Learn how to make salads mason jar style for easy transport to work, on a road trip, for a picnic lunch, or just for easy meal prep. Use my yummy Asian rice salad recipe or try this method with your favorite salad!
There is nothing I love more than to head out to a local park for a brisk hike followed by a picnic. It is the perfect way for us to spend time together for FREE. Not to mention, it keeps us all off any electronic devices and gets us out into nature, to enjoy God’s beautiful creation.
Because this is a favorite activity of my family, we are always looking for new parks to try out and new recipes to change up our picnics. While there is nothing wrong with a good old PB&J and a bunch of hiking snacks, I like to keep our picnics as flavorful and full of variety as I keep our weekly dinners.
I have 3 requirements for my picnic meals:
- Easy: Who wants to spend half the morning preparing for a picnic? I just want to get out there and enjoy the outdoors!
- Healthy: We often end our picnic with a special treat, so I prefer for us to be munching on healthy items leading up to dessert. Not just chips!
- Transports Easily: I want to get my food to the destination intact and still tasty – not squished or soggy!
Luckily having salads mason jar style checks all those boxes!
WHY MAKE SALAD IN MASON JARS
One of the BEST ideas for food on the go is a mason jar salad. Why? Let me tell you!
- There are endless varieties of salads you can create.
- Mason jars are the perfect container for an individual meal.
- Mason jars can be washed, recycled, and reused. (Here’s an easy way to remove ugly labels.)
- And they look beautiful all layered (whether your family cares about that may vary…)
- Don’t just stop at taking these salads to picnics. They make a great packed lunch for work, a great meal at the pool, or even for a road trip. Or meal prep a batch of salads for the week ahead!
MASON JARS SALAD INGREDIENTS
You can make all different kinds of mason jars salad – it’s more of a method than a specific recipe.
But I’ll walk you through my salads mason jar method with my Asian rice salad with miso vinaigrette, a salad full of fresh, vibrant veggies, crisp cabbage, and a tangy vinaigrette.
And this salad happens to be mayo and meat-free, meaning that you don’t have to stress about keeping it at any particular temperature (which here in the south, can be a problem in the summer months).
For the Asian rice salad:
- Rice, cooked according to directions
- Canned mandarin oranges in 100% fruit juice, drained
- Canned pineapple chunks in 100% fruit juice, drained
- Sliced green onions
- Shredded red cabbage
- Stir fry vegetable mix (or an equal amount of chopped broccoli florets and carrots)
For the vinaigrette:
See the recipe card for specific amounts. This salad mason jar recipe is split between six 1-quart wide-mouth jars. If you don’t need that many salads, feel free to halve the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE MASON JAR SALADS: ASIAN RICE SALAD
Step 1. Cook the rice according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 2. Make the vinaigrette by mixing the miso, vinegar, ginger, honey, oil, sesame seeds, and lime juice.
Step 3. Toss the rice with the vinaigrette and divide between the 6 mason jars.
Step 4. Evenly distribute the fruit between the jars, followed by the cabbage, chopped veggies (or stir fry blend), and finished with the green onions. Place the lids on the mason jars and refrigerate until ready to serve or pack up for an outing.
Store mason jar salads upright in the fridge for up to 5 days.
When you’re ready to enjoy your mason jar salads, simply dump the entire jar into a bowl or onto a plate, or shake vigorously with the lid on to distribute the dressing and other ingredients evenly in the jar.
TIPS FOR MASON JAR SALADS
When making layered mason jar salads, you put the ingredients in the jar in a specific order to keep everything fresh and separate, without getting soggy layers.
Start at the bottom with your dressing. You’ll want to add your protein to the dressing, or another ingredient that can withstand sitting in the liquid. Except for hard-boiled eggs. They do better on the top!
Chicken, chickpeas, rice, farro, and quinoa are all perfect for this bottom layer. They’ll absorb some of the dressing flavor, but they won’t end up soggy and wilty like lettuce would.
Next, layer your more moist ingredients. In the Asian salad, that’s the canned oranges and pineapple. In other mason jar recipes, that might be chopped cherry tomatoes or cucumbers. If they release any additional moisture, it will fall down into the already liquid layer in the jar.
After that, you’ll add your salad greens and your sturdier vegetables. These are the ones you want to wait to dress until you’re serving the salad. Shredded carrots, broccoli florets, or stir fry vegetables are the top layer in the Asian salad.
You may want grape tomatoes, chopped bell peppers, red onions, sliced mushrooms, or crunchy ingredients like croutons or sunflower seeds to go on top of greens like chopped romaine lettuce, arugula, or baby spinach. You can add hard cheeses like shredded cheddar here too.
You can decide if you want the sturdy veggies or the greens as the top layer. Either is fine, as long as both are separate from the high-moisture ingredients at the bottom of the jar. Some salads in mason jar recipes call for putting the crunchy veggies near the bottom so that they soak up some of the dressing flavors, but I prefer to keep them at the top so they stay nice and crisp!
So, get out those mason jars and put them to good use (well, other than just canning!) I guarantee salad in mason jars will be a welcome addition to your next family outing.
MORE SALADS MASON JAR IDEAS
Want to try one of your favorite salads mason jar style? Here’s how I would layer some of my other favorite salad recipes in mason jars.
Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad. Start with your buffalo sauce and ranch dressing in the bottom of the mason jar, followed by the chicken, bacon, and gorgonzola (since that’s a softer cheese, it goes closer to the bottom of the mason jar). Chopped romaine, then bell peppers, shredded carrots, and green onions finish the layers.
Chicken Southwest Salad. Start with your cilantro lime dressing, then the chicken, corn, and beans. Top those with lettuce, grape tomatoes, shredded cheddar, and tortilla chips, and you have a delicious salad ready to grab and go!
Massaged kale salad like this one with blueberries, walnuts, and feta. This style of salad is a little bit different since you’re massaging the kale first. Mix the kale with the olive oil dressing and use that as your bottom layer, followed by the feta cheese. Top with green beans, blueberries, and then your chopped nuts. This style of salad won’t last quite as long in a mason jar, but you can still make it a few days ahead of time.
Vegetable Quinoa Salad. This crunchy vegetable salad doesn’t have any lettuce, but it still works as a layer salad in a jar! Start with the Thai Peanut Sauce and the cooked quinoa. Pineapple, cucumber, and chopped tomatoes are next. Then corn, bell peppers, onions, and peanuts.
MAKING MACRO-FRIENDLY SALADS MASON JAR STYLE
Mason jars salad recipes are so versatile because once you understand the method, you can add whatever salad ingredients you want!
For high-protein mason jar salads, focus on the layer right above the dressing. Cooked chicken or steak, black beans or chickpeas, or quinoa will all add protein to your mason jar meals. Chopped nuts or seeds (almonds, walnuts, or hemp seeds) as a topping can boost the protein as well.
To lower the fat in the salad mason jar recipes, opt for a simple vinaigrette for your dressing and skip the cheese. Fill the jar with plenty of greens and fresh veggies and you’ll be set!
Watching your carbs? Skip the rice and quinoa layers and focus on protein and produce. If you do want to include carbohydrates in your salad, whole grains like quinoa or brown rice are hearty and satisfying, and fruit like mandarin oranges or chopped apples work too (toss apples with a bit of lemon juice to avoid browning).
No matter which macros you’re focusing on with your salad mason jar recipes, include a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, and salad greens!
MASON JARS SALAD FAQS
What size mason jar do you use for salads?
I like to use 32oz jars (1 quart) for my mason jar salads. They’re big enough to hold a meal-sized salad with all the layers and a couple of handfuls of salad greens. A pint size jar is just too small, even for a side salad!
How can you make high-protein mason jar salad recipes?
For protein, focus on the layer right above the dressing. Chicken or steak, black beans or chickpeas, or quinoa will all add protein to your mason jars salad. Chopped nuts or seeds (almonds, walnuts, or hemp seeds) as a topping can boost the protein as well.
Will lettuce stay fresh in a mason jar?
Yes! Lettuce can stay fresh in a mason jar, especially if you keep it in a separate layer from the high-moisture ingredients. You can also place a folded paper towel at the top of the jar before sealing it to absorb any extra moisture.
Should I eat the salad out of the jar?
You can. I prefer to dump my salad out into a big bowl or onto a plate so that everything gets thoroughly mixed together. Plus, it can be kind of hard to reach the bottom of the jar with a fork!
MORE LUNCHBOX SALAD RECIPES AND ON-THE-GO MEALS
Need more lunchbox salad recipes or ideas for meals on the go? Try these!
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WATCH HOW TO MAKE MASON JAR SALADS
Mason Jar Salads
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup & Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Asian
Instructions
- Cook rice according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Make the vinaigrette by tossing mixing together the miso, vinegar, ginger, honey, oil, sesame seeds and lime juice.
- Toss the rice with the vinaigrette and divide between the 6 mason jars.
- Evenly distribute the fruit between the jars, followed by the cabbage, chopped veggies (or stir fry blend), and finished with the green onions. Place caps on the mason jars and refrigerate until ready to serve or pack up for an outing.
Notes
When making layered mason jar salads, you put the ingredients in the jar in a specific order to keep everything fresh and separate, without getting soggy layers.
Start at the bottom with your dressing. You’ll want to add your protein to the dressing, or another ingredient that can withstand sitting in the liquid.
Next, layer your more moist ingredients. In the Asian salad, that’s the canned oranges and pineapple.
After that, you’ll add your salad greens and your sturdier vegetables. These are the ones you want to wait to dress until you’re serving the salad. You can decide if you want the sturdy veggies or the greens as the top layer. Either is fine, as long as both are separate from the high-moisture ingredients at the bottom of the jar.
