These Fall-Inspired Mason Jar Salads are easy to assemble and great for meal-prep lunches. They’re packed with protein, veggies, vitamins, and nutrients. The creamy apple-cider-vinegar dressing gives these salads a cozy feel; the sweet potato, apples, and cranberries add sweetness; and the quinoa, chickpeas, and Brussels sprouts bulk it up. This fresh autumn recipe that will fill you up and make you feel good!
The first day of autumn, aka my favorite season, was yesterday! The weather took no time to adjust to the new season, and we had a cool, cloudy, crisp day. I know we’ll still have a few more warm days, but I’m looking forward to colorful leaves and wearing sweaters. I’m so excited to share these Fall-Inspired Mason Jar Salads today. They’re easy to prepare and perfect for the change of season.
Why You’ll Love These Fall-Inspired Jar Salads.
- Fun to make – Yes, these salads don’t have to be assembled in mason jars, but there’s something kinda fun about it! You add all the ingredients in layers, place the lid on, and refrigerate until ready to eat. You can see exactly what is in the salad, too.
- Packed with fall ingredients – As the name states, these are fall-inspired jar salads. Therefore, they are filled with sweet and savory fall ingredients, including sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries.
- Healthy and nutritious – Between the Brussels, quinoa, sweet potato, and pepitas, these jar salads contain so many great vitamins and nutrients! Feel free to add any extra nutrient boosters you like.
Fall Mason Jar Salad Recipe Ingredients
- Quinoa – I used tri-color quinoa, but regular white quinoa can also be used. If you’re not a fan of quinoa, you can use your favorite grain in its place.
- Brussels Sprouts – I wanted to add a hearty vegetable to this salad, and shaved Brussels sprouts worked great. You could also use chopped kale or another hearty green that you prefer.
- Sweet Potato – I used 3 medium-sized, peeled sweet potatoes. You can leave the skin on if you prefer, though. Any color of sweet potato will work. Butternut squash, or another type of winter squash, can also be substituted.
- Chickpeas – I love adding chickpeas to salads because they don’t need much prep time, if using canned, they add protein and they are mild in flavor. White beans or lentils would also work well.
- Apples – I used Honeycrisp apples sliced thinly into little matchsticks, but any kind of apple can be used. I like the red color that the Honeycrisp apples added, but Granny Smith would be great, too.
- Red Onion – You can use any color of onion you prefer; I like the color that the red onion adds. Use thinly sliced green onion instead if you want a mild onion flavor.
- Dried Cranberries – Dried cranberries add sweetness, tartness and they have a great chewy texture. Dried cherries could also be used.
- Pepitas – I used roasted, salted pepitas to add a little crunch. Any kind of nuts/seeds would work well, though. Walnuts would be a great option.
- Dressing – The homemade dressing is a creamy tahini-based apple cider vinegar dressing. The vinegar complements the sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, and apple and goes well with the fall theme. Your favorite store-bought dressing can also be used.
How To Make Autumn Meal Prep Mason Jar Salads
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Wash, peel and dice the sweet potato into bite-sized pieces. Place sweet potato on a large baking sheet and toss with 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, until well coated. Roast sweet potato in the oven until fork tender, about 30-40 minutes.
- Prepare the quinoa according to package directions. Let sit with the lid on for a few minutes, fluff with a fork and set aside until ready to assemble salads.
- Add all salad dressing ingredients to a jar or small bowl and whisk together until emulsified. Give the dressing a quick taste and adjust any ingredients as needed.
- Assemble the mason jar salads. To each jar, in this order, add 2-3 Tablespoons dressing, 3/4 cup quinoa, heaping 1/2 cup sweet potato, heaping 1/2 cup chickpeas, heaping half cup shredded brussels sprouts, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup sliced apple, 1-2 Tablespoons dried cranberries, 1-2 Tablespoons pepitas. Repeat until all 4 jars have been assembled.
- Place the lid on tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You can either pour the jarred salad into a large bowl to mix it up or shake the jar vigorously with the lid on and enjoy it with a fork. Add extra dressing if needed.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- This recipe is already gluten-free.
- This recipe is already vegan.
- Do these salads have to be assembled in jars? No, absolutely not! The jars are fun, but this salad recipe can definitely be assembled in regular bowls or any food-safe glass or plastic containers you have.
- How long do these jar salads last? Once assembled, they can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Can the quinoa be substituted? Yes, just use your favorite grain in place of the quinoa.
- Can store-bought dressing be used? Yes, you don’t have to use homemade dressing for these salads. Just add about 2 Tablespoons of your favorite dressing to each jar.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Vegetarian Fall Recipes?
Vegetarian Pumpkin Sloppy Joes
Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili with Black Beans
Halloween Salad with Rice and Veggies
Kale and White Bean Pasta with Parmesan
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Fall Inspired Mason Jar Salads
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Fall Inspired Mason Jar Salads are easy to assemble and great for meal prep lunches! They’re packed with protein, veggies, vitamins and nutrients. The creamy apple cider vinegar dressing gives these salads a cozy feel, the sweet potato, apples and cranberries add sweetness and the quinoa, chickpeas and brussels sprouts bulk it up. Enjoy this fresh autumn recipe that will fill you up and make you feel good!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/4 cup dried quinoa, tri-color or regular
- 6–7 cups diced sweet potato
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups thinly sliced, or shredded, brussels sprouts
- 1 cup thinly sliced apple, I like to do small matchsticks that I toss with some fresh lemon juice to help them keep from browning
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup roasted, salted pepitas, or walnuts
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, or honey
- 1 teaspoon tamari, or soy sauce
- 1–2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Wash, peel and dice the sweet potato into bite sized pieces. Place sweet potato on a large baking sheet and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, until well coated. Roast sweet potato in the oven, until fork tender, about 30-40 minutes.
- Prepare the quinoa according to package directions. Add the quinoa, along with 2 1/2 cups of water into a small saucepan. Place lid on and turn heat on medium-high. Once water is boiling, turn heat to lowest setting and let quinoa cook, with lid on, until water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let sit with the lid on for a few minutes, fluff with a fork and set aside until ready to assemble salads.
- Add all salad dressing ingredients to a jar, or small bowl, and whisk together until emulsified. Give the dressing a quick taste and adjust any ingredients as needed.
- Assemble the mason jar salads. To each jar, in this order, add: 2-3 tablespoons dressing, 3/4 cup quinoa, heaping 1/2 cup sweet potato, heaping 1/2 cup chickpeas, heaping half cup shredded bussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, 1/4 cup sliced apple, 1-2 tablespoons dried cranberries, 1-2 tablespoons pepitas. Repeat until all 4 jars have been assembled.
- Place the lid on tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You can either pour the jarred salad into a large bowl to mix up, or shake jar vigorously, with lid on, and enjoy with a fork. Add extra dressing, if needed.
Notes
This recipe makes 4 salads, using 32 oz mason jars. Wide mouth jars work great! These salads can also be assembled in a regular Tupperware container.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Lunch, Vegan
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
How do you keep the apples from browning?
Hi Lisa, I squeezed some lemon juice on them and that helped a lot!