This Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salad recipe makes meal prepping healthy, meatless, vegetarian (and easily vegan) lunch for the week super easy! Protein from the edamame and quinoa, fiber from the veggies, and delicious flavor from the easy Thai dressing. Easy, healthy meal prep!
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, Chili Garlic Sauce, Sesame Oil, Lime Juice, Garlic and Ginger Powder
How to Layer a Mason Jar Salad:
Properly layering the salad ingredients is KEY to having the salads last for days in the fridge without anything getting soggy.
- Dressing – This always goes in the bottom so you can separate it from ingredients to keep things nice and crisp.
- Proteins – This recipe is vegetarian, so we’re using edamame as the protein but you could add something like chicken in this layer as well.
- Grains – Quinoa!
- Vegetables – Any veggies that aren’t leafy greens.
- Leafy Greens – These always go last so they are the furthest away from the dressing. No leafy greens called for in this salad, but if you wanted to add any do so last!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I have to use mason jars?
I like to use mason jars for a few reasons..
- They easily keep the dressing and other ingredients separated allowing the salads to last several days in the fridge
- Glass so no staining or keeping smells like plastic does
- And dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
You can use a different container, but you may need to put the dressing in its own individual container and the ingredients may not stay as crisp and fresh.
How long can these salads last for meal prep?
In the mason jars, the salads keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.
By the 5th day, the veggies may lose some of their crispness, but will still taste great and be perfectly fine to eat.
I typically make 4 salads on a Sunday to eat for lunch Monday-Thursday.
What about ingredient substitutions?
You can omit any ingredient you like! Go ahead and add more of something or add a different veggie, protein, or grain.
As long as you follow the layering ‘rules’ stated above, it will still be great.
What size of mason jar?
I wrote this recipe using the large quart (32oz) sized mason jars. They are big and make large very filling salads.
You could use pint (16oz) sized jars and make 8 salads instead of 4. This is good option if you want the salads to be the side, instead of the main course.
Where can I buy mason jars?
You can find mason jars at many stores! Most grocery stores will carry them, at a store like Target or Walmart, even hardware stores.
Or of course you can find them online!
Is this recipe vegan?
It can be! The only non-vegan ingredient is the honey in the dressing. You could substitute something like agave or a different sugar or sweetener of choice.
Looking for other healthy mason jar salad recipes?
If you love these Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salads, check out this Lemon Chickpea & Quinoa Mason Jar Salad recipe.
PrintRecipe
Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salads
Thai Quinoa Mason Jar Salads are perfect for meal prepping healthy lunches (or dinners) for the week. Loaded with vegetarian protein and filling fiber. Layer up the ingredients in jars then dump a jar in a bowl when ready to eat!
- 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
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked according to package directions
- 1 10oz bag shredded red cabbage
- 1 10-12oz bag frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
- 1.5 cups shredded carrots
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- ½ cup rough 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
- 1.5 tablespoons honey, substitute maple syrup 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 Salad Ingredients. Cook the quinoa, cook the edamame, and chop the veggies.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Assemble the Mason Jar Salads. See note regarding number of jars to use. Evenly divide the ingredients among the jars in layers. Start with the dressing, then edamame, then cooked quinoa, followed by bell pepper, carrots, cabbage, and topped with chopped cashews. Put lids on the jars and store in the fridge until ready to eat.
- Eat and Enjoy! When ready to eat, just dump a jar in a bowl, toss things around a bit with a fork, give a dash of salt and pepper if you'd like, and enjoy.
Notes
Servings: This recipe makes either 4 or 5 quart-sized mason jar salads. If you want 5 salads, each jar may be slightly underfilled like in the pictures. If you want just 4 salads, then the jars will be packed to the rim.
How Long do they last? In the mason jars, the salads keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
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
Leanne Silva says
I didn’t have any green cabbage, so I just used red cabbage. I didn’t have any red bell peppers either, so I used celery instead. I used maple syrup as you suggested and I used peanuts instead of cashews, since cashews are so expensive here. I was also out of garlic chili paste, so I used sambal oelek plus brown sugar and crushed garlic instead. Despite all the substitutions, this was delicious!!! I will definitely be making this again!
Kathleen Hansen says
Glad it turned out for you! Thanks for the comment, Leanne!
Katie says
These salads were great for lunches! Loved all the texture