What’s a salad jar?
A salad jar is a salad – in a jar.
Ha! It’s that simple.
You build the salad upside down in the jar.
The dressing and toppings go in first, and the greens go last.
When you dump it out on your plate, your salad is right-side up again, and nothing has become wilted or soggy.
How to use salad jars
Jar salads are great for everyday use. But they are convenient when on a road trip.
Pack a variety of salads in jars.
Store them in a cooler with a few ice packs.
And when you’re ready for lunch, pull out a healthy, delicious meal.
It’s quick to prep and quick to clean up.
Making a jar salad
How to layer
- Dressing 2-3 Tbsp.
- Any veggie toppings – tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, carrots…
- Any soft toppings – like cheese, avocado…
- Leafy greens- pack to fill to the top
- Package crunchy toppings in a separate zipper bag – crackers, croutons, chips…
Layering in this order will keep things from getting soggy or losing flavor while sitting in the jar.
Preparing the ingredients
Salad dressings
There are suggestions for homemade dressing recipes included in each salad jar recipe below.
Of course, you can buy salad dressing, rather than making it. There are suggested choices for store-bought options as well.
Avocado
Avocados are tricky to put in salad jars because they quickly turn brown.
I would suggest cutting the avocado for the first day’s salads and then packing a few extra for future lunches to chop when serving the salad.
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Cheeses
Use shredded or pre-crumbled cheese.
Place cheeses between two ingredients without much moisture in the layers. This will maintain the texture of the cheese so that it doesn’t become soggy.
Meats
Chop meat into bite-sized pieces.
Carrots
The easiest way to eat carrots in a salad is to grate them with a cheese grater. Or buy a package of grated carrots.
Green onions and cilantro
Pre-chop green onions into small pieces.
Strip the leaves from cilantro stems and use whole, or chop them into finer pieces.
Leafy greens
Wash all greens before creating your salad jars. I use a salad spinner to wash and then spin my leafy greens dry.
Mixed reds and greens – while you can shove a handful or two of mixed greens into the top of your jars, chopping or tearing the greens into smaller pieces makes the salads easier to serve and eat. It also allows for a bit more greenery to fit in the jar.
Chop cabbage into fine strips. It should be small enough to fit in the jar and to eat.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds can be layered straight into the salad but, consider including nuts and seeds in the separate baggie of toppings.
Nuts can start to soak up moisture, and they lose their crunch if they sit in the jar for too long.
Chop nuts into small pieces in preparation for building the salad.
Crackers, chips, croutons
Package into a separate baggie for each day or each person.
Salad jar recipes
Southwest Salad
- Southwest style salad dressing
- Avocado
- Tomatoes
- Corn
- Beans
- Cheese
- Cilantro
- Mixed Greens
- Tortilla chips (separate bag)
Recipe’s for homemade southwest salad dressings
Whole Kitchen Sink: Southwest Ranch Dressing.
Peace, Love and Low Carb: Southwest Ranch Dip.
Asian Salad
- Asian style salad dressing
- Grated carrots
- Grated/sliced brussels sprouts
- Chopped chicken
- Slivered almonds (or separate bag)
- Green onions
- Purple cabbage
- Kale
- Green cabbage
- Mixed lettuce
- Crunchy Chinese noodles (separate bag)
Recipes for homemade Asian salad dressings
The Creative Bite: Toasted Sesame Asian Salad Dressing
Sweet Peas and Saffron: Asian Salad Dressing
Culinary Hill: Asian Salad Dressing
I Breathe I’m Hungry: Keto Asian Salad Dressing (this is a complete salad recipe, follow the dressing part of the recipe to use in your jar salad).
Fruits and Nuts Salad
- Balsamic vinaigrette
- Avocado (optional)
- Blueberries
- Feta cheese
- Green cabbage
- Kale
- Spinach
- Combo – hemp hearts, chia seeds, goji berries, crainsins as desired (separate bag)
Bacon and Eggs Salad
- Creamy avocado salad dressing
- Avocado
- Tomato
- Boiled egg
- Bacon
- Cheddar cheese
- Green onions
- Mixed greens
Recipes for homemade creamy avocado dressing
Gimme Delicious: Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
Pinch of Yum: 5 Minute Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Turkey and Kale Salad
- Poppyseed salad dressing
- Chopped turkey
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Green cabbage
- Kale
- Romaine lettuce
- Crackers (separate bag)
- Goji berries (optional, separate bag)
Recipes suggestions for homemade poppyseed dressing
Wholesome Yum: Poppyseed dressing
Spark People: Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
Caesar Salad
- Caesar salad dressing
- Chopped chicken
- Green cabbage
- Green onion
- Kale
- Spinach
- Romaine lettuce
- Parmesan cheese (separate bag)
- Croutons (separate bag)
Tuna green salad
- Avocado cilantro lime salad dressing
- Tuna
- Pickles
- Kalamata olives
- Red onion
- Mixed greens
Recipes for homemade creamy avocado dressing
Gimme Delicious: Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
Pinch of Yum: 5 Minute Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Storing salad jars while traveling
Keep them on ice packs in a cooler.
Or…
Buy ingredients as you go. This works well if you have a place to prep, otherwise preparing ahead saves on mess and frustration.
What you’ll need
Cooler
We have a Coleman cooler that is an excellent size for two people carrying a few days of salad jars. The number of jars will, of course, vary depending on the size of your family.
Ice packs
For a tutorial on making your ice packs visit DIY Natural.
Mason jars
Plastic mason jar lids
Serving your salad jars
Serve the salad jars by turning the contents out onto a plate and adding the separate toppings.
For the pita crackers, almond thins, and chips, you might want to break them into pieces and sprinkle them over the top. Or you could serve them on the side.
If you haven’t added the avocado yet, chop them up and add as well.
