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August 24, 2015 27 Comments

Mason Jar Salads 101

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Over the past few months, I’ve heard people talk about making salads in a jar on numerous occasions. Being the skeptic that I am, I wondered why people would do such a thing. What’s wrong with regular plastic or glass Tupperware containers? But I heard enough about these salads that I decided to give them a try, and I have to say, I was surprised by how much I like them.
Make some Mason Jar Salads to have fresh & delicious salads for lunch all week!

Why use a mason jar?

-The narrow design of the mason jar keeps the dressing on the bottom near the firm veggies, and the softer veggies, greens, and proteins are layered closer to the top of the jar where they won’t get soggy from the dressing.
-With a glass jar, you don’t have to worry about possible harmful effects of BPAs (although it is possible to buy BPA-free plastic containers).
-Mason jar salads stay good for up to 5-6 days in the fridge so you can make them during the weekend for a whole week of lunches, which is longer than any of my Tupperware salads have lasted.
-The jars show off the rainbow of colorful fruits and veggies in your salad. I’m all in favor of making healthy food pretty and presentable because I know it’ll makes me more excited about eating it (and more excited to eat it around other people because, let’s face it– a lot of the healthy lunches we pack taste great but look less than appetizing.)

Where do you buy them?

I bought a set of a dozen wide-mouth (<- important for ease of filling) pint-size mason jars at Walmart for about $13. I’ve also seen them at Kroger, Ace Hardware, and quite a few other stores. Of course, like most things in the world, you can find them on Amazon.com, too.

What do you put in them?

There are lots of possible variations for mason jar salads and I’ll list a few at the bottom. The most important thing to remember is liquids on the BOTTOM and soft, delicate ingredients on TOP. For now, I’ll show you a step-by-step of how you can make a Greek mason jar salad.

Layer 1: Pour 1-2 tablespoons of salad dressing at the bottom of of your pint jar.

Layer 2: Add beans (if using) and then your harder, least absorbent veggies. For the Greek salad, I used red onion and cucumbers. Chickpeas and slices of bell pepper would also be great here.

Make some Mason Jar Salads to have fresh & delicious salads for lunch all week!Layer 3: Add soft veggies if eating the salad that day. This time, I added sliced tomatoes, but if I knew I wouldn’t be eating the salad for several days, I’d wait to add tomatoes to the top layer on the day I planned to eat it. Olives would also be a great addition here if you’re into those.IMG_8089Step 4: Pack most of the remaining jar space with greens. Here, I used Romaine lettuce, but you could also use mixed greens, spinach, or kale.Make some Mason Jar Salads to have fresh & delicious salads for lunch all week!Step 5: Add proteins (meat, tofu, tempeh, etc.) and soft cheeses on top on the day you plan to eat it, and pack the jar tightly before screwing on the lid to keep the layers in place. I added feta cheese and grilled chicken to the top of my Greek salad.Make some Mason Jar Salads to have fresh & delicious salads for lunch all week!
Make some Mason Jar Salads to have fresh & delicious salads for lunch all week!

Mason Jar Salads Variations I’ve Tried:

Southwestern 
1. 1-2 tablespoons spicy dressing or salsa
2. Black or kidney beans
3. Corn, cucumbers, bell pepper
4. Cooked quinoa or other grains such as millet, optional
7. Greens
Day of: tomatoes, chicken or other protein, avocado/guacamole

Greek 
1. 1-2 tablespoons Greek dressing
2. Chickpeas, optional protein
3. Cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper, optional olives
4. Cooked quinoa, optional
5. Greens
Day of: sliced tomatoes, chicken or other protein, feta cheese

Apple Walnut Cranberry
1. 1-2 tablespoons poppyseed dressing or balsamic vinaigrette
2. Dried cranberries
2. Diced apples (they will turn brown but still taste fine for several days)
3. Diced celery
4. Chopped walnuts
5. Greens
Day of: chicken or other protein, feta cheese

 Here’s the printable version! 

Make some Mason Jar Salads to have fresh & delicious salads for lunch all week!
Print Pin

Make Your Own Mason Jar Salads

Create one of the mason jar salad variations above, or follow these loose guidelines to make your own.
Author: Liv

Ingredients

  • Ingredients:
  • Wide-mouth pint mason jars
  • Salad dressing
  • Toppings
  • Greens

Instructions

  • Layer 1: Salad dressing
  • Layer 2: Beans: Black beans, kidney beans, or white beans
  • Layer 3: Harder, less absorbent vegetables: raw carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onion, corn, peas, broccoli florets
  • Layer 4: Grains: cooked barley, cooked rice, cooked quinoa
  • Layer 5: Nuts or seeds: Almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds
  • Layer 6: Softer vegetables and fruits: Avocados, tomatoes, diced strawberries, roasted or grilled vegetables. (Wait to add avocado or berries until the day you'll eat the salad.)
  • Layer 7: Salad greens: Romaine, kale or spinach
  • Layer 8: Cheese and proteins: Feta cheese, diced chicken, tuna, hard-boiled eggs. If you're making salads ahead to eat throughout the week, wait to add these ingredients until the day you're planning to eat the salad.
  • Storing the salad: Screw the lid on the jar and refrigerate for up to 6 days. If you're including any cheese, proteins, or soft fruits and vegetables, add these to the top of the jar the morning you plan to eat your salad.
  • Tossing and eating the salad: When ready to eat, unscrew the lid and shake the salad into a bowl.

Notes

Use a wide-mouth mason jar to be able to easily pack your salad.

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Comments

  1. Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says

    August 24, 2015 at 8:42 am

    Mason jar salads are so fun! I haven’t made one in a long time, but need to start experimenting with different ones again.

    Reply
  2. Jamie says

    August 24, 2015 at 9:48 am

    I’m so happy you posted this since I never knew why people layered certain veggies in their mason jar salads… it all makes sense now 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 24, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      I always thought it was just one of those silly trends too haha but now I’m a convert!

      Reply
  3. Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says

    August 24, 2015 at 10:49 am

    I was a mason jar skeptic until just recently too! I always just stuck with my plastic tupperware, but now that I started experimenting with mason jar salads, I am totally on board with it. I am loving the southwestern variation you made— going to have to try that out next!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 24, 2015 at 4:26 pm

      I really like the Southwestern version! And I love that mason jars can be heated up in the microwave because I never feel good about microwaving plastic.

      Reply
  4. Cailee says

    August 24, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    WOW! This looks amazing!! …like you I was a bit skeptical as well! I figured Tupperware was fine, but you’ve pointed out some great benefits to mason jars!! I’ll DEFINITELY be using these this fall instead!! Thanks girl! 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 24, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      Mason jars are great since they’re microwave-safe, too!

      Reply
  5. Rachel says

    August 24, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    I’ve never heard of this idea until now, super neat! I’m going to try the Greek and the southwestern one 🙂

    Reply
  6. Beverley @ sweaty&fit says

    August 24, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    Love that you broke it down step by step! Makes it so much easier to do. Another benefit of mason jars is you dont have to worry about bringing another container of dressing on the side.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 24, 2015 at 4:19 pm

      Very true! I love just having one container to carry around and then wash later. After I eat a few bites from the top of the jar, I can usually shake the salad up to mix it without even having to dump it into a bowl!

      Reply
  7. Liz says

    August 24, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    I eat salad almost all the time.. and I’ve never made a Mason Jar salad!! I’m clearly doing something wrong here!

    Reply
  8. Adriana says

    August 24, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    A friend of mine recently made these and I thought it was SUCH a great idea!! I’m definitely going to have to try this! Thank you for sharing a recipe – they look amazing! : )
    xo Adriana
    Daily Dose of Design

    Reply
  9. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    August 24, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    You have made some great points!
    I send my husband to work with one most days and he loves them.

    Reply
  10. Emily @ My Healthyish Life says

    August 24, 2015 at 8:18 pm

    I have never made a mason jar salad because I always thought it wouldn’t be filling enough (the jar looked too small to fit enough food in). But I LOVE the idea behind it so I might just have to buy bigger jars haha.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 24, 2015 at 9:15 pm

      You can definitely pack a LOT in those little pint jars, but you can also get quart jars if you want bigger salads. The quart jars just don’t fit in my mini dorm fridge 🙂

      Reply
  11. Erin says

    August 24, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    You have answered my most burning mason jar salad questions! I have a pantry full of mason jars but I wasn’t ready to take the plunge… Thanks for the information. I was definitely confused about eating the salad out of the jar. Dumping it into a bowl makes so much more sense!

    Reply
  12. Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says

    August 25, 2015 at 9:21 am

    It’s silly to say, but 90% of the reason I’ve never made a Mason jar salad is because I had no idea how you were supposed to eat it when the mouth of the jar is so small. Duh, you pour it into a different bowl. Alright. So, I might have to give these a try 😀

    Reply
  13. Elsie @ Sharing Healthiness says

    August 25, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Wow! This is the best mason jar salad tutorial I have seen so far! Myself I still prefer the old salad tupper but when it comes to making it fit with the other dozens of things in my bag..IT WINS! 🙂

    Reply
  14. Michelle @ Unbound Wellness says

    August 25, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    That looks amazing! One of my coworkers has these often and I’ve just never bit the bullet, but I think it’s time that I do it 😉

    Reply
  15. Lauren @ ihadabiglunch says

    August 25, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    I love mason jar salads! I used to not understand because I thought people ate them out of the jar and I didn’t understand how you were able to do that well…..dumb blonde moment I guess. Now that I dump them OUT of the jar I definitely get the obsession 😉 haha

    Reply
  16. rachel @ Athletic Avocado says

    August 25, 2015 at 5:36 pm

    I still need to make a mason jar salad! Making one asap!

    Reply
  17. Jessica @ kiwiyogirunner says

    August 27, 2015 at 6:46 am

    I totally wondered the exact same things about mason jar salads! You have totally sold me on them now though haha-bookmarking this post for summer! Thanks girl! 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 27, 2015 at 4:52 pm

      I’ve been making a few mason jar lunches on the weekends- either salads or burrito bowls- and they’ve been so nice to have!

      Reply
  18. Ellie says

    August 27, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    This is a cute idea! I like using mason jars for putting extra soup in (like Tupperware) and my roommate drinks out of the #hipster
    My favorite mason jar has a logo of a tough mudder I did!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 28, 2015 at 3:31 pm

      I’ve always wanted to do a tough mudder! And I’ve been drinking out of mason jars this year sometimes not because I’m so #hipster, but because I don’t have quite enough cups yet haha

      Reply
  19. Dani @ Dani California Cooks says

    August 28, 2015 at 12:33 am

    I haven’t hopped on the mason jar salad trend yet, but I definitely should! I always carry my dressing separately in like a small tupperware, but this seems so much easier!.

    Reply
  20. Emily says

    August 30, 2015 at 10:38 pm

    Wow this looks super good. And simple and easy… It makes the excuse to not have a salad, almost non existent. 😉

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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