Make back-to-school lunches easy and healthy with these 20 kid-approved, plant-based lunchbox recipes. Perfect for busy mornings and picky eaters!
20 Kid-Friendly Plant-Based Lunch Ideas for Healthy Back-to-School Meals
Back-to-school season is here, and that means it’s time to bring your lunchbox game to the next level! If you’re looking for healthy, plant-based lunch ideas for kids, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re packing for picky eaters or just want to add more nutritious, kid-friendly vegan meals to your routine, these top 20 easy lunchbox recipes are perfect. They’re simple to prep, easy to pack, and made with wholesome ingredients that fuel growing bodies—all without breaking the bank or relying on processed snacks. From wraps and roll-ups to dips and DIY lunchables, this list has everything you need to make lunchtime stress-free and nourishing.
If you’re looking for some new, healthy ways to fill that lunchbox as your kids head back to school and you head back to work, you must check out my 20 favorite recipes, which are stars in my own household! After all, 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 20 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!
20 Healthy Plant-Based Lunchbox Recipes for Kids
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.
Mix up the best ever homemade salsa recipe in 10 minutes with only 7 ingredients to serve with tacos, chips, burritos, and casseroles. This Easy Chunky Salsa recipe will be your new go-to healthy homemade salsa recipe.
Salads
Pesto Fusilli Pasta Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
This vibrant, colorful Pesto Fusilli Pasta Salad with Corn and Tomatoes is packed with flavor and nutrition, compliments of an easy homemade pesto, fusilli pasta, grilled corn, and cashew parmesan. This pesto pasta salad is vegan, and can be easily made gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
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.
This easy purple powered recipe for Super Berry Quinoa Acai Bowl offers a healthy dose of plant protein and fiber, along with phytochemicals from acai, blueberries, and blackberries. Meal prep them for a healthy breakfast or snack.
This healthy, delicious, gluten-free Vegan California Burrito Bowl recipe is the ideal meal in one, balanced in nutrition and packed with flavor.
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.
This Hearty Chickpea Stew is a satisfying, flavorful, and nutritious plant-based, vegan meal in a bowl. Packed with protein-rich chickpeas, healthy vegetables, and flavorful spices, it’s the perfect nourishing stew for cozy dinners or meal prep.
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 completely plant-based, vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chickpea Bars are filled with a whole can of chickpeas! Low in added sugars and oils, and rich in whole plant food ingredients, these healthy bars offer a naturally delicious taste.
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.
Easy Chocolate Chia Pudding with Strawberries
With only 7 ingredients, you can make this vegan recipe for Chia Pudding with Strawberries in under 10 minutes. With just a touch of maple syrup for sweetener and no added oils, this pudding relies upon chia seeds to add a creamy, thickness—and a dose of healthy nutrition.
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!
Get More Back-to-School Inspo!
For other plant-based back to school recipe collections, check out the following:
Peach of a Zucchini Carrot Smoothie
Magic Banana Nut Pancakes
Easy Soy Yogurt Berry Parfait
Edamame Grain Vegan Burger
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
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