Find easy, nutritious, and delicious packed lunch ideas for kids and adults for daycare, school, work, and travel. You’ll find a mix of assembly-only ideas, ones you can prep ahead, and ones that take just minutes to pack before heading out the door.
Packed Lunch Ideas
Deciding what to pack for lunch can feel like such a challenge, especially when we have to do it day in and day out. But with a few easy ideas, you can take some of the work out of it because you’ll never have to start from scratch again.
The ideas in this post will give you basic categories and options to start with, so you can always have a firm base to then build on with what you have in the house and the foods your kids prefer.
These ideas work for kids at daycare, preschool, and elementary school. And you can use them for yourself, too.
Healthy Packed Lunch Ideas
My aim here is to offer a range of ideas that include a mix of food groups. And to give you visuals so you can have that reference. But I also hope that you adjust these for your own family and think of them as starting points.
My view on a “healthy” lunch is that it offers kids and adults a chance to fuel their bodies, enjoy a mix of flavors and textures, and to eat a mix of food groups that will keep us full until the next time we get to eat. That will look a little different for everyone.
Add water or milk to these lunch ideas as you like, and always adjust portions according to the unique hunger of your family members.
Sandwich Lunches
Sandwiches are a go-to lunch since they’re so easy, but remember there are lots of options for fillings and types of breads. Consider filling options including turkey, ham, cheese, hummus, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter and jam, sliced hard-cooked eggs or egg salad, cream cheese and jam, butter and jam, tuna or salmon salad, or grilled chicken or chicken tenders.
Wraps for Packed Lunches
Try these easy wraps for kids as an easy lunch or meal when you want to change up the usual sandwich options. They’re quick, full of nutrition, and have lots of kid-friendly flavor. Plus: you can customize them as needed for food allergies for the chewing ability of your child!
Pasta Lunches
Warm pasta can be sent in a thermos for lunch or you can go with a cold or room temperature pasta salad. Either option can be made ahead of time and warmed up or packed as needed. You can use protein pasta, bean-based pasta, or traditional pasta to vary the nutrition, too.
Breakfast-for-Lunch Ideas
Packing breakfast foods for lunch is both fun and easy, and it’s a great way to use up leftovers you may have in the fridge. Ideas for this one include pancakes, waffles (sweet waffles or savory ones), muffins, breakfast burritos, hard-cooked eggs and bread, a mini bagel sandwich, and egg muffins.
Snack Lunches
This type of lunch is one of the easiest since you can use up whatever random mix of foods you have in the house. Think of it like a cheese plate and go from there. I aim to include a fruit and a veggie and a protein and/or a fat to ensure the foods are filling enough. Ideas include:
- Cheese, crackers, bell pepper strips, and oranges.
- Thinly sliced salami or turkey with rice cakes, applesauce, and sliced cucumbers.
- Dry cereal, yogurt, berries, and matchstick-sliced carrots.
It really works with anything you have!
Muffin Lunch Ideas
Bake a batch of muffins on the weekend and then use them for lunches throughout the week. Consider them the “main dish” and add simple sides to round out the meal. These Pumpkin Muffins are made with a base of oats, so they are very filling and nutritious.
Leftovers Lunch
Whether you have leftover chicken and sweet potatoes, pasta, chicken nuggets, meatballs, or another food, you can pack it cold or warm in a thermos according to what your family prefers. Add a simple lunch snack to go with it and you’re done.
We love these Pizza Bites packed in a thermos.
Vegetarian Packed Lunch Ideas
It’s both easy and affordable to rely on vegetarian lunch ideas, and one of our favorites is to use hummus in all sorts of ways. We love it as a dip with crackers and veggies, as a sandwich filling (even in an Uncrustable), or in a roll-up. It has plenty of vegetarian protein, and you can use homemade hummus or store-bought.
Other favorite vegetarian lunch ideas include rice and beans, Sandwich Roll Ups, Alphabet Soup, Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt with granola, and Pizza Quesadillas.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make sandwiches, wraps, pasta salads, snack lunches, leftover lunches, muffin lunches, or breakfast foods for lunch in a packed lunch. So many easy options!
For a quick lunch, you can make a snack box with cheese, crackers, fresh veggies, and fruit. Or you can start the lunch with muffins and add fruit on the side. You could also rely on leftovers to make a fast lunch.
Non-sandwich lunch ideas include muffins, wraps, salads, breakfast foods including pancakes and breakfast burritos, pasta salad, egg muffins, and more.
Packed Lunch Ideas for Work
Any of the ideas here can be used to make a lunch for work, whether to eat while working at home or in an office. There are more work lunch ideas in this post, and you can also check out my How to Meal Prep for Lunch story for more tips, too.
Packed Lunches for School
Each of these ideas works for daycare, preschool, or elementary school, so you can pack any of them in a kids lunch box and send off for their day.
How to Store Packed Lunches
To keep packed lunches safe, I recommend packing in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack if the lunch won’t be kept in a fridge.
Best Tips for Success
- Do your best with portions and include a mix of food groups to help the kids stay full until their next chance to eat.
- Pack the food in a lunch box in an insulated bag with an ice pack to keep it safe and cool until lunchtime.
- Add milk or a water bottle as needed.
- Adjust any of these for allergies and include Peanut-Free Snacks as needed.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below to share!
Easiest Packed Lunch Ideas (Plus Hummus Roll-Ups)
Ingredients
- 1 whole wheat tortilla (fajita size)
- ¼ cup hummus
- 1-2 slices cheddar cheese (optional)
- ¼ cup vegetables (thinly sliced, such as bell pepper, lettuce, or carrot; optional)
Instructions
- Place the tortilla on a clean work surface or cutting board. If it's not at room temperature, warm it on a heat-safe plate in the microwave for 10 seconds.
- Spread on the hummus to about ¼-inch away from the outer edge.
- Add the cheese and veggies, if using, layered on one side.
- Working from the side of the tortilla with the fillings, tightly roll it up. Slice it in half or into rounds using a serrated knife.
Equipment
Notes
- This is best made on the day you plan to serve it. Keep cool in a lunchbox with an ice pack or in the fridge as needed.
- Use homemade hummus or store-bought.
- Do your best with portions and include a mix of food groups to help the kids stay full until their next chance to eat.
- Pack the food in a lunchbox in an insulated bag with an ice pack to keep it safe and cool until lunchtime.
- Add milk or a water bottle as needed.
- Adjust any of these for allergies and include Peanut-Free Snacks as needed.
