Find easy and healthy kids lunch ideas to pack for daycare, preschool, and school. There are cold lunches, hot lunch ideas, and make-ahead options, too.
Find easy to make and easy to eat lunch ideas for kids to use to pack for daycare, preschool, or big kid school—or to serve at home. The options here include nutrient-rich foods, but are also accessible to make, which means you can find the ingredients and components at a regular supermarket for affordable prices.
Plus, most of the options can be prepped ahead of time and are filled with yummy flavors that little kids love.
Read on for the lunch ideas, and if you need advice on the best kids lunch boxes or bento lunch boxes, I have that for you, too!
(You may also like lunch box ideas for picky eaters and my go-to fruits for lunch.)
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Pesto Pasta Salad
Mix together nutritious, basic ingredients for a yummy pasta salad to pack in lunches all week.
Snack Lunch
Add at least one item from each food group (dairy, carbohydrates, fruit, veggies, and fats) to make a satisfying lunch. Bonus: This one is very easy to pack, too!
Hummus Wrap
Wrap nutrient-rich hummus and veggies in a tortilla for an easy lunch. For younger kids, you can serve the components of this idea side-by-side to make it easier to eat. And if you need a nut- or seed-free hummus, try my Homemade Hummus without Tahini.
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.
Banana “Sushi”
This wrap has just 3 ingredients: tortilla, nut butter or sunflower seed butter, and ripe banana. It’s fun and easy!
Banana Sushi is a seriously fun and fast lunch for kids—that’s filling too! Plus: You only need three nutritious ingredients to make this lunch.
Whole Grain Pancakes
Pack leftover pancakes—like my Applesauce Pancakes or Buckwheat Pancakes—in a thermos to keep them warm, and add in easy sides for a great lunch for kids.
Baked Chicken Meatballs
These meatballs, which you can add carrot to so there’s a veggie right in the mix, are great warm in a thermos as a hot lunch idea or chilled.
With just four simple and affordable ingredients, you can make tender Baked Chicken Meatballs to share with the kids. Bonus: You can tuck a veggie into the mix, and they are perfect to batch-cook and stash in the freezer!
Smoothie and Whole Grain Muffin
Try a toddler smoothie (you can pack it in a reusable pouch for school or daycare) and a muffin for an easy kids lunch idea.
Zucchini Slice
Make a batch of zucchini slices, which is like a frittata and is so good for any age, and pack it with easy sides like cucumbers and berries. It’s great warm or chilled, and is rich in protein and calcium.
Transform basic ingredients—including a pile of zucchini—into this protein-packed Zucchini Slice to share with the kids. It’s an easy breakfast or lunch that stores well and is easy to make ahead. (See the Notes for options to up the flavor as desired.)
Rice and Beans
Mix cooked rice and black beans or pinto beans and any burrito bowl toppings your kids like to make this easy lunch. Pack it in a kids thermos to send it warm.
Protein Box
I love to use leftover chicken, steak, shrimp, or Baked Tofu as the base for a protein lunch idea. In this one, I added cottage cheese for more staying power, plus a Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, melon, and cucumers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yogurt and granola, hard-cooked eggs (you can buy them premade from the store) and whole grain crackers, cottage cheese with fruit and crackers, dry cereal and milk with a banana, and more. Find extra ideas in my School Lunch Ideas for Kids post, which are all no cook.
Try to do your best to make sure that other foods taste really good, so offer dips with fruits and veggies, add seasoning to cooked foods, ask them to help you choose recipes (you can look at photos together to see what looks appealing) and aim to serve a variety of foods throughout the day.
Best Tips for Success
- Pack lunch boxes with an ice pack in an insulated lunch bag to keep the food cold.
- Keep an eye on what comes home or what is left on the plate so you can adjust to waste less food next time.
- Ask the kids for input when packing their lunch, which might help them be more interested in the food they have!
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