Kids Lunch Ideas & Easy Lunch Recipes
Need fresh ideas for kids lunches? Lunch can be one of the hardest meals to plan, especially when you are tired of peanut butter sandwiches, canned soup, and the same lunch box foods every week.
This page gathers easy kids lunch ideas, school lunch box recipes, thermos meals, wraps, pasta lunches, leftovers, and simple recipes kids can help make at home.
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One helpful trick is to make a family lunch list. Sit down with your kids and brainstorm lunch ideas they actually like. Post the list on the fridge, keep a copy in your cookbook, and use it when you are packing school lunches or planning easy meals at home.
Kid cooking tip: Let kids choose one main food, one fruit or vegetable, one crunchy side, and one drink. This helps them build a balanced lunch without feeling overwhelmed.
Quick Kids Lunch Ideas
These lunch ideas work well for home lunches, school lunches, picnic lunches, and easy kids meals. Some can be packed cold, while others work best in a warmed thermos.
Cold Lunch Ideas
- Tortilla wraps with ham, turkey, tuna salad, chicken salad, or cheese
- Mini bagel sandwiches
- Homemade lunchables with crackers, cheese, meat, fruit, and vegetables
- Pasta salad with cheese cubes, chopped vegetables, or leftover chicken
- Rice balls with teriyaki chicken or vegetables inside
- Chicken salad or tuna salad in pita bread
- Snack boxes with yogurt, granola, fruit, cheese, and crackers
- Deviled eggs pressed together and wrapped for less mess
Warm Lunch Ideas
- Soup in a thermos with breadsticks
- Chili in a thermos
- Beans and franks
- Macaroni and cheese with peas, ham, or tuna
- Chicken lo mein
- Rice with shredded chicken
- Meatballs with sauce for dipping
- Sloppy joes with the bun packed separately
Fun Lunch Ideas Kids Like
- Sandwiches cut with cookie cutters
- Pizza bites or bagel pizzas
- Homemade corn dogs
- Pizza on a stick with sausage chunks, pepperoni, vegetables, and breadsticks
- Mini calzones
- Stromboli
- Pizza scrollsmade with homemade pizza dough
- Lunchable-style snack boards
Lunch Box Ideas Kids Can Help Pack
Kids are more likely to eat lunch when they help choose and pack it. Use small containers, a lunch box, ice packs, and a kid-size thermos to turn many easy meal recipes into lunch box meals.
Lunch box formula:
- Main: wrap, sandwich, pasta salad, rice ball, soup, or leftovers
- Fruit or vegetable: apple slices, carrots, cucumber coins, grapes, berries, or salad
- Crunchy side: crackers, pretzels, pita chips, breadsticks, or granola
- Protein add-in: cheese, yogurt, chicken, tuna, beans, eggs, or nut butter if allowed
Bento Box Lunch Ideas
Bento-style lunches are helpful for kids who like small portions and variety. Choose one or two foods from each group to build a colorful lunch box.
Dips & extras: Ranch dip, veggie dip, nut butter, salsa, guacamole, honey, maple syrup, or cream cheese spread can make simple lunch box foods more fun.
Example Bento Snack Combos
- Crunch & Dip: Baby carrots, cucumber sticks, hummus, pretzel sticks, and mini chocolate chip cookies.
- Breakfast Box: Mini pancake stack, syrup in a small sealed cup, grapes, and a hard-boiled egg.
- Rainbow Fruit & Cheese: Strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, cheese cubes, crackers, and yogurt-covered raisins.
Thermos Lunch Ideas
A thermos makes warm lunches much easier. Before adding hot food, pour boiling water into the thermos and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the water out, then add the hot food.
- Chicken soup
- Chili
- Meatball soup
- Beans and franks
- Macaroni and cheese
- Rice with chicken
- Leftover pasta
- Sloppy joe meat with the bun packed separately
Leftover Lunch Ideas
Leftovers are one of the easiest ways to make kids lunches. Make a little extra at dinner and pack small portions for lunch the next day. If your kids do not want the same meal twice in a row, freeze leftovers in small containers for another week.
- Shredded roast beef or pork in a tortilla with cheese
- Chicken drumsticks or chicken strips
- Meatballs with sauce on the side
- Fried rice
- Stir fry
- Quesadillas
- Mini meat pies
- More leftover recipe ideas
Helpful Products for Kids Lunches
Roomy reusable lunch boxes, divided containers, small dressing cups, and kid-size thermos containers can make lunches easier to pack and more fun for kids to eat.
Kids Lunches: Packing Vegetables
Do not forget to pack vegetables in small containers for kids lunch boxes. Ask your kids which vegetables they like best and add those to your lunch list.
- Mini green salads
- Carrots cut into coins, sticks, or diced pieces
- Corn in a small container
- Green beans
- Steamed or raw broccoli
- Steamed or raw cauliflower
- Peas in a small container
- Bell pepper strips
- Cucumber coins or sticks
How to Plan Kids Lunches for the Week
- Monday: sandwich, wrap, or salad sandwich
- Tuesday: thermos lunch such as soup, chili, pasta, or beans and franks
- Wednesday: snack box or lunchable-style meal
- Thursday: leftovers from dinner
- Friday: kid's choice lunch from the family lunch list
Kid Lunch Ideas and Recipes
Chicken Lo Mein
Serve this for dinner and pack the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked linguine noodles
- 2 chicken breast halves, cubed
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 16-ounce bag frozen stir fry vegetables
Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking, cook chicken pieces in a frying pan. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and chicken broth. Stir in frozen vegetables and cook covered over medium heat. When chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, mix in the drained noodles. Serve immediately.
Tortilla Wraps
Ingredients
- Flour tortilla
- Deli ham, turkey, chicken salad, or tuna salad
- Sliced cheese
- Shredded lettuce, shredded carrots, or tomato slices
Directions
Place meat or filling on top of the tortilla. Add cheese and vegetables. Roll up and cut in half. Wrap in plastic wrap or place in a lunch container. Pack mayo or dressing on the side if desired.
Ham and Cheese Biscuit Sticks
Add chopped ham and shredded cheese to homemade biscuit dough. Cut into strips for an easy lunch box recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chopped ham
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Directions
Blend flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar. Add shortening and blend. Stir in milk until dough forms a ball. Stir in ham and cheese. Roll or pat dough into a rectangle. Cut into sticks and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
Meatball Soup
A thermos works great for sending soup in a lunch box.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces ground turkey
- 1 large beaten egg
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
- Parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup bowtie pasta
Directions
Combine turkey, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Shape into small meatballs. In a saucepan, bring broth and carrots to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes. Lower heat and add meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are cooked through.
Try this Italian meatball soup for a tomato-based soup, or see more soup recipes.
Ham Salad
Ingredients
- 1 slice baked ham, diced or chopped
- 1/4 cup celery, diced
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo
Directions
Blend all ingredients together and serve with toasted bread, crackers, pita bread, or mini sandwich rolls. You can also replace the baked ham with canned ham.
Beans and Franks
Ingredients
- 1 can baked beans
- 1 package turkey hot dogs, chopped
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, optional
Directions
Stir all ingredients together and warm. Place a kid-size portion in a warmed thermos for lunchtime.
Italian Chicken Strips or Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into strips, or chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Directions
Add ingredients to a zip-top bag. Marinate for 1 hour. Bake or grill until chicken is cooked through. Add to a lunch box in the morning, or serve for dinner and pack leftovers.
Picnic Taco Packets
By Lori from Utah
Ingredients
- 1 small bag Doritos or Fritos chips
- Cooked taco meat
- Shredded lettuce
- Grated cheese
- Ketchup or taco sauce packets
Directions
Open the bag of chips. Add a scoop of taco meat, lettuce, and grated cheese. Top with ketchup or taco sauce. This makes an instant picnic taco salad.
Rice Balls
Rice balls are a fun lunch idea because kids can eat them with their hands. You can tuck a piece of teriyaki chicken, vegetables, or another small filling inside.
Ingredients
- Cooked short-grain rice
- Salted water for dipping hands
- Optional filling: teriyaki chicken, vegetables, tuna, or cheese
Directions
Use short-grain rice cooked until sticky. Dip your hands in a bowl of salted water, grab some rice, and shape it into a ball. Add a filling in the middle if desired.
Pizza Scrolls
Ingredients
- Bread dough or pizza dough
- Pizza sauce
- Shredded cheese
- Favorite pizza toppings
Directions
Roll dough into a rectangle. Spread with pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings. Roll up jelly-roll style and slice. Place in a greased 13x9 pan and let rise for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.
See more pizza theme recipes.
Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are a colorful lunch idea because kids can see the filling through the wrapper.
More Lunch Help
Kids Lunch FAQ
What should I put in a bento box lunch for kids?
A balanced bento box lunch includes a variety of small foods from different food groups. Try combining fruits and vegetables, a protein, a grain or crunchy snack, and a small treat.
Good protein choices include cheese cubes, hard-boiled eggs, turkey slices, chicken salad, tuna salad, hummus, Greek yogurt, or edamame. Pair these with crackers, mini bagels, pita bread, rice cakes, popcorn, or mini muffins.
For fruits and vegetables, try grapes, berries, apple slices, mandarin oranges, cucumber rounds, carrots, snap peas, mini sweet peppers, or cherry tomatoes. Finish the lunch with a fun extra such as yogurt-covered raisins, granola clusters, fruit leather, or a small cookie.
Bento lunches work well because kids can choose from several small foods instead of one large meal. They are also a great way to introduce new foods alongside familiar favorites.
What is your kid's favorite lunch?
Submit your favorite kids recipe
Do you have a favorite recipe your kids love to make? Or a recipe your kids ask you to make again and again? Share it with us!
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