Everything you love about a hearty steakhouse salad layered into a scrumptious portion-controlled salad in a jar! This delicious Steak Salad recipe is full of protein and drizzled with tart balsamic vinegar dressing. Bonus – this meal prepped salad is excellent for someone on a low-carb meal plan.

steak salad recipe layered into a mason jar

Mason jar salads are a constant in my meal plan rotation. They’re easy to make, delicious, and keep me on track with eating healthy. I make this Protein Power Salad most of the time, but when I need to switch things up, I’ll whip together this Taco Salad in a Jar, Spicy Thai Salad in a Jar, Southwest Chicken Salad in a Jar, and this Steak Salad!

Reasons you’ll love this recipe

Lunch is ready for the week! Make four steak salads on Sunday for a healthy lunch all week.
Delicious. Tender steak paired with tangy homemade balsamic dressing, hearty veggies, and delicious blue cheese to create amazing flavors in each bite!
Healthy. This high-protein steak salad is gluten-free and perfect for a low-carb lifestyle.

Ingredients

Balsamic vinaigrette. I prefer to use this homemade balsamic vinaigrette, but you can use your favorite store-bought dressing.
Red onion, red bell peppers, and baby cucumbers. It’s important to use hearty vegetables in the layer closest to the salad dressing. I like to put the red onions first because they’re delicious after sitting and marinating in the balsamic vinaigrette. they’ll marinate in the dressing as they sit in the dressing
Steak. For the best tasting steak salad, I like to use a high-quality cut of beef such as tenderloin, rib-eye steak, sirloin steak, New York strip steak. I’ve also used top sirloin or flank steak with success. The steak is split between 5 portions, so I don’t mind spending a little extra money.
Blue cheese crumbles. One of my favorite flavors is the sharp blue cheese combined with tangy and sweet balsamic dressing. You can also use gorgonzola for a milder blue cheese option.
Raw walnuts for crunch and extra protein.
Dried cranberries give the salad a tart bite. I use unsweetened cranberries when I can, but they’re not easy to find, so most of the time, I use sweetened ones.
Mesclun greens pair perfectly with all of the steak salad flavors.

Supplies

Grill pan
32-ounce mason jars
Mason jar lids

How to Make Steak Salad in a Jar

Sprinkle the steak with salt, pepper, and even a little garlic powder or steak seasoning. Using a grill pan, cook the steak until it’s medium to medium-well.
Place the steak on a plate to cool, and the cut into slices or chunks. Put the steak slices in the refrigerator to cool completely. It’s helpful to cook the steak earlier in the day or the day before.
Also, if you haven’t made the homemade balsamic vinaigrette, do so now. Store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Put the steak salads together.
Divide all of the ingredients among the mason jars.
Start with the balsamic dressing and continue with the red onion, red peppers, cucumbers, filet, crumbled blue cheese, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, and end with the mesclun greens.
Put the lid on tightly. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
When you’re ready to eat, dump the salad into a large bowl and enjoy!

Guide to Mason Jar Salads

Read our Mason Jar Salad Guide to learn our top tips and tricks to perfect layered salads in a jar every time + get our top mason jar salad recipes.

Storage tips

Store the steak mason jar salads in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

steak salad in a large grey bowl with mason jar salads in the background.

Cooking Tips

You can swap in chicken breasts to reduce saturated fat or leave the meat out altogether for a vegetarian option. Trust me, even without the beef; the salad flavors are outstanding.
For a milder cheese option, use feta cheese or fresh mozzarella.
You can prepare the steak on an indoor grill pan or outdoor grill, and you can also cook the steak in a frying pan.
Don’t forget to cool the steak entirely before adding to the mason jar salads. If the steak is too warm, the steam will cause the other ingredients to soften or wilt. After you cut up the steak, stick it in the refrigerator to chill for a bit before dividing the bite-sized steak pieces into the individual salads.
Swap in any dried fruit for the cranberries. We love dried blueberries, cherries, or even apricots.
Baby spinach or other greens will work in place of the mesclun greens. I don’t recommend romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce.
You can also use cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, or other hearty vegetables in this salad. Avocado is delicious too but I recommend adding that on the day you eat your salad.

close-up picture. of steak salad mason jar salad recipes

More Salad In A Jar Recipes

Even though we love steak salad at our house, that doesn’t mean that all of you eat steak! Here are some more mason jar salad recipes to add to your menu plan: