How to Make Mason Jar Salads (+10 Salad in a Jar Recipes)

I started making mason jar salads more than 15 years ago as a way to eat healthier and save money during the work week. Prepping salads in a jar ahead of time meant I always had a fresh lunch ready to go. Now, after all these years (and literally thousands of jar salads later), I've amassed so many tips and built up a huge collection of mason jar salad recipes to help you get on the jarred salad bandwagon!

Why Mason Jar Salads Just Plain Work

I've been a salad in a jar stan for ages, and there is a reason it's one of the main healthy habits that never wanes in my life-they just plain work, friends.

• They keep salads fresh for days-we're talking up to a week if packed properly!
• You can prep multiple lunches at once-you can easily make all your lunches for the work week in about 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon
• The layering method prevents soggy lettuce-if you stack the jar in the proper order (more on that in a sec), you'll have lettuce on day seven that is just as crisp and fresh as the day you packed it. I promise!
• They're portable and perfect for grab-and-go lunches-I've eaten mason jar salads in the car, at my desk, in a park, in an airport, and in the waiting room at a doctor's office (okay I got some weird looks on that one).
• The make healthy food the easiest choice-when we are stressed, overwhelmed or just tired, we reach for the easiest choice in the fridge. A premade mason jar salad hanging out waiting to be cracked open makes healthy eats the easiest choice.

Mason Jar Salad Layer Order

The key to a good salad in a jar staying fresh all week long is the packing order. All you have to remember is one thing-keep the wet ingredients away from the greens. This means that things like salad dressing, chopped tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, etc. go to the bottom of the jar and greens go at the very top of the jar, with a buffer of other ingredients in the middle. That way, if you keep the jar upright, everything stays in its place. Not a soggy leaf of lettuce in sight!

Here's a simple layering formula:

1. Dressing (in the bottom of the jar)
2. Crunchy vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, peppers)
3. Proteins and grains (beans, chicken, quinoa)
4. Soft ingredients (cheese, avocado added later)
5. Greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula)

Best Jars to Use For Mason Jar Salads

All size jars work for salads in a jar, so it's more a question of what size salad you want in the end. I do recommend going with wide-mouth jars, just because they are easier to pack, but regular-mouth jars work as well. Here's a quick guide to mason jar salad sizes:

• Jelly Jar (8 ounces)-This is usually too small to pack a mason jar salad in, but I have occasionally packed one for my young child in this size. For slightly more space, a 12-ounce jelly jar is also a good kid-size salad.
• Pint (16 ounces)-This is a good size for a side salad. I like to use this size when I'm combining a salad with a soup in a jar for lunch. These can also be used for a light lunch or a snack.
• Pint and a Half (24 ounces)-These are my FAVORITE size jars for mason jar salads! They are big enough to be a full meal, but not so huge that you need to dump it into a mixing bowl to eat it. In fact, this jar is my favorite of all the canning jars because it's one of the most flexible-I use it for everything from freezing my homemade bone broth to canning tomatoes.
• Quart (32 ounces)-If you're a super veggie-lover, a quart size is a good option for a dinner-sized salad for one, or a lunch-sized salad for two. It also works as a side salad for 3-4.
• Half-Gallon (64 ounces)-This big, bad mamma jamma is a good size for pitch-ins, potlucks, or big families. I sometimes will make ahead a nice salad for a potluck and stash it in one of these in the fridge so it's ready to go when I am.

Salad Dressings for Salads in a Jar

You don't need any sort of special dressing for mason jar salad-whatever you have and whatever you like will work! If you do plan to travel with your jar, you might have slightly better results if you use a thicker dressing (like my greek yogurt ranch dressing or my honey mustard salad dressing) rather than a thinner dressing (like my healthy balsamic vinaigrette recipe or my homemade Italian dressing recipe). But usually I pack my jars so tight that it doesn't matter either way!

I have a boatload of healthy salad dressing recipes that will work great for these mason jar salads (and making your own saves sooooo much cash).

Other Meal Prep Salad Containers

Canning jars work well because they don't absorb smells and flavors like plastic, they last forever, and they are tall and skinny-the key to making sure your salad doesn't go limp. If you want to use upcycled glass or plastic jars (like from pasta sauce), you absolutely can-just as long as it has a lid that seals well and is tall and skinny, you can use it!

I do not recommend meal prepping salads into wide containers where the dressing has a higher chance of coming in contact with the greens. The key here is to get as much separation as possible between the dressing and the greens, and the way to do that is through a tall, narrow vessel.

Best Lids for Salads in a Jar

Any well-fitting lid will work to keep your salad fresh, but I really like the plastic storage caps for mason jars from Ball Canning. They are great because they don't rust, are easy to clean, and are a single piece-no searching for both a lid and a ring to close your jar.

How Long Do Mason Jar Salads Last

What ingredients you use in your salad will impact how long it can last in the fridge, but I will say a salad made of just dressing and veggies will easily last 7-10 days in the fridge. Yes, really! Toward the end of that time, your lettuce might start to look "rusty" (it's actually not rust, it's called "russet browning," and it's caused by exposure to ethylene gas-and it's completely safe to eat), but other than that, it'll be good to go!

When animal-based products like meat and cheese are added to the mix, you're looking at closer to 3-5 days in the fridge.

When you use sliced fruit in your jar, you'll get the least amount of prep-ahead time out of it-I wouldn't prep a fruit-containing salad more than three days in advance.

What Ingredients NOT to Use in a Mason Jar Salad

Almost anything that you would put in a fresh salad can go into your meal prepped salads, with one exception: I recommend skipping foods that oxidize if you want the longest-lasting jar. Foods like avocado, apple, and pear are great additions to salads,but even when treated with Fruit Fresh, they'll only last a day or two in a jar salad. Which is fine if you're just prepping for tomorrow's lunch, but not if you're trying to get through a full week. I tend to add those ingredients just before serving.

How to Eat a Mason Jar Salad

My preferred method is to dump it and enjoy! Some people try to shake the salad and then eat it in the canning jar. But because I pack the ingredients in so tight, I don't really get good distribution if I do that, and so I always carry a salad bowl with me. When I was working in an office, I kept a bowl for my mason jar salads right in my desk! When lunch was over, I'd just rinse it out in the office kitchen and pack it away in my desk drawer for the next day.

Mason Jar Salad Expert Tips

Here's what I've learned over my literal thousands of jar-packing experiences:

• Liquid ingredients on the bottom, greens on the top. Keep this in mind, and you'll be able to "go rogue" and experiment with crafting your own mason jar salad creations!
• Really jam-pack the jars full. Not only does this give you the most veggies for your space, but it also helps keep things from shifting and moving around (which is particularly helpful if you are packing a jar in a lunchbox and it happens to tip over on its side). I shove so many greens in that I have to hold them down with one hand while I place the lid on with the other. It should be like a lettuce jack-in-the-box when you open that jar!
• Use the fridge time to your advantage by marinating foods in the dressing. Cooked grains, tofu, chicken, beans-they all will soak up some of the flavor of the dressing.
• Keep your jar upright. This is not the time to let your lunch roll around on the floor of your car (anyone else? just me?). Keep that jar upright so the dressing stays at the bottom.
• Label, label, label your jars! If you get into making salads in a jar, you'll want to really keep track of what's in your salads and when they were made. My best trick for labeling mason jar salads (and any food stored in glass) is to write on the glass with a Sharpie. When it's time to clean the jar, a quick swipe of a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol takes the writing off the jar.

Mason Jar Salad FAQs

All of My Mason Jar Salad Recipes

In the recipe card down below, you'll find my basic formula for making salads in a jar that you can follow to craft your own fun salads, but if you're looking for some salad inspiration, boy do I gotcha covered! Here are all of my home kitchen tested salad in a jar recipes (the Italian chopped salad in a jar is my personal fave, but they're all amazing):

Wedge Salad in a Jar

Vegetarian Taco Salad in a Jar

Sunshine Mandarin Orange Salad in a Jar

Strawberry Spinach Salad in a Jar

Sesame Chickpea Salad in a Jar

Italian Chopped Salad in a Jar

Chicken Taco Salad in a Jar

Burger Salad Bowl (Whole30 Burger Bowl Recipe)

Apple Walnut Salad in a Jar