If your kids are fans of the pre-packaged lunches from the grocery store, why not make your own healthy lunchables at home?
These homemade lunchable ideas, like the Turkey & Cheese Box, are filled with more delicious and nutrient-dense foods and they’re just as fun to assemble.
How to Make Healthy Lunchables
It’s not hard to recreate lunchables that your kids will be excited to eat. You can build one using a combination of fresh ingredients like the ones below or choose a popular lunchable recipe, like the pizza and tacos options I recreated.
- Rolled deli meat
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Sliced pepperoni
- Cheese cubes or slices
- Sliced apples
- Grapes
- Berries
- Whole-grain crackers
- Pita wedges
- Pretzels
- Tortilla chips
- Baby carrots
- Celery sticks
- Hummus
- Ranch
- Guacamole
I recommend using a compartmentalized lunch container like these to keep any wet and dry items separate. Lidded sauce containers also make a perfect vessel for dips and sauces.
If you find lunch ideas like this one helpful, you’ll find much more in the 101 Packed Lunch Ideas eBook. It’s filled with kid-approved recipes and tips to help you pack awesome lunches every week.
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!
Healthy Lunchable Ideas
These homemade lunchable ideas are inspired by the same options you can find at the grocery store but made with better ingredients. More color, variety, and goodness- what’s not to love?
Want something a smidge more mature? Try one of these adult lunchables!
Pizza Lunchable
- pita rounds
- marinara sauce
- cheese
- toppings
Taco Lunchable
- tortillas or baked wonton wrappers
- cooked taco meat or black beans
- shredded cheese
- salsa
- sour cream
- guacamole
Chicken Nuggets Lunchable
- chicken nuggets
- carrot & celery sticks
- strawberries
- dipping sauce
Turkey & Cheese Bento Box
- rolled deli turkey
- sliced cheese
- crackers
- fruit
Tex Mex Bento Box
- chips
- guacamole
- grape tomatoes
- pepper jack cheese
- pitted black olives
- bell pepper strips
Pizza Bento Box
- pita chips
- hummus
- sliced pepperoni
- cubed cheese
- roasted red bell pepper
Bell Pepper Nachos
- bell peppers
- taco meat
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- guacamole
- black olives
So many delicious options to choose from, which lunchable will you create first?
Healthy Homemade Lunchables | Turkey & Cheese Lunchable
A healthy lunchable you can make at home with fresh, better-for-you ingredients.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 lunchable 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
- 4–6 slices deli turkey, rolled
- 1-ounce cheese, sliced
- 1 cup berries, your choice
- Whole-grain crackers
Instructions
- Evenly dived the ingredients into a compartmentalized lunch container. Pack the crackers in a separate compartment or container to prevent them from getting soggy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 lunch
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 1187mg
- Fat: 13.6g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 5.3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 66mg
Leah
Love your channel :) from Canada
MOMables-Laura
Thank you, Leah!!
Sarah James
I would have never thought about the pizza and the taco homemade lunchable ideas. I really appreciate these because I can see now that it is better to make my own -not to mention the store bought ones are not enough food!
★★★★★
MOMables-Laura
Thank you, Sarah! I’m so glad these ideas are helpful, and yes, you are correct, these include a lot more food.
Julie
What type of container are you showing?
Thanks,
Julie
MOMables
Julie, that’s a lunchbots trio. You can find it here.
Jamie
This site is so fabulous!! I have two grown boys that I dreaded making lunches for, so this past year I allowed them to buy school lunch. Big mistake!! My oldest sarted jr. high and ate nachos almost everday. Even though they are 13 and 10 and will need more than what you have here, I can really use your ideas and beef it up a bit for them. I also have a two year old daughter so this is fantastic!
I have a health coaching business that works to create haelthier families. I will be recommending your site all the time. Keep up the great work!!
Thank you :)
April
I agree – I have two teenagers and a five year old…these ideas work great for the two youngest (girls) but my 16 year old son balks at the meals with no meat and small portions. It would be super if you could add an idea to each lunch on how to tweak it for teenage boys aka bottomless pits…
MOMables
April, our meal plans are loaded with ideas. Bigger kids = bigger portions and additional fruits and veggies as well.
Jade
I made this for my lunch and thank you it is so quick to make
Love Jade
Janie
Which really makes me wonder why any 16 year old boy is still bringing packed lunches made by mom to school. High school age kids should be packing their own lunches or going without! Cut the umbilical cord.
MOMables
My kids are already helping me pack their lunches now, and I plan to keep it that way through their teens with them helping more and more.