32 Toddler Lunch Ideas You’ll Love!

This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

PB&J getting a little old? Tired of waiting until 11:39am to figure out what you’ll feed the kids? You’re in luck! Today, I’m serving up 32 toddler lunch ideas that are easy, quick, and super doable.

The Anatomy of a Toddler Lunch

First, let’s go over the general guidelines I follow when coming up with new toddler lunch ideas.

Fruit or Veggies

I always aim to include a fruit or a veggie. You totally can serve both, but you don’t have to. Fruit & veggies can be fresh, frozen, canned, packaged– they all have benefits, so serve whatever you’ve got in the cupboard and in the budget.

Just be sure to look for fruits that don’t have added sugar. This means opting for canned or packaged fruit in 100% juice instead of syrup.

And of course, some days, I will serve a lunch or other meal without a fruit or veggie, and that’s okay. They will survive. Just make it up at the next meal or snack (or even tomorrow if your fridge and pantry are bare!).

Whole Grains

Whole grains are the sh*t. No, seriously! They help to keep kids from getting constipated, which is why I try to include them in every meal I serve my kids.

I find that the best sources of whole grains for toddlers are whole grain breads, pastas, and crackers, so try and reach for these whenever you can.

Something New!

Toddlers often have a better appetite at lunch than they do at dinner, which makes lunch a great time to include something new in their meal! As long as they’re at home, they’re way more likely to try a new food at this time of day.

That said, if you’re packing a lunch, you’ll want to make sure it’s mostly (or all) items they like. When they’re out, your main goal is to get them to eat enough fuel to make it through the rest of the day at daycare or preschool, so it’s unfair to them if you pack mostly unfamiliar foods or ones that you know they’re not crazy about.

My Favorite Toddler Lunch Products

Once you start looking through the toddler lunch ideas included below, you’ll probably notice that we rely heavily on a few go-to lunch packing items.

I’m linking all of the products I love most here, so that you can easily shop for any that happen to catch your eye!

For Lunch On-The-Go

Lunchbots Trio Bento Box

Lunchbots Five Section Bento Box

Leak-Proof Dip Containers

Snack-Size Leak Proof Containers (love these for things like yogurt!)

Ice Packs for Lunch Box

For Lunch At Home

Divided Plates

Silicone Plate & Mat

The Best Starter Utensils

32 Toddler Lunch Ideas

Some of these are for my 5 year old and some for my 2 year old – I made a note when it’s a 5 year old lunch because some contain foods that are choking hazards for toddlers (like whole grapes, whole nuts). For a full list of choking hazards for toddlers see this post.

toddler lunch replay recycled plate with salmon blueberries and whole grain crackers

1: 1 can of salmon (lower in mercury than tuna and more mild tasting) with about 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise and 1 tsp dijon mustard (I split the can between the kids) with Triscuits and blueberries.

purple toddler divided plate with chickpeas carrots noodles and bread for lunch

2: Chickpeas, hummus (she asked for some with her carrots), leftover noodles, thin sliced carrots and peppers.

toddler plate with yogurt

3: Plain whole milk yogurt with a bit of Crofter’s Superfruit spread, frozen mixed veggies (still frozen, she likes them that way), pieces of cashews, whole wheat crackers.

4: Granola butter sandwich, chocolate butternut squash muffin, and fresh raspberries. Berries are one of my favorite fruits to pack because I don’t have to chop anything!

packed toddler lunch for daycare

5: Leftover biscuit from dinner, a couple crackers, cheese stick (slice lengthwise for young toddler and can cut into half moon bite size pieces), blueberries, and cucumbers cut with veggie cutters.

preschool lunch box healthy lunch sandwich fruit vegetable

6: Almond butter and Crofter’s jelly on whole wheat (bread recs here), raw broccoli, raspberries.

7: Eek bad lighting! Simple Mills crackers, 1/3 of a Nature Valley almond butter granola bar, pineapple, chickpeas, dates. This is a “help, the fridge is bare!” kind of lunch!

8: Chopped dried mango, cinammon topped yogurt, 1/2 of a Nature Valley almond butter granola bar, clementines, broccoli.

9: Zucchini banana bread muffins, carrots, hummus, triscuits, and oranges.

10: Simple Mills almond flour crackers, blueberries, mini black bean brownie bite, carrot chips, and hummus.

11: Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, dates, pepper, sliced grapes (for my 2 year old). Pretzel sticks and whole grapes for my 5 year old.

12: Cashew butter sandwich, cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, and seaweed snacks (surprising toddler favorite!).

13: 1/4 granola butter sandwich on Dave’s Killer Bread White Bread Done Right, egg whites (they don’t like the yolks), cucumber, chickpeas, zucchini banana bread mini muffins.

14: Leftover dinner roll with butter, orange, carrots, cucumber, hummus.

15: Slice of a peanut butter oatmeal bake (this recipe plus peanut butter swirled in), kiwi, and hard boiled egg.

toddler hot lunch with quinoa and fruit

16: Quinoa cooks up pretty quickly and is a good protein source! I served it with some Amy’s refried beans, steamed potato wedges with olive oil, and strawberries and cantaloupe.

healthy toddler lunch divided plate

17: Almond butter and honey roll up on a tortilla, leftover sauteed garlicky kale, and watermelon sticks. My kids at this kale before they got into their picky stage!

bento lunchbox idea for toddlers with avocado and pasta

18: Leftover pasta with veggie packed tomato sauce, pb & j, avocado, carrots, clementines. I did the pb&j and pasta because I wasn’t sure what she would eat so I gave 2 options!

packed finger foods lunch

19: Raspberries, cheese crackers, leftover chicken, peppers, cucumber, carrot, and chickpeas. Chickpeas are a staple for us, but feel free to sub in black beans, pinto beans, or even peas!

ezpz mat lunch idea toddler

20: Rice, black beans, and shredded cheese (I used microwave rice!) with cucumber sticks and freeze dried raspberries. Those are fun for a little crunch and are still packed with nutrition.

bento box with egg for kids

21: Raisins, roasted chicken from Trader Joe’s, egg whites (just because she didn’t want the yolk that day), cucumber strips. And 1/2 of an almond butter and jelly on whole wheat bread.

packed lunch with yogurt and oranges

22: 1 tbsp canned pumpkin and 1 tsp honey mixed into plain whole milk Fage Greek yogurt, frozen peas, oranges. And a No Bake Nut Butter bar – I make these and freeze them for an easy grab and go option.

tomato soup lunch

23: Rice cake for something crunchy, Pacific tomato soup, apple slices, leftover crispy baked chicken, leftover roasted parsnips and butternut squash.

toddler sandwich lunch

24: Cream cheese and jelly with a “T” theme (I was feeling extra this day apparently). Along with broccoli “trees” and a couple carrots.

packed lunch for preschool

25: Butter and jelly on an english muffin, a hard boiled egg, and some watermelon and honeydew.

packed lunches with muffins and fruit and carrots

26: Top: carrot chips (near the baby carrots in the store), cashews, walnuts, craisins, unsweetened dried mango, carrot apple muffins. This was my 5 year old’s lunch.

Bottom: leftover chicken, carrots, muffin, craisins, cheerios, and dried mango cut into pieces.

27: Zucchini banana bread muffins, cucumbers, clementines, raisins, triscuits (bottom has hippeas and unsweetened applesauce).

28: This was one of those days I had very little food on hand! Nuts are filling so even though this doesn’t look like much, it can be enough for lunch! Celery and peppers, oranges, pieces of cashews, and Made Good chocolate chip granola minis.

lunch with cottage cheese and broccoli cheese soup

29: Broccoli cheese soup (storebought), Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Cups with hemp seeds on top (similar to this recipe). Plus a strawberry and some cottage cheese mixed with strawberry jam.

30: Cottage cheese with leftover blueberries that were frozen and I cooked down to make more concentrated. Served with roasted broccoli, brussels, and snap peas in avocado oil and salt and pepper, 1/2 pb&j, watermelon.

packed toddler lunch banana bread

31: Peppers, berries, cashews (chop up for your toddler), and banana bread.

pineapple_chicken_with_rice

32: Leftovers! This pineapple chicken recipe is popular with kids who love chicken and love sweeter tasting foods.

Have a picky eater who won’t eat most of these things?

I’ve been there too. I know it’s frustrating when you scroll through and only come away with one or two ideas that your kid *might* eat.

There is tons of support here at Mama Knows Nutrition for picky eaters, including the Simple Steps to Picky Wins Course, helpful blog posts, and podcast episodes!

About Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN, LD

Kacie is a mom of two and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with her Masters of Clinical Nutrition. Kacie offers e-guides and e-books, workshops, brand partnerships, and nutrition counseling. Her blog offers nutrition and feeding tips for your little ones.

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments

  1. Can I serve frozen veggies still frozen? A lot of the packages I have say that for safety reasons they need to be cooked.