Crunchy, tangy and full of flavor, these pickled green onions are sure to become your next favorite condiment! A few minutes and some pantry staples is all you’ll need to whip them up, and you can team up with your favorite Mexican and Asian foods.
They’re super versatile, come together in under 20 minutes, and are a great way to use up some of those fresh greens you just got your hands on- just like my ginger scallion oil.
Pickled foods have recently become my obsession. I’ve actually tried my hands at quite a few Mexican pickled foods in specific- my Mexican pickled vegetables and Mexican pickled carrots were both big hits.
And when I saw a bunch of fresh scallions on my last supermarket run, I knew I had to try pickling them too!
Quick Look: Pickled Green Onions
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 5 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Green onions, white vinegar, garlic, ginger, dried dill, sugar, salt.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Chop → prepare the brine → pour over the onions → refrigerate until pickled.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Top spicy shrimp tacos, burgers, sandwiches, soy cured egg rice bowls, salads, noodles, soups, or serve alongside grilled meats and Asian-inspired dishes.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Making quick pickled green onions is ridiculously easy. If you're trying pickling food at home for the first time, this is a great place to start.
- You can play around with the mix-ins to your liking. I always do this when I make my regular lime pickled onions too.
- It's a great way to use up extra green onions that you may have. Of course, you can also freeze green onions if you want to.
Recipe Ingredients
Green onions: You’ll need fresh green onions aka spring onions to begin with. Choose ones that are firm, crisp and bright for best results.
Aromatics: To lend the pickled scallions some delicious earthy and umami flavor, I added some ginger and garlic.
Vinegar: Vinegar will be the base for the pickling liquid. I used the classic white vinegar for this recipe.
Dill: To lend a bit of freshness and some texture, I also added some homemade dried dill into the mix.
Sugar and salt: And of course, a bit of sugar and salt to balance out all the other flavors, and also to help preserve the green onions. You can use an infused salt like garlic and parsley salt for extra flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- I used white vinegar for the brine, but you could also experiment and try using apple cider vinegar or hot pepper vinegar for a bit of a crisp flavor.
- To bring a bit of a fun element into the pickled green onions, you could also add some mustard seeds into the mix.
- I also like to add some crushed red pepper or jalapeno flakes into the brine ingredients sometimes to bring a bit of heat into the pickle.
How to Make Pickled Green Onions
Start by chopping the green onions into long sticks.
Thinly slice the ginger and garlic.
Prepare the brine by combining vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Pack the rest of the ingredients in a pint jar. Pour the brine over the onions and aromatics, put the lid on and set aside for a few hours. Refrigerate for 24 hours or more before you serve.
💭Top Tip
If you want these pickled green onions to last longer, you can just use a water bath canner and get cracking!
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Depending on your personal preference, you can choose to pickle the green onions whole, chop them up into sticks like I did, or even chop them finely if you’re planning on using them as a topping for your tacos or other foods.
- You can also trim the green portion off and use them to make pickled scallions, leaving the white bulb aside for other recipes.
- If you’re concerned about the high sodium levels, you can cut down on the amount of salt you’re using.
- Remember to pop the jar with the pickled scallions in the refrigerator and allow it to soak up all the delicious flavors and become slightly tender. I always do this when I make my quick pickled shallots too.
- Heat the vinegar and water mixture over medium heat until you get it up to a boil. Also make sure you keep stirring to dissolve all the sugar and salt in the vinegar.
- Make sure you pour brine into the jar while it is still not, but not boiling hot. I realized this when I made quick pickled radish.
How to Serve Pickled Green Onions
These crispy and tangy pickled green onions make for the perfect topping for all your favorite Mexican foods. I love using the finely chopped versions as a sprinkle on my all time favorite Migas, a simple side like Mexican roasted potatoes and sometimes even when I make a nice Elote casserole.
You can also slice them up into larger chunks and use them as a crunchy addition to your sandwiches, burritos and wraps. The big, bold flavors of these pickled onions make them a splendid topping for your salads like a simple Mexican broccoli salad or a watermelon and Tajin salad, or even on a simple bowl of soup.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
To make some more of the brine and to ensure that all the green onions are completely covered and submerged in the jar, you can add some water to the vinegar mixture and bring it to a boil before using it.
If you have some more green onions left over, you can use them up to make some Mexican grilled green onions or even a nice Korean Pa Muchim salad using them.
Just like with most other refrigerator pickles, the best way to store these pickled green onions is to transfer them to a pickling jar, allow them to get to room temperature and then refrigerate them. Most pickled vegetables can stay fresh this way for at least 2 weeks, or even up to a month.
More Easy Asian Sides
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If you tried this pickled green onions or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pickled Green Onions
Ingredients
- 5-7 green onions
- 2-3 garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
- Start by chopping the green onions into long sticks.
- Thinly slice the ginger and garlic.
- Prepare the brine by combining vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Pack the rest of the ingredients in a pint jar.
- Pour the brine over the onions and aromatics, put the lid on and set aside for a few hours.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours or more before you serve.
