15 Easy Cold Lunch Ideas for Kids

Make it easier to come up with cold lunch ideas for kids with this super easy options that go beyond sandwiches! You can pack these kids lunches to be served cold or at room temperature at daycare, preschool, big kid school, and camp.

Whenever we need cold lunch ideas for kids, whether for preschool, elementary school, or a day on the go, these options are the ones I turn to again and again. These kids lunches don’t need to be reheated and can be eaten right out of their lunch bag. Each of these can be packed with an ice pack (ideally!) or can be served at room temperature if needed.

These cold lunch ideas for kids work as school lunches for kids, camp lunches ideas, summer lunches ideas, and toddler lunch Ideas. There are a range of options to give you ideas (even if you have a “picky eater“), and most of these can be packed ahead of time to simplify your morning routine.

I even have tips for which foods you can freeze and use as ice packs, that will thaw and be ready to be consumed by lunch time. Win!

(You may also like Make-Ahead Toddler Dinners, Kids Lunch Boxes, and best Kids Thermoses.)

1. Sesame Noodles

Combine fully cooked and slightly cooled noodles with green beans and a simple sesame sauce for cold sesame noodles. Add easy sides to this kids lunch like a fruit cup (I like the ones packed in 100% fruit juice) and veggie straws. You can use any type of noodle that your kids prefer—and enjoy this for your own lunch, too.

P.S. Scroll to the bottom of this post of cold lunch ideas for kids for the full recipe.

2. Parmesan Noodles with Peas

Toss fully cooked pasta with a little olive oil or butter—or Spinach Pesto—and grated Parmesan cheese and pack with peas and a side of fruit. You can send this to be eaten like my Best Pasta Salad, chilled or at room temperature in a bento box for kids.

3. Sunflower Seed Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Make a simple sandwich with sunflower seed butter (or any nut or seed butter allowed in your center or school) with jam. Add some crackers, sliced cucumbers, and a clementine alongside. (Peel the clementine for younger kids. This partially peeled option works for kids 3 or 4 and up who should be able to finish peeling it themselves.)

Click here for more easy ideas for sandwiches for kids.

4. Banana “Sushi”

Spread a whole grain wrap with sunflower seed butter, add a ripe banana and roll up. If at home, slice into rounds as shown above. If packing as a homemade summer lunch idea or school lunch, only slice in half to help prevent the banana from browning. Pack in a lunch box for kids with simple lunch snacks such as crackers for toddlers and shelf-stable milk or another drink.

5. Sandwich Roll-Up

Use a nut-free spread, such as sunflower seed butter or granola butter, or just use jam to make easy Sandwich Roll-Ups. This one of those cold lunch ideas for kids that works when they are bored of sandwiches the usual way.

6. Bagel Sandwich with Veggie and Fruit

Use a regular or mini bagel to make a simple sandwich. Try hummus, sunflower seed butter, or another nut or seed butter. Or use jam, a favorite lunch meat option, or hummus. Add fruit and a vegetable for lunch and a drink.

7. Hummus and Pita

A smear of store-bought or Homemade Hummus without Tahini (for a nut- and seed-free option) is one of our go-to cold lunch ideas for kids. Add simple sides to round out this meal as you like. This is a fast 5-minute homemade lunch idea and one that works as a baby-led weaning recipe or meal, too.

8. Pesto Pasta Salad with Fruit and Puffs

Pasta salad is a great cold lunch idea for kids, since you can make it in advance and use it as a meal prep lunch idea for a few lunches in the same week. This Pesto Pasta Salad is easy to make and easy to pack, and you can adjust it with veggies and beans your kids like (or just make it with pasta only). Add puffs and a fruit.

9. Quinoa Salad

Make a flavorful grain salad, like this easy Quinoa Salad to mix up cold lunches for kids. Use the cheese and veggies your family prefers, and pack with a Yogurt Drink or Strawberry Smoothie in an insulated lunch bag for kids with an ice pack.

10. Snack Lunch

I love assembling a mix of snacks from different food groups as an easy cold lunch idea for kids. This works just as well as snack dinner! Babybel cheese can be left at room temperature, which makes it a great option as one of our cold lunch ideas for kids, along with fresh produce, crackers, and a snack bar.

11. Cheese and Crackers Lunch

Vary the snack lunch by building around cheese and whole grain crackers. This is an easy toddler lunch and can work as a kindergarten lunch for older kids too. Add milk or a smoothie in a reusable pouch to make this one more filling as needed.

12. Dry Cereal Lunch

Dry cereal for kids can be an easy lunch option when paired with protein snacks for kids that you may have on hand. You can also pack cereal in a larger section of a lunchbox and send a small container of milk to be poured over top for older kids to have breakfast for lunch.

13. Hummus Wrap

Spread hummus onto a whole grain tortilla, add thinly sliced veggies such as lettuce or bell pepper, then roll up, and slice with a serrated knife to make an easy Vegetarian Hummus Wrap. Add simple sides such as fruit and yogurt or crackers. Use my method to store fresh apples without browning to send apple slices, too.

14. Muffin Lunch

Bake a batch of healthy muffins for kids and pack one as the main dish. This is one of our favorite easy cold lunch ideas for kids. Add easy sides such as a cheese stick, fruit, or thinly sliced veggies. We love Healthy Strawberry Muffins, Banana Zucchini Muffins, Spinach Muffins, and my Donut Muffins for this.

15. Pancake Lunch

Pack leftover pancakes in a lunch box or even as a sandwich! Spread on nut or seed butter or jam (or both!) and pack or dice as needed for a younger child. Add some simple sides as shown above.

Foods You Can Freeze and Use as Ice Packs

If you aren’t able to send an ice pack with a lunch and there’s no fridge option, or you just want to keep the food colder, try freezing these items the night before and packing frozen. They all thaw in about 3-4 hours at room temperature. (Skip the dairy-based items if you expect the lunch to be in warm temperatures.)

• Yogurt pouches
• Applesauce pouches
• Veggie pouches
• Cheese sticks
• Frozen fruit (in a bag or bento box container)
• Milk cartons
• Juice boxes

Shelf-Stable Lunch Sides to Add

You can look at my favorite Healthy Kids Snacks for more ideas, but here are some great shelf-stable lunch side to add to lunches.

• Fruit cup in 100% fruit juice
• Applesauce pouches
• Freeze-dried fruit
• Boxes of raisins
• Dino Bars
• Granola bars, Larabars, or other snack bars
• Crackers or dry cereal
• Veggie straws or snap pea crisps
• Shelf-stable milk cartons
• Moon Cheese
• SunButter single serve packets

Best Tips for Success

• Aim to include foods that you are reasonably sure that your child likes.
• Add easy sides such as snap peas, fruit salad, raspberries, cheese cubes, string cheese, diced watermelon, and more.
• Aim for the food to be easy to eat, so cut, dice, or otherwise serve the foods in ways that are appropriate for the age of your child. Slice oranges into wedges, cut grapes in half for kids under age 4.
• Consider if they have a teacher who can help them open packages, too, if that is a challenge.
• Pack food in a lunch box with ice packs or in an insulated lunch bag to keep the food at a safe temperature.
• Avoid peanut butter, nut butter, and nuts if needed for your school or center.
• Try sending leftovers such as hard-boiled eggs, chicken salad, pizza, Ham and Cheese Pinwheels, or black beans with salsa and cheese.
• Check out my Pinwheel Sandwiches and Turkey Wrap ideas for more easy cold lunch options.

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I’d love to hear your thoughts on these ideas or if you have others to add. Please comment below to help make my content better and share with more families!

This post was first published July 2020.