These Mix & Match Mason Jar Salad Recipes make healthy lunches easy – they’re great for meal prep and will keep your salad fresh for days!
I make these anytime I want a healthy, grab-and-go lunch. They’re practical, pretty, and packed with fresh, vibrant ingredients, because obviously we eat with our eyes first and love an instagram worthy meal.
Why you’ll love mason jar salads
- Perfect for meal prep: These salads are designed to be made ahead, layered to stay fresh, and ready to grab for quick lunches or busy days.
- Endless mix-and-match options: Swap in different dressings, proteins, and veggies to keep your salads exciting and use what you already have on hand.
These salads are just the start! Check out my full roundup of healthy meal prep lunches to make your weeks even easier.
Why make salad in a jar?
Mason jar salads are one of the easiest ways to prep healthy, grab-and-go lunches that actually stay fresh. Layer them right and you can make them ahead without anything getting soggy or boring.
I’ll show you exactly how to build them, layer everything properly, and mix and match flavours so lunch feels easy (and enjoyable) all week.
How to layer a mason jar salad
When prepping your mason jar salad, layering is key! You want to ensure you layer your jars properly so that everything stays as fresh as possible.
Layer 1: Dressing – This should always be poured first to the bottom of the jar to ensure the rest of your toppings don’t get soggy.
Layer 2: Crisp ingredients – This is where you’ll put ingredients that won’t get soggy like red onion, edamame, etc.
Layer 3: Grains, Lentils & Protein – The crisp ingredients will act as a barrier between the dressing and the grains or protein.
Layer 4: Cheese – Place any cheese on top of the grains and protein.
Layer 5: Leafy Greens – The leafy greens should always go on the very top, right before you put the lid on.
Mason Jar Salad Tips
Here are a few tips to ensure your mason jar salads turn out perfect every time:
- Prep ingredients ahead: Cook proteins, grains, and dressings in advance and let everything cool completely before assembling.
- Layer in the right order: Always follow the 5 layering rules to keep ingredients fresh and prevent sogginess.
- Pack jars tightly: Gently compress ingredients to reduce air, which helps salads stay fresh longer.
- Store cold until eating: Keep jars refrigerated and sealed until you’re ready to enjoy.
- Shake, then serve: Give the jar a good shake, then dump everything into a bowl and dig in.
- Keep toppings separate: Nuts, seeds, or croutons should be added just before eating to keep them crisp.
- Switch up the ingredients: Try out different salad dressings, switch up the protein and other ingredients to keep things interesting. Use what you have on hand so nothing goes to waste!
Frequently asked questions
How long will salad last in a mason jar?
If stored properly, most mason jar salad recipes can last 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that some ingredients stay fresher in the fridge for longer than others!
Should I eat the salad out of the jar?
You definitely can! Just give the jar a few good shakes and then take off the lid and enjoy! It can be a bit tricky though, so feel free to dump everything into bowl or on a plate after shaking it up.
What size mason jar is best for salads?
The sizes most commonly used for salad recipes are the pint (16 oz) and quart (32oz) size jars. I’ve used the 16 oz size mason jars for the recipes pictured. I’d also recommend using a wide mouth jar opening, since it’s easier to get ingredients in and out.
Meal prepping mason jar salads
Ingredient prep: You can prep a bunch of the ingredients ahead of time. Mix up the salad dressings and store them in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. You can also cook the chicken and quinoa a couple days in advance. Note that if you make the chicken and quinoa ahead of time, you should eat those salads within 2 to 3 days.
Storing: Once you’ve assembled your salads in the jars, they’ll last in the fridge for up to 5 days, depending on what ingredients you use. Make sure you store the jars upright so the dressing doesn’t get the other ingredients soggy.
Serving: When you’re ready to enjoy, just shake up the salad and eat it right out of the jar or dump it into a bowl and eat from there.
More mason jar salad recipes
How to Make Mason Jar Salads + 5 Recipes
Equipment
- 16 oz mason jars – These are the ones I use
Ingredients
Make ahead ingredients
- 1-2 chicken breasts (depends on how many jars you’re making – 1 breast per two jars is standard)
- 1 cup quinoa (dry)
Tex Mex salad jars
- chicken
- cherry tomatoes, sliced
- red onion, diced
- grated cheddar cheese
- lettuce, chopped
Tex Mex dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 pinch each salt and pepper
Greek salad jars
- chickpeas
- cucumber
- cherry tomatoes, sliced
- red onion, diced
- baby spinach
Greek dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 pinch each salt and pepper
Caprese salad jars
- quinoa
- cherry tomatoes, sliced
- bocconcini cheese
- red onion, diced
- baby spinach
Balsamic dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch each salt and pepper
Ranch salad jars
- chicken
- cucumber
- cherry tomatoes, sliced
- grated cheddar cheese
- lettuce, chopped
Ranch dressing
- 1-2 tbsp bottled ranch dressing
Green goddess salad jars
- chickpeas
- quinoa
- cucumber
- edamame
- spinach
Green goddess dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp packed cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cook make-ahead ingredients: Bake chicken breasts with a little bit of olive oil, salt & pepper in a 400 F for 20 min. When cooled, dice up into 1-inch pieces. Meanwhile, make quinoa in a rice cooker – combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water and cook until all liquid is absorbed.
- Mix together dressing of choice – you can use the homemade versions listed above or store-bought versions to save time. Each salad jar should require only 1-2 tbsp of dressing.
- Add dressing of choice to the bottom of a 16-oz mason jar. Layer in ingredients of choice in order of what is listed. For instance, for the Mexican jars, add in chicken, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cheese and lettuce to the jar in that order.
- Jars will keep in fridge up to 4 or 5 days. For easy meal prep, cook chicken and quinoa ahead of time up to 24 hours in advance so all you have to do is assemble.
- Serve by shaking mason jar so dressing gets distributed, then dump in a large bowl to eat. Enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Tara Stevens says
I made The Green Goddess version & it was amazing! So filling! One jar we stretched between 3 of us with chopped chicken in it for supper one night.
Everything keeps fresh & crisp- so handy to prep ahead!
I needed to make space in the fridge and use up some veg too, presenting The Green Goddess Mason Jar Salad!
I wanted to have it on the side with M’s homemade BBQ’d burgers for lunch, but they were JUST assembled & ✨️too pretty✨️ to open at the moment…so this will be supper.👍😋💚
💚 I didn’t have edamame but used yellow & orange pepper to use up
Colleen sommer says
The was my first time making and I was so excited. However, I found the dressing way too salty. Is it really 1/2 tsp of salt for single serve dressing recipe. I made the recipe x4 the ingredients so ended up using 2 top of salt it was soooo salty….
Taylor Stinson says
I’m going to change the recipes to include just a pinch of salt. Thanks for offering your feedback and sorry you found them too salty.
Colleen sommer says
Thanks Taylor,
With the exception of salt. Would the other ingredients/spices in the dressings 2x or 3x well?
I am a newbie to making my own dressings but I noticed your ration of oil to citrus is 1:1? I noticed in other dressing recipes I have seen 3:1 oil:citrus. Augh…not sure what to do?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes the dressings will double or triple well. My oil to citrus ratio is different because I prefer less oil and more of a pop of flavor thanks to the acid. This is my preference, I feel like 3:1 oil to acid ratio is overkill but that is my personal opinion. If you find them too acidic, you can always add more oil or a sweetener such as honey to taste. Better to add less oil than too much as you can always add more.
Karen T says
So how much of each ingredient PER JAR?!?!?!
Liv says
I made the Caprese and the Ranch salad jars for this week. I used my pressure cooker to cook the chicken breast and my Thermomix to shred it once cooked. Super easy.
But best of all so super tasty! I’m normally a soup over salad kind of person. But not anymore! This will make work lunches super easy. Thanks very much! Making the other ones for next week!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed these two 🙂 Great idea to use your pressure cooker for the chicken!
Sunny says
I use pint and a half jars. Nice wide mouths, no curves and just enough food for a half hour lunch.
Rachel O'Neill says
Thank you so much for posting this! I love all the recipes and my daughter thinks they’re good too. She takes them to school for lunch.
Gweneth says
just a quick question, your recipe says use a 8-oz jar … seems like it should be bigger?
Taylor Stinson says
My apologies – they are 16oz jars. I did link to the correct jars in the tools section of this post 🙂
Lewis says
Pampered chef has a jar especially designed for jar salads. There is a place on the top of the jar where you can put your salad dressing.
Kenneth Gurvin says
Can I use glass jars other than Mason Jars. I save my glass spaghetti sauce, pickle, and sour kraut jars.
Would they work?
Thank you Ken
Taylor Stinson says
Yes for sure Ken! As long as they are washed and clean they will work!
Cynthia Berry says
I found this bold looking up salad jar recipes. I am looking for healthy alternatives for lunch to help with my fitness/weight loss goals. You did good with this post! It’s easy to follow, love it!
Taylor Stinson says
Thank you so much Cynthia 🙂
Megan says
Hi! I happened upon this blog when I was preparing for one of my salad in a jar parties. We had about 10 people and made the salads as a community and used your ideas. Thanks so much for posting them! We had so much fun!
Taylor Stinson says
That makes me so happy to hear Megan, that’s awesome!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the ideas 🙂
Trish says
How does your salad party work ? Like a potluck ?