Trader Joe's Pickled Red Onions Review: A Jarring Disappointment

Pickled red onions are one of those ingredients that can make an otherwise boring meal taste like you actually put some effort into it.

Tacos? Add pickled onions. Sandwich looking sad? Pickled onions. Grain bowl need a little something? You know where this is going.

They're bright, tangy, crunchy, and ridiculously easy to make at home. I've made my own plenty of times with sliced red onion, an acid, salt, and a little sugar. Personally, I like using lime juice because you get acidity without overwhelming everything else.

So when I spotted Trader Joe's Pickled Red Onions for $3.29, my first thought wasn't necessarily, "Finally!"

It was more like, "That's a lot of money for onions sitting in vinegar."

But convenience has gotten the better of me before, so into the cart they went.

Unfortunately, convenience is about the only reason I'd choose these over homemade.

Review

Let's start with what Trader Joe's gets right.

The onions themselves are pretty good.

They retain that gorgeous pinkish purple color you want from pickled red onions, and they haven't been sitting in the jar long enough to surrender all their texture. There is still a decent crunch, which I appreciated. Nobody wants a pile of limp purple shoelaces sitting on top of their taco.

Trader Joe's also adds whole black peppercorns and garlic. Neither bothered me. In fact, both could have been nice additions if the brine had been better balanced.

And that's where these lost me.

Apple cider vinegar absolutely dominates the flavor.

Pickled onions should be tangy, but there is a difference between acidity brightening an onion and vinegar walking into the room with a megaphone.

This is the latter.

Apple cider vinegar has such a distinctive flavor that it becomes the first thing I notice and the last thing that lingers. Instead of tasting the sweetness of the red onion followed by acidity, salt, and seasoning, I mostly taste apple cider vinegar.

The garlic doesn't stand much of a chance. Neither do the peppercorns. And the onion itself becomes more of a vehicle for delivering vinegar.

If you love the assertive flavor of apple cider vinegar, you might have a completely different reaction to these. But for me, the balance just isn't there.

I'm not opposed to vinegar in pickled onions. That's obviously pretty standard territory.

My problem is specifically how assertive the apple cider vinegar tastes in this particular product.

There are so many ways to pickle a red onion. White vinegar gives you a cleaner acidity. Red wine vinegar can add some complexity. Lime juice is my personal preference because its brightness works especially well with tacos and Mexican inspired dishes.

Here, I kept wishing the acidity were cleaner and less dominant.

Pickling should transform the onion without completely erasing it.

These taste like the vinegar got top billing and forgot there were other ingredients in the cast.

The price is another sticking point for me.

Red onions aren't particularly expensive. Neither are vinegar, salt, or sugar. And making quick pickled onions at home requires very little culinary ability beyond slicing an onion and putting ingredients into a container.

So you're primarily paying $3.29 for convenience.

There are plenty of foods where I'm happy to pay Trader Joe's to save me time. I'm not making my own croissants. I'm probably not making my own puff pastry. There are days when I'm not even interested in chopping my own vegetables.

But pickled onions?

This is one of those cases where the homemade version is not only cheaper, but I genuinely prefer the flavor because I can control the acidity.

For $3.29, I wanted these to make me reconsider making my own.

They didn't.

The dominant flavor is apple cider vinegar, followed by the red onion itself.

There is some seasoning from garlic and whole black peppercorns, but I found both fairly secondary because the vinegar is so assertive.

Texture is considerably better than flavor. The onions maintain a pleasant crunch and haven't turned mushy in the jar.

So if your priority is convenience and you really enjoy apple cider vinegar, there is a chance you'll like these more than I did.

If you prefer a more balanced pickled onion where you can actually taste the onion and accompanying seasonings, these might be a disappointment.

How to Use Trader Joe's Pickled Red Onions

Even though these aren't a repurchase for me, pickled red onions are incredibly versatile.

Tacos: Probably the most obvious use. They add acidity and crunch to beef, chicken, fish, or veggie tacos.

Burgers: Use them instead of raw onions for a tangier topping.

Sandwiches: They work especially well with rich meats and cheeses where the acidity can cut through some of the fat.

Grain bowls: Add a forkful to rice, quinoa, or farro bowls for color, crunch, and acidity.

Salads: They're an easy way to add more flavor than you would get from plain sliced red onion.

BBQ: Pickled onions pair especially well with pulled pork and other rich, smoky meats.

Nachos: Scatter a few over the top after baking for a bright acidic contrast.

FAQ about Trader Joe's Pickled Red Onions

The following are commonly asked questions about this product:

Final Thoughts

Trader Joe's Pickled Red Onions aren't terrible pickled onions. They're crunchy, colorful, convenient, and ready to rescue a taco from blandness at a moment's notice.

But the brine completely lost me.

The apple cider vinegar dominates to the point where the garlic, peppercorns, and even some of the natural onion flavor struggle to come through. Pickled onions should bring brightness and acidity to food. These bring acidity, underline it twice, and then remind you about it again.

And at $3.29, I'm not convinced convenience makes up for that.

Especially when homemade pickled red onions require a red onion, a few pantry ingredients, and very little effort. I can make them cheaper, choose an acid I prefer, and adjust the sweetness and saltiness exactly to my taste.

For me, this is a skip.

I'll keep the $3.29 and slice my own onion.