Prep your salads in advance with these mason jar salads. This high protein mason jar cobb salad recipe is the perfect healthy lunch for those busy work days. And, best of all, you can meal prep them days in advance for a quick grab-and-go meal. Each mason jar cobb salad is packed with 40g of protein, 8g of fiber, and only 454 calories (including the greek yogurt ranch dressing!). The healthy fats, proteins, and fiber will help to keep you full and energized all afternoon.
Mason Jar Salad Recipes
If you’re looking for ways to meal prep salads in advance without the lettuce getting too soggy and while keeping the ingredients as fresh as possible, the salad-in-a-jar method (aka mason jar salads) is one of the best ways I’ve found to do this. It’s all about how you layer the ingredients, which I’ll go more into below. And, you can use the salad-in-a-jar method for nearly any type of salad recipe too! So, once you master the layering process, feel free to get creative and meal prep all types of salads! It’s truly a grab-and-go healthy lunch option for those busy work days.
How To Layer Mason Jar Salads
To maximize freshness and make the salads last longer in the fridge, it’s all about how you layer the mason jar salads. You’ll first want to prep all of the ingredients individually. Then, you can begin to layer the salads as laid out below.
- Start with the dressing. Always add your salad dressing of choice first to the bottom of the container.
- Add high water vegetables/produce next. Add any high water items next, including tomatoes, cucumber, celery, carrots, onions, corn, bell peppers, olives, etc. Typically, any order is fine. (One exception is cooked quinoa. If I’m using it for a quinoa salad, I do like to add it at the bottom to marinate in the dressing).
- Add proteins. Next, add any meat and/or proteins to the jar, including boiled eggs, chicken, beef, bacon, chickpeas, etc.
- Add Leafy greens. Whatever leafy green you’re using whether it be romaine, iceberg, spinach, kale, arugula, etc., it should always be added to the jar last. And, stuff in as much as possible. The less air there is in the container, the longer the salad will stay fresh in the fridge.
- Optional: Nuts and Seeds. If you’re adding nuts or seeds to the salad, you can place them right on top of the leafy greens. Or, add them whenever you’re ready to consume the salad.
- Optional: Avocado. Always wait to add avocado to the salad when you’re ready to consume it. Never add it to the jars.
How To Eat a Mason Jar Salad
Whenever you’re ready to consume the salad, it’s as simple as dumping everything onto a plate or into a bowl, tossing all the ingredients together, add any additional toppings (i.e. avocado), and enjoy!
What Size Jars Should I Use?
Technically, any jar that’s at least a pint size or larger will work. But, my personal favorite jars to use are the glass quart-size large mouth mason jars. But, any the of the following types of jars will work…
- Quart Size Large Mouth Mason Jars (glass, 32 oz) – This is my favorite size for most salads because it gives you plenty of room to pack in as many vegetables as possible.
- Pint Size Large Mouth Mason Jars (glass, 16 oz) – This is the smallest size I would recommend using. This size is great for smaller salads.
- Pint and a Half Size Mason Jars (glass, 24 oz) – This is a great in between size if you find that the pint size is too small and the quart size is too big!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s the most common questions I get regarding mason jar salads.
How long will the salads last? If layered and stored properly, they will last you up to 4-5 days (depending on how cold your fridge is). It also depends on exactly what ingredients you’re using in the salads as some foods stay fresher for longer in the fridge. But, a typical timeline is 4-5 days.
How do you eat the salads? Once you’re ready to eat the salad, just dump all of the contents into a bowl, toss to combine all the ingredients, and enjoy! It’s super simple!
What are the best size jars to use? Personally, I prefer using the quart size mason jars. But, as mentioned above, you can use 16 oz, 24 oz, or 32 oz size jars depending on how big you want your salads to be.
Does this method work for all types of salads? For the most part, yes! You can use this method for pretty much any type of traditional salad recipe, including taco salads!
Mason Jar Cobb Salads Recipe Video
Mason Jar Cobb Salads | Healthy Lunch Ideas
Video
Equipment
- 5 Quart Size Mason Jars this is the size I used
Ingredients
For the Cobb Salads (5 servings):
- 5-8 C. Romaine Lettuce, rinsed and chopped
- 5 Eggs, boiled and chopped
- 1 lb Chicken Breasts, seasoned to your liking
- 10 slices Turkey Bacon
- 2 C. Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 2 C. Cucumber, chopped
- 1 Red Onion, diced
- 1/4 of an Avocado (for each salad, add when ready to consume)
- 5 Glass Mason Jars with Lids
For the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing (5 servings):
- 1/2 C. Homemade Avocado Mayo or store-bought avocado mayo (Chosen Foods or Primal Kitchen)
- 1/2 C. Plain Low Fat Greek Yogurt (or plain dairy free yogurt)
- 1 tsp EACH of Dried Dill and Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp EACH of Dried Parsley, Dried Chives, and Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp White or Black Pepper
- 1-2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2-4 Tbsp Water, to thin out the consistency to your liking
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts to your liking. I used sea salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry seasoning. Bake at 375 F. for about 25 minutes or until done. Or, pressure cook the chicken on high for 12 minutes. Once chicken is done, shred it with a fork.
- Boil eggs for 10 minutes. Once done, peeled them and roughly chop them up. Cook turkey bacon in a skillet over medium heat until done. Then, cut into bite size pieces.
- Prepare all the vegetables. Chop/slice the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and lettuce.
- Add all salad dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk until fully combined.
- To assemble each mason jar, add in this order: 2 Tbsp of salad dressing (in each container), cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion, boiled egg, shredded chicken, turkey bacon, and lettuce. Add a lid and store containers in the fridge until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, dump all of the contents in the jar into a bowl.
- Toss to combine, add avocado slices, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for More Healthy Salad Recipes?
If you’re on the search for more healthy salad recipes, here’s a few of my favorites!
- Mango Chicken Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing – a delicious summer salad that’s packed with protein and is gluten and dairy free.
- Creamy Yogurt Fruit Salad – a delicious way to sneak in extra nutrients and antioxidants while keeping cool and hydated in those hot summer months (also has dairy free option)
- Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad – switch up your regular salad game with this delicious protein-packed gluten free pasta salad.
- The Ultimate Winter Salad – packed with lots of hearty vegetables, roasted vegetables, and goat cheese!
- Loaded Burger Bowl Salad – talk about super delicious! This salad is so filling and hearty and I pair it with my homemade thousand island dressing.
