adminUse this list of kids lunches the next time you’re at a loss for what to pack in the lunchbox or for what to serve at home for the midday meal. There are kids lunches and toddler lunch ideas here so you can save time with these quick-reference concepts to make it all easier.
Kids Lunches
Whether you’re packing toddler lunch ideas for daycare or preschool, or lunch for school—or serving lunch at home—these easy kids lunch ideas are here to help. After 11 years of packing kids lunches and almost a decade helping other parents with easy ideas to pack lunches for their kids, I am so happy to share my best tips and ideas here.
This list of easy kids lunches is meant to inspire you when you run out of ideas, so use these ideas as a starting point and adjust as needed for your kids preferences and the foods you have on hand.
There are kids lunches that can be served cold, ones that are easy to pack in a kids thermos (which is great for leftovers), and even ideas that can help you turn a random mix of snack foods into satisfying and nourishing meal.
(You may also like toddler lunches, School Lunch Ideas, Cold Lunch Ideas for Kids, and Kindergarten Lunch Ideas.)
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How to Make Kids Lunch
Here’s a look at what I aim to include in nutritious kids lunches for kids over the course of a week.
- Fruit: At least 1 serving of fruit, most of the time in kids lunches. That can include fresh fruit, dried fruit, frozen fruit (thawed or used in a recipe), freeze-dried fruit, and dehydrated fruit.
- Vegetables: At least 1 serving of veggies, most of the time in kids lunches. This can include vegetables cooked in recipes, thinly sliced raw veggies like cucumber, carrots, and bell peppers, and vegetables in packaged foods from the store.
- Protein: At least 1 serving of protein, whether it’s in the form of meat or poultry, nuts, legumes, or dairy in kids lunches. Protein helps ensure that the lunch is filling enough to keep the kids full until the next eating opportunity.
- Complex Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates and whole grains are essential for long lasting energy and proper toddler brain development, so they are a great option to include in a kids lunch. They also tend to be easy to eat, which can be helpful with short lunch periods.
- Fats: Toddlers need fats to grow properly, and fat can help us stay full at any age, so choose dairy products with fat and don’t shy away from plant-based fats like avocado and nut or seeds in kids lunches.
TIP: Remember that kids rarely eat exactly how charts show that they will, so not every kids lunch has to have every one of these every time. It’s always okay if it balances out over the course of a whole week. And adding snacks and/or desserts to kids lunches is always a good idea, too!
Kids Lunch with Pasta
Having a thermos to send hot kids lunches for school, including pasta, is one of our favorite easy lunch options. Below are our go-to pasta recipes to use for lunch. (This pasta salad recipe is also a n easy option.) We usually add simple sides like fruit, applesauce, yogurt, hard-cooked eggs, or shredded chicken.
I have all kinds of easy ways to incorporate veggies into pasta dishes for kids, but some days, we just need the classic and comforting option of Buttered Noodles. This is my go-to method for the creamiest, easiest buttered pasta to share with the kids.
Try this healthy pesto with your favorite pasta or in place of pizza sauce on pizza!
With a simple cheese sauce—no standing and stirring over the stove here!—a solid dose of veggies, and a super creamy final result, this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a fast lunch or dinner option for toddlers. (And the rest of the family, too!)
Lunch Ideas for Kids with Tortillas
Wrap up a range of fillings, including turkey, banana and peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, cream cheese, thinly sliced apples and cheddar cheese, tuna salad, chicken salad, and more for easy kids lunches.
Or try one of the kids lunch ideas using tortillas below. (Choose a gluten-free option for the tortilla, if needed.)
This meal is perfect for when you’re short on time or when you want to make pizza with less fuss. Add a simple side of cut up fruit, applesauce, or a salad kit and call it good.
Change up the usual sandwich lunch for these easy and fun pinwheel sandwiches. With easy options for the filling to please a variety of eaters, this is a great kids lunch for home or at school. (And yummy for adults, too!)
Mix up the offerings for lunch with these easy lunch wraps. They’re each fast to make, use straight forward ingredients that are easy to find, and can be made in minutes.
Quickly combine a few simple ingredients to make a really yummy lunch wrap. This recipe makes one wrap, so increase the serving size as necessary.
Lunch Ideas for Kids with Sandwiches
While not all little kids can handle the mixed texture of a traditional sandwich quite yet, you can still serve the elements in a way that they can enjoy—whether by cutting the sandwich into cubes, sticks, or serving the components side-by-side.
Add easy sides to kids lunches like blueberries, diced pineapple, raspberries, cottage cheese, raisins, or thinly sliced carrots with ranch dressing.
You can make one sandwich at a time, or make a batch of a few to stash in the freezer. Adjust this as needed for your preference.
Learn how to make quick tea sandwiches for kids to have at a tea party or a special lunch or snack. There are 6 filling options here, plus tips for cutting bread, which breads to use, and which tea to pair with the finger sandwiches.
Pair a soft sandwich bread with your filling of choice to make this easy toddler lunch or school lunch. You can even make them the night before.
This salmon salad is packed with protein, healthy fats, and calcium and can be used as a dip or a spread for sandwiches. We use homemade relish in this recipe, but you can use any that you like the flavor of.
With just 4 ingredients, including a veggie that blends right in, this Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a yummy kids lunch to share. It packs extra nutrition in the filling, yet only takes a few minutes to make. Such a great easy meal!
Breakfast for Lunch
I LOVE breakfast for kids lunches (and dinner!) and find that often, classic breakfast foods make for easy meals that the little kids love. And serving them for lunch is a great way to use up leftovers.
We love simple options for packed kids lunches like cereal and milk, waffles, leftover pancakes, yogurt and granola, and the options below.
With the most delicious fluffy texture and protein from Greek yogurt, these Greek Yogurt Pancakes are a breakfast win. You can add any fruit you like to the batter, too!
You can easily double (or triple!) the recipe to make more servings. It uses a 1 to 1 ratio of yogurt to applesauce so you can easily scale it up. Mix these up the night before you plan to serve them.
Packed with spinach (and iron!), these bright green eggs are fun and delicious. You can serve them as you would scrambled eggs, or use in a breakfast burrito or egg sandwich.
We like to have these granola bars as a snack or toddler breakfast with milk or a smoothie—and they’re an excellent lunch box component too. You can make them plain or choose a flavor to add!
Kids Lunches with Eggs
Eggs are easy to keep on hand in the fridge and super fast to cook up. Plus, they’re a great source of vegetarian protein and beneficial fats. In addition to sandwiches with sliced eggs and egg salad, these options make easy lunches, too.
Add simple sides to these kids lunches such as apple slices, kid-friendly trail mix, pita bread and hummus, strawberries, grapes (sliced vertically if needed for kids under age 4), or oranges.
These tender Egg Muffins are packed with protein and vitamins—and can be made ahead of time! Add any veggie you like, whether carrots, butternut squash, broccoli, or spinach.
Feel free to double the recipe to make a full 24 mini muffins! We like to stash these in the fridge to eat all week, so having more is usually helpful in our house.
Transform just a few simple ingredients—including a pile of broccoli—into this protein-packed Egg Bake to share with the kids. It’s an easy breakfast or lunch that stores well and is simple to make ahead.
Transform just a few simple ingredients—including a pile of broccoli—into this protein-packed Egg Bake to share with the kids. It’s an easy breakfast or lunch that stores well and is simple to make ahead.
Grain Bowl Lunch Ideas
Make a batch of grains on the weekend and use them for easy toddler lunches throughout the week. Experiment to see which ones your toddler likes best—sometimes just a simple switch between types of rice can make a huge difference.
Mix up this grain salad to have lunches prepped for the week for yourself, or to have a dinner side or vegetarian main dish to share with the family.
Combine a pile of broccoli with a few pantry staples to make the yummiest Broccoli Fritters—in less than 15 minutes. This veggie fritter is so good with a whole range of dips, and it’s perfect for babies and toddlers on up.
These quick Quinoa Patties are a delicious way to serve quinoa to kids—and adults! Plan to make the quinoa ahead of time so these come together in minutes.
Snacky Lunch Ideas
Assembling bits and pieces of ingredients to make a fun snack plate is an easy kids lunch idea—and one that you can easily adjust to make an adult lunch for yourself while you’re at it! This works so well at home or in a kids lunch box.
- Simple Cheese and Crackers with your choice of whole grain crackers, sliced or diced cheese, fruit, and a simple veggie like cucumber or snap peas.
- Muffin Lunch with fruit, cheese, and/or other assorted simple sides to round out the kids lunches.
- Pretzels and Nut/Seed Butter Plate with a simple veggie like snap peas or tomatoes and berries. (Trade in cheese for the nut/seed butter to vary this idea.)
- Homemade Lunchables with whole grain crackers, deli meat, cheese, and a treat. And maybe some fresh fruit to round things out. Or Pizza Lunchables.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can stick with the kids lunches that you already know your kids love most, or try easy sandwiches, wraps or roll ups, leftovers in a thermos, muffins with fruit and cheese, yogurt and granola, or more of the ideas shown in this post.
One of the easiest lunches for toddlers is to simply serve leftovers from previous dinners. Or to assemble fresh finger foods including fruits, veggies, cheeses, soft meats (like cooked chicken), hard cooked eggs, and soft crackers.
There are no magic kids lunches that every kid will like so you could make a list of your kids favorites, then have them look at posts like this one with you and pick a few more ideas to try.
Best Gear for Kids Lunches
Best Tips for Kids Lunches
- Pack mostly food you know they like to ensure they always have enough to eat.
- Create a habit of putting the lunchbox by the sink, rather than letting it linger in a backpack, each night to make sure you can get it clean.
- Pack kids lunches in an insulated lunch bag with ice packs to keep the food cool.
- Pack a drink as needed for your child. A kids water bottle, smoothie, yogurt, drink, or milk can all work.
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This post was first published August 2020.
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