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23 School Lunch Ideas Your Kids Will Love

Are your kids sick of the same lunches every day at school? No one wants to eat PB&J sandwiches all day long; you need some new school lunch ideas.

My kids love when they open their lunch boxes and find something different than yesterday. I often try out recipes throughout the summer or on the weekends to see what my kids like, and then I make those for their school lunches. Some of these recipes are great for meal prepping on the weekends.

If you want some new inspiration this year while packing lunches, here are some delicious, creative ideas that your kids will love.

23 School Lunch Ideas Your Kids Will Love

1. Pizza Dippers for School Lunch

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids love to dip – anything. This school lunch idea is so easy – all you need to do is make pepperoni and cheese skewers with pita bread on the side. Then, put some pizza sauce in a container for dip. Your kids will love this!

2. Homemade Peanut Butter and Jelly Uncrustable Sandwiches

Let’s be honest; Uncrustables are amazing, but who wants to pay that much money for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Not me! These homemade uncrustables are the next best thing, and you can customize with different types of jellies that your kids love. These freeze well for easy meal prep!

3. Easy BBQ Chicken Taquitos

We make taquitos for dinner, and my kids think they’re delicious. This recipe is easy; you make it in under 30 minutes. All you need is some leftover shredded chicken, cheese, and bbq sauce. You also can make these in large batches and freeze.

I also toss these in my husband’s lunch sometimes!

4. Mini Star-Shaped Ham Sandwiches

Kids eat with their eyes like adults, and these star ham sandwiches are the perfect way to reinvent a classic school lunch. All you need are sandwich cutters to make the star shape! You also could make these with turkey if you wanted.

5. Pepperoni & Cheese Pizza Muffins

Do your kids love pizza as much as mine? They love ANYTHING pizza related, so I knew these would be a hit. They have tons of cheese and pepperoni inside; all you have to do is serve some pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

6. Turkey, Ham, and Cheese Apple Sandwiches

I was skeptical about this idea at first; I’m not a meat and fruit combination fan myself. However, I went out on a whim and tried these for my kids – they thought they were amazing. The sweet and savory combination is delicious, and kids love seeing these in their lunches.

7. Easy Turkey Wraps

I love school lunch ideas that don’t feel like a kid meal. My kids eat a lot of different things, and these easy turkey wraps take only a few minutes to put together. Customize with your kid’s favorite combination of meat and cheese; then, top with veggies and sauce. These would also work great as road trip food!

8. Cheddar and Chives Scones

I love scones; I find all kinds of amazing recipes for them. Scones can be sweet or savory, and kids devour them as fast as I make them. These cheddar and chives scones are the perfect addition in your kids’ lunches; I would pair these with some cubed meat and cheese and fresh fruit – yum!

9. Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars are a must-have for school lunches, but the ones at the store are pricey AND full of ingredients you might not want to feed your kids. These homemade, healthy granola bars are tasty without too much sugar, and you can add things that your kids love like raisins or chocolate chips.

10. Homemade Gluten-Free Pizza Lunchable

If your family eats gluten-free, it might be hard to tell your kids they can’t have the cool lunchables they see at the store or their friends have at school. These gluten-free, homemade pizza lunchables are a healthy version of the ones you get at the store, and kids love them.

11. Chicken Salad Wraps

Here’s another yummy school lunch idea – chicken salad wraps. Make a batch of this homemade chicken salad and roll it up in a tortilla. Serve with some chips and desserts for a complete lunch.

12. Taco Roll-Up Pinwheels

Bring Taco Tuesdays to your kids’ lunches and make taco pinwheels. All kids love pinwheel sandwiches. Simply brown up some ground beef, spread sour cream or cream cheese on the tortillas, sprinkle on cheese, then roll it up and cut.

13. Bread Pizza Cups

Bread pizza cups are a quick snack that only takes 20 minutes to make. You need sandwich bread that’s rolled flat, pressed into muffin tins, and filled with sauce and extra veggies you might have on hand.

14. Easy Homemade Pizza Pockets

Once again, kids love pizza. Use homemade or store-bought dough and fill them with your toppings. Bake them and enjoy! This recipe freezes well, so make huge batches and store them in your freezer. They unthaw in the microwave in one to two minutes.

15. Mini Burger Bites

Mini burger bites are one of the school lunch ideas your kids will think is awesome. Use seasoned meatballs and add the toppings that your kids love, and put some condiments on the side for dipping.

16. Waffle Sandwiches

I love this creative twist on the classic cheese sandwich – make it in a waffle maker instead! If you want to make it even better, add some slices of apples on the sandwich.

This would be great for a peanut butter and chocolate chip sandwich as well; the heat would melt the chocolate – yum!

17. Pinwheel Sandwiches

Pinwheels again! This time, make your kids favorite sandwich, like turkey sandwiches, and roll them up on tortillas. Cut them into pinwheel chunks and serve. Kids seem to like these more than regular sandwiches.

18. Spicy Chicken Tenders

Do you have a kid that likes a bit of spice? These chicken tenders use buffalo sauce to kick up the spice level; serve them with some ranch on the side. These are a sure-fire hit with your heat-loving kiddo.

19. Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad

This kid-friendly pasta salad is packed with lots of fresh veggies, which makes it a healthy, filling, colourful, and delicious meal that your child will love! I’ve never thought about using corn in pasta salad, but it might be a new addition all the time.

20. Tuna Pinwheels

These veg-packed tuna pinwheels are perfect for school lunchboxes! They’re made with canned tuna, canned chickpeas, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and cream cheese, all rolled up in a tasty tortilla wrap and cut into bite size slices.

21. Meatball Stuffed Pita Pockets

These 5 ingredient Meatballs Pita Pockets, made with pantry staples, are the perfect easy back to school eat, family dinner, appetizer, or snack. I would serve them with some sort of dip on the side; we love dips.

22. Hawaiian Chicken Salad with Pineapple

This twist on the classic chicken salad is delicious and toddler-approved. You only need five ingredients to toss it together; I use canned chicken to make my life even easier. Instead of putting it on bread or a tortilla, I serve this with crackers, and my kids think it’s the bomb.

23. Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket with Bagel Seasoning

Kids love pigs in a blanket, and I can’t believe I never considered using everything bagel on them. Now, I can’t get this idea out of my head. Not only is this a great school lunch idea but it would be amazing for an easy dinner.


Don’t let your kids lunches feel boring and flat. Make some of these awesome school lunch ideas; your kids will be excited every time they open their lunch boxes.

Are your kids sick of the same old lunches? Try these fun and easy school lunch ideas your kids will love - guaranteed!

3 thoughts on “23 School Lunch Ideas Your Kids Will Love”

  1. Pingback: How to Make School Mornings Easier: 12 Helpful Tips

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