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Packing or plating lunch for kids can feel like a daily puzzle. They want something fun, I want something filling, and nobody wants to spend an hour in the kitchen. Over the years I have found a handful of lunches that disappear from the plate every time.
Here are 12 kids lunch ideas, from pinwheels and nuggets to quesadillas and sliders. Each one says what it is and how to make it, and most work for a lunch box or a table at home. If you are also looking for something lighter between meals, our healthy snacks for kids are a good match, and our easy lunch ideas cover grown up lunches too.
1. Pizza pinwheels
SaveCredit: What the Redhead Said
Pizza pinwheels are a lunch my own crew would eat every day. Pizza dough, sauce and cheese get rolled up, sliced and baked in under 20 minutes.
Spread the dough with sauce, add cheese and a few mini pepperoni, then roll it up and cut it into rounds. They taste good warm or cold, and leftovers pack well for the next day.
2. Homemade lunchables
SaveCredit: Simmer & Sage
A homemade lunchable is really a formula. Pick a cracker, a cheese, a meat, some fruit or veggies and a little treat, and lunch is packed.
Cut sliced cheese and deli meat into squares or rounds to fit the crackers. Keep everything in a divided container so foods do not touch, which picky eaters appreciate. It costs far less than the boxed kind.
3. Baked chicken nuggets
SaveCredit: Kristine’s Kitchen
Homemade chicken nuggets beat the frozen kind by a mile, and the oven does most of the work. Kids love dunking them.
Cut chicken breast into bite size chunks, coat them in seasoned breadcrumbs and bake at 400 degrees until golden. Cook them until the middle reaches 165 degrees. Make a big batch and freeze extras for busy days.
4. Creamy stovetop mac and cheese
SaveCredit: Natasha’s Kitchen
Mac and cheese is the lunch that never lets you down. Made from scratch on the stove, the sauce is creamy and the whole pot is done in about 25 minutes.
Cook the pasta, whisk up a simple cheese sauce and stir them together. Keep the heat gentle so the sauce stays smooth. Add a splash of milk when you reheat leftovers to bring back the creaminess.
5. Ham and egg cups
SaveCredit: Bright Path Kids
If your hens are keeping you in eggs, these little ham cups put them to good use. Each one is a protein packed lunch you can hold in one hand.
Press a slice of ham into each cup of a muffin tin, sprinkle in cheddar and crack an egg on top. Bake until the eggs are set all the way through. They keep in the fridge for a few days and reheat in seconds.
6. Peanut butter and jelly roll ups
SaveCredit: MOMables
A plain old PB&J gets a fun makeover when you roll it up and slice it into little spirals. Kids who say no to sandwiches often say yes to these.
Flatten a slice of bread with a rolling pin, spread on the peanut butter and jelly, roll it tight and slice it into rounds. If your school is nut free, sunflower seed butter works the same way.
7. Ham and cheese roll ups
SaveCredit: Food Lovin Family
These roll ups come together in about 10 minutes with no cooking at all. They are a smart way to use up deli ham and a little cream cheese.
Spread a flour tortilla with cream cheese, layer on ham and cheese, roll it tight and slice into pinwheels. Keep them cold with an ice pack until lunch.
8. Pigs in a blanket
SaveCredit: Lil’ Luna
Hot dogs wrapped in crescent dough are a weekend lunch kids get excited about. They bake in about 15 minutes.
Pat the hot dogs dry so the dough does not get soggy, wrap them in strips of crescent dough and brush with egg. Bake at 375 degrees until golden and serve with ketchup or mustard for dipping.
9. Easy veggie fried rice
SaveCredit: Cookies and Cups
Fried rice is a great way to turn leftover rice into a hot lunch. It is full of little peas and carrots that kids tend to eat without a fuss.
Cold rice works best, so make extra at dinner. Scramble an egg in the pan, add frozen peas and carrots and the rice, then season with soy sauce. It reheats well, which makes it a good thermos lunch too.
10. Cheese and tomato quesadillas
SaveCredit: My Fussy Eater
A quesadilla is about the fastest hot lunch there is. Two tortillas, cheese and a little sauce, and you are done in under 10 minutes.
Spread a little tomato sauce on a tortilla, add cheese, top with a second tortilla and cook a couple of minutes per side. Cut it into wedges and serve with cucumber, carrots and cherry tomatoes on the side.
11. Avocado sushi rolls
SaveCredit: Kids Eat in Color
Sushi rolls with no fish are a fun lunch for kids, and rolling them is half the entertainment. Avocado and cucumber are mild and easy to love.
Spread cooked sticky rice over a sheet of nori, add thin strips of avocado and cucumber, then roll tight and slice. Let the kids help roll, since they tend to eat what they make.
12. Ham and cheese sliders
SaveCredit: Cooking Classy
Warm ham and cheese sliders feel like a treat, and one pan feeds a hungry table. They are perfect when friends come over after school.
Layer ham and cheese on a slab of slider rolls, brush on a buttery topping and bake until the cheese melts. Slice them apart and serve warm. A side of fruit rounds out the plate.
Tips for kids lunches that get eaten
Let the kids help. Children who roll the pinwheels or pick the crackers for their own lunch box are far more likely to eat what is in it. Keep portions small, since a little plate of favorites looks friendlier than a big pile.
Keep foods apart in a divided container for kids who do not like things touching, and add one fruit or vegetable to every lunch. For packed lunches, use an ice pack with anything that has meat, cheese or cream cheese, and toss leftovers from the lunch box at the end of the day.
Kids lunch ideas FAQ
What are good cold kids lunch ideas? Pinwheels, roll ups, homemade lunchables and PB&J roll ups all pack well and need no reheating.
Which of these lunches can I freeze? Pizza pinwheels, chicken nuggets and egg cups freeze well. Wrap them one by one and reheat in the oven or microwave.
What can I make for a picky eater? Start with the foods they already like, such as mac and cheese, quesadillas or nuggets, and serve them with one new food on the side. A divided box helps too.
