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Home » Recipes » Cooking Basics

Panera Pickled Onions

Published: Jun 2, 2022 Last Updated: Dec 15, 2022 by Marye 1070 words. | About 6 minutes to read this article.

You'll love this recipe for quick & easy pickled onions like the ones on your favorite Panera sandwiches! They're even better homemade!
Total time 50 minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Pickled onions with text overlay for Pinterest.

This is one of my favorite copycat Panera recipes! It's so easy and good on everything from burgers to salads!

Red onions in a covered jar.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love it
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🥫 Storage
  • 📖 Variations
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 🍽️ Serve with...
  • 📞 The last word
  • Pickled Onions
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

  • Made with basic ingredients you already have in your pantry.
  • Quick pickled red onions taste bright, sweet, slightly tangy, and addictively crisp.
  • Copycat recipes like this one are a great way to save money while still feeling like you're treating yourself to a gourmet meal.

It's easy to make your own quick pickled onions at home, just like the ones on your favorite Panera steak and white cheddar panini.

These Panera pickled onions elevate sandwiches, tacos, burgers, salads, and more—the options are endless!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients for pickled onions.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions for this quick pickled onions recipe. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Step by step images showing how to make pickled onions.
  1. Stuff onion slices in a large jar, pushing down to get as many in as possible.
  2. Add the garlic cloves and black peppercorn to the mason jar.
  3. Pour the liquid pickling mixture (warm water, white vinegar, sugar, salt) over the raw onions.
  4. Chill the jar of onions for at least 30 minutes.

🥫 Storage

Make a big batch of these easy pickled onions because they last for up to two weeks refrigerated in an airtight container (like the mason jar!) Then you can grab a few whenever you need a crunchy pop of flavor with your meal.

This quick pickled onion recipe was formulated as just that—a "quick" pickle. For that reason, I don't recommend canning or saving these pickles any longer than two weeks.

Jar of pickled onions on a table.

📖 Variations

  • You can make Panera pickled onions with a variety of different kinds of vinegar. Try mixing in whatever you have on hand or in your local grocery store, like:
    • Red wine vinegar
    • White wine vinegar
    • Apple cider vinegar
    • Rice vinegar
  • For some extra heat, add some red pepper flakes, sliced jalapenos, or sliced haberneros to the pickling mixture.
  • Add an herbal flavor by placing a bay leaf in with the boiling water.
  • Change up the flavor by using different vinegars or adding whole herbs to the vinegar mixture.
  • Natural sweeteners offer a nice alternative to white sugar. Try using maple syrup or honey instead.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: For the pickling mixture to fully soak into the onions, use a very sharp knife to create thin, even slices. You can also use a mandoline for an even finer slice, but be extremely careful—mandolines are super sharp!

  • Panera pickled red onions will lighten in color when they're fully pickled, and turn from a purple shade to pretty pink.
  • If you prefer thicker slices of onions, that's fine. However, they will take longer to pickle. In this case, consider prepping the pickled onions earlier in the day or even a day prior to serving.
  • A little sugar helps balance the flavors but you can leave it out if you want.
  • When the onions are gone you can reuse the vinegar mixture for a new batch.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

My kitchen smells like vinegar now—is that okay?

When boiling the vinegar, you may begin to smell it. That's okay! I recommend running your stove hood vent for a few minutes and the aroma will dissipate.

Can I freeze Panera pickled onions?

No, pickled onions don't freeze well. Thankfully, they taste good on almost everything, so you have lots of ways to use 'em up!

What other types of onions can I use?

If you don't have red onions, you can quickly pickle white, yellow, or sweet onions. However, though they'll still taste good, just know that they won't taste exactly like your favorite Panera Bread red onions.

Pickled onion rings on a fork being removed from the jar.

📚 Related recipes

  • Copycat French's Fried Onions taste much better homemade: ultra-crisp and seasoned to Cajun perfection.
  • Sweet, tangy, smoky, and—oh yeah— did I mention this Onion Jam has bacon, too?!
  • Sweet and spicy Candied Jalapenos are nicknamed "Cowboy Candy," but whether you ride a horse or not, they'll make you say "yee-haw!"
  • Side view of a jar full of the homemade sauce.
    Homemade Teriyaki Sauce with Honey
  • A jar of aioli surrounded by ingredients.
    Spicy Chipotle Aioli Recipe
  • Close up of the sauce showing the creamy texture.
    Copycat Red Robin Campfire Sauce Recipe
  • Overhead view of candied jalapenos in a jar.
    Candied Jalapenos (Cowboy Candy)

🍽️ Serve with...

  • Lipton Onion Soup Burgers
  • Chicken Po'Boy
  • Chipotle Grilled Chicken Breast

📞 The last word

Y'all'll want to have these in your fridge all summer long! They are delicious with so many things. Try them in this Italian green bean salad or put a few on top of the crack chicken chili just before serving.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Closeup of pickled onions in a jar for featured image.
4.62 from 13 votes

Pickled Onions

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You'll love this recipe for quick & easy pickled onions like the ones on your favorite Panera sandwiches! They're even better homemade!
Course Condiment
Cuisine American - Vintage
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings:8
Calories:22
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • Jelly Jars

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, sliced thin
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoons peppercorns
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Stir together the water, vinegar, sugar, & salt in a pan.
  • Cover and bring to a boil.
  • Turn down heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until the sugar and salt crystals are dissolved.
  • Let cool about 10 minutes.
  • Pack the onion slices down in a jar.
  • Add the garlic clove and the peppercorns.
  • Pour the cooled pickling liquid over the top.
  • Cover tightly.
  • Shake a little to mix things up and refrigerate 30 minutes before using.

Notes

Storage:
Make a big batch of these easy pickled onions because they last for up to two weeks refrigerated in an airtight container (like the mason jar!) 
This quick pickled onion recipe was formulated as just that—a "quick" pickle. For that reason, I don't recommend canning or saving these pickles any longer than two weeks.
Tips:
  • For the pickling mixture to fully soak into the onions, use a very sharp knife to create thin, even slices.
  • Panera pickled red onions will lighten in color when they're fully pickled, and turn from a purple shade to pretty pink.
  • If you prefer thicker slices of onions, that's fine. However, they will take longer to pickle. In this case, consider prepping the pickled onions earlier in the day or even a day prior to serving.
  • A little sugar helps balance the flavors but you can leave it out if you want.
  • When the onions are gone you can reuse the vinegar mixture for a new batch.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 22kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 582mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelly Diamond

      October 17, 2022 at 4:56 am

      2 stars
      You didn't put complete instructions in your recipe. The step of adding the pickling liquid is left out. Do you not proofread before posting? Or even after posting? You're a professional? Ugh!

      Reply
      • Marye

        October 17, 2022 at 9:16 am

        Kelly - thank you for pointing out my mistake. You missed that I also misspelled slices but I fixed it anyway. Had you looked at the step by step images at the top I think you could have figured it out... I do proofread before posting but sometimes I miss the glaringly obvious mistakes I make. You sound like you've had a really bad week, I'm so sorry. I hope it gets better.

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