Are you looking for healthy cold packed lunch ideas? I think so. I created this article on healthy packed lunches for children and adults because I know how challenging it is to get a proper balanced nutrition in our hectic lives .
Who wants to spend money eating out every day? Nobody, that’s who. But why settle for a sandwich for lunch when you can create an easy and inexpensive lunch instead? This is where making your own healthy cold packed lunch comes in.
Healthy Cold Packed Lunch Ideas
This list of cold lunch ideas includes everything from homemade lunchables to chicken wraps and filling salads.
They’re easy to make and some can be made in just 5 minutes using leftovers and fresh produce.
Whether you’re low-carb, looking for something to indulge in, or just looking for unique lunch ideas, this list has something for you – even ideas that work great for the working man in your life, whether that’s your husband or you!
There are 35 ideas in this list that prep well and taste incredible when cold. That means you can just pack your lunch up with an ice pack and enjoy it hours later no matter where you are. No microwave required!
We love to make these lunch ideas for work while working at home since they’re easy to prep ahead and have ready to eat for those busy days!
EASY COLD LUNCH IDEAS
easy and delicious cold lunch ideas that are perfect for work or packed for school.
5-MINUTE BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAP
A quick and simple wrap made with leftover chicken tenders. With just 5 ingredients, this lunch is perfect for work or game day.
COLD ITALIAN PASTA SALAD
A simple Italian Pasta Salad with fresh garden vegetables and cheese. It packs perfectly for lunch and tastes incredible as a work lunch idea
EASY SOUTHWEST CHICKEN WRAP
A quick and easy lunch recipe that is best when eaten cold. It’s delicious and full of flavor!
NO-COOK MASON JAR CHICKEN TACO SALAD
This healthy and easy Chicken Taco salad in a jar is quick to put together and uses canned chicken breast so it requires no cooking. It’s the perfect, on-the-go ready to eat lunchbox meal for adults and kids
GRANOLA CRUNCH APPLE-PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH WRAPS
These crunchy Peanut Butter Sandwich Wraps come together in just moments and are completely adaptable – no need to measure exact amounts! Perfect for on-the-go meals and make-ahead lunches!
MAKE-AHEAD HEALTHY TRAVEL SALAD
Lunchtime can’t get here quick enough when a Make-Ahead Healthy Travel Salad is waiting for you. Not only is this salad bright and colorful, but it’s also loaded with healthy ingredients and texture galore!
CLASSIC EGG SALAD RECIPE
This simple egg salad recipe with hard-boiled eggs that peel easily, mayo, relish, mustard and dill. Makes a delicious and comforting sandwich for lunch!
COLD LUNCH IDEAS FOR WORK
Hot lunches are great, but if you need a break from the extra cooking and prepping, these cold lunch ideas come in handy.
WHAT ARE THE BEST COLD LUNCH IDEAS FOR WORK?
These lunches require no reheating or microwave, and are ready to eat when you are! It makes them great for school, the office, or picnic-style lunches.
First, you’ll need to find durable lunch containers, I use these grown-up lunch boxes when I make salads or bowls. Both hold up well, and the Easy Lunchboxes come with divided compartments so that you can pack wet and dry ingredients in one container without the mess.
Each of these recipes are made with fresh, healthy ingredients and require minimal prep work. They can also be made ahead of time and that’s one less thing you’ll have to take care of this week.
Buffalo Chicken Salad
A low-carb lunch, made from leftover buffalo chicken.
Recipe: Ham & Cheese Roll-ups
These low-carb roll-ups can be made 2 days ahead of time and stored in lunch containers. They pack a ton of protein and are super satiating so you won’t be grabbing for a snack around 2 p.m.
7-Layer Mexican Dip
Must-make healthy lunch dip. Layer all your favorites in a small jar and serve with chips. Oh so delicious.
BLT Salad
This salad is perfect for anyone doing low-carb who still wants to eat good. Made with bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and homemade Ranch dressing, it’s the ideal lunch for paleo, keto, or Whole30.
Recipe: Peanut Butter Crunch Sandwich
This sandwich satisfies every sweet, salty, crunchy craving imaginable! Instead of the usual jelly, sliced apples give this sandwich a tangy, sweet flavor. I like using crunchy peanut butter for extra crunch, but you can choose any nut or nut-free butter you prefer. In case you need some nut-free butter options, I’ve got that are top-notch in taste and make “PB &J’s” possible again.
Salmon Nicoise
Last night’s grilled salmon and potatoes tossed with an easy Dijon vinaigrette- this is the perfect salad for those who like a little lettuce with a LOT of toppings. Traditionally, this salad is served cold, so no need to reheat the ingredients, you can assemble everything straight from the fridge into a lunch container, and you’re ready to go!
Chicken Farro Bowl
This bowl is loaded with grilled chicken breast, feta cheese, fresh veggies, all on top of cooked farro with tzatziki sauce. It’s everything you could want in a healthy, satisfying meal! Also, no reheating is necessary; they taste great cold, hot, or room temp.
Recipe: Pizza Pasta Salad
An easy way to use up leftover pasta. Mix it with your favorite pizza toppings, cheese and a light dressing for this epic cold pasta salad.
Asian Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups
Lettuce cups are a cross between a wrap and salad. They make a refreshing meal and are perfect for using up leftovers like grilled chicken, deli turkey, and cheese. This recipe is made with an Asian salad of shredded leftover chicken, mandarin oranges, celery, and sesame seeds.
Adult Lunchables
Healthy bento “lunchables” include a variety of fresh ingredients like fruits, veggies, cold cuts, crackers, etc. and they’re perfect when you want something you can prep Monday and enjoy Friday. There’s nothing to heat up or assemble; it’s merely an array of snack foods for a complete meal; here are some of my favorite compilations.
PACKING TIPS FOR COLD LUNCHES
The best part of cold lunches? There’s very little maintenance involved.
No heating or cooking is required because these lunches come together easy; here are a few tips to ensure your packed lunches stay fresh.
Keep liquids and sauces in separate containers
This is a big one! Anytime lettuce or veggies with high water content, such as spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. are involved, it’s best to keep the sauces and dressings in a separate container. Many contain sauces contain salt, which causes produce to loose moisture making a soggy sandwich or salad.
Use a small lidded container, like this one, to pack salad dressing, hummus, guacamole, ketchup, and other dips.
Ice pack
In case, the office fridge went out, or a work event has you brown-baggin’, throw in an ice pack. They’ll keep everything fresh and prevents anything from spoiling before lunch.
HOW TO MAKE-AHEAD COLD LUNCHES
I’m all about that #mealpreplife, and what I love about these cold lunches is that you can prep them ahead of time without worrying about them going bad early in the week.
Following tips like packing the dressings and sauces in a separate mini container or storing wraps in plastic wrap helps the ingredients stay fresher, longer.
To prep these lunches ahead of time:
1. Chop, cut, dice all ingredients
Whether it’s for a salad, bento lunch, or wrap, prep all the veggies and fruit so you can have them ready for assembly.
2. Assemble ahead of time
Lunches like salads can be prepped 1 to 2 days before you plan to eat and wraps the night before. Pack dressings and sauces in a separate sauce container.
3. Refrigerate in lunch containers
Packed lunch gets no easier than pulling the prepped meal from the refrigerator and tucking them away into lunch bags.
HEALTHY COLD LUNCH IDEAS (VEGETARIAN & EASY)
HEALTHY FRIED RICE BREAKFAST BOWL
Well, I know it says breakfast, but you can definitely have this for lunch too! Use hard-boiled eggs, cooked rice and your chopped vegetables – you’ll assemble it in no time. Recipe here.
SPICY MEDITERRANEAN LUNCH BOWLS
This healthy Mediterranean lunch bowl is ready in just about 20 minutes and is filled with spicy chickpeas, avocado, hummus, a fresh tomato cucumber salad, cabbage and olives. It’s delicious and great for meal prep! Recipe here.
VEGAN QUINOA SUSHI BOWL
This is an easy, throw-together, sushi bowl and uses quinoa instead of rice, because quinoa is more nutrient-dense and pretty awesome. You can pack dressing, veggies and quinoa separately, but if you make this in the morning – it’s not gonna spoil until lunch even if you put everything together. Recipe here.
HEALTHY VEGETARIAN LUNCH SALADS
HEALTHY AVOCADO CHICKPEA SALAD
Salads with chickpeas are so filling and so tasty. This one is not completely vegan, but if you get rid of the feta cheese – you’re good to go. It’s filled with fiber and antioxidants and is a very tasty, refreshing healthy lunch. I prep the ingredients the night before and then throw them all together in the morning with the dressing. Keeps well like this until lunch. Recipe here.
QUINOA DETOX SALAD
This is a super healthy quinoa salad with avocado and tons of antioxidants. By far, my favorite quinoa salad. I have a similar quinoa salad here, but this one is to die for. I wouldn’t do too much meal prep with this, since the ingredients are very fresh, but to make this quicker during the week pre-cook your quinoa. The rest you can slice and put together in the morning (takes about 7-8 min). Pack dressing (olive oil, lemon juice) separately from the salad and mix it all together right before it’s time to eat.
MEDITERRANEAN BLACK BEAN SALAD
If you’ve got a can of black beans to use, you will love this refreshing black bean salad. It’s ready in 10 minutes. Recipe here.
SUPER FRESH AVOCADO CORN SALAD
This is a tasty healthy vegetarian corn and avocado salad with grilled zucchini, olives and feta cheese – perfect summer salad. Recipe here.
