These 10 healthy mason jar salad recipes can be prepped ahead and stored in the fridge for meal prep lunches! Layering your salad in jars helps them to last for longer.
Salads in jars are not just a cute Pinterest fad, they are actually really functional! Like these make ahead salads, these mason jar salad recipes were developed so that they can work for meal prep…and still taste amazing on day 4!
What’s the deal with mason jar salads? It’s all about the layering. By placing the dressing at the bottom of the jar, and delicate greens towards the top, we are able to keep them from wilting.
How to layer mason jar salads
- dressing in bottom
- protein (chickpeas or chicken) next
- somewhat durable ingredients next (chopped vegetables)
- leafy greens at the top (kale, romaine, spinach)
How to serve mason jar salads
There are two ways to serve your salad: eat it right out of the jar, or dump it into a bowl.
Eat out of the jar
You will need a large jar for this (quart mason jars work well). Layer your salad, and when you’re ready to serve, shake it all up, and eat out of the jar.
- it can be tough to get your fork all the way into the bottom of the jar
- make sure to use wide mouth jars as tapered jars are hard to eat out of!
Dump into a bowl
For this method, a smaller (1 pint) jar will work just fine. When you are ready to serve, dump everything out into a bowl. Since the dressing comes out last, it will pour over everything evenly!
- wide mouth or tapered jars work fine for this method
Tips for jar salads
- nuts and seeds will still soften, even when placed at the top. Consider storing them separately to keep them crunchy
- wide mouth jars should be used if you plan to eat out of the jar
- if you don’t have a jar, try layering your salads this way in a meal prep container
- find my favorite jars in this post
Continue reading:10 Healthy Mason Jar Salad Recipes
