This Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salad is an easy, healthy option for weekly meal prep. Packed with protein from edamame and quinoa, fiber from colorful vegetables, and bright flavor from a simple Thai-style dressing, these salads are vegetarian by default and can be made vegan with a small swap. They store well in jars for grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients You’ll Need for these Meal Prep Salads:
- Shelled edamame
- Quinoa
- Bell pepper
- Carrots
- Purple cabbage
- Cashews
- Thai dressing: olive oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey (or maple/agave for vegan), chili garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil, lime juice, garlic powder and ground ginger
How to Layer a Mason Jar Salad:
Layering the ingredients correctly keeps everything crisp and prevents sogginess so your salads stay fresh for days.
- Dressing – Always place the dressing in the bottom to keep it separated from other ingredients.
- Proteins – For this recipe use edamame; cooked chicken or tofu would work here too.
- Grains – Add cooked quinoa next.
- Vegetables – Place sturdier, non-leafy vegetables such as bell pepper, carrots, and cabbage.
- Leafy greens – If adding greens, put them last so they stay farthest from the dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I have to use mason jars?
Mason jars work well because they keep the dressing separate, are glass so they won’t retain odors or stains, and are dishwasher safe. You can use other containers, but you may need to store the dressing separately and the ingredients might not stay as crisp.
How long do these salads keep for meal prep?
Stored in mason jars in the refrigerator, these salads stay good for 4–5 days. Vegetables may lose some crispness by day five but will still be fine to eat.
Many people prepare four jars on Sunday to cover lunches Monday through Thursday.
What about ingredient substitutions?
Feel free to omit or swap ingredients. Add different vegetables, another protein, or a different grain. Just follow the layering order so the salad stays fresh.
What size of mason jar should I use?
This recipe is written for quart (32 oz) mason jars, which make generous, filling salads. Use pint (16 oz) jars if you prefer smaller portions or want to make more jars—eight pint jars instead of four quarts.
Where can I buy mason jars?
Mason jars are widely available at grocery stores, big-box retailers, hardware stores, and online.
Is this recipe vegan?
Yes, it can be. Replace the honey in the dressing with maple syrup or agave to make the dressing vegan.
Looking for other healthy mason jar salad recipes?
If you enjoy these Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salads, try other quinoa-and-chickpea jar salads for variety.
Recipe
Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salads
These jarred salads are ideal for prepping healthy lunches. They’re full of plant-based protein, fiber, and bold Thai flavor. When you’re ready to eat, dump a jar into a bowl, toss, and enjoy.
- Author: Kathleen
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 salads
- Category: Meatless Monday, Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan (with substitution)
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
- 1 10 oz bag shredded red cabbage
- 1 10–12 oz bag frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
- 1.5 cups shredded carrots
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- ½ cup roughly chopped cashews
- 4–5 quart-sized mason jars
Thai Dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons honey (or maple syrup/agave to make vegan)
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ large lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients. Cook the quinoa and edamame, and chop the vegetables.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, water, rice wine vinegar, honey (or substitute), chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, ground ginger and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Assemble the jars. Divide ingredients evenly among jars following the layering order: dressing, edamame, cooked quinoa, bell pepper, carrots, cabbage, and top with cashews. Seal jars and refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Serve. When ready to eat, dump a jar into a bowl, toss to combine, season with salt and pepper if desired, and enjoy.
Notes
Servings: This recipe yields 4 or 5 quart-sized mason jar salads. For five jars, each will be slightly less full; for four jars they will be packed to the rim.
Storage: Stored in jars in the refrigerator, salads keep up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mason jar salad
- Calories: 656
- Sugar: 16.9 g
- Sodium: 564.3 mg
- Fat: 38.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.9 g
- Fiber: 12.7 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg