British Inspired Pub Style Pickled Onions Recipe
Inspired by British recipes, these pub style pickled onions are absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Perfect for snacking or with meals!
This year in our victory garden we grew onions for the first time. My husband did a lot of the research and care for them, since he is the one that would be eating them. We came to find out that they are actually really easy to grow, and before we knew it they were ready to harvest. The hard thing with them is that they were all pretty much ready within a week, so we suddenly had about 80 onions that we needed to use or preserve. We decided to chop up and freeze most of them, but my husband really wanted to try and make a few jars of pickled onions as well.
I had a recipe for pickled onions in my Great Grandmothers collection, but while doing his research my husband found that a lot of people highly recommended making English pub style pickled onions instead. We came to find the difference is in the type of vinegar used; the British style onions use malt vinegar instead of white vinegar. So, we decided to use the recipe from my great grandmothers book, but replace the vinegar with malt vinegar.
My husband could hardly wait to try them. Once we let them sit for a month he finally opened a jar. I am not a huge fan of onions, but he convinced me to give one a try. Wow, we both understood very quickly why the English style onions are so popular- they are delicious! The malt vinegar really makes a huge difference! While I think most people purely enjoy just eating them as a snack out of the jar they also are very popular in England to eat with sandwiches, fish and chips in a "ploughmans lunch" and many other meals.
Below find our recipe and step by step directions for making these delicious pickled onions! We highly recommend giving them a try!
Please be advised: PRESERVE FOOD AT YOUR OWN RISK, BEFORE YOU CAN ANYTHING YOU SHOULD READ USDA RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CANNING AND PRESERVING. Improper canning will not properly preserve food and can lead to food borne illnesses. Check out the USDA's National Center for Home Food Preservation website and be sure to do your research before preserving any food!
Making Pub Style Pickled Onions...
Peel Onions...
Peeled white onions in large tub
Peel onions and place them in a large bowl.
Cover with Salt and Water and Let Stand for 12 hours...
onions covered in pickling salt
Sprinkle onions with half cup of pickling salt.
onions and salt covered in cold water for 12 hours
Cover with cold water. Let stand at least 12 hours.
After 12 hours drain and rinse onions, then drain again.
Make Brine...
pot of malt vinegar brine for onions
Combine sugar, mustard seed, and malt vinegar in saucepan. Then, simmer for 5 minutes.
**A quick side note about malt vinegar. It is not sold in large containers as we can find white and apple cider vinegar. It is more commonly sold as a condiment or in smaller bottles. We were able to get a couple of bottles at a local small grocery store or even here on Amazon. Be sure to research where you can find malt vinegar before you head to the store.**
Sanitize all jars and lids...
sterilizing jars in hot water bath
Boil all jars and lids in hot water bath for at least 10 minutes to sanitize them. Always be sure to sanitize all jars and lids to prevent any bacteria from being in or on jars.
Pack Onions in Jars then Add Brine...
onions packed in jar with brine
jars of onions ready to be capped and processed in water bath
Pack onions with 1 bay leaf into each clean, hot jar. Pour hot brine over onions to within 1/2 inch of top of jar, making sure the vinegar solution covers onions.
Cap and Process in Hot Water Bath...
pickled onion jar coming out of hot water bath
Cap each jar at once. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
Enjoy Pub Style Pickled Onions!
finished pub style pickled onions
jars of British inspired pickled onions
stack of 3 jars of delicious pickled onions in malt vinegar
Pub Style Pickled Onions
Inspired by British recipes this is an easy way to turn small onions into amazingly delicious pickled onions! Perfect for snacking or serving with meals!
3 pounds white pickling onions
1/2 cup pickling salt
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 tbsp mustard seed
4-1/2 cups malt vinegar
4 or 5 bay leaves
Peel onions. Place in large bowl.
Sprinkle onions with salt; cover with cold water; let stand at least 12 hours.
Drain onions; rinse; drain again.
Combine sugar, mustard seed and malt vinegar in saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Pack onions with 1 bay leaf into clean, hot jars.
Pour hot vinegar liquid over onions to within 1/2 inch of top of jar. Make sure vinegar solution covers onions.
Cap each jar at once.
Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
Makes 4-5 pints.
