Yes, you absolutely can make pickled onions using leftover pickle juice. It's a simple and effective way to create quick pickled onions.
Using existing pickle juice is a popular hack for making pickled onions quickly. The brine from dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, or other varieties already contains the necessary acidity (from vinegar), salt, and often seasonings to pickle vegetables.
As referenced by one user: "We sliced some beautiful spanish onion very thinly and threw it in the pickle juice sans pickles. A few hours later, the pickled onions were perfect! We've been enjoying them ever since." This demonstrates that thin slices of onion soaked in pickle juice for just a few hours can yield successful results.
How Does it Work?
The process is straightforward:
- Preparation: Slice onions thinly. The thinner the slices, the faster they will pickle.
- Soaking: Submerge the sliced onions completely in your leftover pickle juice within a clean jar or container.
- Waiting: Allow the onions to soak. The time required can vary depending on the thickness of the slices and the strength of the brine, but as the reference suggests, "a few hours" can be enough. For a stronger pickle flavor, you might let them sit longer, even overnight or for a few days in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Keep the jar of onions and pickle juice stored in the refrigerator.
Benefits of Using Pickle Juice
- Zero Waste: It repurposes leftover brine that might otherwise be discarded.
- Speed & Convenience: It's much faster than making a pickling brine from scratch.
- Flavor Transfer: The onions absorb the flavors already present in the pickle juice, such as dill, garlic, or spices.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making great pickled onions with pickle juice:
- Onion Type: Red, white, or Spanish onions work well. Red onions typically yield a vibrant pink color.
- Slicing: Aim for thin, uniform slices for consistent texture and quick pickling.
- Jar: Use a clean, airtight jar or container.
- Submersion: Ensure all onion slices are fully submerged in the juice to pickle evenly.
- Taste Test: Start tasting the onions after a few hours to check if they've reached your desired level of pickling.
- Refrigeration: Always store your pickled onions in the refrigerator.
This method is a fantastic way to add a tangy, zesty bite to salads, sandwiches, tacos, or just about anything that could use a little acidity.
