recipe, do I add 5 cups of water to the vinegar and sugar or is the water just for the salt and leaving over night? Thank you.

CHELSEA SUGAR: Hi there, the water is just for leaving overnight with the salt. Good luck!

Great recipe

Where can I buy small pickling onions in NZ?
Chelsea Sugar:
Small onions should be available in most large supermarkets.

Just a question... After bottling then do you leave them in a dark cool place or the fridge? Am thinking just in the pantry.. But thought I'd ask.. Have tried this recipe before and love it! So am doing it for myself now. Thanks
Chelsea Sugar:
You can leave them in a cool dark place. For example, you could leave them in the pantry.

Hi there,
Trying for 1st time,do I have to pay dry the onions once out of the 1st nights water and salt??
Thanks
Chelsea Sugar:
Drain the onions and rinse well under cold running water. No need to pat dry.

What size are the 3 jars it makes please?
CHELSEA: apologies, we should have said makes approx. 3 litres. Recipe has been updated.

question - what is pickling spice, do you have to use it?
and also where can i buy it??
CHELSEA: you can buy pickling spice at all major supermarkets, or make your own using 6-8 spices (mustard seeds, allspice, black pepper, coriander, dill seed, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, chilli, cardamom.

How long before you can eat them?
CHELSEA: Hi there, good question! At least 5 days, but a month would be ideal.

I only use this recipe and the onions are always crisp, strong and tasty. It has never failed.

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