15 Healthy Lunchbox Recipes
Looking for some creative new nutritious lunch recipes to pack for kids and grownups alike? Check out these 15 Healthy Lunchbox Recipes from The Plant-Powered Dietitian—each recipe is easy, plant-based, and delicious.
Looking for some new, healthy ways to fill that lunchbox as your kids head back to school and you head back to work? Yes, there is so much more you can do beyond that PB&J (though we love those!) and bag of chips. You can pack in more healthy whole plants—grains, beans, fruits, veggies, nuts—plus keep it fresh and delish. Your kids will be excited to open their lunchbox to find these plant-based, vegan options awaiting them! And you’ll enjoy some new recipes to meal prep or pack away in your brown bag, too. I’m sharing my favorite 15 Healthy Lunchbox Recipes that I make in my own kitchen time and time again. You’ll find recipes in all categories, from salads and bowls to dips and desserts. These lunch recipes are easily portable, and packed with nutrition to keep kids’ and adults’ minds and bodies running like clockwork!
15 Healthy Lunchbox Recipes
Dips
Pack up this classic hummus in a container as a dip with whole grain pita bread and vegetables.
Portion up a serving of this avocado corn salsa, which is packed with extra goodies: corn, green onions, cilantro, black olives, corn, and jalapenos, to pair with whole grain crackers or crunchy veggies.
Salads
Mason Jar Kale Barley Salad with Turmeric Vinaigrette
Include a jar of this super healthy, easy, and delicious Mason Jar Kaley Barley Salad with Turmeric Vinaigrette for a tasty lunch option.
This sunny, colorful, nutritious, and delicious potato salad is the perfect addition to a lunch box.
Brown Rice Chickpea Kale Salad with Ginger Tahini Dressing
Based on the hearty combo of whole grains, leafy greens, and pulses—this plant-based Brown Rice Chickpea Kale Salad with Ginger Tahini Dressing is great for an easy lunchbox meal.
Bowls
Chipotle Tomato Rice Power Bowl
This Chipotle Tomato Rice Power Bowl can be perfectly packed up in an airtight container for a meal-in-one.
Acai berries, ancient grains, berries and coconut come together in this easy, purple powerful Super Berry Quinoa Acai Bowl, which is 100% plant-based and vegan. Make these bowls up in mason jars to take for a healthy lunchbox meal.
Soups, Stews
The Southwestern flavors of this hearty Black Bean Corn Chili make it an easy satisfying meal. Just pack it up in a thermos to take it to school.
Nothing soothes the soul more than a bowl of classic tomato soup packed up in a thermos.
Wraps, Sandwiches
Best Sunflower Seeds Sandwich Wraps
This 6-ingredient plant-based recipe for Best Sunflower Seeds Sandwich Wraps is so easy you can make it up in a jiffy, plus it’s simply pure fun! Just spread almond butter onto a whole grain tortilla or wrap, and sprinkle with sprouts or micro greens, sunflower seeds, raisins and dried cherries, and then just roll right it on up. You can cut it into slices to create pin wheels, or just slice it in half and wrap it up to tote along in lunch boxes.
Burrito with Refried Beans and Corn
This simple burrito—which relies upon frozen and canned ingredients—can be prepared in about 15 minutes for an easy, fun lunchbox meal.
Farmers Market Vegetable Sushi
Did you know you can make the best sushi ever, based on what’s fresh, seasonal, and local? Hand-crafted vegan sushi is one of my favorite special treats. Just get your rice cooking, slice up your favorite veggies, and start rolling ‘em up. Pack in a sealed container for your kids to take for lunch!
Creating a classic vegan BLTA Sandwich—bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado—is easy these days. Just brown your favorite plant-based bacon, toast some good whole wheat bread, smear it with plant-based mayo, and top it with farm-fresh produce and pack it up to go!
Treats
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chickpea Bars
These 7-ingredient bars are packed with nutrition and good taste; pop one in your kids’ lunch box as a treat you can feel good about.
You can whip up these these no-bake, vegan, gluten-free balls in minutes in your food processor, then pack them away in lunchboxes for a tasty, healthful snack.
These crunchy vegan cowboy cookies are a classic treat from the 60s, modernized to include nut butter, oats, whole grain flours, walnuts, and dark chocolate chips. They’re the perfect lunchbox treat, too!
For other plant-based lunch ideas, check out some of my favorite collections.
10 Plant-Based Lunchbox Treat Recipes
5 Packable Plant-Based Lunch Recipes
And don’t forget to pack up your lunch using reusable containers to reduce your carbon footprint.
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