It’s no secret that mason jar meals are kind of a thing right now. You can’t log into Pinterest without tripping over at least three posts with 15 assorted recipes for overnight oats. Yeah, I’m over the overnight oats thing, too. So, all of these recipe roundups have me inspired – what about some keto mason jar meals? Where’s the low carb love in this trend?

So, here we go. This post will be written in stages – I’ve got some basic recipes I’ll post here, and then throughout the next week or so, I’m going to make a full post for each recipe, with pictures and all. Yay, pictures!

Tips on Making Keto Mason Jar Meals

• Some of these are intended to be eaten in the jar, but for the most part, the salads should be poured into a bowl and mixed up.
• Pouring the dressing on the bottom, and then adding hearty ingredients first, will prevent the lettuce from wilting and keep everything crispy.
• If you are going to reheat any of these in the microwave, please remember to remove the metal cap!!
• These are templates for now, and will be expanded over time. 🙂

Mason Jar Caprese Salad

Typically, a caprese salad involves fresh mozzarella, whole basil leaves and large tomato slices all alternating on a platter. This mason jar salad is a bit less constructed, and adds some romaine lettuce for nutrient dense filler.

• Start with a quart jar.
• Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (or just some balsamic vinaigrette) on the bottom of the jar.
• Add a half cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, and 2 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese (either the little balls, or chopped slices).
• Chop up some fresh basil, and sprinkle it over the cheese and tomatoes.
• Crack some pepper over the top.
• Fill the rest of the jar with chopped romaine lettuce.

Mason Jar Greek Salad

If I have a choice, I always pick the salad with feta. It’s such a delicious cheese!

• Start with a quart jar.
• Drizzle some greek dressing on the bottom (or Caesar, or balsamic vinaigrette).
• Add a half cup of artichoke hearts.
• Add some grape or cherry tomatoes.
• Add chopped kalamata olives, and pickled hot peppers (if you’d like!).
• Add some crumbled feta.
• Fill the rest of the jar with chopped romaine lettuce.

Mason Jar Frittata

This is an upgraded version of those egg muffin cups that have been circulating the internet for a while now. You can make a batch of these and reheat them in the morning for a quick, but delicious, breakfast (or lunch, whatever floats your boat)!

• Use 8 ounce mason jars.
• This is a pretty basic “recipe,” but the only standard is that you should use two eggs per jar. So, if you want to make six mini frittatas, use a dozen eggs!
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a bowl, beat eggs until well combined.
• Stir in cheese, spinach, onions, and whatever other spices, herbs and veggies you’d like.
• Grease the sides of the mason jars.
• Bake for about a half hour, until the eggs are totally cooked.
• Let cool before securing the lids on the jars!

Easy Keto Mason Jar Shepherd’s Pie

Yes, shepherd’s pie. Instead of a traditional mashed potato topping, we’re going to use this cheesy mashed cauliflower (so yummy!). This recipe is also ridiculously easy, as instead of baking everything together, you’ll just cook the meat and veggies on the stove top, and then layer it in the jar with the mashed cauliflower. Less effort, still delicious.

• Start with 16 oz jars.
• In a sauté pan, soften an onion in some butter. Add in a ground meat of your choosing, season appropriately, and cook thoroughly.
• Pour in about a cup of frozen mixed veggies (seriously), and cook until veggies are heated through and mixture is well combined.
• Make a batch of cheesy cauliflower mash.
• Evenly distribute meat and veggie mixture into each jar.
• Evenly distribute cauliflower mixture on top of the meat in each jar.
• Wait until the food cools, then slap a lid on those bad boys!

Mason Jar Avocado and Grapefruit Kale Salad

This salad is great, because when you pour it out and mix everything together, it actually forms its own dressing from the grapefruit and the avocado. Plus, grapefruit and avocado. And salmon. So good.

• Start with a quart jar.
• At the bottom of the mason jar, layer a quarter cup of chopped up grapefruit segments and a half of an avocado, cut into chunks.
• Add about two tablespoons of finely chopped red onion.
• Crack some pepper on top of this.
• Add four ounces (or more!) of grilled salmon or chicken. If you go the chicken route, you’ll want to cube it, but the salmon will flake into bite sized pieces once the salad is mixed.
• Fill the rest of the jar with chopped kale.