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The Best Salad Containers of 2021 to Make Lunches Happy

Best Salad Containers

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Here Are the Best Salad Containers So You Don’t Have to Eat Anymore Soggy Lunches

You know how it goes…

You went through the trouble to make extra salad from dinner the night before. Now you’re ready to eat it for lunch at work.

And you open up your leftover container to a horrible scene of slimy greens that is straight out of a Ghostbusters movie. So much for that enjoyable lunch during your busy and stressful day at work.

The culprit?

Dressing your salad the night before. Most greens will wilt and lose their crisp after sitting in dressing for half a day.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to live in a world of soggy lunch greens that ruin your one and only lunch break.

You need a great salad container that stores the dressing and greens separately. That way, when you’re ready to eat your salad later on you can conveniently dress it on the spot. With this list of best salad containers, say hello to fresh salads the next day.

Best Salad Container Overall

 
 

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Salad Container

Price: $13.99

This is one of the best salad containers right now. This 100% leakproof clear plastic container won’t spill even if you drop it. The airtight lid will keep greens fresh for days. The container set includes one 4.7 cup main container and lid, one removable tray, and a separate dressing container with lid. This container is the total package.

Best Salad Containers of 2021

Here are the best salad containers of 2021 for each price point.

Best Salad Container Overall

 

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Salad Container

Price: $13.99

The Rubbermaid Brilliance is one of the best salad containers right now. This 100% leakproof clear plastic, BPA-free container won’t spill even if you drop it. It’s airtight lid will keep greens fresh for days.

The container set includes one 4.7 cup main container and lid, one removable tray, and a separate dressing container with lid that fits inside. This container is the total package.

Plus, the container looks great. It is crystal so you can clearly see its contents. No more grabbing the wrong lunch!

It is dishwasher, microwave, and freezer safe. There is a

The only potential downside is its size. At 4.7 cups it is a bit smaller than some others on this list. There were some customer reviews that mentioned the container was smaller than expected.

The Good

  • 100% Leakproof

  • Airtight seal to keep contents fresh

  • Outside is clear and minimalist so you can easily see what’s inside

The Bad

  • 4.7 cup capacity is a bit on the smaller side

Best for you if: You need a high quality, every day salad container that can handle your commute. Or, if you meal prep salads several days in advance and need an extra snug seal to keep them fresh.

Best Salad Container: Runner-up

OXO Good Grips Leakproof Salad Container

Price: $15.99

You generally can’t go wrong with anything from OXO. I find most of their products to be high quality. This salad container is no different.

It has a similar configuration to the Rubbermaid winner with a large 5.25 cup main compartment and lid, removable insert, and salad container with lid. .

This container is a bit larger than the Rubbermaid. It is a bit more versatile too. You can leave the insert for even more room in this container. It is dishwasher, microwave, and freezer safe. The gasket that lines the lid is easily removable for ease of cleaning.

According to one review site, the seal isn’t quite as leakproof as the Rubbermaid winner. The seal is susceptible to spilling open when filled with water and dropped on the floor. But, you probably won’t be this tough on yours.

The Good

  • Larger container capacity than the winner

  • Can be transformed into a large single compartment container by leaving out the insert

  • Versatile configuration that

The Bad

  • Susceptible to spilling if dropped while full

  • The outside is white so you cannot see what’s inside it.

Best for you if: You want a container from a trusted brand that is a little larger and a little more versatile than the Rubbermaid winner.

Best Value


Sistema To Go Collection Salad Storage Container

Price: $10

Like the configuration of the first two containers, but don’t want to spend in the $15 range? Then this Sistema salad container may be your best option.

It comes in a similar setup as the first two: 1 main container with lid, a removable insert tray, a salad container with lid, and reusable spoon and fork. The removable tray has 4 compartments to keep even more ingredients separate. It is dishwasher, microwave (without lid), and freezer safe.

This container sounds perfect, right? Well, what you save in money, you may sacrifice in quality and its ability to be leakproof. Generally, this container has good reviews on Amazon and on other review sites. But, there were some reports of leaking.

The Good

  • Affordable

  • 4 compartment removable insert to keep additional ingredients separate

  • Similar functionality to more expensive containers

The Bad

  • Not as leakproof as more expensive options

  • Capacity is on the smaller side at 4.6 cups

Best for you if: You are looking for an affordable and functional salad container. Especially, if you don’t need to use it every day.

Best Budget Salad Container



Glad To Go Container Lunch Size

Price: $8.26 (for a 4-pack)

I used these containers to take salads to work for years. Are they perfect? No. But, they’re also a fraction of the price of the other containers on this list.

The container comes with an small cup that snaps into the bottom of the lid. It’s pretty clever for storing dressings.

The main container is the smallest one on this list at 4 cups. So, you won’t be fitting a huge salad.

They don’t claim to be leakproof, but the lid fits fairly snug. Salads would stay fresh for 3 or so days when I used them. Not too shabby for just over $2 per container. This is great if you like to make store multiple days of lunches. They are dishwasher safe.

These aren’t going to look new or last forever, but they’ll get the job done. Especially, for light duty use.

The Good

  • Very affordable

  • Clever design for storing dressings

The Bad

  • Not entirely leakproof

  • Less durable and long lasting compared to more expensive containers

Best for you if: You are on a tight budget or you like to prep and store multiple salads at once.

Best for Large Salads

Bentgo Salad BPA-Free Lunch Container

Price: $14.99

This Bentgo is another great option in a similar configuration as the first ones on this list. The big difference? It’s 6.75 cups. Over 1.5 cups larger than the next largest on this list.

It comes in a similar setup as the first three on this list: 1 main container with lid, a removable insert, and a salad container with lid. It’s removable tray has 4 compartments for keeping multiple ingredients separate. It is dishwasher safe only. Plus, it comes with a nifty reusable fork that snaps into the top.

Its salad container lid claims to be leakproof. But according to some reviews, there are some reports of leaking during heavy use.

The Good

  • Large capacity

  • 4 compartment removable insert to keep additional ingredients separate

  • Comes with reusable fork

The Bad

  • Not as leakproof as other similar priced options

Best for you if: You want a container that can hold larger salads.

Best to Transform Your Mason Jars



Divider Cup for Wide Mouth Mason Jars

Price: $9.99

Do you have a cabinet full of mason jars? Then you may already have your salad container. This silicone divider cup with form an extra leakproof compartment on your wide-mouth mason jars.

Mason jars are versatile, durable, and widely available. This divider cup has a lip that fits right under their lid. When the lid is tightened, the silicone is flexible enough that it will squeeze down and form a tight seal. The divider is dishwasher, freezer, and microwave safe.

Because this will fit on any wide mouth mason jar, you can use this with multiple different jar sizes. I could see these dividers being incredibly convenient if you have a large stash of mason jars that you use for all things food storage. Or if you already use mason jars for your salads. These dividers are much more effective at keeping your greens fresh and dry than leaving dressing at the bottom of the jar.

The Good

  • Can be used with existing wide mouth mason jars, regardless of jar size

  • No need to buy an extra container if you already have mason jars

The Bad

  • Price is on the higher end if you need to buy a mason jar too

  • Less compartments than other containers on this list that were designed specifically for salads

Best for you if: You use mason jars for all of your food storage and already have a large supply of them.

Summary of the Best Salad Containers of 2021

What Should I Look for in a Salad Container?

There are a few primary characteristics to consider when purchasing a salad container that were used to develop these recommendations. Let’s talk about them so you can decide which are most important to you.

Price

Whenever I am shopping for products to solve one of my problems, price is the first thing I look at. Because if the price isn’t right, then that is a signal that the product isn’t right for me.

So, the price must be within your budget.

Just remember though, you often get what you pay for. These salad containers are no different. There is a difference in quality between the higher end containers like the Rubbermaid winner the lower end containers like the Glad To Go.

It’s up to you to decide if the trade-off is something you’re okay with.

Leakproof

No one wants to grab their salad container and get oily dressing all over their hands because it leaked out all morning. Or have puddles of dressing at the bottom of their work bag.

A quality salad container must have an airtight and leakproof seal. This will keep your salads fresh and guard against leakages.

All of the containers on this list do a great job of keeping greens fresh for a few days. They also will not leak during light use. The higher end containers do a better job of preventing leaks when dropped or during heavy duty use.

Separate Container for Dressing

For a container to be on this list, it must be designed in such a way to effectively keep dry ingredients separate from wet ingredients. No more soggy salads, remember?

In all cases, this is done by having a separate container for salad dressings. That way, you can dress your salad on the spot.

BPA-free

All of the containers are BPA-free. BPA is an industrial chemical added to many plastics that may be harmful to your health. You can read more about BPA here on Healthline.

Ease of Cleanup

All of the containers in this list are dishwasher safe. Some of them also have removable gaskets so you can clean them separately. The gaskets are used to create the airtight seal.

How Were These Containers Ranked?

The best salad containers were determined based on multiple data sources. The container recommendations took into account the following information:

  1. Review Websites – The results from several reputable review sites were gathered. Containers were assigned a score based on whether it was a top choice, highly recommended, recommended, or not recommended.

  2. Amazon Reviews – The number of review stars were gathered for each container. Each container was then assigned a weighted score based on their stars.

  3. Personal Experience – Personal recommendations were incorporated into the reviews when a product was owned and/or used.

To calculate the best salad container, the scores from the review websites, amazon review, and personal experience sources above were added together. This gave each container a final score.

The containers were then ranked based on this final score to develop the best overall and runner-up choice. Then other top ranked containers were recommended for different categories where appropriate.

Can’t I Just Use Another Container for My Salads?

Well, not exactly.

The big difference between containers made specifically for salads versus multi-purpose containers is that they keep wet and dry ingredients separate.

If you have a salad that can be fully dressed ahead like this kale and brussels sprout one, then you don’t need a salad container. But, if you have a salad that has greens in it like this arugula, avocado, and mango one then you don’t want to dress that ahead of time. If you do, you’ll have a sad, soggy salad the next day for lunch.

But What About All of those Mason Jar Salads?

Mason jar salads like these ones are popular. The idea is that you put the dressing in first so it sits at the bottom of the jar. Then add all of the salad ingredients.

As long as the jar doesn’t tip or tilt much, the salad should stay fairly dry. When you’re ready to eat, dump out the contents onto a plate.

This isn’t a great solution because:

  1. The dressing isn’t completely separated from the ingredient. Soggy salad potential.

  2. You have to use a plate or bowl to actually eat the salad. Unless you want to feel like you’re playing that game Operation every time you try to stick your fork into the jar for a bite.

Conclusion

Don’t settle for soggy salads anymore. Brands have designed the products in this list of best salad containers to solve your soggy salad problems.

You should be excited to reach your hand into your bag, grab your salad container, and open it up to pure freshness. Not scared of getting dressing all over your hands and bag. And disappointed after opening a soggy salad.

You deserve a happy lunch during your stressful and busy day.

When I’m ready to graduate from my Glad To Go containers, I’ll most likely be purchasing the Rubbermaid Brilliance Container. The main reasons is so I won’t have to worry about leakages ever again.

Now that you have your container, you need some salads to make. You’ll find a salad recipe you’ll love in this list of 11 Healthy Salad You’ll Actually Want to Eat

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