Pickled Onions – Bits of heaven for an old Southern soul
Pickled Onions, Pintos, and Mexican Cornbread on a 1970′s Corelle Spring Blossom Plate.
I’m going to start this post out with a disclaimer: half of you will hate even the thought of this recipe, but the other half will take one bite and set about doing paperwork to rename all of your children after me.
Pickled onions are not for the novice who is new to Southern food. These are hardcore, for old school Southern tastebuds – but oh will they make those buds sing! Would you believe that I had them for the FIRST TIME this past weekend? We went to a restaurant in Nashville with the kids and they brought out a bowl of pickled onions and hot cornbread, still in the cast iron skillet it was cooked in. I reached for a wedge of cornbread and put it on my plate where I topped it with a spoonful of pickled onions. Not knowing what to expect but trusting the instinct of my Alabama roots, I dug my fork in to get a bite full of hot bread and onion….
…and tasted all that was reverent and good in the world of old fashioned soul food.
I started praying over the food right then and there. “Oh LORD! We thank you for this meal.” ~Shoveled another bite in~ “Dear God, thank you for this food that is so good, oh Lord it’s still warm and these onions are so crisp and sweet…” ~shoveled in another bite~ “We thank you so much for letting us take this trip and getting to spend this ..” ~reaches for more onions~ “time together!” After a moment, I just about started speaking in tongues, it was so good. But then I got to thinking that if I kept on describing it to God, He might just come down to join me and then I’d have to give Him most of it because, that is the only nice thing to do considering all of the exceptions and forgiveness he’s had to pipe out on my account. I paused and noticed that my kids and husband were just looking at me, blank faced.
I encouraged them to eat.
One child took a timid bite of the spicy cornbread and put it down. “That tastes weird.” My husband waved his hand over the plate “I’m just not into that kind of stuff, you can have mine.” My other child just continued watching me in disbelief and looking at the cornbread trying to figure out if I saw something he didn’t.
Apparently, I did. Oh good gravy, it was amazing!
As soon as we left the restaurant I called Mama and Grandmama and by the time I was home I had a recipe.
My husband came in yesterday while I was cooking a big pot of pintos (definitely not one of his favorites, he won’t even eat them) and said “What is that SMELL?” Note that this was said in the tone that let you know he left out “horrible” before smell because he knows it will get him killed. ~sighs~ I get that a lot from him. Bless his heart, he doesn’t know any better. He’s good hearted but terribly uncultured when it comes to an appreciation for po’ folk food.
“Pintos” I replied “If you don’t like that you might wanna hurry back to work because I’m about to get some cider vinegar boiling.” You’ve never seen a man eat lunch so fast in all your life. I made up a quick pan of Mexican cornbread (my mama’s recipe is in my first cookbook) and come suppertime I had a spread so good it’s a wonder my ancestors didn’t rise up from the grave at the smell of it!
My husband texted “Do I need to stop and get anything on the way home?” That is his code for: are you going to serve that stuff I smelled earlier for supper?
I texted back “Well I made a big pot of pintos, mexican cornbread, and pickled onions for supper – so you might wanna grab takeout for you and the kids :”
Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do.
These onions are heavenly. I sent a pint jar of them to my 81 year old Grandmother yesterday along with a quart jar of pintos. She called at 5 this morning. “Did you try it yet Grandmama?”
“LORD Yes! Done had me two bowls! That was the best stuff. Lord oh that was so good. You fixin’ to put that recipe up on your website?”
“Yes Grandmama, I’m putting it up today!”
You’ll need: Salt, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, about 4 sweet onions (Preferably Vidalia), Cider Vinegar*, and Sugar
You can use white vinegar instead of Cider so if you prefer the taste of white, I’d recommend you go with that instead. I want to try them with white next time but I did love the extra little tang cider vinegar gave it.
You see my Kosher salt up there? My friend Jyl turned me onto that a year or so ago and I’ve fallen madly in love with it. It really does taste amazing and it doesn’t cost a lot, so it’s an easy switch. I still use regular old iodized salt, too, but am using Kosher more and more these days out of personal preference.
Soapbox time! Whenever you make a change in your cooking or eating habits, do it out of personal choice rather than some ad campaign or a zealot on the internet telling you that you have to. There is big business in buying and selling opinions out there so just be careful that you don’t ever feel the need to adopt anyone else’s personal convictions because they bullied you into doing so.
~tucks soap box away~
In a medium saucepot, place vinegar, sugar, salt, and garlic powder.
Stir that up well and put over medium high heat to bring it just to a boil while you cut up your onions…
Keep a watch on it and stir it often.
Peel your onions and slice them into rings.
I cut my rings in half, too, to make them easier to eat.
You could even dice them if you want.
It’s your kitchen, you’re a big boy/girl, and the only rules are the ones you decide to make 
Oooh look! Our cider mixture is boiling! Now, if you or anyone you know has their sinuses stuffed up, alls ya gotta do is invite them into your kitchen and have them stir this pot Actually, cider vinegar is an old folk remedy for many an affliction.
But if someone decides onions are outselling a vegetable they represent they are liable to launch a pr campaign talking about how onions are causing brain damage or some such. Sadly, that really is how this works most of the time.
Remove pot from heat.
Dump your onions in and stir them to coat.
At first, it will seem like there are way too many onions but just let them sit for about five minutes and they will wilt a bit.
Like this. Now stir that again and let sit just a few minutes more.
Until they look kinda like this. Now place all of these in a container and cover it to put in your fridge.
If you do not cover it, your sinuses will clear each and every time you open your fridge, which is good or bad depending on how stuffed up you are Come to think of it, maybe this is a good springtime recipe in the south when our world is coated in that lovely yellow dust…
Voila! My refrigerated onions all ready to make my stomach happy!
These are wonderful served as a side or as a topping on beans, hot cornbread, etc.
Just git ya some!
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized sweet onions (such as Vidalia)
- 2 cups Cider Vinegar (can use white vinegar)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt (I use kosher)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except onions into sauce pot over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil while stirring often.
- While cider is coming to a boil, peel onions and slice into rings. Separate each ring.
- When mixture comes to a boil remove from heat and add in onions. Stir and allow to sit for five minutes,or until onions have wilted down into vinegar some. Stir again and let sit for another five minutes.
- Place in container, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled and ready to serve. Serve as a side relish or a topping on pinto beans, cornbread, etc.
Print This Recipe
THESE CAN WELL. FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON CANNING, CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY CANNING TUTORIAL.
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who takes the time out of your day to chat with me in the comments. Getting to hear back from you is my favorite part of Southern Plate!
Do you have any memories of pickled onions? How often did you dine on beans and cornbread growing up (it was weekly at least at my house)? I’d love to hear from you in the comments, or just drop a Hidy!
Gratefully,
Christy
It requires less character to discover the faults of others
than is does to tolerate them.
~J. Petit Senn
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Aug 7 2012. Filed under Sauces/Other, Side Dishes, Southern Classics.
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I love pickled onions! I’m going to make me some!
Christy, have you ever made the green tomato relish? Love that too!
Have a great weekend!
Warren and Denise
I made some of these for me and my mom! They turned out great! Thanks for the recipe! Now I have to make some pintos and cornbread to go with them!
ok so, Im not really big on anything with vinegar. But I REALLY REALLY wanted to make this for my uncle who LOVES onions. So I took the kiddos and went on over. I got the house REALL GOOD and stinky HAHAHA! He definatley hovered around the kitchen. My aunt came home and complained a lil about the smell. But she was fine with it. AS SOON AS I was done he said. “are ya gonna put some cucumber in there?” I said “well its not in the recipe but I can” Soooo I did.
He didnt even let the stuff cool off before getting a little bowl of it. He sat down in the living room and said “darlin this is the best I e’er had I swear” (while he was stuffing his mouth withthe stuff) Soooooo I snuck a little taste before putting the rest away. O.o OMG Like like like it!!! I am truely shocked at myself!!!! thanks for your great recipes. My hubby is REALLY enjoying them!!!!!!!
Never had this until we went to Cock of the Walk restaurant in Arkansas. It was great, and I will try making it. They told us to dribble the vinegar liquid onto the pot of greens after we ate the onions. So that would go good with cornbread, too, right?
Just wanted you to know…I am on my third batch of pickled onions…the family now thinks they should accompany nearly every meal….can’t say I disagree…thanks for a great recipe …..Have a wonderful weekend xox
I doubled the liquid as I canned them.Thanks for the recipe
How do you can these?
Christy, I will definitely try these but just wanted to say that I had a good laugh while reading your blog leading up to this recipe…one of your best!
Hi Christy,
I love your recipes and your website. I always feel good after reading your posts. You are always so encouraging and positive. In one of your recent posts you mentioned a book you had just read, and it was a love story. I would like to get this book for my daughter, but I can’t find the post that has the name of the book and the author. Could you please give me that information again? Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
Gurl! Are you telling me you’ve never had pickled onions, cornbread and “pot ‘o greens” at Top of the River in Guntersville? If not, you HAVE to go!! I don’t even like onions, but I love them pickled!
I made the onions. They are amazing. I put them on top of BBQ chicken, on top of my corn. I may even put them on top of my morning eggs! I’m going to make a pot of your pinto beans and cornbread just to eat more onions. My only issue and it was a minor one, our Walla Walla onions medium size are a trifle bigger than the Vidalias in your picture. I thought I didn’t have enough liquid but they all sunk into it after a few hours in the fridge. Our sweet onions this year are very, very good. I”m throwing them into anything I’m pickling. I’m just going to have to triple your recipe and do more. The onion season is short and I have a lot of pickling to do. Thank you, thank you for so much deliciousness!
Oh Christy, my hubby cooked some baby lima beans the other day and I just had to try out your pickled onion recipe – to die for!!!!!! They were so good!!!!!! They also taste great on a roast beef sandwich and am going to add them to my Mom’s green bean salad. Love all of your recipes!!!!!!
Have a great week!!!
I made these today and we ate them on ham,cheese and tomatoe sandwiches .They were so good .I can’t wait to try them with dried beans and cornbread .The vinegar smell was awful .We had to open the storm doors lol
I cooked mine outside on my gas grill that has a burner on the side to keep from smelling up the house. These are sooo yummy !!!
Yum – I made them this weekend – I can just eat them all by themselves -they are soooo good!!!
I would like to make this recipe and can them. Any suggestions on how I would go about it? Thank you, Christy, for another awesome recipe!
Oh golly, I love these onions and have often wondered HOW they were made.
When we visit ‘that’ restaurant….yum! I always ask for more.
A big THANKS for publishing this recipe! Love all your recipes and
site.
We have these every summer. We add fresh cucumbers to this mix and have it as a staple side dish…
Yum!! I thought everyone loved it.. go figure..
My first thought was same as Jennie’s, “Girl, have you never been to “Top of the River” in Guntersville or “any of the “Cock of the Walk” restaurants! Love, love, love pickled onions! Thanks Christy for the fun post.! Keep enjoying those pickled onions.
I can’t wait to make these! I will probably can up a batch too. Thank you for sharing.
We always had onions and cucumbers in vinegar mixture.I am 57 years old and as far as I remember,that was a summertime treat. I will definitely make a batch to can…how yummy for a cold winters day,along with beans and cornbread. Thank you so much for your wonderful postings!!! (((hugs)))),Lana
Love your site! Coming here reminds me of sittin in my grandma’s kitchen. Love pickled onions. You can put ‘em up too, so there always on hand. Speaking of pintios, when I was a kid my dad used to carry them to work for lunch in a mason jar with green onions & cornbread. LOL. Thanks for helping to keep our culture alive, it means alot to me.
Thank you so much Jivey!! I am so glad you are enjoying the site and I lust love having you here!!
I made a batch of these onions in the daytime then tried them that night~oh so fab!!! I am no southerner, but I am hooked on this southern side dish! Thanks, Christy!
I am so glad to hear that you like it Lisa!!!
I had to laugh at your husbands comments on the smell, I’m married to “one of those” too! He’s used to me making po’ folk food after 42 years and has learned to like a bunch of the southern foods I grew up with. Mama always made chow chow a the end of the summer when the garden had too much of this and not enough of that. We ate it with beans, so good. You have the most wonderful down home recipes that bring me right back to my Grandma’s table every time!
These sound wonderful. I also put leftover onions from BBQ’s in a jar of pickles.
While still hot pour over salad greens and crumbled crisp bacon for a nice wilted salad. Cornbread and porkchops
Oh, that sounds WONDERFUL!!
Hi Christy,
I just really enjoy reading your blog. You make me laugh every sinle time with your wonderful sense of humour. I dont even like pickled onions, but come to think of it I dont know if I have ever tried them. I do love onions though. However after reading this and some of the other comments people have made I am seriously thinking of giving this recipe a go. I have never had pickled or dilled cucumbers either, but I love the pickles on the cheeseburgers at McDonalds. Do you know what type of pickles these are, and whether you can buy these at the supermarket or maybe you have a recipe??? Im in Australia so we may not be able to get the same brands. Cheers.
Hi Katrina, thank you so much for all your kind words!! If you like onions I think you will love the pickled ones! The McDonald’s here in America serve dill pickles on their hamburgers but I am not sure what brand they use. I would look for dill hamburger slices in the supermarket there. I hope that helps!!
christy
I can’t believe you had never had pickled onions before! Mom served pinto and cornbread and onions every week when we were going up! Love them and the lady who suggested it over salad greens is right, too! Killed lettuce (What we called it at my house is wonderful, especially with bacon and try adding a can of green peas, drained, delicious) Just wanted to let you know that I love your cookbook, it was almost like talking to my mom again! thanks !
Oh my goodness Fances, I think that is about the kindest comment I could ever receive. I am so glad it brought back memories of conversations with your mother and I hope you have a blessed day!!
Loved the reminder that pickled onions exist, hadn’t had since little girl when my grandma made them. Since I just made big pot pintos I’m making these now to go with them. Thanks for jogging my memory. To all Grandmas out there!
Love, Love pickled onions!! I could eat until I got sick then continue eating more. Thank you for the recipe;)!!!
I am so glad you enjoy them Emily, I like you could eat them until I get sick. And then eat a few more!
You made me so hungry that I went to my small independent meat market to get pork chops this morning. So right now I am making pickled onions, pinto beans, cornbread and porkchops. While at the store, they had fresh turnips/greens, so we are also having that too! With congealed salad for dessert! Thanks for the inspiration, Christy!
Yummy!!! Save some for me!!
All I have are regular yellow onions, would they work or do I need the sweet onions?
They’ll work just fine:)
Thanks Christy! :O)
You’re welcome!
We live in New Mexico, and the guys are leaving this afternoon to go on their elk hunt. I am making a batch for them to take, and I’m sure they will love them. Thanks Christy!
I LOVE pickled onions…soup beans, cornbread, fried potatoes and greens! Maybe with some pickled beets on the side just for kicks (cause I love them to) Your site is wonderful, keep up the great work!
Thank you so much Selina!! I am so glad you are enjoying the site and the recipes!!!
Born and raised in Huntsville ,al never had these wonderful onions ever !!!!! now I have everyone eating them …. I bet they are even good on ice cream….ok that was a stretch…..but I do love em.
Enjoyed your blog and your recipe; I love all things pickled, so look forward to making a batch of these. Didn’t know if you were familiar with escabeche de cebolloa, which is the Mexican version of pickled onions–as a southerner living in California, I’ve learned to appreciate the ways the different cultures eat the same food (pork, vegetables, etc). So here’s their version, if you ever want to try them–they’re great on tacos or carnitas (Mexican pulled pork): http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Escabeche-De-Cebolla–Yucatecan-Pickled-Red-Onions
Yup, beans and cornbread. My grandmother made the pickled onions too but I’ve never had a recipe. I’m doing your sticky chicken tonight but soon now I’ll do the onions and pintos. I like to mix pintos with northerns sometimes and of course, they’re not complete without the cornbread. This onion recipe seems so simple.
I hope they taste just like grandma’s!!!
I forgot all about pickled onions. Haven’t had them in years. I love them on pintos, greens, and shredded chicken and rice. I can’t wait to try to make a batch. I’m guessing my husband and son won’t go anywhere near them, but that’s ok. Just means more for me. Thanks for the recipes that taste like home.
I like the way you think Kelly! I hope you enjoy the onions!!
De-lish! But I LOVE onions so I may be biased lol
I LOVE ONIONS. Im always telling folks a day without onions is a day not fully lived!
A slightly faster version of a tasty pickled onlion is this: If you have a jar of pickled beets that is short on beets and still full of juice, slice some onions and place in the jar. Put the lid on and return to the fridge, These will be wonderful to eat and are also very colorful after a day or so, Enjoy
Great idea Beverly, thank you for sharing!
Made these over Thanksgiving weekend and then made the white beans a week later. AWESOME! thanks.
Christy, in the pictures on Facebook, you have the onions in quart jars. Can you seal the jars and not put them in the fridge. I have made pickles and you put it all in the jars hot then seal. Can I do this the same way with the onions? I sure want to try them.
Christy, I was wondering how long these would keep in the fridge.
YUM YUM on anything! Thanks! Belated Happy New Year!
They sure are Peggy!! I can just eat them straight out of the bowl or jar!
I am from the south but I have never had pickled onions before. Sure going to try them. Thanks for the reciipe.
I think you will love them Emma!! I can’t wait to hear what you think.
How do you can these onions? Would make a great hostess gift to the next barbeque!
Christy I am originally from England but grew up in the South. My grandmother in England made pickled onions but she used whole small onions, malt vinegar, garlic, salt, and pickle spice. I loved them! But I will be trying this these they sound delicious also!
I hope you enjoy them Susan!!!
Christie, my mouth is watering, just reading that recipe! Love that kind of stuff! I just laughed as I read your story about the onions and your husband! Your writing is so real and heartfelt! Honestly, you should write a book – Erma Bombeck has nothing on you! I don’t know how in the world you have time in the day to do all you do, but maybe you could give us that secret in this book you need to write! Catch ya later girl!
Thank you, You are too sweet Susan!!
I tried these the first time you posted these and fell in love with them! My husband and I agree that these are the best onions in the world!!! I have a pot of pinto beans usually once a week and make these onions to go with it every time now…Thank you for the recipe.
I am so glad to hear that you like them Brenda!!!
Thanks for this recipe. I love Pickled onions. Going to make these.Bet you was at the Cock of the Walk restaurant in Nashville. I love that place. Great Catfish too. Enjoy your recipes very much.
I sure was Colene! They do have some great food there.
We had this on our table for nearly every dinner of my life growing up except we didn’t use the sugar or heat them (a cold pickle I suppose you would call it) I just knew that when Daddy told me to “make the onions” that was what I was supposed to do. Just the onions, vinegar, salt, pepper and sometimes garlic salt or powder. Occasionally cucumbers were added. I”m going to try your way, see if I like the sugar, if not I’ll just not use it next time. But I do like the idea of heating the vinegar mixture. I’m going to have to buy some pintos now. It’s been too long since I’ve had them.
What a precious memory Eva. I can hear your Daddy now. I hope you enjoy!!
I believe this recipe is going to be delicious. I am going to make them and share some of them with my daughter who happens to love, love, love onions. I enjoy your site and have tried several recipes from it.
BTW I grew up on beans and cornbread and I still like them even though I haven’t had them in quite some time. I like pinto beans, Lima beans, black eye peas, crowd er peas, butter beans. Beans go a long ways and they are good. Thank you for this site.
I hope you enjoy the onions, and I have to agree…any kind of beans are good!!