How to Make a Salad in a Jar + 21 Stunning Recipes
- Updated on Sep 26, 2024
Salad in a Jar FAQs
How do you keep a salad fresh in a jar?
Make sure the jar is fully sealed, store it in the refrigerator and eat it within 4-5 days! Layer your ingredients wisely: anything that isn’t nice when soggy (ie. leafy greens, nuts) should go at the very top of the jar, far away from the dressing.
How long does a salad stay fresh in a mason jar?
4 – 5 days. Of course, this depends on the ingredients you use – some last longer than others.
Personally, I prepare three jars to last me till Wednesday and then I make another two for the Thursday and Friday or switch to an entirely different lunch.
Why do people put salads in Mason jars?
To easily store and transport their lunch! You can store a salad in a mason jar for up to 5 days in the fridge, so, with a bit of meal prep, you can have lunch ready in no time.
There is also an environmental reason behind mason jars: if you already have them in the house, they are a more sustainable food container than a new plastic tupperware!
How do you pack a salad?
First, mix the dressing in the bottom of the jar. The rest of the layers must be organised according to what can handle getting wet and what would go soggy. So start with crisp chopped veggies such as tomatoes, carrots and cucumber.
Then add any cooked vegetables or legumes that you might want to use. After this, layer cheese or egg, if you are using them. Then layer any grains you might want such as cooked rice, quinoa or bulgar wheat.
Finally, pack in some leafy greens and/or a sprinkling of nuts and seeds (these are the ingredients that really can’t get soggy!)
How long do certain ingredients stay fresh in the fridge?
Here’s a list of the most common ingredients for a salad in a jar. If you have more ingredients you’re not sure about, I recommend having a look at Eat by Date, a very helpful website on shelf life.
Asparagus (fresh or cooked) – lasts for 4 days
Avocado – this is a tricky fruit. One option is to not add it to the salad when serving. If you add avocado into the jar make sure to coat it with lime beforehand. Then it lasts for 2 days.
Beans (cooked) – last for 4 days
Bean sprouts – last for 2 days
Feta cheese – last for 5 days
Hard boiled eggs – You can add them to the salad right away. Peeled hard boiled eggs last for 2 days. A better idea is to add one to the salad just before serving. Hard boiled eggs with peel last for 1 week in the fridge.
Lettuce (chopped) – lasts for 3 days
Mozzarella cheese – last for 5 days
Mushrooms (fresh, sliced) – last for 3 days
Pasta (cooked) – lasts for 3 days
Peas (cooked) – last for 3 days
Rice (cooked) – lasts for 3 days
Onion (chopped) – lasts for 5 days
Scallions (chopped) – lasts for 5 days
Spinach (fresh)- lasts for 3 days
NOTE: Of course check always for yourself if the foods are still good. Do the sniff test and all that. These are just ballpark numbers. Cheerio!
How long do certain dressings stay fresh in the fridge?
Yogurt dressings last for 7 days. Vinegar and oil based dressings last for 5 days. Hummus lasts for 7 days.
What’s the best jar size and where can I buy them?
I recommend getting 700ml jars (ca. 24oz/1.5 pint) to make sure you’ll have a satisfying lunch. Most popular and certainly well suited for Salads in a Jar are classic “Mason Jars”. You can buy them here on Amazon and in well-stocked home improvement stores.
Personally I use empty pickles jars. Those a big and “for free”. It meant I had to eat many pickles though, haha. And of course I get minus points in the category of “style”.
Got any questions about salads in a jar that I haven’t covered yet? Just let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer them.
Alright, now you know pretty much everything about salads in a jar. It’s time for some recipe inspiration, isn’t it? Here are 21 awesome salads in a jar for you to try out!
- Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Salad (healthy, high-protein, delicious!)
- Rainbow Mason Jar Salad (includes chickpeas, feta & quinoa)
- Cruciferous Salad with Asian Sesame Dressing (common ingredients, different taste!)
- Mexican Salad in a Jar (includes tacos for an extra crunch!)
- Peach Tomato Basil Salad (light and refreshing)
- Deconstructed Sushi Jar (quick, easy, delicious!)
- Layered 7-Bean Salad in a Jar (for those with an extra need of protein)
- Rainbow Salad in a Jar with Hummus (the dressing is a pretty cool avocado hummus mixture!)
- Italian Orzo Salad (this recipe doesn’t follow the “classic” instructions, but we’re not set in just one way, are we?)
- Rainbow Fruit Salad in a Jar (lots of fruits and a cool yogurt dressing!)
- Paradise in a Jar Salad (another one with fruits, nuts and a lemon yogurt dressing)
- Mason Jar Zucchini Pasta Salad (if you’re into zoodles!)
- Wheat Berry and Blistered Tomato Mason Jar Salad (deffo a fancy pants version)
- Pesto Pasta Salad (a classic)
- Chopped Black Bean and Corn Salad (the ingredients fill exactly 5 jars)
- Asian Noodle Salad Jar (the dressing looks awesome!)
- Guacamole Mason Jar Recipe (very light as is. You’ll need some bread with it I think)
- Quinoa Pear Spinach Salad in a Jar (definitely a refreshing combo of ingredients!)
- High Protein Salad in a Jar (lentils do the trick here)
- Sprouted Spring Salad in a Jar (easy, filling and quickly put together)
- Wheat Berry Apple Salad in a Jar (with body, sweet, tangy and sour. Cool combo!)
Enjoy! 🙂
Hauke Fox
I’m always on the lookout for these damn smart recipes. You know, those that only take a few minutes to put together and taste delicious. Vegetarian Cooking at home is a way to take back control over what I eat. I don’t like what many companies do to animals and the environment with their products.
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Can you omit Layer 5: rice, pasta, quinoa or couscous? I like a salad for my evening meal but don’t eat carbs at that meal. Or can you suggest another alternative for this layer that isn’t a carb?
Yes, for sure! Definitely leave it out if you so wish. Or what about cauliflower rice for low-carb instead? We cover how to make it here 🙂 https://hurrythefoodup.com/how-to-make-a-burrito-bowl/
Our family has simplified weekly salad prep. Using a mason jar is pretty but not practical since you don’t eat out of the jar. It’s just the storage vessel, but you still have to transfer contents onto a plate, bowl, etc.
We prefer containers you can prepare, store, transfer, and out of which you can eat. We use 3-cup rectangular glass containers with lids by Pyrex which allows us to separate chopped vegetables from the salad base.
Having on hand a variety of smaller containers with lids is useful for toppings we want to stay more crisp.
Most of our salad combinations are so flavorful, we don’t really need dressing. However, we just mix up a jar of dressing suited to the salad and on the day, add it to the Pyrex container.
The best part is being able to eat out of it.
Aahh! That is also really smart. Yes, it would keep the veggies crispier for longer. Actually I also switched mostly to glass containers. But mostly because they are just the right size 🙂
This might be a silly question–or someone might have already asked?–but how much dressing do you put in each jar? I was wondering, in case I decided to use a store bought dressing. Thank you for sharing the recipes, by the way!
You’re very welcome, Mila! I’d say decide individually. Around 0.5 to 1 cm of dressing per jar is definitely enough 🙂
Hello and let me tell you….you are a life saver…I love this blog…it’s so hekpful..I have started using your salads in z jar…and have gone mad about it….I do miss some meat protein though… could I add chicken,, beef , prawns, tuna to any if these salads and if yes what shelf life would they have?? Thanks so much in advance
Ah, reaally cool you enjoy the suggestions from this article, Elena!!
Hmm, difficult to say about the shelf. I’d be a bit more careful with seafood. Chicken is ok for 2-3 days. All in all I wouldn’t make salads in a jar with meat more than one day ahead. One jar today, one tomorrow. Done 🙂
Thank you! made one yesterday and loved it.
Hi these look lovely. I tired making. Salad jar the other day and this site told me to put lettuce at the bottom then onion, the tomatoes and cucumber but in day 3 the cucumber looked funny. Going to try your way this time.
I liked this ‘tutorial’ very much, it was very detailed including the pictures. And I also liked the ‘bonus’ dressing recipes you gave.
Thank you, Kelly! Glad you found it so useful. We have a few other ‘how tos’ you might like as well – acai bowls – https://hurrythefoodup.com/how-to-make-acai-bowl/ and Buddha bowls – https://hurrythefoodup.com/how-to-make-a-buddha-bowl/ – are a couple of faves 🙂