53 School Lunch Ideas for Kids

Skip the same ol' sandwiches and upgrade to these healthy outside-the-lunch-box surprises. Your kids' faces will light up when they see that you've taken lunch to the next level, and you'll be happy knowing that they're getting a nutritious and delicious midday meal.

Zucchini & Corn Muffins

"Very moist and yummy muffins with a nice crunchy crust — YUM! I liked how easy these were to prepare and how quickly they came together."

-Lalaloula

No-Bake Granola Bars

"This gets a 'seriously yum' rating from me! They were easy to make and are pretty healthy too!"

-Chef #494084

Club Wraps

"What a wonderful lunch idea. These are just delicious."

chris_tam

Pizza Roll-Ups

"Really easy and tasty. I added mushrooms and onions to mine."

-Dienia B.

Yogurt Fruit Bars

"I made these to freeze and pack in the kids' lunches — they're so good! It was easy to sub in the ingredients I had on hand for a yummy treat."

-*Pamela*

Ham & Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

"These roll-ups taste great. They're super easy to make and just delicious."

-SharonChen

Secret Sandwich

"These are so easy, yummy and a fun alternative to another boring sandwich. I used Hawaiian sweet rolls with turkey and Havarti, and they were delicious!"

-Mossymama

Lunchbox Pizza Quesadillas

"The whole family loved these. I used pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. I will try freezing them for quick snacks for the kids."

-bmcnichol

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sushi Rolls

"I made these for my 7-year-old's lunch. She was so excited! I put the whole rolls in the fridge overnight and sliced in the morning. They were much easier to slice cold."

-Megan's Mommy

Copycat Pizza Lunchable

"I've been making the cheese-and-cracker Lunchables at home, but I never thought to make the pizza ones. My kindergartener loved it."

-~Donna~

BLT Pinwheels

"I made these for my grand kids and they loved them — as did their parents."

-Beansy

Kiddos Favorite Trail Mix

"We had a blast making this. My kids polished off the whole batch and asked to make more."

-Becky, Katie & Eddie's Mom

Banana & Oatmeal Sponge Cookies

"My kid love these cookies. They're a great, healthy snack on-the-go."

-jfrank1

Apples & Peanut Butter

"This is a delicious and healthy way to start the day."

-Sharon123

Ants on a Log

"I made up a batch of these for school lunchboxes. They are very good! We like these better than the ones with the peanut butter."

-Queenofcamping

Two-Toned Sandwiches

"What a fun idea! I just used one cookie-cutter shape — a teddy bear — for my daughter's lunch yesterday. It worked great and she loved it!"

-~Leslie~

Ham & Cheese Muffins

"Easy to make and delicious! Great for a quick snack, but would also be great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch or tea — or elevenses, anyone? Yum!"

-Desperada

Frozen Fruit Cups

"My kids loved these, and I love the fact that they don't have a lot of extra sugar. I put some in a large container for dinner and some into one-cup plastic freezer jars to use in lunchboxes."

-Bilette

School of Fish

Your kids will go gaga for these little swimmers. It's amazing what you can do with four simple ingredients!

Tortilla Stars

"This is a fantastic idea. They are everyone's favorite snack at my house."

-Sandi (From CA)

Cinnamon Apple Chips

"Fun and easy to make. Not very sweet at all, which I liked. Made a great snack alternative to potato chips."

-Mama's Kitchen (Hope)

Pizza Scrolls

"I love these. They are perfect for my kids' lunchboxes, as they don't love traditional sandwiches. I will be using this recipe forever!"

-Liza at Food.com

Cheesy Taco Pockets

"These are very family-friendly, and the cheese ties the ingredients together well. They are awesome with sour cream and salsa!"

-NcMysteryShopper

Thermos Noodle Soup

"I'm giving this recipe five stars for sheer simplicity. It also happens to taste really great. Soup with no stove? Yes, please."

-LifeIsGood

Lunchbox Muffins

"These are great! My 4-year-old is super picky, so her lunch-box gets a little boring — these are perfect. Next time I'm going to make a double batch!"

-Liza at Food.com

Lunchbox Fun-Due

"Wonderful! This is such a great idea. My daughter isn't a big sandwich fan, so this really was right up her alley."

-CHRISSYG

Hummus Pizza

For a fun twist on a lunch-room favorite, try packing the veggies separately so your kiddo can build his or her own pizza at lunch.

Snack Stackers (Lunchbox Surprise)

"Great idea! My first-grader loved it. He's always begging for the ones already made up at the store, which I refuse to buy."

-JESMom

Taco Roll-Ups

"My daughter and her friend ate these and loved them. There are some more in the freezer that I am sure will be great!"

-quick meal

Angry Birds Bento Box

"My son loves rice balls (onigiri), so I decided to make him an Angry Birds lunch box! My hubby was more impressed and snatched it for his office lunch instead!"

-blackswanst

California Rollwich

"I made this for my grandson. He loves avocados, so that made it easy to sneak in other veggies."

-Galley Wench

Ants on a Raft

"This is a yummy snack. I love that they're made with things that I always have around the house."

-breezermom

Yummy to the Tummy Clocks

"This is a very cute idea for snack time."

-Brenda

Cream Cheese & Cucumber Sailboats

"This is such a fun recipe for kids and adults alike. I love the cute look and the fresh taste."

-Lalaloula

Lady Grapefruit

"What a great idea. This motivated me to look for more recipes where I can decorate food for my kids."

-littlemafia

Orange Julius Roll-Ups

"This is like a healthier way to make candy. It is a great recipe, I was very pleased."

-free-free

Ultimate Lunchbox Muffins

"These are so tasty and also have a lovely texture — very moist and soft on the inside, with a great crunchy crust. Who knew that healthy muffins could be this easy and tasty?!"

-Lalaloula

Lunchbox Taco Chicken Soup

"Great recipe! My son always asks for me to make it to take in his school lunch."

-mlhuston

Nemo Clownfish Snacks

"Easy and cute - who doesn't love Nemo?"

-Linky

PB&J Apple Roll-Ups

"I made these for lunch and they were absolutely wonderful. I wouldn't change a thing."

-Skooch

Split Pea Soup

"It was delicious, and even the toddler and baby loved it. We sprinkled it with Parmesan to serve."

-DianaEatingRichly

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

"A nice healthy and very flavorful snack! Using a mandolin made nice thin chips quickly."

-Debbwl

Easy Granola Bars

"These came together really quick, and the kids loved them!"

-Marg CaymanDesigns

Strawberry Bruschetta

"Strawberries and cream cheese are always a perfect match and this recipe is a wonderful way to combine them."

-2Bleu

Portobello Pizzas

This turned out fantastic! Both my 2 year old and my 1 year old gobbled these up. I will definitely make these again.

-nickiefrausto

Healthy Egg Salad Sandwich

"A very nice sandwich!"

-Derf2440

Banana Carrot Muffins

"These are so good! My kids just gobbled them up."

-Amanda Beth

BLT Pasta Salad

"If you find you don't have bacon, use salami or pepperoni cut into strips. The possibilities are endless!"

-PJ1971

Crispy Baked Beet Chips

"This was easy, tasty, salty and sweet."

-Everything Sweet

Lemon Kale Chips

"So good! Adding spices such as curry or cayenne can make them tasty too."

-Texas Shorty

Cauliflower Tots

Swap out potatoes for healthier cauliflower for a crowd-pleasing side dish.

Muesli Sundaes

"Delicious! I added some frozen blueberries and a couple cut-up frozen strawberries."

-mliss29

Southwestern Rice Bowl

"Very satisfying! I enjoyed this Vegetarian style and omitted the chicken."

-Engrossed

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