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    Home » Recipes » Salads & Salad Dressings

    Published: May 24, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 24 Comments

    Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN
    5 from 28 votes

    Make healthy, protein packed, super tasty Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar as part of your meal prep and you'll have grab-and-go lunches all ready for the entire week! Also great for dinner with some vegan chick'n or baked tofu.

    3 jars of salad

    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. Could a jar of salad really stay fresh after a few days in the fridge?

    And the answer is yes! As long as you choose your ingredients carefully and layer them in the jar mindfully, so anything that could potentially get soggy is away from the dressing.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Salad in a Jar
    • To Serve
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Hungry For More?
    • Recipe
    • Comments & Reviews

    Ingredients

    In our naturally vegan mason jar salads, we're using sturdy veggies that keep well, added in the correct order to retain optimum crunch factor. Here's what's going in:

    ingredients for salad in a jar

    How to Make Salad in a Jar

    These salad jars are really easy to make. Here's how:

    a GIF showing the salad jar being layered up.
    1. Cook some quinoa and allow it to cool.
    2. Chop the vegetables.
    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).
    4. Layer everything up in jars in the order specified, put the lid and store until needed. Wide mouth jars make it easier to get it all in and out.
    5. Unlike a lot of mason jar salad recipes, you won't be able to shake the jars to mix everything up. The dressing is thick and the jars will probably be packed quite tightly. So just tip it all out into a bowl then toss it together before enjoying.

    Success tip - It is really important to layer the ingredients up in the correct order if you want the salad to keep for 5 days in the fridge.

    jars of salad on a shelf in a fridge

    Get your meal prep done and have them lined up looking pretty in the fridge. I just love knowing that lunch is ready and waiting!

    To Serve

    Simply tip the salad out into a bowl, give it a little toss, then enjoy! And whilst these salads are great for lunch, they are also really good for dinner topped with some baked tofu or a vegan chicken breast.

    a bowl of peanut crunch salad

    Recipe FAQs

    How long do salads in a jar last?

    As long as you follow my instructions and use the same ingredients in the same order, each vegan mason jar salad should keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge.

    What size mason jar is best for salads?

    500mls (17oz) is perfect.

    Hungry For More?

    Looking for more vegan salad recipes?

    • a sandwich filled with white bean artichoke sandwich filling, lettuce and tomato
      White Bean Artichoke Vegan Sandwich Filling
    • a bowl of vegan asparagus pasta
      Vegan Asparagus Pasta
    • lemon orzo salad on a plate with some salad servers
      Lemon Orzo Salad
    • Vegan Croutons
      Vegan Croutons

    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    Recipe

    3 jars of salad

    Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    5 from 28 votes
    Make healthy, protein packed, super tasty Peanut Crunch Salad in a Jar as part of your meal prep and you'll have grab-and-go lunches all ready for the entire week!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 20 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    For the quinoa

    • 1 cup (180 grams) quinoa , or 2 cups (370 grams) already cooked quinoa
    • 1¾ cup (420 ml) water
    • pinch salt

    Dressing

    • 5 tablespoons natural peanut butter , unsweetened. (See recipe notes for nut-free option)
    • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce , or coconut aminos
    • 4 tablespoons water
    • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar , or apple cider/white wine vinegar
    • 1 -2 tablespoons maple syrup , add to taste
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Salad

    • 4 green onions , cut into thin rounds, (known as spring onions in the UK).
    • 1 medium carrot , cut into matchsticks or grated
    • 1 cup (150 grams) frozen edamame beans , no need to defrost, or use canned chickpeas instead
    • 1½ cups (160 grams) red or purple cabbage , chopped- measured after chopping
    • 1½ cups (160 grams) green cabbage , chopped - measured after chopping (white cabbage in the UK). The round, firm kind with tightly packed, pale-green leaves that you would use to make coleslaw.
    • ½ cup (73 grams) roasted peanuts , salted or unsalted
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Cook the quinoa. Add the quinoa, water and a pinch of salt to a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover tightly with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand with the lid on (NO PEEKING), for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before using.
    • Make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together really well. Divide the dressing evenly between 4 x 17oz (500ml) jars.
    • Layer it all up. To the dressing add the green onions, then quinoa, carrots, edamame, cabbage and end with the peanuts. Make sure an even amount goes into each jar then 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 the dressing in the bottom of the jar, and toss everything together well before eating. 

    NOTES

    NUT-FREE? Switch the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or tahini and use any crunchy seeds that you like instead of the peanuts. 
    TO COOK THE QUINOA IN AN INSTANT POT - Add the 1 cup of quinoa to the Instant Pot. Add just 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt. 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 and fluff with a fork.

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1jarCalories: 438kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 20gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 626mgPotassium: 869mgFiber: 10gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 3158IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 124mgIron: 4mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

    This recipe was originally published on January 3rd, 2019. The post has since been updated and republished but the recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!

    Hungry For More?

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      Green Bean Potato Salad
    • Tomato Chickpea Salad
    13.3K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Susan says

      May 31, 2022 at 12:40 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent!!! I’ll be making these again. I love the combination of ingredients and flavors.

      Reply
    2. Michelle Littlefield says

      May 16, 2022 at 12:10 pm

      5 stars
      You know that moment where you say “For the love of all that is holy I CANNOT eat another salad!” Welp… this the salad that says “You could not be more wrong!” This is delicious and filling…and full of ‘good for you’ stuff. 2 thumbs up-Highly recommend!!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        May 16, 2022 at 3:11 pm

        Love that Michelle! So pleased you're enjoying it!

        Reply
    3. Petra says

      February 28, 2021 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      This is fun, easy, & delicious! My daughter & I had a great time making & eating them! Now a lunch staple!

      Reply
    4. Heather says

      June 06, 2020 at 5:57 am

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious, and great tips on salad freshness when prepping ahead! Also love the Miyoko's product placement in your fridge :)

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        June 08, 2020 at 10:49 am

        Thank you Heather. I always have some Miyoko's cheese in my fridge. It's not always so tidily arranged though!

        Reply
    5. Caroline says

      November 19, 2019 at 11:04 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
    6. David says

      June 01, 2019 at 5:10 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        June 02, 2019 at 12:11 am

        I hope you get to give it a try soon! The edamame bean are great in it, but chickpeas work really well too.

        Reply
    7. Azu says

      June 01, 2019 at 4:03 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        June 02, 2019 at 12:12 am

        Yep, so practical and convenient. I hope you get to try them soon!

        Reply
    8. Kim says

      May 09, 2019 at 12:26 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        May 09, 2019 at 6:04 pm

        I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Kim!

        Reply
    9. Sally says

      January 08, 2019 at 11:47 pm

      5 stars
      Made these last weekend for packed lunches and they are so good. Super easy and tasty. Thank you.

      Reply
    10. David says

      January 08, 2019 at 5:33 pm

      5 stars
      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!!!!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        January 08, 2019 at 9:58 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • CruznV says

          October 06, 2019 at 11:36 am

          5 stars
          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...??❤️

          Reply
          • Melanie McDonald says

            October 06, 2019 at 11:59 am

            Thank you! I'm really pleased you are enjoying it!

    11. Sue Williams says

      January 03, 2019 at 4:30 pm

      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

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        January 04, 2019 at 9:52 am

        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!

        Reply
        • Sue Williams says

          January 04, 2019 at 2:34 pm

          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

          Reply
      • CruznV says

        October 06, 2019 at 11:37 am

        Buy precut cabbage, it’s a game changer for me???

        Reply
    12. Ginger Henderson says

      January 03, 2019 at 6:20 am

      Do you think I could use Almond butter in place of peanut butter?

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        January 03, 2019 at 7:46 am

        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.

        Reply

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    Melanie McDonald

    I'm Melanie McDonald (but you can call me Mel), best-selling cookbook author and creator of A Virtual Vegan. I share well-tested, flavour-packed vegan recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions. My goal is to give you the confidence to cook amazing vegan food from scratch.

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