Published: by Becky Striepe · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon and ShareASale associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ready to shake up your lunchbox game? These vegan packed lunch ideas are just what you need, whether you're packing for yourself or for a kid.
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- 🥪 Vegan packed lunch ideas
- Kid-friendly lunch box
- Meal prep containers for grownup lunches
- Thermos for soups and stews
Y'all, my child is in KINDERGARTEN (Edit: Oh my word, he is now in fourth grade! How did that happen?). I can't believe it. He is loving his school and adjusting like a champ.
Now that he's seeming so big, I feel like I need to adjust his lunches accordingly. Those preschool lunches I was packing just don't feel like they're cutting it anymore. I needed some big kid vegan lunch ideas for this dude!
Of course, not everyone reading this is packing lunches for a child, so the list below includes more grownup vegan lunch ideas, too. I tried to include something for everyone!
Whenever I talk about lunches, I get a lot of questions about the containers my family uses. Below the list of vegan lunch box ideas are the actual lunchboxes I use for my son, the meal prep containers Dave uses for his lunches, and a thermos a friend recommended that's on my to-buy list. Her daughter LOVES it!
🥪 Vegan packed lunch ideas
Got your containers of choice handy? Let's talk vegan packed lunch goodness!
The mighty sandwich
My kid kind of hates bread (I KNOW!), but Dave brings sandwiches a lot. Obviously, you can do sandwiches all kinds of ways, but he tends to make variations on this:
- whole grain bread
- hummus or vegan mayo
- avocado
- cucumber
- lettuce
- Tofurky deli slices (sometimes)
- vegan cheese slice (sometimes)
He'll usually pack an apple and some pretzels or pita chips to go with this.
For our bread-shunning child, sometimes I do a deconstructed sandwich with that Lock & Lock box I mentioned. We call it a vegan Lunchable!
One section has a few rolled up Tofurky slices, one has grape tomatoes and a piece of vegan cheese, and I fill the rest with popcorn or pretzels. He gets an orange or an apple on the side, since you can pack those without a container. It's not the healthiest lunch, but he loves it!
Below, you'll find some additional ideas for vegan sandwiches sprinkled in among the other lunch ideas.
Vegan Lobster Rolls
Hearts of palm in a creamy old bay dressing are the stars of these easy, delicious vegan lobster rolls. You are going to absolutely love them!
Get the recipe!
Tofu "egg" salad sandwiches
When I get it together to make a batch ofmagical tofu "egg" saladon Sunday, we are set for lunches through Wednesday! Use it to stuff a pita or regular bread, send it solo with pita chips and veggies to dip, or send it as a topping for green salad.
If you do want to use this as a salad topper, I recommend packing the tofu salad in a separate container from the actual salad, so you won't end up with soggy greens. It's easy enough to dump the tofu salad on at lunchtime. Don't forget to pack a fork!
Get the recipe!
Chickpea salad
There are lots of ways to make a tasty chickpea salad, but I love this recipe that uses red grapes for a little bit of tart-sweetness. Like a conventional egg salad, you can pack it up as a sandwich, a dip, or a green salad topping.
Get the recipe!
Mediterranean Butter Bean Salad
This flavorful butter bean salad is packed with amazing Mediterranean flavors! It's so good spooned over crusty bread or over salad greens for a quick lunch.
Get the recipe!
Cold peanut noodle salad
Cold peanut noodles with edamame, crunchy carrots, and tofu are a great lunchbox addition. It's a filling lunch that you don't need to worry about reheating.
If you need to make this packed lunch peanut-free, just use sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter to make the sauce.
Get the recipe!
Lentil and quinoa salad
Lentils and quinoa are super versatile, which is why this recipe uses these protein-packed plants in two different ways!
Each of theselentil and quinoa saladspairs them with different roasted veggies, greens, and dressings for two easy lunch salads. These vegan lunches will keep you feeling full and satisfied all week long.
Get the recipe!
Instant Pot Chili or stew
Now's the time to bust out that Thermos! Leftover chili is your friend. Our favorite ismy Instant Pot Chili. If tofu isn't your thing, trymy easy 3-Bean Chili instead.
I'm a big believer that stews taste even better the next day. Fill up a thermos withVegan Chicken SteworVegan Beef Stewfor a hearty, warm lunch.
If chili or stew alone doesn't feel like enough, pack aCornbread Muffinto go with it.
Get the recipe!
Vegan bacon sandwich
Whip up a batch of myvegan Canadian baconor whatevervegan baconyou prefer the night before, and you're ready to build the vegan BLT of your dreams! I like mine with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and vegan mayo.
If you're packing lunch for a sandwich-hater, just pair up the bacon with grape tomatoes or carrot sticks, a fruit of their choice, and some kind of starch (pretzels, cubed sweet potato, corn...whatever they like eating).
Get the recipe!
Sushi burritos
Any time we makesushi burritos, Dave requests an extra one, so he can bring it to lunch the next day. The rice hardens a bit in the fridge overnight, but it softens back up by lunchtime.
My kid mutilates any kind of rolled sushi, so I'd go the deconstructed route here again -- pack his favorite sushi burrito elements (rice, carrots & avocado, tofu, mango) in sections of his Lock & Lock and send a pack of seaweed snacks on the side.
Get the recipe!
Burrito bowl meal prep
This easy meal prepmakes four lunches, so you are set for almost the whole week!
Beans and rice, chili lime tofu, and fresh tomato and avocado are an easy, filling meal that's delicious warm or at room temperature.
Get the recipe!
Sushi bowl
A sushi bowl makes a great cold lunch. Just fill your box about a third of the way with prepared sushi rice, then pile on all of your toppings. You can usethis sushi bowl recipeor just riff with your favorite sushi fillings.
For to-go sushi bowls, I don't pack the seaweed (or seaweed snacks) in the box, since they'll get soggy. Instead, send them in a smaller container on the side.
If you're using the Lock & Lock, you can just put one of the inner sections in before filling the box with rice and toppings, then cut the seaweed to fit into that little square.
Get the recipe!
Air fryer meal prep
If you really want to knock out a bunch of packed lunches at once, meal prepping is your friend.This easy recipeuses quinoa (or grain of your choice) as the base topped with air fryer sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.
Get the recipe!
Taco salad
This heartytaco saladis enough to make a whole meal! To make sure that you store your dressing in a separate container, so the green don't get soggy.
I likethese little containersfor toting sauces and dressings. They're a good size and dishwasher safe.
Get the recipe!
Sesame noodle bowl
Whip up a big batch of myCold Sesame Noodles, and you've got the base for all kinds of great vegan lunch ideas, just add protein and veggies! Here are some ideas for how to build your bowl:
Protein: cooked or uncooked tofu, steamed edamame, cashews, almonds, or canned and drained adzuki beans
Veggies: sliced cucumber, carrot sticks, raw or cooked broccoli, raw or cooked kale, snap peas or snow peas, green onion, or shredded cabbage
Optional sauce ideas:Blender Peanut Butter Sauce,Red Curry Almond Sauce,All-Purpose Coconut Curry Sauce
Get the recipe!
Falafel salad or sandwich
Whip up a batch of easy air fryer or baked falafel, then stuff it into a pita with lots of fresh veggies and a small container of vegan dressing.
If pita pockets aren't your thing, you can pack these with salad greens instead, for an easy, lunchtime falafel salad.
Get the recipe!
Kid-friendly lunch box
For my son, I am still using this Lock & Lock box with four removable compartments. I love this BPA-free modular lunchbox, because my kid can open and close it himself, and I can change up the inner containers to suit what we're packing.
This graphic that I created back when my kid was a preschooler gives you an idea of how I make the most of the inner containers:
See how we mix up the configuration to work with what we're packing?
Meal prep containers for grownup lunches
Dave has been on the hunt for the ideal meal prep container, and he landed on these glass ones. They're nice and big, so there's plenty of room for the huge sandwiches he favors at lunchtime.
When he brings leftovers from supper, he usually totes them in these lidded Pyrex containers, because we use different sizes of these to store all of our food, and he has access to a microwave to reheat. Why dirty another dish, right?
If we have a bunch of leftovers, I'll divvy them up between a couple of those Pyrex containers, so Dave and I both have portioned-out lunches to grab and eat.
Thermos for soups and stews
I have not personally tried it yet, but my friend, Andrea, says she and her daughter both love this Thermos for bringing in warm leftovers (bonus: it's adorable!).
She reheats leftovers in the morning, then piles them into this baby.My kid isn't big on soups and stews, so I haven't ponied up for a Thermos for him.
