Zuni Café’s Red Onion Pickles Recipe (2024)

Make these with white onions and a can of sliced beets. Add sliced cucumbers, if you like, after the onion and beet mixture cools. Follow step 4 after you add cukes; I don't jar it, but keep it in a large covered bowl in the fridge for daily use one way or another.

The non-reactive pan and wooden spoon notes in the recipe are important. If you use an aluminum pan or spoon the onions turn an unattractive blueish color instead of bright pink.Also only use firm flat or round red onions. Torpedo red onions result in mushy pickles.

Does choice of vinegar matter ( cider vs distilled white or other?)

Yes. I used ground cinnamon, allspice and chili powder (all the pod/seed stuff is a little exotic for my kitchen -- as is the star anise pod, which I just omitted). They taste great. My suggestions are thin sliced are better -- I'll err on the side of very thin in the future -- and that you could easily add 1.5 pounds of sliced onions to the brine.

Well I cooked something like this from Rick Bayless's cookbook1 sliced small/medium red onion - 1/8 inch slices1/4 t salt1/4 t cumin seed1/4 t peppercorns1/2 t oregano 2 garlic cloves sliced1/3 C cider vinegarall in a saucepan, then water to cover.boil slowly for 3 minutessave in a jar, keeps long time.recipe says to crush peppercorns and oregano but I forgot.good stuff.

I echo the other comments that this recipe is a bit too sweet and that I’d half the sugar next time. Doubled the recipe and easily fit in 3 lbs of red onions. They make great gifts!

I wish I had put the hard spices into a tea ball or similar to remove them easily after steeping.

So... Since I didn't have cinnamon sticks or whole allspice or a dried chili pepper and couldn't go to the grocery store (thank you, COVID-19), I looked up the ground equivalents for those. Accidentally doubled the amount of cinnamon, but went ahead anyway. YUM! Spicy but not too hot thanks to the cinnamon. Very, very tasty. They're great in salads and (believe it or not) on hot dogs and burgers. So glad I went ahead with substituting some ingredients.Making them again again toda

Made these to go with falafel, absolutely delicious! Surprisingly sweet with a hint of heat. Might go with less sugar + another dried pepper or two next time as I prefer the heat + acididty to sweetness

Yes. Stainless steel or enamel pans both work well. Aluminum is what you want to avoid.

I used apple cider vinegar because I love the aroma and fruitiness. I sed the optional star anise and also substituted Aleppo pepper flakes (for their citrusy heat) for the dried red chili. Delicious.

I make a batch of these almost every month and make them to give out as holiday gifts as they are great on leftovers, sandwiches, and salads. I use round red onions, distilled vinegar, an allclad pot, increase the red chile (using Thai chiles) and omit the bay leaves and about 3/4 or less of the sugar. They are reliably crunchy and delicious. While the rings are pretty, I usually cut the onions so they are more easily useful in a salad.

I make these often. I agree that half of the sugar is plenty. We eat them on burgers and sandwiches, with meats of all kinds, and use them to give some zing to salads.

Second time making this recipe and love it. Bright, crunchy, unexpected flavorful twist to sandwiches, salads and grain bowls. As others have suggested, cut sugar in half, didn't use star anise either time and still excellent flavor. Stores well for weeks!

So, so good. Made this to use up some leftover red onions. Easy to make. I didn't have any allspice berries on hand so used a pinch of allspice powder. Otherwise I made this exactly as written.

Exactly as written, I love these pickles!

I made this recipe for use with Alison Roman's Ham Party and I have zero regrets. Would not change a thing. Sheer Perfection.

I grow my own red onions. They are shaped like a red version of a cippolini onion. The brine for this recipe is a perfect choice for my home grown babies.

Sounds interesting and I made acc to recipe- Could not taste cinnamon or a lot of these spices- too acidic. Too much sugar. Much better recipes out there, mostly the simpler the better and cuttin vinegar w water.`

Just made these. Fantastic. Serving tonight with lamb burgers gave a jar or two away for friends who love pickles. Everyone loved them. I think I might make some for friends.. definitely a keeper.

Made these yesterday as written. They are too sweet and I’m not a fan of the seasoning combination. But, I love pickled onions and will try again with less sugar, no cinnamon, cloves or allspice berries. I’m not sure what I’ll use for seasoning but will probably add some garlic. I’ll definitely keep the peppercorns and dried chili.

Once the red onions are sufficiently pickled, use the brine to pickle thinly sliced fennel bulb. Adding a touch of caraway is outstanding.

These are addictive!

Only had half the ingredients but they turned out great - will make again with everything called for once this batch is done, great flavour overall

Amazing!!! Waited until day 2 before enjoying them on avocado toast with sliced tomato and feta cheese crumbles. Will try it with the star anise next time. Recipe makes 2 pint jars worth. Ridiculously good, thank you!

Pack the jars first then pour over the hot liquid. Way easier.

Half cup white, half cup apple cider vinegar, quarter cup sugar, quarter tsp salt. No added spices for radish/carrot; added allspice bay clove cinnamon stick for red onion