Red onion
Allium cepa
Mildly sweet, less pungent than yellow; the purple color signals anthocyanin compounds.
About Red
The red onion is the purple-skinned, magenta-fleshed onion that anchors raw onion applications across global cuisines — Italian salads, Mediterranean wraps, Mexican fresh salsas, Indian curries (raw garnish), and ubiquitously in modern American salad culture. The deep red-purple color holds when pickled briefly (vinegar + sugar + salt) — pickled red onion has become a defining condiment of contemporary American food. Red onions are milder and less pungent raw than yellow onions, making them the right choice for any application where the onion is consumed without cooking. The papery skin's color leaches into surrounding ingredients in pickling — a feature for visual presentation, sometimes a defect for white ingredients.
Variety profile
Common uses
- Pickled red onion
- Raw on salads
- Burger/sandwich topping
- Mexican fresh salsa
- Mediterranean wraps
Editorial notes
Soaking sliced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes removes the harsh edge while keeping crispness. Pickled red onion lasts 3+ weeks refrigerated.