Arugula and watermelon salad in a jar is the perfect picnic food! Layering the salad means it will be fresher when you eat it and makes it perfectly portable.

Jar salads have become a real staple in my meal prep routine. From chickpea barley and butternut squash jar salads to southwestern sweet potato lentil salads, I love that layering in jars can help extend the life of certain ingredients.

This arugula and watermelon salad in a jar is a great way to prep watermelon salad ahead. If you've ever had a watermelon salad, you know: they don't keep for very long once tossed together, maybe 30 minutes tops.

By layering them in a jar, we keep the delicate arugula greens away from the wet vinaigrette and watermelon. It's the perfect solution for having watermelon salad on the go!

Reasons you’ll ♡ this watermelon salad in a jar

they taste delicious with sweet watermelon, salty feta cheese, peppery arugula and a tangy vinaigrette
by layering in jars they are portable and keep fresher
they are fresh, healthy, and perfect for summer

Storing salads in mason jars

Why do we bother storing salad in a jar? Well for one thing, they look kinda pretty that way, but there's an actual reason for storing them in jars: the layering! By placing our vinaigrette at the bottom of the jar, and layering delicate greens at the top, we can keep them fresh for longer.

These watermelon mason jar salads have the vinaigrette and watermelon at the bottom of the jar, layering the feta cheese, then the more delicate greens: arugula and mint.

Do we eat the salad out of the jar?

You can certainly eat your salad out of the jar, but many people will choose to shake their salad out of the jar into a clean bowl. This way, the vinaigrette evenly coats all the salad ingredients as you pour it out.

If you choose to eat your salad out of the jar, you will want to pick a larger jar like a 1 quart jar. To serve, shake everything all up, and enjoy!

Recipe tips

for this recipe, I've used 1 pint jars, though if you plan to eat right from the jar, use a 1 quart jar
be sure to keep the arugula at the top of the jar to keep it away from the vinaigrette
this salad keeps for up to 24 hours in a jar; while this isn't as long as some salads, it's far better than a 'mixed up' watermelon salad
since it keeps for 24 hours, it works well as a 1-day work lunch or for a picnic
to make this a meal, add some cooked chicken or ½ cup of chickpeas to the salad
the almonds will not stay crunchy in this salad, so if you'd like that crunch, keep them separate until just before serving

Variations

You could really get creative with this salad and swap out some ingredients, or add others in. Here are some ideas:

swap arugula for spinach or romaine lettuce
add in cucumber and radish for a fresh crunch
swap the white wine vinaigrette for a balsamic vinaigrette or balsamic reduction
swap the watermelon for honeydew melon or strawberries
swap mint for cilantro or fresh basil

More salad recipes:

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