Set yourself up with a week of healthy lunches with this easy and delicious mason jar taco salad recipe! Savory taco meat, black beans, and lots of fresh veggies are layered in a jar prefilled with homemade chili lime dressing. Just toss and serve for an instant meal that will feel as good as it tastes! {Gluten-free}
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Easy Taco Salad for One
I’m a big fan of mason jar salads for lots of reasons, and this healthy taco salad recipe is one of my all-time favorites! It has all the flavors from your favorite taco salad but is lightened up to be lower in calories than the restaurant ones!
Most importantly, the mixture of meat, beans, and veggies will keep you full for hours, so you’ll be less likely to wind up at the vending machine. Even if you’re not a big salad eater, this one is so tasty and satisfying that you can’t help but eat it all up!
Want more easy lunch recipes? Check out these mason jar salad recipes to switch it up!
Why We Love This Layered Taco Salad in a Jar
- Loaded with mouthwatering Mexican flavors and spices
- Great meal prep option for healthy lunches all week
- High in protein thanks to the taco meat, beans, and cheese
- Can transform the leftovers from your Taco Tuesday dinner into a delicious lunch
- Made with simple, healthy ingredients and lots of summer veggies
- Save money by making your meals ahead of time (no more takeout)
- Can control the sodium level
- Convenient single-serving portions
Ingredient Notes
For the dressing
- Olive oil: This is the perfect base for any homemade dressings.
- Lime juice: Fresh lime juice is best, but bottled lime juice will work as well and can be more convenient.
- Water: Will help thin out the dressing.
- Honey: This is optional, but it adds a touch of sweetness to the dressing.
- Spices: Load up on savory spices, like chili powder, cumin, garlic powder (or minced garlic), salt and pepper.
For the taco salad
- Canned black beans: Choose a brand with no salt added to avoid excess sodium.
- Leftover taco meat: Feel free to use taco meat from dinner the night before or make a fresh batch! I have a recipe for homemade taco seasoning that is really delicious and lower in sodium. You can also substitute grilled chicken, if you’d prefer.
- Veggies: Load up on veggies! I recommend using halved cherry tomatoes or diced bell peppers, corn kernels, diced avocado, diced red onion, and shredded lettuce.
- Grated cheddar cheese: This adds a nice cheesy flavor that makes this easy recipe extra satisfying.
You will also need wide mouth mason jars (I used these 32-ounce wide mouth mason jars). This recipe makes enough for 1 salad, but it can be easily doubled or tripled.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix the dressing ingredients in the bottom of the jar.
- Layer salad into the jar in the order listed: Black beans, taco meat, cherry tomatoes, corn, red onion, cheddar cheese and lettuce.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- You can use whatever leftover taco meat you have on hand to make this salad jar or use some of this crockpot taco meat!
- To prevent a soggy salad, keep your jar upright in the fridge and your lunch bag.
- It’s important to layer the ingredients in the proper order. This will help keep the ingredients as fresh as possible.
Recipe FAQs
It can be! This mason jar recipe is lower in carbs than a bowl of pasta or a sandwich, but the black beans and corn are higher in carbs than you’d normally consume on a keto or ultra low carb diet. For a low carb taco salad, you can skip those ingredients, although it may help to add extra taco meat and lettuce to tide you over!
Nope. If you want to use taco meat, you can use any type of ground meat you prefer. Ground turkey is a nice, mild option that is also pretty affordable. You can also use grilled chicken breasts, leftover rotisserie chicken, and more.
It really depends on your preferences. The salad can be shaken and then eaten straight out of the jar, but if you pack the jar pretty full like I do, that can be easier said than done.
One of my favorite options is to pour the contents of the jar into a big bowl or on a plate. Everything will come out in salad order – greens, veggies, taco meat, and more with the dressing right on top! It’s very easy, but you would need access to a bowl or other serving ware.
Storage Guidelines
Once filled, your mason jar lunches can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep them chilled until right before eating.
Serving Suggestions
This delicious salad is intended to be a complete, balanced meal all on its own! You can also add your favorite taco toppings to make it taste like the tacos you know and love.
- Sliced or pickled jalapenos
- Crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips
- A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Sliced black olives
- Sliced green onions
- A scoop of fresh salsa
- Chopped cilantro
Recipe Ideas & Substitutions
- Chicken taco mason jar salad: Marinate chicken breasts in one of my healthy chicken marinades (try Mexican fajita, chili garlic, or cilantro lime), and grill or bake it up. Use that instead of regular taco meat for a high-protein, low-fat option.
- Serve the meat warm: There’s something so satisfying about having a warm component at lunch! The veggies should not be heated, but you can store the meat in a separate container and warm it up in the microwave for a minute or so. Add it to the salad, and enjoy!
- To make vegetarian: Skip the meat altogether and double up on the beans, or sub in veggie grounds for the meat!
- Make a bigger salad: If you have a big appetite and find that a mason jar salad isn’t quite filling enough, follow the same tips but arrange it in a larger airtight container. You don’t have to use a mason jar to enjoy a layered salad. To keep it nutritionally balanced, consider adding more lettuce and veggies, otherwise the salad may become quite high in calories.
- Use different dressings: My homemade chili lime dressing is made specifically for this recipe, but you can certainly use your favorite dressing recipe instead! Ranch dressing is a classic, but try to choose a lower-calorie version if possible.
More Protein-Rich Salads
- Burger Salad Bowl
- Grilled Chicken Strawberry Salad
- Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad
- Mango Chicken Salad
- Three Bean Salad with Avocado
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Mason Jar Taco Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
For the taco salad
- 1/4 cup no-salt added black beans
- 1/2 cup leftover taco meat
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or sub in diced red pepper)
- 1/4 cup corn kernels
- 1/8th of an avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Notes
- You can use whatever leftover taco meat you have on hand to make this salad jar or use some of this crockpot taco meat!
- To prevent a soggy salad, keep your jar upright in the fridge and your lunch bag.
- It’s important to layer the ingredients in the proper order. This will help keep the ingredients as fresh as possible. The red onion layered on top of the avocado will also help prevent the avocado from browning.
Hi! This sounds really good and quite simple. I will definitely give it a try. But I have one question: How would you keep the avocado from turning brown in the jar?
Thanks!
Hi Diane! The trick is to place the chopped red onion right on top of the diced avocado in the jars. The onion helps prevent the avocado from browning. I’ve kept these jars with the avocado in my fridge for sometimes up to three days and I’m always amazed that the avocado stays pretty green. Hope you enjoy the salad jars if you try them!