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Home Meal Prep Vegetarian Meal Prep
5
/5
40 minutes minutes

Thai Chickpea Mason Jar Salad

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Vegan Vegan Vegetarian Vegetarian Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard13 Comments
Posted: 8/20/18 Updated: 9/13/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Thai chickpea mason jar salad has a tangy peanut dressing, quinoa, zucchini, carrots and cabbage and is topped with honey roasted peanuts! Ready in under 25 minutes.

Thai Chickpea Mason Jar Salad on wooden tray

Summer, please never leave.

I am squeezing every last drop out of summer with this Thai chickpea mason jar salad!

Not only are they gorgeous, but they are full of plant-powered protein to keep us full and satisfied. No zero-calorie leafy salads here!

And also? Honey roasted peanuts! Because YUM.

We love this Thai chickpea mason jar salad because

  • the only thing you have to cook is the quinoa (so no oven, yay!)
  • you can swap the veggies out for what you have on hand
  • they are ready in under 25 minutes
  • HONEY ROASTED PEANUTS <--because sometimes you need something a little 'extra' 😉

tangy peanut dressing for the thai chickpea mason jar salads

How to build a mason jar salad

Why are we making salad in a jar? Because LAYERING! That's right, it's not just because they look so pretty (let's face it though, that does help!), but it's actually for functionality.

By keeping the sturdier ingredients like chickpeas and quinoa at the bottom of the jar in the dressing, we are protecting the more delicate ingredients like zucchini noodles, which wouldn't last nearly so long if they were sitting in the dressing.

Here are my rules for layering a mason jar salad:

  • Dressing- always goes on the bottom
  • Sturdy ingredients- like chickpeas, chicken, quinoa go on top of the dressing. Anything that can sit in the dressing for several days without getting mushy is going to be great here
  • Delicate ingredients- like leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese etc go higher up. Choose ingredients you want to keep out of the dressing to go higher up.

For this jar salad, I put the honey roasted peanuts at the top. They will lose their crunch a bit, but they at least won't be completely soggy like they would if they sat in the dressing for several days.

vegetables prepped for the thai chickpea mason jar salad recipe

What size of jar do you use for this salad?

I use 1 pint mason jars, and really smush things in there. To serve, I will dump it out into a bowl. If you want to eat out of the jar, I suggest a 1 quart mason jar, and you can give it a good shake up before serving.

How do you eat the salad?

When you're ready to serve, dump the salad out of the jar into a large bowl. The dressing pours from the bottom of the jar over all the ingredients and dresses the salad for you! As mentioned above, you can also eat right out of the jar but will need a larger 1 quart mason jar to do so.

How long do these jar salads last?

These are good for up to 4 days in the fridge!

Can I swap the dressing?

Absolutely! Aim for about 2 tablespoons per jar. I'd suggest this Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, this Creamy Maple Tahini Dressing, or something basic like this Balsamic Vinaigrette.

overhead view of thai chickpea mason jar salad recipe

Recipe tips

  • I shook up my salad dressing in a jar similar to these, but I also recommend this salad dressing shaker
  • Salads are in 1 pint mason jars for these photos
  • Looking for more jar salads? Try this Southwestern Sweet Potato Jar Salad, these Kale Pasta Jar Salads, and these Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Jar Salads

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Close up shot of mason jars filled with thai chickpea mason jar salad on wood tray

Thai Chickpea Mason Jar Salad

5 from 12 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Print Rate
Thai chickpea mason jar salad has a tangy peanut dressing, quinoa, zucchini, carrots and cabbage and is topped with honey roasted peanuts! Ready in under 25 minutes.
4

Ingredients

Jar Salads

  • ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1 medium sized zucchini (spiralized)
  • ½ jumbo carrot (spiralized)
  • 1 ½ cups cabbage (shredded)
  • ¼ cup honey roasted peanuts (or regular peanuts for vegan)

Tangy Peanut Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 5 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions 

  • Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
  • Shake together dressing ingredients and divide up between 4 1-pint jars, roughly 2 tablespoons per jar.
  • Add in the following order: chickpeas, cooled quinoa, carrot noodles, zucchini noodles, shredded cabbage, honey roasted peanuts. 
  • Seal and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • To serve, shake everything out into a large bowl and enjoy cold.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1jar, Calories: 448kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 518mg, Potassium: 780mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 1420IU, Vitamin C: 19.9mg, Calcium: 92mg, Iron: 4.8mg
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Thai

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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Reader Interactions

5 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. Aimee says

    Posted on 6/6/24 at Posted on 6/6/24

    5 stars
    Yummy!! It did need a little more dressing though.

    Reply
  2. R. says

    Posted on 6/7/20 at Posted on 6/7/20

    Honey isn't vegan.

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 6/8/20 at Posted on 6/8/20

      Hello, I realize honey is not vegan, which is why in the recipe card it says 'regular peanuts for vegan'.

      Reply
  3. Liezl says

    Posted on 9/27/19 at Posted on 9/27/19

    Do you keep The zucchini raw?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/2/19 at Posted on 10/2/19

      Hi Liezl! Yes, I do leave the zucchini raw 🙂

      Reply
  4. Rita Schneck says

    Posted on 5/6/19 at Posted on 5/6/19

    Just curious. Do you use a rice cooker for your quinoa? I have an Instant Pot and wondered if a rice cooker would
    Be faster

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/8/19 at Posted on 5/8/19

      Hi Rita! I love using a rice cooker to cook my quinoa, you can find my post on it here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-in-a-rice-cooker/. I think the Instant Pot is ever so slightly faster but it may depend on the model of rice cooker you own.

      Reply
  5. Denise says

    Posted on 1/29/19 at Posted on 1/29/19

    Sorry, I've only tried this as written. Maybe you could try sunbutter, but that is seeds so I guess your kids can't have that either?

    Reply
  6. Janis says

    Posted on 8/28/18 at Posted on 8/28/18

    5 stars
    Could you substitute the quinoa with Riced cauliflower ?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 8/31/18 at Posted on 8/31/18

      Absolutely! I would keep it raw personally!

      Reply
  7. Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says

    Posted on 8/20/18 at Posted on 8/20/18

    I love savory peanut dressings!! I haven't made mason jar salads for lunch in awhile; need to do that again soon!

    Reply
  8. Emma says

    Posted on 8/20/18 at Posted on 8/20/18

    Looks amazing Denise! Already have it printed and ready for lunch prep this coming weekend 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 8/22/18 at Posted on 8/22/18

      I hope you enjoy, Emma!

      Reply

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