Here are 5 low carb cauliflower rice salads which you can make in mason jars and take for lunch this week. All of them are full of healthy, satisfying ingredients and come in the following flavors: Mexican, Cobb, Asian, Nicoise and Greek. A different flavor of cauliflower rice salad each day. Great for meal prepping low carb lunches.
You might also like this low carb Mexican cauliflower rice.
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My husband asked me why anyone would want to eat a salad out of a jar. I explained to him my love for eating out of jars and that there were lots of recipes on Pinterest for food in mason jars. One of my best posts is for a raspberry low carb no bake cheese cake in a jar!
He countered that the salad would get soggy, but that’s where I explained that I was using raw cauliflower rice and not lettuce. None of the ingredients get soggy.
Of course he still didn’t get it. But I loved these 5 low carb cauliflower rice salads that I made in jars. There are 5 different flavors to enjoy: Mexican, Cobb, Nicoise, Greek and Asian. Let’s go check them out.
My tuna mango salad with cauliflower rice. It’s crunchy and delicious!
Why Cauliflower Rice & Not Lettuce
I used cauliflower rice instead of lettuce because recently I made a tuna mango salsa bowl (above) and really loved the raw cauliflower in it. It’s a good low carb vegetable and it adds a lot of bulk. Read my friend Jessica’s post all about cauliflower rice to learn more about it’s benefits.
These mason jar salads easily filled me up for 4 -5 hours. In addition cauliflower will keep longer than salad and won’t get soggy or wilted. I think if you try it once you will find it’s a great salad ingredient.
5 Low Carb Cauliflower Rice Salads
With 5 flavors to pick from these cauliflower rice salads are a great way to meal prep lunches.
Ingredients For These 5 Salads In Jars
I used regular pint sized mason jars like these. I tried to use similar ingredients for all of these but you can use whatever you like. From left to right here are the following mixtures for each of the mason jar salads:
- Mexican: cauliflower / avocado / tomato /green pepper / cheddar cheese / taco meat
- Asian: cauliflower / cilantro / cucumber / red pepper / green onion / chicken
- Nicoise: cauliflower / eggs / olives / tomatoes / red onions / green onions / chicken
- Greek: cauliflower / kalamata olives / green onions /green pepper / tomato / cucumber / chicken
- Cobb: cauliflower / egg / bacon / tomato / avocado / cheddar cheese / chicken
This is the Mexican salad jar poured into a bowl.
And this is the Mexican salad jar poured into a bowl. It’s came out easily with the cauliflower rice on the bottom and the meat on the top. Just add your favorite dressing and you are good to go! (Please note dressing is not included.)
Asian Chicken Mason Jar Salad
The recipe for this jar starting from the bottom us is 4 oz chopped chicken, 2 sliced green onions, ¼ cup chopped peppers, ¼ cup chopped cucumbers, 2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves and ¼ cup raw cauliflower rice. To eat, just dump into a bowl and use your favorite dressing.
160 cals / 2.3g fat / 8.2g carbs / 2.8g fiber / 28.3g protein = 5.4g net carbs
Chicken Cobb Mason Jar Salad
The recipe for this jar starting from the bottom us is 4 oz chopped chicken, 2 tablespoons cheese, ¼ avocado chopped, 2 pieces of crumbled bacon, ½ chopped hard boiled egg, ½ plum tomato diced and ¼ cup raw cauliflower rice. To eat, just dump into a bowl and use your favorite dressing.
461 cals / 25.3g fat / 7.3g carbs/ 4.4g fiber / 49.6g protein = 2.9g carbs
Greek Chicken Mason Jar Salad
The recipe for this jar starting from the bottom us is 4 oz chopped chicken, ¼ cup chopped cucumbers, ½ plum tomato diced, 2 sliced green onions, ¼ cup chopped green peppers, 6 sliced kalamata olives and ¼ cup raw cauliflower rice. To eat, just dump into a bowl and use your favorite dressing.
215 cals / 7.3g fat / 9.3g carbs / 3.3g fiber / 28.8g protein = 6.0g net carbs
Nicoise Tuna Mason Jar Salad
The recipe for this jar starting from the bottom us is 3 oz canned tuna, 5 chopped raw green beans, 2 tablespoons red onion chopped, ½ plum tomato diced, 6 olives sliced, ½ chopped hard boiled egg and ¼ cup raw cauliflower rice. To eat, just dump into a bowl and use your favorite dressing.
251 cals / 11.8g fat / 10.0g carbs / 2.0g fiber / 24.8g protein = 8.0g net carbs
Mexican Taco Mason Jar Salad
This was my favorite so I saved it for the recipe card below. My second two favorites were the Nicoise and Greek versions, however all were filling, tasty and lower carb. I hope you like these as much as I did.
478 cals / 32.5g fat / 11.6g carbs / 6g fiber / 35.9g protein = 5.6g net carbs
5 Low Carb Mason Jar Salads - Mexican Taco Salad Jar
Ingredients
- 4 oz taco meat*
- 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions chopped
- ½ plum tomato chopped
- ¼ avocado chopped
- ¼ cup raw cauliflower rice
Instructions
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In a quart size mason jar with a wide mouth start layering your ingredients.
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Make sure to start with your meat on the bottom and the rice on the top.
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Secure lid and refrigerate until ready to eat.
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To eat, dump into a large bowl and add dressing.
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* for taco meat I used 1lb 80% ground meat along with 1 T chili powder, ½ T onion powder, 1 t salt, 1 t garlic powder, ½ t paprika ½ t pepper, ½ Swerve sweetener (note only used 4oz)
Joan
I buy riced cauliflower frozen. Can I just use that thawed (not steamed as the directions state).
Denise
Hi Joan, it might work. I would just make sure there is not excess liquid when you add it to the bar. When you use raw cauliflower rice it’s nice and crunchy and won’t get soggy so I’m. not sure if frozen would be the same but it could work. Good luck and I hope you like it.
Pam
Confused, why would you put it in a jar…only to put it in a bowl? why not jut put it in a bowl to begin with? Did I miss something?
Denise
Hi Pam, well the idea is that you would make them ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator and grab one to take to you to work or school or whatever. You could certainly eat it out of the jar also. Jars are just convenient containers to make and take as well as store in the refrigerator.
Debbie
This is a fantastic idea. I love eating salads, but I do get bored with lettuce sometimes. Cauliflower rice makes it more of a heartier meal in my opinion!
Jen Bull
Can I prepare these on Sunday night and store them in the fridge for all week work day lunches?
Thanks!
Denise
Yes you can Jen. I wouldn’t do it for any longer than Friday though. The cauliflower doesn’t get soggy so I think this should work. I think I made 5 when I made them and ate the over 5 days and they were fine. Hope that helps and good luck!
Annette
I do this every week. Sometimes I put the protein like chicken or egg in a snack back and put it in the top of the jar and add it to the salad when I eat it. And when in doubt I google fridge life of the item just to be sure.
Denise
That’s great Annette!
Deanna
Not sure if I missed it, but how are you making the cauliflower rice…….are you just using raw cauliflower in a food processor or are you then cooking it
Denise
Hi Deanna I am just eating it raw. I put florets into a food processor and pulse until it’s in small rice like pieces. It’s quite good raw in salads as it keeps it’s crunch. Hope that helps!
Cindy Stuhlman
On the Chicken Cobb, am I seeing avocado in the jar or no? If I am, does the count include the carbs since it isn’t on the ingredient list? Would like to take these on a camping trip, they look awesome.
Denise
Hi Cindy, yes I did leave out the avocado….thanks for pointing that out. I fixed it in the post and here are the new stats.
461 cals / 25.3g fat / 7.3g carbs/ 4.4g fiber / 49.6g protein = 2.9g carbs
Sorry for that. I hope you like them. I think they would work great on a camping trip!
Raia Todd
These look absolutely delicious!
Denise
Thanks Raia!
Jenn - Peas and Crayons
Such a tasty list of options! The Mexican is for sure my favorite – must try! 🙂
Denise
That was my favorite too!
Sandi G
These would be perfect for a grown-up lunch box!
Denise
That’s what I thought too!
Cricket Plunkett
Love adding cauliflower to a salad instead of a grain! I can’t wait to try them!
Denise
I love cauliflower….it is an excellent substitute for a grain. I’ve used it in tabouli too and it was great!
Jagruti
What an excellent idea, I love all the flavours you have here, I just need to replace chicken and find something veggie option.
Denise
You don’t need to use the chicken or meat at all and it would still taste great…..maybe some nuts or seeds?
Laura
I love your salad jars, it is a great idea. My favourite? The cobb. That will keep me going till dinner
Denise
They are very filling which is good for me!