35 best meal prep salads that make it easy to plan for lunches or dinners on the go or even meals in advance. Make some of the easiest healthy salads with these meal prep salad recipes!
Plus learn how to meal prep salad for the week and keep them fresh for cold lunches or healthy dinners.
Meal prepping salads is easily one of our favorite ways to prep for the week and enjoy a healthy, easy meal! Healthy lunch salads become a regular and make for perfect leftovers or if you just didn't get enough of an amazing salad you made.
You will always instantly feel better with weekly meal prep salad recipes to look forward to and enjoy. Especially when you want a quick meal that will give you nutrients and veggies, we love meal prep salads for delicious on-the-go meals!
Whether you're looking for easy mason jar salads meal prep, meal prep salads for weight loss, vegetarian salads, or a healthy lunch meal prep salad or dinner salad, you'll love our list of easy ideas.
Meal prep salads for the week on a Sunday and you'll enjoy delicious meal prep recipes all week long!
If you love to meal prep, be sure to also try low carb lunch recipes, healthy weight loss meal prep recipes, cold lunch recipes, and easy lunch meal prep for the week.
How to Meal Prep Salad
Making your salad recipes last for days in the fridge for lunch or dinner later in the week, can sometimes be a little tricky.
Here's some of our top tips on how to meal prep salad for the week and keep your salad fresh!
- Choose Fresh and Seasonal Ingredients: Fresh veggies will stay crisp longer.
- Prep Components Separately: To ensure each ingredient stays fresh, store them separately. For example, you can have containers for chopped veggies, proteins such as cooked chicken, and dressings and then you mix them together when it's time to eat them.
- Store Dressings Separately: Dressings can make your salad soggy if added in advance. Use separate containers for your dressings and add them right before you're ready to eat your lunch or dinner.
- Keep Leafy Greens Dry: Any moisture makes leafy greens get wet and slimy pretty fast. Make sure they're totally dry before storing them in the fridge.
- Use a Salad Spinner: We love using a salad spinner to help remove excess water from greens after washing.
- Prioritize Hardier Greens: Spinach, kale, shredded broccoli, shredded brussel sprouts, and cabbage tend to hold up better over time than softer greens like spring mix or butter lettuce.
- Layer Your Ingredients: If you prefer to prepare the entire salad in advance, layer your ingredients in a jar or container. For assembling mason jar salads, keep hardier, heavier ingredients at the bottom, and lighter ingredients, such as lettuce or herbs, at the top.
1
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
A hearty and easy Mediterranean chickpea salad truly makes for one the best meal prep salad recipes. We sometimes serve it over baby kale to add a hearty green.It's easy, hearty, healthy, it's vegetarian, and lasts for so many days in the fridge. You can skip the feta cheese if you want to make this a vegan recipe.
Check out this recipe
2
Mexican Salad with Shrimp
An easy Mexican-inspired avocado shrimp cucumber salad similar to a cooked shrimp ceviche but loaded with vegetables and a sweetened lime dressing. You'll love this healthy shrimp salad when you're looking for something healthy, light, and refreshing. Combine precooked shrimp with cherry tomatoes, avocado, mango, red onion, and cilantro with an easy lime dressing to make the perfect warm weather salad.
Check out this recipe
3
Italian Antipasto Salad (Keto, Low Carb, GF)
An Italian antipasto salad recipe that's a yummy salad variation of an antipasto platter at your favorite Italian restaurant. Feel free to swap the salami for lean varieties or leave them out completely!The recipe is gluten free, low carb, and keto friendly, and can be vegetarian or vegan with adaptions.
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4
Shrimp Salad with Old Bay and Mayonnaise
Our succulent cold shrimp salad with Old Bay seasoning on butterhead lettuce makes for the perfect light lunch or dinner. Ready in less than 30 minutes this Old Bay shrimp salad is perfect for meal prep lunches or serving as a light summer dinner.
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5
Big Mac Bowl Recipe (Keto, High Protein)
A take on the popular fast food burger turned into a healthy salad with cooked beef, shredded cheddar cheese, onions, pickles, seasoning, and sauce. If you're craving Big Macs, you'll love this fast food adaption. Be sure to store the dressing on the side to make it easier to eat during the week. You can also store the meat separately if you want it heated, but eating it cold tastes super good too.
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6
Cucumber Greek Salad Recipe
A healthy Greek salad with tomato, cucumber, feta, and kalamata olives makes for a great dinner side dish with chicken, or served as a meal prep lunch.Just add with sliced chicken breast on the side for a well balanced meal prep salad lunch!
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7
Egg and Avocado Salad
A healthy avocado and egg salad that makes a hearty and easy lunch filled with healthy fats. This is a keto avocado egg salad, plus it's gluten-free and dairy free too.
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8
Avocado Kale Salad
A healthy avocado kale salad loaded with veggies and tossed in a light lemon dressing. Whole30, paleo, gluten-free, and low carb.We love using kale or baby kale for meal prep salads since it keeps for days in the fridge and doesn't get soggy from dressing. Keeping the avocado tossed in our light lemon dressing also keeps it from turning brown.
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9
Healthy Edamame Bean Salad
An easy and healthy bean salad recipe that's a modern take on the three bean salad. With edamame beans and made without sugar, you'll love this healthy side dish or meal prep lunch salad recipe!
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10
Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
An easy and healthy chicken salad with cranberries and pecans that's delicious served over lettuce, as a wrap, or as a sandwich. Use freshly shredded chicken or canned, either way, it's a Whole Lotta Yum!Swap out some of the mayo for non-fat Greek yogurt to lighten it up even more.
Check out this recipe
11
Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
Our Thai chopped chicken salad is loaded with healthy veggies, shredded chicken, and the best healthy peanut salad dressing you'll ever taste! A terrific meal prep lunch that's 344 calories per serving that comes together in just 20 minutes.
Check out this recipe
12
Healthy Tuna in Avocado Halves
Enjoy this healthy salad of tuna in avocado halves, with its bright punchy flavors of red onion, celery, mustard, and dill. Garnish with fresh herbs like sliced green onions, parsley, or dill.Tuna stuffed avocados can be eaten any time of the day and served as a sandwich or salad. Especially delicious when served at a BBQ in the summer, it's a Whole Lotta Yum!
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13
Greek Orzo Salad - Something Sweet Something Savoury
This Greek Orzo Salad with creamy feta cheese and olives is packed with flavor! It's great for a Summer picnic or light meal. It also makes a perfect side dish to serve alongside grilled chicken, fish, vegetables and so much more.
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14
Apple Walnut Chicken Salad
You'll fall in love with this apple walnut chicken salad.It's basically Waldorf chicken salad with rotisserie chicken, celery, grapes, honey crisp apples and walnuts tossed in a creamy yogurt dressing.It'll be your new favorite, I'm sure of it!
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15
Caprese Salad with Grape Tomatoes & Mini Mozzarella
The flavors of vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, zippy basil and sweet balsamic vinaigrette come together in the perfect combo in this mouthwatering caprese salad with grape tomatoes. It's a fantastic, easy recipe!
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16
Roasted Broccoli Salad with Bacon & Pecans
Be prepared to make this roasted broccoli salad over & over again once you try it! Roasted broccoli combines with salty crispy bacon, crunchy pecans, sharp red onion, and the most delightful tangy-sweet dressing to keep you coming back for more!
Check out this recipe
17
Spinach Blueberry Salad - The Short Order Cook
Sweet & salty Blueberry Spinach Salad is the simple lunch that's anything but boring. Store the easy dressing on the side & toss together with juicy berries, crunchy macadamias, & sharp parmesan for a lunch that's bursting with flavor. Perfect for meal prepping for lunch!
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18
Pumpkin Couscous Salad
This couscous salad with roasted pumpkin is loaded with nutritious ingredients and is so delicious! It keeps well for a week and can be eaten chilled or room temperature, perfect for lunch for the week! Just the perfect kind of meal prep lunch recipe.
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19
The Jennifer Aniston Salad
The Jennifer Aniston salad is here! The perfect blend of flavor and freshness and named after the famous Friends star, this salad lives up to its hype. If you haven't tried it yet, but heard of it, now's your chance to dive in and make this easy salad recipe for yourself. It's fresh, filling, and fantastic!
Check out this recipe
20
Taco Salad in a Jar (Low Carb)
This Low Carb Taco Salad in a Jar is perfect for work, school, or just life on the go. Meal prep these mason jar taco salads for a delicious lunch or light dinner that is ready whenever hunger strikes.
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21
Italian Grinder Salad
This Italian Grinder Salad aka Sub in a Tub combines all the ingredients of an Italian sub sandwich in a delicious low carb bowlful. Awesome for meal prepping the best lunch or dinner salad!
Check out this recipe
22
Healthy Cucumber Chickpea Salad
Make this cucumber chickpea salad can be prepared ahead in up to 20 minutes and taken to work for a refreshing and delicious lunch. Definitely a meal prep salad to make multiple of because it's so good and easy!
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23
Mediterranean Pearl Barley Salad with Goat Cheese
Looking for a unique salad or a way to use up your stored pearl barley? Try this delectable Mediterranean pearl barley salad with goat cheese! A fun and tasty meal prep salad that you will having for the week!
Check out this recipe
24
Chicken Cobb Salad - Something Sweet Something Savoury
This delicious chicken Cobb salad is packed with protein, making it a filling and delicious meal in itself. It's made with grilled chicken, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, boiled eggs and a creamy herb dressing on a bed of crunchy lettuce!
Check out this recipe
25
Panzanella (Tuscan-Style Salad)
Panzanella is a delightful Tuscan salad perfect to use ripe tomatoes and leftover bread. Easy to make in advance and store in the fridge, this version with chickpeas is filled with lots of plant-based protein! This is a great weekly meal prep salad.
Check out this recipe
26
Rainbow Chickpea Salad with Tahini Ginger Dressing
This Rainbow Chickpea Salad is topped with a simple Tahini Ginger Dressing that ties it all together. Perfect for meal-prepping and quick lunches!
Check out this recipe
27
Thai Chopped Salad (Meal Prep Friendly)
Made with a base of kale and cabbage this is the perfect non soggy meal prep salad! Full of crisp veggies and edamame for protein this is a great balanced lunch idea and perfect for meal prepping for the week!
Check out this recipe
28
Honey Mustard Broccoli Crunch Salad
This isn't just your regular old broccoli salad! We pulse the broccoli to make it the perfect non soggy salad base and toss it together with roasted chickpeas, veggies and a honey mustard dressing. This is the perfect meal prep lunch idea!
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29
The BEST Tuna Salad Recipe
This tuna salad isn't your normal, everyday tuna salad. The ingredients come together to create a flavor that's hard to beat! This is perfect for a good meal prep salad to make it into a yummy sandwhich!
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30
Best Gluten Free Steak Salad With Avocado Dressing
This steak salad is delicious and hearty enough for a whole meal! Featuring seared steak and fresh veggies, this is a salad you'll look forward to eating at lunch and many other meals! 😉
Check out this recipe
31
Mexican Salad Recipe
Veggie-friendly but full of plant-based protein with beans, corn, peppers, tomatoes, avocado and feta. This is a great salad for lunch, you can keep the dressing separately to keep it fresh for longer and save for later!
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32
Chickpea Feta Salad
This easy and delicious Greek Style Chickpea Feta Salad is great for meal prep, and packed with red bell pepper, creamy feta, chickpeas, farro, and olives- all tossed in a tangy lemon Dijon dressing!
Check out this recipe
33
Green Lentil Tabbouleh Salad
This green lentil tabbouleh salad has tons of fiber and plant protein thanks to the lentils and is so delicious because of all the fresh herbs and veggies. It keeps well for a few days and is even more delicious on day 2 when the lentils absorb some of the flavor from the dressing!
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34
Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tahini Dressing
This easy raw brussels sprouts salad is made with shaved brussels sprouts and carrots, fruit and an easy tahini dressing. This salad packs and stores well and is perfect for meal prepping!
Check out this recipe
35
Vegan Waldorf Salad
This Vegan Waldorf Salad is creamy, refreshing and perfectly balanced for a delicious side or entree. Made from grapes, apples, walnuts and optional celery and served in a beautiful lettuce lined bowl, this is a dish you can bring to any gathering or complement any spread at your dinner table and make many servings of!
Check out this recipe
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FAQ's
How long can I store salad for meal prep?
Salads that you meal prep in advance can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days, depending on the ingredients you're using.
It's best to add ingredients like leafy greens before serving because they may only stay good for a few days. Also, be mindful of the specific storage recommendations for the ingredients in your salad!
Can I meal prep salads with a variety of dietary restrictions?
Absolutely! Healthy meal prep salads can be adapted to accommodate various dietary restrictions. With countless ingredient options available, you can create salads that are suitable for different diets, including low carb, keto, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and more.
Simply choose ingredients that align with your dietary needs and preferences and adjust the recipes accordingly.
How do I prevent salads from becoming soggy?
There are a few ways! You can pack the dressing separately and add it just before eating. You can also layer ingredients, placing wet or delicate ingredients, like tomatoes or cucumbers, on top of sturdier ingredients like greens or grains.
Another option is to use compartmentalized containers to keep ingredients separate until you're ready to combine them.
More Healthy Lunch Recipes
If you love these healthy salad recipes for lunch, you'll love these popular lunch recipe ideas too!
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