Top 57+ school lunch box ideas

It’s an everyday dilemma for busy parents: what to pack in the kids’ lunch boxes. Something tasty and well-balanced, but also quick and easy to put together in the morning chaos. So, we’ve created this collection of tasty lunch box ideas for the year ahead.

When packing your child’s lunch box, it’s all about clever ideas to keep it interesting and appealing.

How to pack the perfect lunch box

The key to keeping children alert and active throughout the afternoon at school is through a balanced lunch. There are various components to include in your child’s lunch box:

• Lean protein such as meat, chicken, fish or eggs.
• Dairy such as yoghurt or cheese.
• Healthy carbohydrates, including wholemeal or wholegrain bread, wraps, crackers, pasta, rice or other grains.
• Fresh fruit and vegies, packed as whole pieces (apples, carrots, cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers, for example). Alternatively, cut them up and place in small containers.

As well as recess and lunch, many schools will break for ‘crunch and sip’ during the mid-morning. Fruit or vegetable sticks and a drink of water are usually good ‘crunch and sip’ options.

Plan & prepare

To make your mornings easier, think about what will go in your child’s lunch box with these ideas:

• Choose foods that can be prepared either the day before or even on the weekend, and then frozen or refrigerated.
• Cut a week’s worth of vegetable sticks on Sunday; they’ll keep all week, portioned in containers.
• Bake double batches of muffins, cakes, scones, pastries etc. and freeze.

Another great tip is to use the leftovers from your dinner. A roast chicken makes great sandwiches. A piece of quiche or zucchini slice can be saved. Or put a little pasta aside and turn it into a pasta salad.

Fresh fruit is nature’s ‘no preparation required’ individually packaged snack food. It’s high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and ideal for the lunch box. If you do want to give your child cut-up fruit, however, you can do this the night before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Food safety

Once a box is packed and on its way to school, keeping the contents cool is the key to food safety. There are some great and affordable lunchbox and refrigerated bag options out there with frozen ice packs. If you don’t have one, freezing a plastic bottle of water or juice will do the same thing, and will go down a treat on a hot summer’s day once thawed. Yoghurt can also be frozen overnight and will be thawed and ready to eat by recess. Packing sandwiches straight from the freezer will also keep things chilled for just that extra bit longer.

The lowest risk foods for spoilage are vegies and fruit, dried foods (crackers, biscuits etc) and items such as muesli bars, dried fruits and popcorn.

For hot food, a thermos flask will hold foods at the right temperature for hours. It can keep soups, casseroles, rice dishes, pasta etc. hot for up to six hours. Consider pre-heating the thermos by carefully filling with hot water from the kettle for a few minutes, then draining, wiping dry and immediately filling and sealing.

Tasty lunch box recipes

cornflake cake mix cookies on a pink cloth

An aerial view of the top of tomato and cheese savoury muffins with spinach.

Easy, cheesy savoury muffins

Use store-bought pancake mix and have the muffin batter in the tin in 10 minutes.

Homemade muesli bars in the air fryer

Tuna sushi sandwiches

Tuna sushi sandwiches

These delicious tuna sushi style sandwiches are perfect for a kids’ lunchbox or light snack with drinks.

raspberry muffins

Raspberry muffins

Use this basic muffin recipe as your starting point and experiment with other berries.

Pizza scrolls

Cornflake biscuits in a jar

red velvet cookies sandwiched with icing on a marble slab

Mini crustless quiche with bacon & tomato

Julie Goodwin’s muesli slice

Our best banana bread recipe, sliced on a chopping board

Air fryer banana muffins with pecans

Anzac slice

Pumpkin fritters natural yoghurt, lime pickle, fresh mint and salad

4-ingredient triple choc brownies

A group of cheese and vegemite scrolls with one broken off and ready to eat.

Banana and date muffins

Popcorn-coated chicken with honey BBQ sauce

Air fryer popcorn-coated chicken with honey BBQ sauce

The kids will love this one!

Air fryer banana bread served with ricotta and honey

high fibre mixed berry weetbix smoothie

rice paper rolls on a platter

Bacon and cheese scones

Several basic cheese muffins

Basic cheese muffins

These basic cheese muffins are best kind of lunchbox fillers. Switch up the flavours with our four variations.

Brekkie bliss balls

Brekkie bliss balls

The kids won’t believe which breakfast cereal forms the basis of these delicious bliss balls.

spinach & fetta air fryer puff pastry twists on a serving platter

Air fryer puff pastry twists with spinach & fetta

These spinach and fetta twists will keep in an air tight container for up to three days.

Basic muffin recipe

Date and Apricot Loaf

Date and apricot loaf

Densely packed with the sweetness and texture of dried fruit, this date and apricot loaf is a perfect accompaniment to your morning cuppa. Serve with lashings of butter.

Apricot bliss balls recipe

Apricot bliss balls

Have a ball making (and eating) these fabulous apricot bliss balls.

Lunchbox eggs with everything-bagel seasoning

Lunchbox eggs with everything-bagel seasoning

Create a simple lunchbox snack with everything bagel seasoning and boiled eggs.

Corn and buttermilk fritters

Corn and buttermilk fritters

These tangy corn fritters are delicious served crisp and warm from the frying pan with roasted tomatoes.

Blueberry breakfast muesli bars

Apricot choc-chip muesli bars

wheaty banana muffins

Leftover Cereal Slice

Chocolate Weetbix Slice

Zucchini and sweet potato loaf

ZUCCHINI AND CORN Bread

Classic beef pasties

Carrot, zucchini and bacon slice, one of Women's Weekly Food's zucchini recipes

Zucchini slice with carrot and bacon

This easy to make slice makes a great meal served with salad. And it’s perfect for the lunchbox too!

Zucchini and cheese fritters

Zucchini and cheese fritters

These hot and crunchy fritters make for the best snacks. Serve them with your favourite dip for a delicious lunch-box treat.

Date scones

Date scones

These light, fluffy scones with the added sweetness of dates are perfect for a morning or afternoon snack.

Tasty tuna croquettes

Tasty tuna croquettes

Enjoy these tasty treats as a lunchbox snack or for tapas with friends. It doesn’t matter who they’re for, any tuna lover will adore these croquettes.

Zucchini slice on a board

Zucchini slice

It’s an easy family favourite that can be enjoyed warm or cold.

Cheesymite scrolls

Cheesymite scrolls

This cheesymite scrolls recipe brings together Vegemite and cheese in a delicious crispy scroll you can enjoy as a snack or in your work lunchbox.

ZUCCHINI AND CORN MUFFINS

Zucchini and corn muffins

These tasty muffins make a brilliant after school snack, or light lunchbox filler. The combination of fresh zucchini, sweet corn and salty cheddar works perfectly together to create these moreish treats.

Raspberry and Banana Mini Muffins

Raspberry and banana mini muffins

Buttermilk gives these fruity, easy-to-make muffins a delicious, tangy flavour.

quick chicken nuggets recipe

Quick chicken nuggets

Moist chicken breast chunks with a crunchy coating will be popular with adults and kids alike and you’ll know exactly what’s in them!

scroll filling recipes

Ham, cheese and zucchini pizza scrolls

These scrolls are great for school lunchboxes (instead of sandwiches) and after-school snacks.

MINI HAM, CHEESE AND TOMATO FRITTATAS

Mini ham, cheese and tomato frittatas

Light, fluffy and packed full of creamy melted cheese and fresh ham, these mini frittatas are easy to make and perfect for a quick breakfast or on-the-go lunch.

Mini tomato and cheese quiches

Mini tomato and cheese quiches

Easy to make and wonderfully tasty, these quiches are brilliant enjoyed hot out of the oven with a fresh side salad or as eaten cool as a tasty school lunchbox snack.

Chicken and mango rice paper rolls

Chicken and mango rice paper rolls

Enjoy these light, refreshing chicken and mango rice paper rolls on a warm summer’s afternoon. A Vietnamese classic, the rolls are wonderful served as finger food with a zesty chilli lime dipping sauce.

LUNCHBOX PASTA SALAD

Lunch box pasta salad

This great pasta salad is brilliant as a lunch for work or school, but you can also serve it as a side dish to grilled or barbecued meats.

banana and blueberry bread

cherry squares with coconut ice frosting

Spotty cookies

Spotty cookies

Colourful, chocolatey and utterly moorish, these tasty spotty cookies are perfect for a bake stall or school fete.

HAM, ZUCCHINI AND CHIVE MUFFINS

lemon and currant loaf

Lemon and currant loaf

Loaf can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note