Looking for meal prep ideas that are packed with nutrients but just don’t have enough time to prep full meals? With these vegan mason jar salads, you’ll be able to start and stay eating healthy without spending too much time in the kitchen!
Having a plant-based diet, especially a vegan one, can get really pricey if you don’t know how to prep your own meals. But what if you have other things to do and just don’t have the time to prep and cook a vegan meal plan? With prepping your vegan mason jar salads ahead of time, these wouldn’t be a problem for you!
Looking for other meal prep ideas but not on a vegan diet? Check out this list of meal prep ideas that will help you save time while still being healthy: https://PreppyMonday.com/15-best-healthy-lunchables-for-adults-to-meal-prep/
17 Vegan Mason Jar Salads We Can’t Resist
Basic Mason Jar Salad
Our first item in this list of vegan mason jar salads is the blueprint of the other salads you can make. First, place your preferred dressing at the bottom of the jar. Then, add your crispy chopped veggies followed by your protein (usually beans or tofu). Top ‘em off with your greens and nuts or seeds, and ta-daaa, you have your basic mason jar salad!
The Classic (Caesar Salad)
Nothing beats the classic! To make an egg-free caesar dressing, you can use garlic, yellow mustard (instead of dijon), vegan Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Add this into your jar first, followed by your romaine lettuce, cheese substitute, and your crisp croutons. Skip the chicken and you’d be good to go!
Fast Food Salad Jars
Huh? Fast Food in a Jar? Yup! Well, uh, technically no but these salad jars are fast to make. Grab your mustard dressing and crispy veggies like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and radishes. Then add your sweet corn, scallions, and olives followed by your chickpeas. Top it all off with your salad leaves.
Walnut Pear Sweet Potato Salad Jar
This tasty salad jar calls for a creamy walnut balsamic dressing, sweet potatoes, pears, dates, spring mix lettuce, and California walnuts (and yes, preferably in that order)! You can layer these all into one mason jar, refrigerate them, and grab them when you’re in a hurry.
Green Goddess Salad Jar
You can easily whip up a green goddess dressing with olive oil, lime juice, cilantro or parsley, a sour cream sub, garlic, and salt and pepper. Layer this with cucumber and edamame, quinoa, chickpeas, and spinach. These make the best salad jars, especially when you want to feel extra healthy!
Sunshine Mandarin Orange Mason Jar Salad
For your oh-so-yummy orange marmalade vinaigrette, you’ll need orange marmalade, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and mustard. You’ll also need mandarin slices, alfalfa sprouts, red onions, romaine lettuce, and baby spinach for the salad itself. Top ‘em all off with pine nuts to create that crunch!
Moroccan Salad Jar
Want a Mediterranean vacation for your taste buds? This Moroccan Mason Jar Salad will save you! You’ll need cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and salt and pepper for a zesty dressing. You’ll also need cauliflower, carrots, garbanzo beans, quinoa, green onions, cilantro, kalamata olives, almonds, and cranberries for the salad jar itself!
Tropical Salad Jar
Let’s hop on over to the tropicals! Loaded with BBQ chickpeas, avocados, tomatoes, and scallions, this maple-and-lime quinoa salad will make you feel satisfied, whether it’s for lunch or dinner. Oh, and did we mention that it’s delicious AND nutritious too?
Mason Jar Pasta Salad Shakers
One of our unique vegan mason jar salads is this pasta shaker. You can use mayonnaise and sour cream substitutes, coconut milk, dill and parsley, apple cider vinegar, and vegan Worcestershire sauce for the dressing. Layer these, together with farfalle pasta, cucumbers, bell pepper, and tofu, in a mason jar. When you’re ready to eat them, just shake them up and munch on!
Apple, Pecan, & Vegan Feta Mason Jar Salad
This sweet and crunchy vegan salad is so good! To assemble this treat, you’ll be needing a maple-apple vinaigrette dressing made with maple syrup or agave nectar, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. For the rest of the salad jar, you’ll need apples, cranberries, vegan tofu feta cheese, kale, and pecans.
Tex Mex Quinoa Salad Jar
To make your tasty vegan salad jar, you’ll need a cilantro lime dressing, plum tomatoes, quinoa, corn and black beans, and spinach. Avocados aren’t that good in prepped meals but if you’re just using them as toppings, then you’ll have no problem. You’ll definitely enjoy this flavorful recipe!
Spicy Thai Salad Jar
Looking for a bit of spice? You’re in luck– this flavorful explosion will give you exactly what you want. To prep the salad jar, layer your spicy Thai peanut dressing, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, edamame, quinoa and chickpeas, and red cabbage and baby spinach. Throw your prepped jars in the fridge and grab ‘em, when you’re ready to go.
Pesto Pasta Mason Jar Salad
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/6473993206316823/
Make way for another one of our pasta vegan mason jar salads! This one uses pesto (pre-made or store-bought) as its “dressing”, grape or cherry tomatoes for that crisp, penne or whatever pasta you prefer, and some vegan cheese to top it all off. You can customize it however you’d like!
Burrito Bowl Salad Jar
This vegan-friendly burrito bowl (it’s a jar, really) has layers of fun! You can first make the avocado dressing with garlic, avocados, lime juice, water, olive oil, and salt. Then, you can prep your other ingredients. Add in your chopped sweet potato, quinoa, black bean filling, and salsa. Finally, top it all off with romaine lettuce and pepitas.
Antioxidant Mason Jar Salad
Don’t be fooled by this colorful salad jar! It’s actually packed with antioxidants that you can enjoy bite after bite. You can use blueberry vinaigrette for its dressing, and then layer more blueberries, snap peas, and carrots. To make it more filling, add quinoa and other mixed greens.
Strawberry Spinach Mason Salad Jar
You’re in for a treat with this mason jar salad idea! This calls for a citrus poppy dressing made with grapefruit juice, maple syrup, olive oil, mustard, poppy seeds, and garlic. You can then layer this with cucumbers, strawberries, vegan cheese, asparagus and spinach, and sliced almonds. This usually uses chicken but you can replace it with grilled tofu or chickpeas.
Rainbow Mason Jar Salad
After a hurricane of ideas comes this rainbow! For this colorful salad, you’ll need carrots, red and yellow bell peppers, cooked quinoa, and red onion and peas. You can also use a balsamic vinegar dressing to have those fireworks of flavor that will leave you wanting more!
How Do I Prep My Salad Jars?
It wouldn’t even take you an hour to prep all your salad jars for the week! By layering all the ingredients you’ll need for your vegan mason salad jars, you can keep ‘em until you need ‘em, grab ‘em, and shake ‘em when it’s time to eat them!
Layer 1: Dressing
No matter what dressing you use, it’s important that it’s the first layer of your salad jars. If you don’t, the other ingredients might get soggy and since we’re prepping these meals for the next couple of days, we don’t want that. You may also add your dressing right before you eat it for a fresher meal.
Layer 2: Crisps
Whether you’re done prepping your dressing level or choosing to add it before you eat it, crispy ingredients should be your first non-liquid layer. Crispy ingredients like your cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers create a “barrier” that prevents your other ingredients from getting soggy.
Layer 3: Loose Ingredients
The next layer should be ingredients that shouldn’t be swimming in dressing, but wouldn’t be a problem if they get wet either. Most of the time, these are loose ingredients like corn, mushrooms, and beans.
Layer 4: Delicates
If you’re not making a vegan mason jar salad, you can find ingredients like cheese and boiled eggs in this layer. You can choose to find alternatives for these ingredients or even completely leave them out if you’re on a budget.
Layer 5: Heavy and Heart
This layer should be all about those heavy and hearty ingredients like rice, pasta, and even quinoa! Not only will these give you the substantial meal you need, but they’ll also act as a “seal” for your mason jar salads.
Layer 6: Water-Absorbent Ingredients
That’s the fancy way of saying “ingredients that can get soggy and unpleasant really fast”. No one enjoys soggy food so it’s only right to put it in the last layer of the mason jar salads (far, far away from the first liquid layer). These are ingredients like nuts and leafy greens such as spinach.
Once you’ve prepped your layers, close the jars, place them in the fridge, and grab ‘em when you’re ready to go.
You don’t have to follow these layers. They’re just here to serve as a guide for fresher meals. And if ever you’re looking for a guide to vegan mason jar salads, this article is here to the rescue!
