Packed Lunch Ideas: 200+ Easy Lunch Box Ideas for Kids and Adults

A packed lunch is one of the simplest ways to save money, eat better, and skip the drive-thru. The hard part is coming up with something new every day.

This guide started as my old school lunch list, with plenty more ideas added. It works for anyone who packs a lunch: kids heading to school, adults heading to work, college students, and anyone spending the day on the go.

You’ll find more than 200 ideas sorted into simple groups, from mains and soups to fruit, vegetables, breads, dips, and snacks. There are also homemade trail mix and snack mix recipes, tips for keeping lunches safe and cold, and ideas for making lunch fun.

How to build a packed lunch

The easiest way to pack a lunch is to mix and match. Pick one item from each group, and you have a balanced meal without a recipe.

1. A main: A sandwich, wrap, leftovers, soup, salad, or a protein like hard-boiled eggs or cheese and crackers
2. A fruit: Fresh, dried, or a fruit cup
3. A vegetable: Raw vegetables with a dip are the easiest
4. A bread or cracker: If the main doesn’t already have one
5. A dairy food: Cheese, yogurt, or milk
6. A snack or treat: Trail mix, popcorn, a cookie, or pudding
7. A drink: Water, milk, or a frozen juice box that keeps the lunch cold

You don’t need something from every group every day. A thermos of chili with crackers, apple slices, and a cheese stick is a full lunch.

Good to know

Pack two lunches’ worth of the nonperishable parts at once, like crackers, trail mix, and dried fruit, so tomorrow’s lunch is already half done.

Free printable lunch checklist

Print this mix-and-match checklist and keep it on the refrigerator or inside a cabinet door. Kids can check off one item from each group and pack their own lunch.

Print the Mix and Match Packed Lunch Ideas checklist (PDF)

Main dish ideas

These are the heart of the lunch. Many of them use dinner leftovers, which is one of the easiest ways to save money on lunches.

Sandwiches and wraps

• Turkey, ham, or roast beef with cheese
• Peanut butter and jelly, or peanut butter and banana
• Chicken salad, tuna salad, or egg salad
• Turkey and cranberry sauce
• BLT
• Grilled chicken wrap
• Chicken Caesar wrap
• Hummus and vegetable wrap
• Ham and cheese on a croissant
• Pita pocket with deli meat, lettuce, and tomato
• Bagel with cream cheese and turkey
• Cream cheese and cucumber on wheat bread
• Pinwheels made from tortillas, cream cheese, and lunch meat

Additional mains

• Chicken nuggets (occasional)
• Macaroni and cheese
• Taco meat and fixings (tacos or taco salads)
• Meatballs
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Pasta (spaghetti, lasagna) and pasta salad
• Frozen ravioli (versus canned)
• Pizza muffins
• Rice
• Veggie sushi
• Sloppy joe meat
• Grilled chicken
• Barbecue beef or pork
• Chicken patty sandwiches
• Quesadillas
• Lean deli meats
• Rice bowls with chicken, beans, or vegetables
• Burrito bowls with rice, beans, salsa, and cheese
• Cold fried chicken
• Bean and cheese burritos
• Fried rice
• Lo mein or cold noodles
• Lunch kabobs: cubes of meat, cheese, and vegetables on skewers
• Homemade lunch kit: crackers, cheese, and sliced deli meat
• Mini bagel pizzas
• Leftover pizza

Soups, stews, and other hot foods

A good thermos turns any dinner leftover into a hot lunch.

• Soup
• Chili
• Stew
• Casseroles
• Chicken noodle soup
• Tomato soup with a grilled cheese
• Beef stew
• Spaghetti and meatballs
• Mac and cheese
• Chicken and rice
• Baked beans with hot dogs

Salads

• Tossed salad with chicken or hard-boiled eggs
• Chef salad
• Taco salad
• Pasta salad
• Chicken Caesar salad
• Cobb salad
• Bean salad
• Potato salad
• Salads in a jar, with the dressing on the bottom and the greens on top

Fruit ideas

• Grapes
• Watermelon
• Cherries
• Plums
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew
• Peaches
• Mandarin oranges (oranges, tangerines)
• Bananas
• Apples
• Dried fruit (raisins, craisins, pineapple, apples, banana chips, etc.)
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Pears
• Kiwi
• Fruit salads
• Blackberries
• Pineapple chunks
• Mango
• Nectarines
• Clementines
• Pomegranate seeds
• Applesauce cups or pouches
• Canned fruit cups packed in juice
• Frozen grapes or berries, which thaw by lunch and keep everything cold
• Fruit kabobs

Good to know

To keep sliced apples from turning brown, toss them with a little lemon juice or pineapple juice before you pack them.

Vegetable ideas

• Celery
• Baby carrots
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cherry/grape tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Dill pickle
• Pea pods
• Radishes
• Green beans
• Bell peppers
• Olives
• Corn on the cob cut into smaller medallion slices
• Tossed salad
• Sugar snap peas
• Jicama sticks
• Zucchini sticks
• Edamame
• Mini sweet peppers
• Steamed or roasted vegetables from last night’s dinner
• Three-bean salad
• Coleslaw
• Ants on a log: celery with peanut butter and raisins

Cracker and bread ideas

• Whole wheat crackers (Wheat Thins, Triscuits)
• Cheez-Its
• Goldfish
• Soft pretzels
• Animal crackers
• Breadsticks
• Quick bread
• Muffins
• Cornbread
• Pita
• Bagels
• Croissants
• English muffins
• Tortillas
• Graham crackers
• Biscuits
• Rolls
• Rye bread
• Pumpernickel bread
• Wheat bread
• Multi grain bread
• Raisin bread
• Sour dough bread
• Rice cakes
• Vanilla wafers
• Granola bars
• Bagel chips
• Pita chips
• Pretzel twists or rods
• Butter crackers
• Naan
• Hawaiian rolls
• Banana bread or zucchini bread
• Mini bagels
• Tortilla chips

Dairy ideas

• Cheeses (cubed such as cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack)
• String cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Yogurt
• Yogurt tubes, frozen the night before
• Cheese slices rolled up with lunch meat
• Babybel-style wax-coated cheese rounds
• Milk, or shelf-stable milk boxes
• Yogurt parfait with granola and berries
• Pepper Jack, mozzarella, or Colby cheese

Breakfast foods great for lunch

• Oatmeal
• Cereal
• French toast sticks
• Pancakes (mini pancake sandwiches with jelly, cream cheese)
• Waffles
• Breakfast burritos
• Mini quiches or egg muffins
• Bagel with cream cheese
• Overnight oats
• Muffins
• Breakfast cookies
• Granola with yogurt

Additional snack ideas

• Popcorn
• Trail mix
• Seeds and nuts
• Applesauce
• Pudding (add graham crackers and mini marshmallows for s’mores)
• Jello
• Homemade cookies
• Brownies
• Granola bites or energy balls
• Fruit leather
• Pretzels
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Roasted chickpeas
• Rice crispy treats
• Mini muffins
• Veggie straws
• Snack mix

Spreads and dips ideas

A dip makes almost any fruit or vegetable more fun to eat.

• Peanut butter
• Jellies, jams, preserves (try cranberry jelly on turkey and chicken sandwiches)
• Nutella
• Almond butter
• Apple butter
• Cashew butter
• Cream cheese
• Fruit dip
• Hummus
• Salsa
• Caramel dip
• Condiments such as salad dressings
• Spaghetti sauce
• Peanut butter dip
• Tuna salad
• Chicken salad
• Ranch dip
• Guacamole
• Bean dip
• Sunflower seed butter, for nut-free schools
• Honey mustard
• Pimento cheese
• Yogurt dip with cinnamon

Fun lunch ideas

A little creativity goes a long way, especially with kids.

• Roll meat around string cheese.
• Roll tortilla wraps and cut into “pinwheels.”
• Add fruits, jelly, or vegetables to cream cheese as a spread or sandwich filling. Stripes of colorful fruit or vegetables on a cream cheese wrap make a “rainbow wrap” kids love.
• Hollow out rolls to make a mini bread bowl.
• Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar onto apple slices.
• Hollow out an apple and add fruit dip, yogurt, or peanut butter to dip.
• Use hot dog buns and add fruit such as a banana with peanut butter or Nutella, or fruit or veggie and cream cheese.
• Cut sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutters.
• Pack a “build your own” lunch: crackers, meat, and cheese to stack, or tortillas and fillings to roll.
• Make lunch kabobs with fruit, cheese, or meat and vegetables on skewers.
• Pack a bento-style lunch with small portions of five or six different foods.
• Tuck a note or a joke into the lunch box.
• Make a “snack plate” lunch with a little bit of everything.

Lunch ideas for work

Packed lunches aren’t just for kids. A lunch from home is easy on the budget and a lot better than a vending machine. For more ways to cut back, see how to stop eating out.

• Dinner leftovers: Pack them right after dinner, so lunch is ready to grab in the morning.
• Grain bowls: Rice or pasta with vegetables, a protein, and a sauce
• Salads in a jar: Dressing on the bottom, sturdy vegetables in the middle, and greens on top
• Soup in a thermos: Or heat it in the office microwave
• Wraps: They hold up better than sandwiches over a long morning
• Snack box lunches: Cheese, crackers, fruit, nuts, vegetables, and hummus
• Burritos: Make a batch on the weekend and freeze them for the week

Our guide on how to meal prep for the week shows how to prepare a week of lunches in one afternoon, and cook once, eat twice has ideas for turning dinner into tomorrow’s lunch.

Keep packed lunches safe

A packed lunch can sit for hours before it’s eaten, so keeping it cold matters. When researchers at the University of Texas at Austin checked the temperatures of more than 700 preschoolers’ packed lunches, they found that only 1.6% of the perishable items were still at a safe temperature, according to their 2011 study in the journal Pediatrics.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends these steps:

• Use an insulated lunch bag or box. Don’t use a paper bag for perishable foods.
• Pack at least two cold sources, such as two frozen gel packs, or one gel pack and a frozen juice box or bottle of water.
• Keep it cold until you leave. If you pack lunch the night before, keep it in the refrigerator overnight and add the ice packs in the morning.
• Watch the clock. Perishable food shouldn’t sit at room temperature for more than two hours, or more than one hour when it’s above 90°F.
• Keep hot food hot. Fill a thermos with boiling water, let it stand for a few minutes, empty it, and then add the hot food.
• Toss the leftovers. Throw away any perishable food that comes home uneaten.

Foods that don’t need to stay cold, like whole fruit, crackers, peanut butter, trail mix, and canned fruit cups, are great choices when a lunch will sit for a long time.

Make-ahead lunch tips

1. Pack lunches the night before. Mornings are easier when lunch is already in the refrigerator.
2. Set up a lunch station. Keep crackers, dried fruit, snack mixes, and fruit cups together in one bin or basket, and keep a bin of cheese, yogurt, and cut vegetables in the refrigerator.
3. Wash and cut fruits and vegetables when you get home from the store.
4. Freeze sandwiches ahead. Peanut butter, meat, and cheese sandwiches freeze well. Leave off lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, and pack the sandwich frozen so it thaws by lunch. Our tips to prevent soggy sandwiches have more ideas.
5. Make snack mixes in big batches. Trail mix and snack mix keep for a week or more in an airtight container.
6. Cook extra at dinner. Leftovers are the easiest lunch there is.
7. Let kids help. Kids who pick from each group are more likely to eat their lunch.
8. Protect the soft stuff. A small reusable tub keeps a cupcake or muffin from getting smashed. Here’s how to pack a cupcake.

You can find many more snack mixes in our Homemade Mixes library, and make-ahead burritos, muffins, and soups in Freezer Meals.

Cookies and treats for the lunch box

A homemade cookie or bar is a nice surprise at lunch, and most of them freeze well. Bake a batch on the weekend, freeze them in small bags, and pull one out each morning. These recipes travel well:

• Crackle Top Peanut Butter Cookies
• Molasses Oatmeal Cookies
• Fruit and Fiber Cookies
• 3 Old Fashioned Quaker Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
• Baker’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cherry Winks
• Congo Squares
• 6 Vintage Potato Chip Cookie Recipes
• 8 Vintage Double Quick Cookies

Have overripe bananas? Turn them into banana bread or muffins with these 5 sweet ways to use up overripe bananas. For breakfast-for-lunch, you can freeze pancakes and pack them frozen.

Trail mix and snack mix recipes

Homemade trail mix is cheaper than store-bought, and you can make it exactly the way your family likes it. Here are a few favorites.

For a quick s’mores trail mix, mix together Golden Grahams cereal or Teddy Grahams, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows.

Fall Trail Mix

Puppy Chow

Chewy Trail Mix

Ultimate Trail Mix

Fisherman’s Friend Party Mix

Powerballs

Nuts and Bolts

Frequently asked questions

What are good packed lunch ideas that aren’t sandwiches? Try leftovers in a thermos, pasta salad, a rice bowl, a wrap, a quesadilla, crackers with cheese and meat, hard-boiled eggs with fruit and vegetables, or a snack box with a little bit of everything.

How do I keep a packed lunch cold? Use an insulated lunch bag with at least two cold sources, such as two frozen gel packs or one gel pack and a frozen juice box or water bottle, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

How do I keep food hot in a thermos? Fill the thermos with boiling water, let it stand a few minutes, pour the water out, and add the food while it’s piping hot. Close it right away.

Can I pack lunches the night before? Yes. Pack everything but the ice packs, keep the lunch in the refrigerator overnight, and add the cold packs right before you leave.

What can I pack for a nut-free school? Sunflower seed butter, cream cheese, hummus, and bean dip make good spreads. Skip trail mixes with nuts and check labels on granola bars and crackers.

What foods don’t need to be refrigerated? Whole fruit, dried fruit, crackers, pretzels, peanut butter, trail mix, granola bars, and canned fruit cups are all safe at room temperature.

How can I save money on packed lunches? Use dinner leftovers, buy large packages and divide them into small containers instead of buying single-serve packs, and make your own trail mix and snack mixes.

What should I pack for a picky eater? Let them choose one food from each group, include at least one food you know they’ll eat, and add a dip. Small portions of several foods often go over better than one big sandwich.