Mason Jar Salad Recipe – Vegan!

I love salads, but hate having to pack them on the go. Especially if it’s a side salad, I find all my tupperware boxes to be too big and thus take too much space in my bag. I end up carrying a big, clunky lunch box in my bag for the whole day – that’s just no practical! A few days ago, I was rummaging through my kitchen to find a lunch box to pack my salad in. As my bag was already almost full, taking my usual tupperware box was just out of the question. I looked for an alternative, when it had been under my eyes this whole time… a Mason jar, obviously! I stuffed my freshly made salad in one of my Mason jars, and ended up with this beautiful and easy Mason jar salad recipe!

Remember when Mason jars were all over the place? Ahh, the good times that were the mid 2010’s… I feel like everyone had a Mason jar then! You would see so many incredible drinks and smoothies in Mason jars. Some people really went crazy with them and had so many. They would put literally everything and anything in it! I have to say though, I was a bit guilty of this trend myself too, as you can see from my Iced Chocolate Chai recipe… so no judgement! Although they’re not as trendy anymore, I still think Mason jars are fabulous and really useful. I mean, without them I wouldn’t have come up with this Mason jar salad recipe!

What is Mason jars?

A Mason jar is a glass jar which has a metal lid. Mason jars have a long history. As you can guess, they originally weren’t created to make Insta-worthy food, but to can food instead! Indeed, Mason jars date all the way back to 1858, when they were used to can and preserve food at home. Did you know that the name ‘Mason jar’ comes from its inventor John Landis Mason? Mason jars can also have other names, such as Ball jars (one of the most famous manufacturers of these glasses) or Kilner jars, in the UK. The more you know!

How to eat a Mason jar salad?

Some people may wonder how to eat a mason jar salad. Well, there aren’t that many ways truthfully! The most straightforward one would be to eat your salad straight out of the Mason jar. Depending on the size of your jar, this might be easier or harder. Indeed, if your jar is pretty small or averaged sized like mine, you might struggle to reach some of its contents. If your jar is too small for you to comfortably eat out of it, you can always transfer its contents to a bowl or plate! By doing so, you will very easily be able to enjoy your salad. Nevertheless, by eating out of your jar, you’ll save up on washing a dish or two!

What size Mason jar for salad?

For this mason jar salad recipe, I would recommend using a 16oz or 32oz Mason jar. I personally use a 16oz jar, which is ideal for a side salad or light lunch salad. If you decide to use a 32oz jar, you will have a bit more space for all the ingredients, so don’t hesitate to fill it up some more! Or if you decide to leave some room in it, it will be easier to mix it all together and then eat it out straight from the jar.

I do not recommend using any smaller jar, as all the ingredients simply won’t fit in it. If you wish to use a bigger jar, I would recommend doubling on some of the ingredients to make it more filling and fill up your jar!

Recipe for salad in a jar

Mason jar salad recipes are super straightforward, and so is this one! Let’s walk through this recipe all together.

Before starting, of course, make sure your Mason jar is clean. For the rest of the recipe to go super quickly and easily, have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Have all your veggies already cooked (for those that need it) and chopped close by when assembling the salad.

To assemble your salad, you can go two different ways. You can either layer each ingredient one by one in your jar, or mix them all together before and then add them to your jar. Do as you prefer!

When all the main ingredients are in the jar, prepare the sauce. For this, simply mix your salad sauce of choice with some yogurt, salt, and pepper. Not sure which salad dressing to choose? We will soon have a post with different salad dressings coming out, so keep your eyes peeled! We also recommend you subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss any of our latest recipes!

When your sauce is ready, pour it in Mason jar, over all the veggies. Optionally, you could also start by adding the sauce at the bottom of the jar, and then add all the vegetables. I find that, by doing so, the sauce has a harder time reaching all the vegetables. I therefore prefer to pour it over at the end!

And you are done! Now, simply cover your jar with a lid and refrigerate it, or eat it right away. This mason jar salad recipe is really great, because you can easily prepare multiple in one go and then refrigerate them. They will stay fresh in the fridge for a few days!