English Pickled Onions

English Pickled Onions are a national treasure in the UK, loved for their crisp texture and bold, tangy, slightly sweet flavor. Small onions (pearl onions) are pickled in malt vinegar with pickling spices like coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and bay leaf.

Ask anyone in Great Britain about their favorite British food snack, and they’ll probably say pickled onions! So popular, in fact, that we even have pickled-onion-flavored crisps/potato chips.

How do we enjoy pickled onions here? Straight out of the jar, in British pubs with a Ploughman’s Lunch (a British charcuterie board of cheeses, cold meats, bread, pickled onions, pickle relish, and assorted raw vegetables pictured below), in sandwiches, with a cheese plate, or as a garnish for pork pies and Fish and Chips.

This is one of my oldest (and most popular) British recipes, originally posted back in 2015. I recently updated some of the text and added more preparation details. While this is a really easy recipe, there are a few key points for long-term preservation. For the best results, I recommend storing the onions for 3 to 4 weeks before opening. Once opened, refrigerate, and they’ll keep for up to 1 year

Using Malt Vinegar for Pickling

Malt vinegar has a unique, rich flavor that’s tangy, slightly sweet, and earthy, thanks to its origins in malted barley. It’s less sharp than white vinegar and has deeper, almost caramel-like undertones that add incredible flavor to the peeled onions.

What is Malt Vinegar?

Malt vinegar is a type of vinegar made from malted barley or other grains. The process involves fermenting the sugars in malted grains, which are first converted to alcohol and then to acetic acid through a second fermentation. This results in a vinegar that has a rich, tangy flavor with slight sweetness and earthy undertones, making it distinct from other types of vinegar, such as white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

You may know malt vinegar as a popular condiment used on fish and chips.

Salting Onions Before Pickling

Whether you plan to keep the pickled onions long-term using a canning process or not, it’s important to let the onions sit overnight coated in salt only (not in salt water). This process draws out excess moisture from the onions and creates an environment that inhibits the growth of bacteria and molds, which need moisture to thrive. Additionally, it helps the onions retain their crispness and absorb the pickling solution more effectively. Salting is an essential step in preventing bacteria from forming.

Canning and Preserving Whole Pickled Onions

• Per the USDA, jars do not need to be sterilized prior to using a water canning bath if being boiled for 10 minutes or longer, which applies in this case. The heat from the boiling water canning process itself sterilizes the jars, making an extra sterilization step unnecessary. However, jars should still be thoroughly cleaned with hot, soapy water and rinsed well before filling to ensure they’re free of any residues that could impact the preservation process. For processing times shorter than 10 minutes, jars do need to be sterilized before filling.
• This canning method is for a simple boiling water bath. Be sure to use proper Ball mason jars for canning. The jars shown in my pictures are for photography purposes only and are not intended for canning or preserving. Place a round wire rack at the bottom of the pan (or canning pot) to elevate the jars, which helps prevent them from breaking. Fill the pan with water so that it covers the jars by 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm). Bring the water to a boil, carefully add the jars with tongs, cover with a lid, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars carefully.

The recipe fills 2-12 ounce (340 gram) jars.

How to Make English/British Pickled Onions

1. Peel the onions. Put them in a large bowl that is heat-proof and pour over hot water, leave until cooled. They should peel easily by rubbing the skins in the water.
2. Rinse the onions well and dry. Add the onions to clean jars.
3. To a saucepan add the vinegar, sugar, coriander, mustard seeds, peppercorns, ground ginger and bay leaves.
4. Heat over medium heat, until the sugar is dissolved. You can tell it is dissolved if you don’t not feel the crystals as you stir. Heat only long enough to dissolve the sugar about 8-10 minutes, DO NOT BOIL or breathe in the hot vinegar fumes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. If you add very hot liquid, this will cook the onions and they wont be crisp.
5. Pour the vinegar over the onions (until they are completely submerged) put on the lids and seal hand tight.
6. Store in a cool place that is dry for 3 to 4 weeks before eating. If the weather is warm, store in refrigerator. 
7. Refrigerate after opening. They will keep for up to 1 year.