7 Healthy Mason Jar Salads That Are Perfect for Meal Prep

Looking to meal prep your lunches? It doesn’t get much better (or easier!) than mason jar salads, aka veggies and protein assembled in a mason jar or other container (pint-size works best) for a healthy lunch you can take to work or school.

While we provided our best salad-in-a-jar recipes here, feel free to customize yours with a favorite store-bought or homemade salad dressing, your go-to toppings and any flavor boosters like feta cheese or even pickled ingredients like pepperoncini peppers. Next, it’s important to layer your ingredients properly so your salad stays fresh for days (no soggy salads here!). Pour your dressing on the bottom, then add heartier ingredients (think roasted sweet potato, beans or pasta), then crunchier veggies and protein and top it off with lettuce, if your recipe has leafy greens. This order keeps the dressing away from anything that may wilt, giving your starchy elements a little extra time to soak up some flavor from the dressing. Then shake, remove the lid and enjoy a meal that’ll save you money on takeout — and taste delicious.

Make your salad in the morning before heading out the door, or if you want to make it a couple of days in advance, you can stack everything except the dressing and tote it separately. For even faster prep, chop all of your veggies and cook any proteins on the weekend, then just add them to jars in the a.m., grab and go!