These Mason Jar Salad Recipes with Homemade Ranch are perfect for Meal Prep! I have two different salad ideas, but you can mix and match your favorite veggies, proteins, and toppings with your favorite combinations once you learn how easy it is to build them! Aren’t grab and go lunches the best? 
Back in my Beachbody Coaching days, my teammates and I ran a really cool free challenge called Fall in Love with Superfoods and we food prepped a whole bunch of recipes using Fall produce and it was honestly one of my favorite weeks of eating ever.
I think I need to do more challenges like this through the blog…what do you think?
Anyway, these salad recipes were a highlight of that week and the ladies in my group couldn’t get enough of the homemade ranch.
So why does it take me years to get these recipes out on the blog? Two words: my kids. But better late than never and if you haven’t tried mason jar salads before, now is the time to jump on that train!
For you Mason Jar newbies, here are some tips for making your salads:
- First, prep all your proteins and veggies to keep yourself organized
- Use a tasty homemade dressing or a clean store bought dressing to keep your grab and go lunch as healthy as possible
- Be sure to follow the order below for how to build your mason jar salad
- Pack a plate or bowl and a fork if you are eating on the go…or just enjoy your salad straight out of the mason jar!
- Look for a larger, wide mouth 24 oz Mason Jar for your salads. I grabbed mine at Walmart, but you can get them on amazon through this link!
How to assemble Mason Jar Salads
I’m borrowing this graphic from my other Mason Jar Salad post because it’s super helpful to show how to layer these salads with all your favorite veggies, proteins, and toppings.
- First you add in your dressing, then you add your harder veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc.
- Then you add your softer veggies – think tomatoes, cucumbers, and matchstick carrots.
- Follow that up with protein such as chicken or ground meat, then any fruit or cheese.
- Finally, place your leafy greens on top of all of that and, if you are adding nuts or seeds, add them at the end!
Do Mason Jar Salads get soggy?
Nope! Well, as long as you follow the graphic above and stack your salads according to that guide, you will be fine!
How long do Mason Jar Salads last?
These will typically last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator as long as they are properly sealed, so I like to make 4 at a time to have for lunches throughout the week!
Can I make Mason Jar Salads with chicken or another protein?
Absolutely! I usually prep a bunch of chicken and turkey bacon and use those proteins for my salads, but I also love them with ground meat. In the recipes below, the BLT Mason Jar Salad uses turkey bacon, and the Chicken Veggie Ranch uses prepped chicken.
What size Mason Jars are best for making these salads?
I have all different sizes of Mason Jars in my cubard for Oatmeals, Omelets, Dressings, you name it. But for these Mason Jar Salads, however, I like using a wide mouth, larger jar like these 24 oz Mason Jars. You can fit a lot of protein and veggies in for a nice, hearty salad!
How do you serve Mason Jar Salads?
I like to shake the salads up and then dump them into a big bowl if I am home or have one with me. But I’ve also just eaten them right out of the mason jar and that works great, too!
What other Mason Jar recipes do you have on the blog?
As featured in the video, I have these amazing Fall Harvest Mason Jar Salads with Maple Cider Vinaigrette with a dressing so good, you will want to drink it!
Check out this post for more Healthy Mason Jar Salads from the blog Kim and Kalee!
Also, if you LOVE the idea of portable, portion controlled, grab and go Mason Jar meals, you’ve gotta check out these posts:
How to Make Overnight Oats | 21 Day Fix Overnight Oats
21 Day Fix Mason Jar Egg Casseroles
Instant Pot Baked Oatmeal (21 Day Fix)
This Make Ahead Lunches for Teachers [21 Day Fix | Weight Watchers] is also an amazing resource for anyone who needs to pack a lunch for work!
Mason Jar Salad Recipes with Homemade Ranch
Ingredients
For the Salads:
- 4 cups Mixed greens - kale, spinach, and romaine are my favs
- ½ lb chicken cooked and diced (I grill them or bake for 30 minutes on 350)
- 1 small head broccoli chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 slices Nitrate free turkey bacon cooked and diced
- 2/3 cup Matchstick carrots
- 1/3 cup cubed cheddar cheese optional! I make this all the time with no cheese!
For the Ranch Dressing:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt 2% for the Fix and 0% for WW
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill or 1 teaspoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon fresh chives
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix ingredients for dressing, then set aside. Begin layering salads in the order listed below. You will make two of each type of salad.
BLT (in two jars, layer in this order)
- ⅛ cup of ranch dressing
- ½ cup chopped broccoli
- ½ cup grape tomatoes
- 4 slices of turkey bacon, crumbled
- 1 cup spinach or salad greens
Chicken Veggie Ranch (in two jars, layer in this order)
- ⅛ cup ranch dressing
- ⅓ cup matchstick carrots
- ⅓ cup chopped broccoli
- ⅓ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 3/4 cup diced chicken
- 3 Tbsp diced cheddar (optional! I make this all the time with no cheese!)
- 1 cup spinach or salad greens
- Store jars in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remove from fridge and keep out for a few minutes before eating, then shake up the jar to distribute the dressing! Enjoy!
Kelsey says
I have a question about the dressing. I don’t understand why it is an orange if it is made with Greek yogurt. Can you help me understand this for my count?
Nancylynn says
Some things within the FIX have evolved over time and with the inclusion of oil in this dressing counting it as an orange made the most sense. Feel free to count as 1/6 RED, 2/5 tsp instead!
Heather says
I have been following your full meal plans for a few weeks now. I would 100% not have committed to 21 DF container/Ultimate Portion Control if it wasn’t for this section of your site. I had tried others in the past, I have tried planning my own meal plan but it was seriously sucking my soul from my body and I was spending so much time doing that, shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning that it was severely hindering my role as a mom.
I am going to keep following them, I’m more than halfway through all of them and repeat until it finally clicks. I would love more of these, you mentioned somewhere to let you know if these were working for people. Well they’re making my fitness/nutrition journey possible. I simply wouldn’t be succeeding at BeachBody if it wasn’t for you.
So organized, so easy, so helpful, including both the plan and the prep tips and the calendar. No other website makes it this easy.
Thank you SO much for these.
Also even before I used these I always used your blog when looking for delicious recipes. I’m never disappointed.
Thank you thank you.
Nancylynn says
This made my day! Thank you, Heather!!! So so glad the full plans are helpful. A lot goes into working on them, so hearing your feedback is really meaningful.
Shelby says
I just wanted to clarify. You said that the recipe yields 4 salads so are we supposed to divide the recipes in half and place into two separate jars? For instance the chicken veggie ranch shows you use 1/8 cup ranch dressing so we would put 1/4 cup in two mason jars? Just want to make sure I’m getting the right container colors per day and not eating double. Thanks!
Nancylynn says
The recipe yields 4 salads- 2 of each type. The amounts listed are what you put in each jar. So, you would put 1/8 cup dressing, 1/3 cup matchstick carrots, and so on… in 2 of the jars. Then, 1/8 cup dressing, 1/2 cup chopped broccoli, and so on… in the other 2 jars.
Does that make sense?
Tracey says
Just made these this afternoon and can’t wait to get into them this week! Thank you!