A healthy, protein packed, super tasty lunch doesn't get any easier than this Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar. Make up a bunch of them while meal prepping on Sunday and you will have grab-and-go lunches all ready in the fridge for your week ahead!
Well it looks like I'm jumping on the salad in a jar wagon. I will be honest and say that I was a little skeptical of make ahead salads, other than my Cranberry Pecan Brussels Sprout Salad which keeps surprisingly well that is.
Could a jar of salad really stay fresh tasting after a few days lurking in the fridge?
So if I was so skeptical, how did this recipe come about?
Well, I happened to ask you guys what you would like to see from me in January, on my Instagram stories. The top 3 suggestions were vegan Instant Pot recipes, vegan soup recipes and make ahead salads.
Salad kind of surprised me in January, but I guess after all of the holiday indulgences, people are looking to get healthy once the new year starts. The make ahead concept immediately made me think of those pretty salads in jars that have been trendy on Pinterest for a while now, and so here we are. Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar.
Now no-one likes soggy, limp salad, so I chose the ingredients in these salad jars carefully. We're talking sturdy ingredients added in the correct order to retain optimum crunch factor.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE SALAD IN A JAR?
The only thing that is essential for making salad in a jar is, you guessed it, jars! I am kind of obsessed with jars, and wash out and keep just about every jar that enters our house, but if you don't have some already, you will need something like this:
I used 500ml jars for this recipe and it will make 4 jars full. Each one is a decent size for lunch but if you are an extra hungry person, or want to eat them for dinner, you might want to use 750ml jars instead.
The only other thing that is nice to have is a mini whisk for mixing the dressing ingredients:
I have a little one like in the picture above that is really handy for whisking small amounts. If you don't have one, a fork will do the job too with a little more effort.
HOW TO MAKE SALAD IN A JAR
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
These salad jars are really easy to make.
Here's what you need:
And here's how:
STEP 1
Cook some quinoa and allow it to cool.
STEP 2
Chop the vegetables.
STEP 3
Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together (if you happen to have some of my Peanut Sauce leftover in the fridge you can use that instead of this dressing).
STEP 4
Layer everything up in the jars in the order specified.
STEP 5
Put the lid and store until needed.
They look so pretty just sitting there on a shelf in the fridge. Anyone who spots them, will instantly think you are a super healthy and organized god or goddess!
HOW TO COOK QUINOA
For this recipe you need 2 cups or 370 grams of cooked quinoa. To get that amount you need to cook approximately 1 cup or 180 grams of raw quinoa.
I like to use my Instant Pot to cook my quinoa.
It cooks grains and seeds so well and you don't need to keep an eye on them like you do when you are cooking them on the stove top.
This is how to cook quinoa in an Instant Pot:
- Set the pot to "saute"
- Pour in the raw quinoa and stir it around for a minute or two until it starts to smell a bit nutty.
- Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Pour in the same volume of water or broth/stock as there is quinoa, so for every 1 cup of raw quinoa you need 1 cup of water.
- Add salt if you want to.
- Stir, then put the lid on and seal the vent.
- Set to 2 minutes high pressure.
- Leave the pressure to naturally release.
- Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and you have perfectly cooked quinoa!
If you don't have an Instant Pot you can cook your quinoa on the stove top.
This is how to cook quinoa on a stove top:
- Sauté the raw quinoa in in a dry pan for a few minutes, stirring constantly until it smells nutty then turn off the heat.
- Add 1¾ cup of water or broth/stock for every 1 cup of quinoa.
- Add a pinch of salt if you want to.
- Bring to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let stand with the lid on and without peeking, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and you have perfectly cooked quinoa!
HOW LONG DOES A SALAD IN A JAR LAST?
The time salad in a jar will last in the fridge really depends on what has gone into the jar and in what order, but with this Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar, as long as you follow my instructions and use the exact same ingredients, each jar should last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
It is really important to layer the ingredients up in the correct order to keep them at their best for as long as possible. The dressing has to come first and everything else is piled on top of it. The ingredients in this recipe are pretty sturdy and forgiving and they keep really, really, well. The Salad in a Jar skeptic in me was super impressed. These jars taste just as good when they are a few days old, as they do on the day they are made. They really do make meal prepping a breeze!
I must admit that it has been so good to know that my lunch is ready and waiting in the fridge every day. Just tip it out, toss it together, then enjoy!
This Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar is:
- Perfect for meal prepping
- Super healthy
- Packed with protein - We're talking 19g per serving!
- Really delicious
- Full of texture
- Convenient
- So pretty to stare at in the fridge!
- Great for grab and go packed lunches
WHAT'S FOR DINNER?
And if you ever find yourself at a loss for what to cook for dinner, make some baked tofu or vegan "chickn" and sit it a-top your made in advance salad.
In fact, may I suggest making extra of the peanutty, super yum salad dressing to keep in the fridge. Then when it comes to pan frying your tofu, give it a head start in the pan on it's own or with some oil, then spoon a little of the dressing over it and toss well. Allow to carry on cooking, moving frequently, until it's all caramelized and sticky, then top your salad.
Um yes please ... It's so good!
Are you ready to join me on the salad in a jar train now?
Let's go!
If you enjoy Quinoa Salads, check out my Quinoa Cranberry Salad too.
And if you love this recipe, please do checkout my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup / 80 g natural peanut butter , smooth or crunchy, not sweetened (for a peanut-free and a nut free option see recipe notes)
- 1 -2 tablespoons / 15 - 30 mls maple syrup , add to taste
- ¼ cup / 60 mls freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons / 30 mls Tamari , or soy sauce or coconut aminos (be sure that what you use is gluten-free to keep this recipe gluten-free
- ¼ cup / 60 mls water
- 2 tablespoon / 30 mls rice wine vinegar , or apple cider or white wine vinegar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- 4 green onions , cut into thin rounds, (known as spring onions in the UK).
- 2 cups / 370 g cooked quinoa , thats about 1 cup or 180g raw. For instructions on how to cook quinoa see above in my post.
- 1 medium carrot , cut into matchsticks or grated
- 1 cup / 150 g frozen edamame beans , no need to defrost, or use canned chickpeas instead
- 1½ cups / 160 g red or purple cabbage , chopped into small pieces (measured after chopping) - or to make life super easy, buy a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix and use that instead!
- 1½ cups / 160 g green cabbage (known as white cabbage in the UK) , the round, firm kind with tightly packed, pale-green leaves that you would use to make coleslaw, , chopped into small pieces (measured after chopping)
- ½ cup / 73 g roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together really well. Divide the dressing evenly between 4 500ml jars.
- Now add all of the other ingredients in the order listed and evenly between each jar. First green onions, then the quinoa, then the carrot, then the edamame beans, then the cabbage and finally the peanuts.
- Put the lids on the jars and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To serve, tip out into a bowl, making sure to scrape out any remnants of dressing in the bottom of the jar, and toss everything together well before eating.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Petra says
This is fun, easy, & delicious! My daughter & I had a great time making & eating them! Now a lunch staple!
Heather says
This looks so delicious, and great tips on salad freshness when prepping ahead! Also love the Miyoko's product placement in your fridge :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Heather. I always have some Miyoko's cheese in my fridge. It's not always so tidily arranged though!
Caroline says
I've made this twice now and really like the recipe! I used the apple cider vinegar second time and like that better. Added 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger. It's such a beautiful presentation!
David says
I've really fallen in love with the idea of grab and go salads in a jar and your presentation of it is absolutely delightful. Some of the ingredients are hard to find for me like edamame beans but I'm gonna give this a shot. Thanks for sharing!
Melanie McDonald says
I hope you get to give it a try soon! The edamame bean are great in it, but chickpeas work really well too.
Azu says
I recently jump into the make-ahead-salads bandwagon, they are so practical! This recipe looks amazing, it’s definitely going into my to-do list. Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
Yep, so practical and convenient. I hope you get to try them soon!
Kim says
This is the first recipe of yours I have tried and I have already made it over and over. I try to limit sugar, so I just left the syrup out and also added mixed greens in addition to the cabbage and it was so delicious.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Kim!
Sally says
Made these last weekend for packed lunches and they are so good. Super easy and tasty. Thank you.
David says
My wife wasn't sure about this-- she's not a cabbage fan. But we were both gushing about these salads. Now we're looking for more like it. Wow!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome David! I'm so pleased you both enjoyed them. There will definitely be more salads like this to come as it's been really popular on the blog. Watch this space!
CruznV says
Just found your Blog...😊. I work all Nightshifts so prefer lighter meals & love salad especially Make ahead meals & Mason jar salads... This one is delicious... looking forward to trying more of your recipes...👍🏼❤️
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you! I'm really pleased you are enjoying it!
Sue Williams says
OMG, how much do I need these!!! Especially lasting up to 5 days :) Questions (don't I always LOL) Can I use pickled red and white cabbage instead of raw? Just hate chopping them from whole and it will take forever to use the whole cabbage, but a jar will last a few batches and keep in between. Thanks xx
A Virtual Vegan says
Hey Sue! It's really worth using raw cabbage. The texture is lovely. I'm not sure that pickled would work so well with the flavour of the dressing. You could use all one colour cabbage instead of red and white though to save you buying both. I only used 2 so they look prettier. You can often buy half a cabbage at greengrocers if you have a local one. Maybe that would work!
Sue Williams says
Thanks Mel, I do have a local grocer so I'll ask her about halving a cabbage :-) Looking forward to getting these made this weekend ready for next week xx
CruznV says
Buy precut cabbage, it’s a game changer for me👍🏼😊
Ginger Henderson says
Do you think I could use Almond butter in place of peanut butter?
A Virtual Vegan says
Definitely! I don't know why I didn't add that as a sub. I just went in and amended the recipe notes. Tahini or sunflower seed butter would work too.
Deborah says
Got some strange reason I was only able to get & print & see the Recipe From my iPhone. No good on computer it. Pinterest or Facebook . This is going to be a lifestyle change for me . So I definitely need step by step instructions. I’m following you on Facebook & subscribed to your emails.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Debra, There appears to have been a weird technical glitch with this one page on my website. I woke up to hundreds of emails about it! It worked fine before I went to bed last night, then I got a blank white page when I tried to view it this morning. It has now suddenly started working again though. I'll keep an eye on it for the rest of the day and have my tech guy take a look if it happens again. I'm glad you like the look of the recipe. You should be good to actually see it now!