40 Easy Lunch Ideas For Kids At Home
Stumped about lunch? Here are 40 lunch ideas for kids at home, including lunches they can make themselves or you can make ahead.
Lunch. Ugh, lunch. You already spend too much brain power drafting a dinner plan every week. It doesn’t seem fair that lunch is also a thing.
Are your kids buying lunch at school? Lucky you. Kids packing lunch? Here are 100 ideas they’ll like. Kids eating lunch at home? That’s where things can get tricky. So I rounded up 40 options for us.
Want a printable list of these ideas (PLUS a blank template you can fill out with your own suggestions) to post on your fridge or cabinet? Click the button below.
Lunches Kids Can Make Themselves At Home
- Snacky Lunch Plate
- Peanut Butter + Jelly (or Sunbutter + Jelly) sandwich or roll-up: spread peanut butter and jelly down the middle of a tortilla, roll up, and eat
- Frozen tortellini or ravioli: boil and serve w/ jarred red sauce or pesto
- Leftovers reheated
- Toasts: with nut butter and sliced fruit or mashed avocado
- Boxed macaroni & cheese (w/ frozen peas if they like them)
- Ramen noodles
- Quesadillas: make with cheese, refried beans, roasted vegetables, leftover roast chicken, etc.
- Scrambled eggs
- Grilled cheese: use a waffle iron if you have one!
Need lunch ideas for toddlers? Get 20 healthy lunch ideas for toddlers + preschoolers
- Veggie burgers or dogs (microwaved)
- Hummus, store-bought or homemade (here’s my hummus recipe): serve with pita, pretzels, and carrot sticks
- Soup or chili: store-bought or homemade
- Sandwich made with deli meat or chicken/egg/tuna salad on bread, roll, or bagel
- Pita or flatbread pizzas
- Baked white or sweet potatoes (made in the microwave) w/ toppings
- Oatmeal
- Protein shake or smoothie bowl
- Cottage cheese with fruit
- Chicken nuggets
- Salad w/ hard-boiled egg, chicken salad, chickpeas, tuna, or other protein
Make Ahead Lunch Ideas For Kids At Home
Here are lunch ideas that you and your kids can make ahead on the weekend to stash in the fridge for the week ahead. Want free printable shopping lists for the recipes below? Tap the button below.
- Egg Muffins
- Jarred Salads (add heaviest ingredients such as grains or beans to bottom, end with greens, and add dressing just before serving)
- Calzones
- Pepperoni Rolls
- Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
- Pasta salad
- Hard-boiled eggs (here’s how to make hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot)
- Chicken, tuna, or egg salad
- Crispy Tofu Nuggets (serve with ketchup, BBQ, or soy sauce)
- Breakfast sandwiches
- Overnight oats
- Freezer Beef Burritos
- Homemade soup: Fill individual portions in glass jars and freeze
- Veggie Nuggets
- Broccoli & Cauliflower Bites
- Simple Sushi Rolls
- DIY Lunchables (fill these 4-compartment EasyLunchboxes snack containers with meat, cheese, crackers, and fruit)
- Muffins & Quick Breads: Can spread with nut/seed butter
- Snack Balls & Snack Bars
Add A Side
- Apple slices
- Banana
- Canned fruit or fruit cup
- Unsweetened applesauce or fruit sauce pouch
- Baby carrots + other prepped veggie sticks like carrots, peppers, and cucumbers
- Frozen veggies, such as peas or carrots
- Vegetable juice
- Fruit smoothie
- Leftover roasted veggies
- Raw broccoli or cauliflower + dip
- Dried or freeze-dried fruit
- Side salad
- Snap peas (buy them pre-washed)
- Melon balls or wedges
- Berries
- Cup of tomato, vegetable, or chicken soup (homemade or canned)
Packaged Lunch Ideas For Kids At Home
- Boxed macaroni & cheese
- Vegetarian dogs & patties (We like Boca and Morningstar Farms)
- Frozen edamame
- Frozen pasta (tortellini, ravioli, etc.)
- Hummus + baby carrots
- Oatmeal packets
- Cheese sticks
- Yogurt cups and tubs
- Ramen noodles + canned soup
- Cottage cheese
- Bagged salads
- Pre-washed/prepped veggies
- Chicken nuggets
- Mini meatballs
- Tuna and salmon pouches
Do you have ideas for feeding teen boys who participate in sports. The easy is take out but that really hits the budget hard.
Hi Amy, I have a post about sports-related snacks that might be useful: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/sports-snacks-for-kids/
Hiya! Do you have any suggestions on microwaveable meals for my kids or pre-made meals and snacks because I work a lot and I can’t always come and and make something for them thank y’all’s xx
Hi Shannon–Packaging up dinner leftovers into microwavable containers is one idea–or bulk cooking with them when you’re home and packing away single-serve portions. You could also check the freezer section of stores like Trader Joes that have a variety of interesting heat-and-serve meals like curries, etc.
I’m at the end of my rope. I can’t get my kids to eat regular cooked meals like spaghetti, tacos, soup, or even cooked vegetables. They do like lots of raw fruits and veggies (even plain raw baby spinach!!!) with salami and cheese. From there, they are opposites on everything else.
The only cooked foods they eat are gross processed stuff the school serves like Taquitos, nuggets, hotdogs. They won’t eat anything I’ve cooked. I’m about to lose it! Not only is it stressful for me every night, but I don’t have the budget for all of these separate meals for them and me and my husband.
I don’t know what to do. This is one of the most stressful things and it’s got to stop! Please, any suggestions at all besides continuing to be a raw food chef? Thank you! I know it’s a lot. I just don’t know what else to do or who I should reach out to for help.
Hi Crystal–I’m a big proponent of only making/serving one meal (versus making different meals for different people). That saves the cook time and helps encourages kids to eat what they’re served. But you should always have something on the table that they like, whether that’s simply fruit or (in your kids’ cases) some raw veggies. Then they can decide what they want to eat from what is offered. For younger kids, a bland, basic snack before bedtime can help if they don’t eat dinner. For older kids, they can make themselves something later if they don’t like what’s served. I have some ideas here for teens of dinners they can make themselves: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/dinner-ideas-for-teens/ You could also involve your kids in planning some dinners–maybe there is a homemade version of taquitos you could make together. Of course the caveat here is that this is general advice and you should always check in with the pediatrician if you’re concerned that they aren’t eating enough, are losing weight or falling behind on growth, etc. Hope this helps!