One request we get from our readers the most is “What do can I make for lunch that’s healthy, quick, travels well and can be eaten cold?”
No small request, but I understand as I used to struggle with that myself. I would basically eat the same thing every day (which wasn’t that healthy)… almond butter and jam sandwiches on GF bread, with trail mix or veggies & hummus on the side. Very mature for a college graduate in the corporate world…
Nowadays, I pack Peter’s lunch and keep it full of things like salads, grain bowls, buckwheat pudding and a few other healthy-but-quick options.
If you’re curious about the top 5 recipe concepts we rotate throughout the week, make sure you download our Heck Yeah It’s Healthy Lunch Box Toolkit.
I wanted to put together a big list of Healthy Lunch Recipes on the blog so you can come back to this post whenever you need inspiration.
30 Healthy Lunch Recipes
Every recipe is Vegan and Gluten-Free!
Happy Lunch Box Packing! I called in some friends from the blogosphere to help me out with this post (thanks friends)!
Salads
In order to make a salad work for lunch you need to know a few things…
- You need a large Tupperware container to store it in, you want the salad to be large so it keeps you full until dinner.
- You will most likely need a small container to store the dressing in, that way your lettuce doesn’t get soggy.
- You will need to use different toppings and dressings to keep your salad from getting boring. Try new stuff, rotation is the spice of life.
1). Buckwheat, beet & citrus salad with crumbled sunflower feta
This salad is so beautiful, skip the feta or make it ahead of time if you’re extra busy.
Get The Recipe From Choosing Raw HERE
2). Quick and Easy Veggie Pasta Salad
This is the kind of recipe we love eating during the summer, so light and fresh!
Get The Recipe From Veggies Don’t Bite HERE
3). Mexii Kale Salad
This is a classic SD Recipe. It was inspired by The Veggie Grill’s All Hail Kale Salad. I think ours is better:)
Get Our Recipe HERE
4). Colorful Chopped Rice Salad
Peter and I are big advocates for eating all the colors of the rainbow, and this salad will help you do just that!
Get The Recipe From Ceara’s Kitchen HERE
5). Easy Chickpea Salad
Save some time by making a big batch of beans on Sunday and using them throughout the week.
Get The Recipe From Vegan Family Recipes HERE
6). Blueberry Salad
Blueberries and macadamia nuts make this a lunch we crave almost every week!
Get Our Recipe HERE
7).Quinoa Black Bean Salad
I’ve been on a broccoli kick and this salad contains lots of it. I’m making this asap!
Get The Recipe from Win-Win Food HERE
Wraps/Sandwiches
Sandwiches are the classic lunch box foods, but once you get out of school you realize you need a little more nutrients and variety than a standard PB&J (but hey every now and again is okay in our book)! Here are some tips for healthy wraps and sandwiches…
- Find a good gluten-free bread or wrap that you can buy once in a while when you’re short on time.
- Make sure you have a good sized container to store these in, so they don’t get smashed or break.
- Allow the filling for your wraps to cool completely before packing away, that way you avoid a soggy lunch.
8). Sweet, Spicy, Easy, Amazing Curry Chickpea Cool Cucumber Wraps
Sweet and spicy is what we’re all about, and these wraps are totally speaking our language.
Get The Recipe from The Lunch Box Bunch HERE
9). Enoki California Roll
I just love how simple (and cute) these California rolls are!
Get The Recipe From Elephantastic Vegan HERE
10) Warm Balsamic Sprouted Lentil Salad (Wraps)
We have a feeling this recipe would taste just as good cold and wrapped in a GF tortilla.
Get The Recipe From Strength & Sunshine HERE
11). Sunflower Spring Rolls
Make sure you wrap these in damp paper towels if you plan on making them the night before, that way they don’t dry out.
Get the Recipe From Us HERE
12). Avocado-Caprese Sandwich
Yep it’s still vegan, and healthy!
Get the Recipe From The Lunch Box Bunch HERE
13). Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
Because you need bread if you’re going to be making sandwiches!
Get the Recipe From Us HERE
14). Multi-Grain Nut + Seed Bread
Because when you’re gluten-free you can never have enough good bread recipes.
Get The Recipe From The Bojon Gourmet HERE
Grain Bowls/Noodle Dishes
Grain Bowls and Noodle Dishes are very popular in our home. We rotate a few varieties each week. Below are some tips to make the most out of your dishes.
- Make a big batch of grains at the beginning of the week, and re-purpose them throughout the week in your lunches.
- Make a double batch of one of the recipes below and bring the leftovers for lunch the next day.
- Remember that with plant-based food, refrigeration isn’t as important, so don’t let not having a refrigerator keep you from bringing a healthy lunch. Usually an ice pack will do the job.
15). The Saucy Almond Buddha Bowl
With this recipe you’ll want to keep the sauce on the side until it’s time to dig in.
Get The Recipe From us HERE
16). Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto & Asparagus Quinoa Salad
This is a recipe full of spring flavors, basil and asparagus galore!
Get The Recipe from Coconut and Berries HERE
17). Rainbow Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is so versatile, and personally, we love it cold.
Get The Recipe From Veg Annie HERE
18). Lemon Asparagus Mushroom Cheezy Pasta Bake
This is a recipe you’ll want to leftovers of.
Get The Recipe From The Lunch Box Bunch HERE
19). Quinoa Bowl With Tahini and Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
You can’t go wrong with tahini, it’s just not possible.
Get The Recipe From Green Evi HERE
20). Asian Style Rice Noodles
Make your co-workers think you got take-out with this classic Asian-style recipe!
Get The Recipe From Vegan High Tech Mom HERE
21). Creamy-Amazing Peanut Soba Noodles
Soba Noodles, made from buckwheat, are an easy-to-digest, high-protein, gluten-free option.
Get The Recipe From The Lunch Box Bunch HERE
22). Savory Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower will totally trick your taste buds in this rice free recipe!
Get The Recipe From Tinted Tomatoes HERE
Oatmeal/Pudding/Cereal
Now hear me out on this one. Peter and I don’t usually eat ‘Breakfast’ (you can read about that here), but we love breakfast foods, and there is no reason you can’t have them for lunch. If you do eat breakfast, maybe have a green smoothie and then have oatmeal for lunch. Best of all, these come together in a flash. Below are a few tips to make the most out of your breakfast-for-lunch ideas.
- Make your oats the night before so they have time to soak up all the flavor.
- Don’t forget the butter: Nut Butters that is; make sure you bring some for on top of your oats.
- Switch up the toppings and grains to keep things interesting.
23). Drop Dead Delicious Oatmeal
Make sure you buy gluten-free oats for this recipe:)
Get The Recipe From Contentedness Cooking HERE
24). Matcha green tea chia pudding
If you need a little caffeine boost with your lunch, this is the recipe for you.
Get The Recipe From Choosing Raw HERE
25). Peaches N Oats Cereal
Just don’t forget to pack a mason jar with a little almond milk to go along with this recipe.
Get The Recipe From Us HERE
26). Wild Blueberry Chia Oatmeal
Steel Cut Oats can also be soaked overnight, no cooking needed. They will be a little harder than rolled oats, but just as tasty.
Get The Recipe From Lunch Box Bunch HERE
27). Cherry-Coconut Almond Pulp Granola
This is a great way to use up left-over pulp from almond milk!
Get The Recipe From Coconut and Berries HERE
28). Overnight Oats with Rhubarb & Grapefruit Compote
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I struggle with ways to use rhubarb. This just might be what you’re looking for!
Get The Recipe From Green Evi HERE
Soups & Stews
A thermos makes it really easy to keep soup warm all day – or just eat it cold… Peter does:) Below are some tips for bringing soups to work.
- If you’re not planning on bringing the soup in a thermos, make sure you let it cool completely before packing.
- Bring a little container of rice or quinoa to make your soup more filling.
- Don’t forget the condiments: salt, pepper or even hot sauce can take your lunch to the next level.
29). Coconut Corn Chowder
Pack some quinoa and peanuts and take this recipe to a whole new level.
Get The Recipe From Us HERE
30). Simple Chili
Not only is this recipe healthy and quick. It’s also very affordable!
Get the Recipe From Veg Annie HERE
Lunch Box Tool Kit
I think we are all set on some healthy lunch recipes/ideas for awhile now:)
Don’t forget to download our Lunch Box Toolkit for all of your lunch-on-the-go tips & tricks.
~ Click Image Below To Download ~
We also share the gear we use to make storing lunches easier!
12 replies to "30 Healthy Lunch Recipes"
What an awesome roundup!! Thanks so much for including me!
Sophia you are so welcome! Thank’s for letting us share some of your beautiful recipes. P.S We just made your onion rings (last night) and that breading/crust… is amazing!!! We talked for like 30 minutes about all of the things we want to coat in it! You are a genius!!!
Wonderful recipes! It would be a perfect month if I could try all these recipes for lunch ;)
Thanks for including my quinoa bowl!
Right?! Although I have to say it would be a pretty good month if we could make all of the beautiful recipes on your website:)
Beautiful roundup Sarah! So many healthy recipes to choose from :) Sharing!
Thanks Vanessa:) All of the pies/cheesecakes/mouses on your side bar…they seriously had me drooling yesterday!
What an awesome round up of delicious lunches :) Thank you so much for including my rice salad! I’ll be sharing on my social media today!!
Thank’s Ceara:) Your recipes are always inspiring us, we just love the colors in your rice salad!
Such an awesome post you guys! I would love to say I’ve mastered the art of packing lunch but I tend to end up not leaving any time to prep on a Sunday and then scrambling to throw things in tupperware in the morning…!
Definitely going to start rotating these categories and trying out some of these recipes for sure.
Hi Emma:)
Thanks so much! We are all about making lunches the night before when we are making dinner. But we do have an advantage as there is two of us:)
This is an AWESOME round up! I was just thinking I need to mix up my lunch routine a bit. Thanks for this one! :)
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Good post. I certainly love this site. Keep writing!