This Mexican Pickled Onions recipe is unique, delicious and addictive. What makes it special (and Yucatan-style) is the addition of sour citrus juice. But not to worry, you don’t need to go searching for sour oranges to make this. Grapefruit and limes sub in beautifully. Best of all, this recipe comes together in under 20 minutes and your pickles will be ready the next day.
Enjoy these onions with tacos, on bowls, or as a side with grilled proteins and vegetables. This recipe is featured in my 11 Essential Pickle Recipes post. Enjoy it with my pulled beef barbacoa.
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Yucatan Style vs Regular Pickled Onions
Every culture has its own version of pickled or marinated onions. Even within Mexico, you’ll find regional (and even familial) recipes that differ from one another. This recipe is “Yucateca style”.
The Yucatan peninsula is known for its beaches, resorts, cenotes and scenery. But it is also known for its unique cuisine and flavors. Yucatan-style pickled onions are prepared with the juice of the bitter or sour orange. This bitterness and acidity help pickle the onions.
Sour oranges are not widely available. But it is possible to buy the juice of the bitter orange in bottles at most if not all Latin or Caribbean grocery stores. This recipe doesn’t use sour orange juice. We are replicating the flavor profile by combining the juice of fresh grapefruit with the juice of fresh limes.
If you’re a fan of pickles, make sure to also try my Pickled Jalapenos and Escabeche (Spicy Mexican Pickled Vegetables). If you’re interested in learning about fermentation, check out my Fermented Jalapenos and onions recipe.
Ingredients
This recipe is quite straightforward and similar to my other pickling recipes. The key here is the citrus! So let’s get into it!
- Citrus: Traditionally you would use the juice of sour oranges. Sour oranges are not readily available, so you can substitute by using the juice of grapefruit and lime, which are more common and available year-round. You can also use bottled sour orange juice if you can find it.
- Onions: For this recipe, I recommend using red onions for that gorgeous purple hue. You can use white onions in a pinch but do try to use red ones.
- Spices: Whole black peppercorns and whole allspice give the recipe an earthy flavor. Allspice is available in Latin, Asian and Caribbean markets.
- Sugar: You don’t have to use sugar, but it does help round out the flavor of the sour citrus.
- Vinegar: In addition to the citrus juice, I like to use a standard water/vinegar brine to top off the jar. I use plain white distilled vinegar. This pickling solution is standard for a refrigerator pickle and you'll find it in my other pickling recipes such as pickled green tomatoes, pickled turnips and pickled radishes.
- Organo: I like adding dried oregano to the pickle. If you can find dried Mexican oregano, use that. But standard dried Greek oregano works too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Yucatan Pickled Onions
I recommend you read through all the steps before starting.
Step 1. Juice the citrus. Juice your grapefruit and limes into a measuring cup. You need about 1 cup of citrus juice.
Step 2. Spices. To your clean mason jar or pickling jar, add the peppercorns, allspice, salt, sugar and garlic clove.
Step 3. Pack. Pack the jar with the sliced onions. Make sure to press down and pack the onions in the jar. They will shrink as they pickle.
Step 4. Add oregano. If using, add the oregano to the jar.
Step 5. Pour citrus. Pour the citrus juice over the sliced onions.
Step 6. Pour brine. Combine water and white vinegar in a measuring cup and pour it over the onions. You want to make sure the onions are fully submerged in the citrus and vinegar brine.
Step 7. Seal and shake. Seal the jar and shake it up to dissolve the salt and sugar.
Step 8. Pickle. Place the jar in the refrigerator to pickle. The onions will be ready in 24 hours, but I would wait at least 48 hours before enjoying them.
Expert Tips
- Slice the onions using a mandoline. A mandoline helps you get even cuts, and you’ll be done slicing in no time.
- Thin or thick slices. My preference is to slice the onions about ¼ of an inch thick, but you can go thinner than that if you prefer. Thinner slices will pickle faster, so if you’re in a rush, thin cuts might be best.
- Slices from pole to pole. When slicing onions, it is best to slice them into strips in the natural north/south direction of the onion, from top to bottom, rather than horizontally. This is also referred to as cutting with the grain. This preserves the shape of the onion slices when pickled and you get more even slices.
Recipe FAQs
This is a refrigerator pickle recipe, meaning that the finished product must be refrigerated. The pickled onions should last in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks before you start seeing some discoloration. Always use clean utensils (and not your fingers) when taking the onions out of the jar to help reduce the chance of cross-contamination.
This recipe is not tested as is for water bath canning. I recommend you follow it as written and store the finished product in the fridge.
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Recipe Card
Mexican Pickled Onions (Yucatan Style)
Ingredients
- 4 Limes
- 1 Grapefruit
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Allspice
- 1 Garlic cloves
- 2 Red onions - Sliced into thin wedges about ¼ inch thick
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano - Use Mexican oregano if you have it.
- ½ cup White vinegar
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
- Juice the citrus. Juice your grapefruit and limes into a measuring cup. You need about 1 cup of citrus juice.
- Spices. To your clean mason jar or pickling jar, add the salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, and garlic clove.
- Pack. Pack the jar with the sliced onions. Make sure to press down and pack the onions in the jar. They will shrink as they pickle.
- Add oregano. If using, add the oregano to the jar.
- Pour citrus. Pour the citrus juice over the sliced onions.
- Pour brine. Combine water and white vinegar in a measuring cup and pour it over the onions. You want to make sure the onions are fully submerged in the citrus and vinegar brine. Note: Depending on the size of the jar, you may need more brine. Just prepare it with the same one-to-one ratio.
- Seal and shake. Seal the jar and shake it up to dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Pickle. Place the jar in the refrigerator to pickle. The onions will be ready in 24 hours, but I would wait at least 48 hours before enjoying them.
Notes
- Citrus: Traditionally you would use the juice of sour oranges. Sour oranges are not readily available, so you can substitute by using the juice of grapefruit and lime, which are more common and available year-round. You can also use bottled sour orange juice if you can find it.
- Onions: For this recipe, I recommend using red onions for that gorgeous purple hue. You can use white onions in a pinch but do try to use red ones.
- Spices: Whole black peppercorns and whole allspice give the recipe an earthy flavor. Allspice is available in Latin, Asian and Caribbean markets.
- Sugar: You don’t have to use sugar, but it does help round out the flavor of the sour citrus.
- Vinegar: In addition to the citrus juice, I like to use a standard water/vinegar brine to top off the jar. I use plain white distilled vinegar.
- Organo: I like adding dried oregano to the pickle. If you can find dried Mexican oregano, use that. But standard dried Greek oregano works too.
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