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If you’re looking for gluten-free lunches your kids will love and are easy to pack, I’ve got you covered. All of these lunch ideas are kid-favorite recipes recreated and free of all gluten and grains.
Plus, these lunches are both filling and healthy so you can feel good about packing them for an office lunch too. Keep reading to see all the ideas, but first, watch this video to see how these easy gluten-free lunches are made.
Related: Top 5 Lunchboxes We’ve Tested
Having go-to recipes you know your family loves and are free of gluten will always come to the rescue. I have created an entire ebook with over 100 lunch ideas, and the majority are naturally gluten-free. When gluten is present in a recipe or idea there is always an easy swap you can make so that you can enjoy the recipe too. Click to download the book below.
101 Packed Lunches eBook
All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child's lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive my Pack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!
Gluten-Free Sandwiches
One thing people, especially kids, miss the most when going gluten-free is the easy access to bread! Finding the right, gluten-free bread for sandwiches can be tricky, and it’s why I started making my own as well as testing out favorites from the store until I found something we liked.
Here are the best gluten-free bread options you can use with your favorite sandwich fillings to make an epic gluten-free sandwich.
- Grain-Free Blender Bread Recipe
- Cloud Bread – perfect for low carb sandwiches
- Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-free bread
Now that bread is back on the menu, you can get back to making your family’s favorite sandwiches like PB & J and pack them for lunch! If you happen to have a peanut allergy, I’ve got options for you! These 5 nut-free butter alternatives are all delicious and perfect for making sandwiches, toasts, spreading over fruit, or eating by the spoonful.
Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas
Avoiding gluten might mean checking every label of every food product you buy, but once you get used to living with a food allergy, you’ll start to figure out quickly what’s safe and what’s not. Add these 8 gluten-free lunch ideas to your school lunch rotation to make packing allergy-friendly lunches a breeze!
How to Pack Gluten-Free Lunches
A lot of gluten-free lunch recipes involve finger foods, hot lunches, and salads so having the right container goes a long way. Containers with compartments and thermoses have proven to be the most helpful when it comes to packing non-sandwich lunches and I’ve got an entire post reviewing the top MOMables lunch container recommendations which you can check out here.
Bonus! Gluten-Free Snacks
If you are on the lookout for gluten-free lunches chances are you could use a few gluten-free snack options as well. Am I right?!
What I love about the recipes below is they are made with all-natural, fresh ingredients and a healthier alternative to pre-packaged options. Of course, kids love these recipes because it reminds them of their favorite store-bought snacks.
- Homemade Fruit Leather
- Banana Chips
- High Fiber Chocolate Bites
- Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bites
- Ham & Cheese Apple Wraps
If you want more packed lunch inspiration be sure to check out other posts like this fast and healthy office lunch ideas. Don’t be fooled by the title, all of these recipes are kid-friendly too and pack just as easily in a school lunch bag.
Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas for Everyone
Watch How It’s Packed:
Ingredients
Gluten Free Fish Sticks
- ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, or vegan Parmesan topping
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound cod fillets, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside.
- Add the flour to a plate and set it aside. Pour the coconut milk into a shallow dish and set aside.
- In a separate shallow dish, combine the flax meal, bread crumbs, Parmesan, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- To dredge, dip each fish piece into the flour, then the milk, and finally, the crumb mixture, coating both sides and pressing lightly to adhere.
- Place the fish sticks onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, flipping once halfway through.
Sahna says
I’ve added these to my rotation this year!
April says
I searched gluten free lunches and there was a list of ten ideas…zucchini waffles being one of them, yet the recipe calls for all purpose flour – can you get gluten free all purpose flour? We are new to the whole gluten free thing and just trying to find some food to eat :)
MOMables-Laura says
Hi April! You can absolutely use all-purpose gluten-free flour with that recipe!
April L Wallace says
I searched gluten free lunches and there was a list of ten ideas…zucchini waffles being one of them, yet the recipe calls for all purpose flour – can you get gluten free all purpose flour? We are new to the whole gluten free thing and just trying to find some food to eat :)
Deborah Ryder says
April,
YES!!! There are several out there that you can get at the grocery store: I use King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure, Pillsbury and Bob’s Red Mill also have a version of this all-purpose gluten-free flour. I’m not sure what the names of the other brands are exactly but a google search on ‘gluten-free all-purpose flour will give you lots of options, including brands you can buy online, like gfJules gluten-free all-purpose flour. Just a small tip, check the ingredient label on the flour to make sure it is one that has either xythem (sp?) gum or gar gum as these take the place of the gluten in regular wheat flour. That will make your cooking life a lot easier as you won’t have to purchase that ingredient and figure out the correct ratio to add to your recipe.
Jenna Marie says
I was skeptip about gluten-free fish sticks. I mean, who brings them for lunch? But I made them for dinner (they were delicious and devoured) and decided to follow your advice and pack them in a lunchbox anwyay. To my surprise, they were eaten and they were still great. Kid: i liked my sticks for lunch! I’ll be making more of these gluten-free lunch ideas for school in the upcoming weeks. thanks!
Jacque F. says
Thanks for posting these! For the recipes that include food better served warm, any tips? Do you warm up in the morning before packing?
MOMables - Laura says
Yes, I usually warm in the microwave before packing into a thermos or lunch container!
BobbiP says
Are the broccoli nuggets gluten free? They contain bread crumbs…
MOMables-Laura says
They can be made with regular or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
audrey says
Thank you so much! I have a gluten allergy and it is so hard to find things to pack in my lunch
MOMables - Laura says
Glad you found it helpful!
Tiff S. says
Thanks for some great suggestions. You might want to make a disclaimer to use GF flour with those zucchini waffles. My mom would totally follow the recipe to a T, and think they were gluten free because your title says GF lunches, but the video says to add flour :-D
MOMables - Laura says
Hi Tiff, I just checked the recipe and it includes a note about gluten-free flour. Hope this helps!