If you love a salad that's crunchy with just the right kick of spice, this Indian red onion salad is one you'll want to make on repeat. Made with sliced red onions, bold Indian spices, and a quick tempering that instantly boosts flavor, this simple onion salad comes together with no cooking at all. It's fresh, vibrant, completely vegan, and ready in just 10 minutes. Honestly, it's the kind of salad I'm happy to eat every day!
🔍 Quick Look: Indian Red Onion Salad
- 🌍 Cuisine: North Indian
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 5 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 10 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6 people
- 📊 Calories: ~ 43.18 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: No-Cook
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Spicy, crunchy and mildly sweet
- ⭐ Difficulty: Quick and easy to make
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What Is Indian Red Onion Salad
There are many delicious ways to make an Indian onion salad, and almost every region has its own version. You may have tried sirke pyaaz (pickled onions), laccha pyaaz or masala pyaaz with North Indian meals, or even fresh mixes like kachumber or koshimbir. In Hindi, laccha refers to thinly sliced, while pyaaz simply means onions. At home, these onion salads are a staple-I use them to top and accompany all kinds of dishes.
What sets this Indian red onion salad apart is the quick tempering of fennel seeds and nigella seeds, which adds a unique depth of flavor. The raw red onions bring crunch and freshness, while the Indian spices make the salad bold, tangy, and beautifully chatpata. It's almost like a fresh chutney rather than a typical salad.
While salads like vegan dense bean salad, tomato feta salad, and cucumber salad can be eaten on its own, laccha pyaaz is meant to complement a meal-brightening flavors, cutting through richness, and balancing heavier protein-based dishes. We're big onion lovers at home, so it's no surprise that dishes like Kanda Bhajiya, Onion Rava Dosa, Onion Tomato Chutney, and Kanda Poha are always on repeat!
Laccha Pyaaz and Its Place in Indian Meals
Adding fresh raw salads and yogurt-based sides like boondi raita instantly brings more texture and balance to an Indian meal. A simple onion salad can brighten up the plate, cut through rich gravies, and add that extra burst of flavor we all love. Laccha pyaaz, in particular, is a classic Indian red onion salad you'll find everywhere-from roadside dhabas and local restaurants to everyday home kitchens.
Like most Indian dishes, every household has its own way of making laccha pyaaz. This version comes from a dear friend's home. Her mom served it alongside her special Rajma Masala, and I was completely smitten from the first bite. I knew I had to note down the recipe-and it's been a favorite ever since.
Why Make It
- 🧅 Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free, making this red onion salad suitable for almost every diet
- ⏱️ Ready in just 10 minutes with minimal prep-perfect for busy weeknights
- 🔥 A no-cook Indian onion salad, with only a quick tempering to elevate the flavors
- 🥗 A fresh, crunchy, and spicy way to enjoy raw onions without overpowering the meal
- 🌶️ Packed with bold Indian spices that make it deliciously chatpata and flavorful
- 🍛 The perfect Indian side dish or condiment, served with dal, curries, rice, or roti
- 🏡 A classic Indian recipe you'll find in homes, restaurants, and roadside dhabas
- ✨ Helps balance rich or protein-heavy dishes by adding freshness and contrast
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Onions:
Red onions work best for this Indian-style onion salad because they stay crisp when eaten raw and add a beautiful pop of color. They're also slightly milder and sweeter compared to other varieties, which makes them ideal for this salad recipe, chutneys, and popular street food dishes like Samosa Chaat, Bombay Sandwich, Ragda Pattice, Mushroom Kalan, Pav Bhaji, Misal Pav, and Dabeli Pizza..
Spices, aromatics, and herbs:
Laccha pyaaz gets its signature flavor from green chillies, turmeric powder, red chili powder, chaat masala, and amchur powder. The tempering of mustard seeds, gluten-free asafoetida, fennel seeds, and kalonji (nigella seeds) adds warmth and depth, while fresh cilantro brings everything together with a burst of freshness.
Acidity:
A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens the flavors and ties the laccha pyaaz together beautifully. You can also use vinegar if you prefer-it adds a sharper acidity and keeps the red onion salad tasting fresh and lively.
Oil for tempering:
Use any regular cooking oil for the tadka. Since the oil is only used for tempering the spices, there's no need for anything fancy-simple works best here.
🔪 How To Indian Onion Salad
- Step 1: Slice the red onions into thin wedges and add them to a mixing bowl. You can also cut them in rings, or finely chop them.
Priya's Tip: If the onions taste too sharp, soak them in water with a little lemon juice for a few minutes. This helps mellow the pungent flavor.
- Step 2: Mix in the green chillies (finely chopped or slit) for heat and crunch.
- Step 3: Sprinkle all the spices-turmeric, red chilly powder, chaat masala, amchur, and salt-over the onions.
- Step 4: Toss well so they're evenly coated. Let this marinate for a few minutes while you prepare the tadka.
- Step 5: Heat oil in a small tadka pan and add mustard seeds; once they pop, stir in GF asafoetida, fennel seeds, and kalonji. Let them sizzle for a few seconds. Pour this hot tadka directly over the onion mixture to enhance the classic Indian flavor.
- Step 6: Finish with lemon juice or vinegar and fresh cilantro, mix again.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve this Indian red onion salad as a fresh, crunchy side with everyday rice dishes like Soya Pulao, Green Peas Pulao, Tawa Pulao, Spinach Garlic Rice, or Paneer Pulao. It also pairs beautifully with grilled appetizers and classic North Indian curries such as Kadai Paneer, Matar Paneer, Cauliflower Rassa, Khoya Matar, Vegan Kofta Curry, Cauliflower Tikka Masala, Mushroom Masala, Paneer Bhurji, Aloo Bhindi, or Palak Paneer.
This is the kind of onion salad you can enjoy daily alongside simple meals like Kali Dal, Dal Tadka, Methi Dal, and gluten-free roti or Jeera Rice. You can even tuck this red onion salad into wraps or fusion dishes like a Tandoori Black Bean Quesadilla! It travels well too-making it perfect for picnics, potlucks, and parties.
💭 Priya's Recipe Tips
Slice the onions as thinly as possible for the best texture-using a mandolin slicer is especially helpful when making a larger batch. While you can skip the tempering and still enjoy a simple red onion salad, adding the tadka truly elevates the flavor and gives this dish its signature depth. For the freshest taste and crunch, mix and serve soon after preparing.
Indian Onion Salad Recipe FAQs 📖
For a classic laccha pyaaz or Indian onion salad, red onions are my go-to. They're crisp, hold their texture well when raw, and have a bold flavor that works beautifully with Indian spices-making them ideal for a restaurant-style red onion salad.
French shallots are another great option if you prefer something more delicate. They're slightly sweeter with a subtle, garlicky note and make a milder version of this onion salad. You can also use white or yellow onions, though they tend to be sharper when raw. If using those, soaking them briefly in water with a little lemon juice can help soften the bite.
If you find raw red onions too strong, there's an easy fix before making this Indian onion salad. Soak the sliced onions in a bowl of water with about a teaspoon of lemon juice for 10-15 minutes. Drain well and gently pat them dry, then use them to prepare the red onion salad. This simple step helps mellow the pungent bite while keeping the onions crisp.
This Indian onion salad is wonderfully versatile, and you can easily tweak it to suit your taste or what you have on hand. Add diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, cabbage, or lettuce to the red onions for extra crunch and freshness. Fresh herbs like mint or parsley also work beautifully and lighten the flavors.
For a more global twist, skip the Indian spices and season the red onion salad with za'atar or sumac instead-they add a bright, tangy note while keeping the salad simple.
You can also finely chop the onions and mix them with tomatoes to create a salsa-style onion salad, similar to pico de gallo or peach salsa. Serve it with papadums for a fun, crunchy pairing.
Another delicious option is to stir in some yogurt, turning this onion salad into a cross between a light raita and a salad-cool, creamy, and perfect with spicy Indian meals.
This red onion salad is best enjoyed fresh, when the onions are at their crunchiest. You can make it a few hours ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Before serving, bring the onion salad to room temperature or enjoy it chilled-both work well. I don't recommend storing this Indian onion salad for more than a day, as the onions release moisture and lose their texture over time. Freezing is also not ideal, since the onions turn soft and mushy once thawed.
More No-Cook Recipes
Recipe 📖
10-Minute Indian Red Onion Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2-3 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilly powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder
- salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon GF asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon kalonji seeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
- Slice the red onions into thin wedges and add them to a mixing bowl. You can also cut them in rings, or finely chop them. Priya's Tip: If the onions taste too sharp, soak them in water with a little lemon juice for a few minutes. This helps mellow the pungent flavor.
- Mix in the green chillies (finely chopped or slit) for heat and crunch.
- Sprinkle all the spices-turmeric, red chilly powder, chaat masala, amchur, and salt-over the onions.
- Toss well so they're evenly coated. Let this marinate for a few minutes while you prepare the tadka.
- Heat oil in a small tadka pan and add mustard seeds; once they pop, stir in GF asafoetida, fennel seeds, and kalonji. Let them sizzle for a few seconds. Pour this hot tadka directly over the onion mixture to enhance the classic Indian onion salad flavor.
- Finish with lemon juice or vinegar and fresh cilantro, mix again. Serve Indian red onion salad as a side with any meal.
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Notes
- Slice the onions as thinly as possible for the best texture-using a mandolin slicer is especially helpful when making a larger batch of this onion salad.
- While you can skip the tempering and still enjoy a simple red onion salad, adding the tadka truly elevates the flavor and gives this Indian onion salad its signature depth.
- For the freshest taste and crunch, mix and serve soon after preparing.
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