Learn the art of layering for the best mason jar salads and how to mix and match ingredients for endless inspiration. Plus, I share 10 super fun complete salad ideas to get you started!
Mason jar salads are the ultimate meal prep. They’re a convenient way to plan salads into your day (like those lunches that tend to slide off our schedule). Plus, they’re beautiful in your fridge and keep for up to 5 days.
But most exciting, any salad recipe can be converted into a mason jar salad. It just comes down to the art of layering. And the art of less is more… because unfortunately, mason jars have a size limit.
There are a few important principles for assembling a mason jar salad. Once you learn them, you can mix and match a custom recipe to your heart’s desire.
Keep reading for all the tips and get ready for gorgeous, simple, healthy lunches all week!
why I love salad jars:
If you’re anything like the average human on Earth in 2024, you’re busy.
You’re haphazardly trying to do it all. You’re balancing family, work, the 783 notifications on your phone, and squeezing in all the annoying little tasks in the gaps of everyday life.
Do you even eat lunch? I blow right by it most days and look up at 3 pm starving, light-headed, and annoyed.
I’ve come to learn meal prep for lunches is a game-changer!
And if those meals happen to be packed with veggies and protein, in one neat container I can quickly grab, shake, and eat while wrangling 4 small children, well, you have my attention.
Plus, when I look in the fridge and see a gorgeous line-up of colorful and fresh salads, I feel like I have my life together. And that feeling, when everything around me is up in flames, is worth a million bucks.
how to layer mason jar salads for success:
- Put the dressing on the bottom.
- Use 2- 3 tablespoons dressing, depending on how saucy you like your salads!
- Add sturdy vegetables.
- Anything that can sit in the dressing and stay the same (whole cherry tomatoes) or get better (cucumbers and cabbage get crunchy and pickled) belongs in this bottom layer.
- Aim for ½ cup per jar.
- Top it with a protein layer and some cheese.
- Grilled or roasted meat (chopped into bite-sized pieces), beans, tofu.
- Pick your favorite item and toss in ½ cup protein and 2 tablespoons of cheese per jar.
- Sprinkle in cooked grains.
- These are optional but I love a little grain in my salad, especially if this salad is meant to be a stand-alone meal. Grains add texture and fill you up.
- Cook up a big pot of your grain of choice and let it cool completely before using. This is also a great place for leftover rice, farro, etc!
- Scoop in about ¼ cup per jar.
- Pick 1- 2 extras.
- Dried fruit, chopped nuts, crunchy croutons, roasted chickpeas, fresh herbs. These add flair to your salads!
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons on top of your grain.
- Pack in the leafy greens.
- Salad greens are the very last layer. We want to keep them away from anything that could make them soggy. Chop the greens into bite-sized pieces or slice them into ribbons (flat-leaf kale!).
- Pack about 1 ½ cups into the top of the jar and seal tight!
mason jar salad ingredients:
salad dressing
- balsamic vinaigrette
- blue cheese
- caesar
- creamy poppyseed
- Greek
- green goddess
- Italian
- jalapeno ranch
- miso ginger
- sesame ginger
sturdy vegetables
- asparagus (blanched and chopped)
- beets (roasted and diced, or raw and sliced)
- bell peppers (diced)
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts (thinly sliced)
- carrots
- cabbage (shredded)
- cauliflower
- celery (diced)
- cherry tomatoes (whole or halved)
- corn kernels
- cucumbers (diced or sliced)
- edamame (shelled)
- green beans (blanched and chopped)
- hearts of palm (sliced)
- jalapenos (sliced)
- marinated artichoke hearts (chopped)
- peas
- radishes (sliced)
- shallot or red onion (thinly sliced)
- sugar snap peas (chopped)
- zucchini
protein
- bacon (crumbled)
- beans
- canned tuna (drained)
- chicken (roasted or grilled, chopped)
- ham (diced)
- hard-boiled eggs (chopped)
- salmon (grilled or smoked, flaked)
- shrimp (grilled or poached)
- steak (thinly sliced or diced)
- tofu (roasted or seared, cubed)
- turkey (sliced or diced)
cheese
- blue cheese
- cheddar cubes
- cotija
- feta
- goat cheese
- mozzarella balls
- hard cheese (grated, such as pecorino or parmesan)
cooked grains
- barley
- bulgar
- couscous
- farro
- lentils
- millet
- noodles (soba, ramen)
- pasta (small shapes or tortellini)
- quinoa
- rice
- wheat berries
extras
- breadcrumbs
- capers
- crispy onions
- croutons
- dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, cherries, diced apricots, chopped figs)
- fresh fruit (pomegranate seeds, halved blueberries, sliced strawberries, diced mango, halved grapes)
- herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley, dill, basil)
- nuts (cashews, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts)
- pickled jalapeños
- seeds (pepitas, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
- tortilla chips (crushed)
- roasted chickpeas
- olives (pitted, sliced or chopped)
- sun-dried tomatoes
leafy greens
- arugula
- butter lettuce
- romaine
- mixed greens
- spinach
- kale
- radicchio
- watercress
here are 10 fun mason jar salad ideas:
harvest grain salad
- Dressing: apple cider dijon vinaigrette
- Layers: roasted butternut squash, feta, barley, dried cranberries, pepitas, baby kale
charred corn and black bean salad
- Dressing: cilantro-lime vinaigrette
- Layers: charred corn, minced red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, black beans, grilled chicken, crumbled cotija cheese, crumbled tortilla chips, romaine lettuce
smoked salmon and cucumber salad
- Dressing: lemon dill greek yogurt dressing
- Layers: diced cucumber, capers, thinly sliced red onion, flaked smoked salmon pieces, microgreens, baby arugula
mediterranean white bean
- Dressing: lemon and herb vinaigrette (parsley, dill, oregano)
- Layers: diced cucumbers, diced yellow bell peppers, white beans, feta cheese, kalamata olives, romaine lettuce
crispy chickpea and kale salad
- Dressing: creamy Italian dressing
- Layers: sliced radishes, crumbled goat cheese, hard-boiled egg, spicy roasted chickpeas, shredded kale (massaged)
roasted beet citrus
- Dressing: orange dijon vinaigrette
- Layers: roasted beets, orange segments, chicken, bulgar, blue cheese, candied walnuts, mixed greens
quinoa and grilled veggie salad
- Dressing: green goddess dressing
- Layers: chopped grilled veggies (zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, portobello, red onion), quinoa, coarsely grated parmesan, toasted almonds, baby arugula
farro and shredded carrot
- Dressing: lemon tahini dressing
- Layers: shredded carrot, crumbled feta, cooked farro, pomegranate seeds, toasted pine nuts, baby arugula
spicy tuna salad
- Dressing: sriracha mayo with lime
- Layers: shredded carrots, edamame, brown rice, canned tuna mixed with a bit of dressing, cilantro, mixed greens
caprese with grilled chicken
- Dressing: basil pesto vinaigrette
- Layers: cherry tomatoes, chopped grilled chicken, mozzarella balls, fresh basil, pine nuts, mixed greens
more tips:
- Pick a theme for your salads! It’s easy to get super pumped about your salad, pack it with 23 ingredients, and before you know it, run out of space for the lettuce. Pick a theme, like “caprese salad”, to stay focused and restrained.
- A good rule of thumb is 1- 2 veggies, 1 protein, 1 grain, 1- 2 extra toppings.
- I share 10 themed mason jar salad ideas above!
- Use 32 oz wide-mouth mason jars (“quart” sized jars) for the most functional salad jars!
- Lettuce gets stuck in the narrow-necked jars and can be messy to eat, and anything smaller won’t hold much.
- Close your salad jars with these plastic mason jar lids (affiliate link). They’re more reusable than the standard aluminum lids that rust out over time.
turn any of these salads into mason jar salads:
Printhow to make a mason jar salad (plus 10 ideas!)
Learn the art of layering for the best mason jar salads and how to mix and match ingredients for endless inspiration. Read post above for a massive list of ingredients to use!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1
- Category: Salads
- Method: Make ahead
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2- 3 tbsp salad dressing
- ½ cup sturdy vegetables
- ½ cup protein
- 2 tbsp cheese
- ¼ cup cooked grains
- 2 tbsp extras
- 1 ½ cups leafy greens
Instructions
- Pour dressing into the bottom of a wide-mouthed 32-oz mason jar.
- Add your mix of sturdy vegetables. Top with protein, cheese, grain, and any extras you want to use. Pack the remaining space with your pick of leafy green (about 1 ½ cups).
- Close with a lid and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
Mason jar salads will keep for 4- 5 days.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 470
- Sugar: 8.1g
- Sodium: 591mg
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 73mg
Susan says
Love all of these ideas!!