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50 Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas That Will Fill You Up

There are only so many salads a person can eat before lunchtime gets totally boring. From rice bowls to lettuce wraps, here are 50 gluten-free lunch ideas that will keep you full through dinnertime.

30 Gluten-Free Dinners You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less


1. Meal-prep Turkey Meatballs With Zucchini Noodles

Proof that you don’t need breadcrumbs for impossibly tender meatballs.

2. Watermelon Poke Bowls

This is one lunch you’ll definitely want to Instagram. It’s also ready in 20 minutes, a win-win.

3. Meal-prep Honey Sesame Chicken With Broccolini

Swap the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari and you’re good to go.

4. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Stuffed Peppers

Who needs bread when you have adorable bell pepper boats? Make a big batch so you can enjoy the leftovers all week.

5. Quick Guacamole Quinoa Salad

It’s fast, fresh and protein-rich (thanks to black beans). Use leftover quinoa to speed up the process even more.

6. Rainbow Collard Wraps With Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce

You can make them ahead of time (up to two days in advance) and they won’t get soggy in the fridge. Now pass that dipping sauce, please and thanks.

7. Slow-cooker Meal-prep Burrito Bowls

We’re all about cooking once and reaping the rewards over and over. These will keep in the fridge for four days.

8. Spring Roll Bowls

Prep all the moving parts ahead of time so you can assemble these bowls as soon as the clock strikes “lunch.”

9. Cauliflower Fried Rice

This dish tastes like takeout, without leaving you bloated later. Plus, “put an egg on it” never gets old.

10. Firecracker Chicken With Rice

The chicken is breaded with cornstarch, which, aside from being naturally gluten-free, also makes for an ultra-crispy coating.

11. Oven-roasted Sweet Potatoes With Crispy Chickpeas And Yogurt Sauce

We’ll never say no to a three-ingredient yogurt sauce.

12. Baked Quinoa Chicken Nuggets

Why reach for the frozen kind when these babies are ready in 30 minutes? Just swap the all-purpose flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.

13. Sweet Potato, Bacon And Broccoli Egg Muffins

Want to shake things up? Swap the veggies for whatever you have. Just don’t skip the bacon.

14. Chickpea And Vegetable Coconut Curry

Thirty minutes and a creamy Thai-inspired curry is yours. The vegetables are interchangeable, so use what’s in your fridge.

15. Black Pepper Chicken

This one comes together faster than you can say “delivery.”

16. Aran Goyoaga’s Niçoise Salad

Our advice? Keep this recipe in your back pocket for healthy, satisfying lunches (and dinners) anytime.

17. Sweet Potato Rösti With Fried Eggs And Greens

Rösti are similar to potato pancakes or latkes. These take just a few minutes to fry up and can be paired with any greens you have on hand.

18. Cold Soba Noodle Salad With Strawberries

Japanese soba noodles are made from buckwheat, so they’re naturally gluten-free.

19. Turkey Sausage And Veggie Polenta Bowls

Polenta feels super fancy and luxurious, but it’s surprisingly quick and versatile.

20. Green Bowl With Chicken, Citrus And Herbs

We won’t tell if you drizzle your bowl with store-bought green-goddess dressing. (Just make sure it’s gluten-free!)

21. Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower Bowls

We’re not sure which part we’re most excited about: the spicy roasted cauli or the creamy coconut rice?

22. Bibimbap-inspired Bowls

Bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish of rice, proteins, veggies and various toppings that get mixed together before eating. Our version swaps mushrooms for the usual meat to keep things vegetarian.

23. 20-minute Paleo Egg Roll Bowls

All the delicious flavors of an egg roll, minus the wonton wrapper.

24. Ginger-pineapple Shrimp Stir-fry

Not only is this stir-fry single serve (so you don’t have to share), it’s also ready to eat in 20 minutes.

25. Chicken And Snap Pea Stir-fry

Even if you really don’t feel like cooking, we guarantee you can make this guy. It’s fast, flavorful and way more satisfying than a sad salad.

26. 20-minute Shrimp Scampi Zoodles

Zoodles on their own aren’t particularly filling but add quick-cooking shrimp and you’ve got a meal worth talking about.

27. Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe

Remember when adding grapes and nuts to your chicken salad was the coolest thing? Avocado is the modern version of that (feel free to also add the grapes and nuts too).

28. Citrus, Shrimp And Quinoa Salad With Feta

If you happen to be making lunch ahead of time, this will keep in the fridge for up to two days.

29. Strawberry Cobb Salad With Dairy-free Ranch Dressing

You had us at “dairy-free ranch dressing.”

30. Vegan Fiesta Taco Bowl

Don’t save this one just for Tuesdays. You can prep all the ingredients in advance and enjoy a bowl every day of the week.

31. Tomato Salad With Grilled Halloumi And Herbs

When pan-fried or grilled, Cyprian halloumi cheese develops a crispy crust on the outside and a warm, gooey inside. Are you drooling yet?

32. Baked Sesame-ginger Salmon In Parchment

If salmon for lunch sounds like an undertaking, hear us out. This dish cooks in its own parchment packet, so it’s ready in no time and you don’t have to worry about cleanup.

33. Grilled Peach And Halloumi Salad With Lemon-pesto Dressing

Most salads leave us feeling ravenous an hour later. This one is packed with protein and hearty enough to keep you full.

34. Mini Spanish Tortilla With Zucchini

Think of this as an omelet made with potatoes that’s just the right size for one person.

35. Baked Eggs In Avocado

We like our yolks extra runny, but if you disagree, just bake your avo for a few minutes longer.

36. Slow-cooker Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs

Toss everything in your slow cooker in the evening, press a button and wake up to lunch already waiting for you to dig in.

37. Low-carb Zucchini Enchiladas

Goodbye, flour tortillas. Hello, zucchini boats. These reheat beautifully, if you want to make them a few days ahead.

38. Immune-boosting Turmeric Golden Milk Daal

It’s like a hug in a bowl (exactly what we need at midday).

39. Zucchini Noodle Pad See Ew

If you want a veg version of this, just omit the beef—it’s plenty filling with just the eggs and cashews.

40. Whole30 Chicken Meatballs And Cauliflower Rice With Coconut-herb Sauce

We can’t get enough of this creamy coconut-herb sauce.

41. Buffalo-stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Here’s how to streamline this dish: Bake a big batch of sweet potatoes once, then hold them in the fridge. Easy-peasy.

42. 15-minute Cheater’s Pad Thai

If we could eat Thai takeout every day, we would. This version isn’t as authentic as the real stuff, but it’s easy to make and light enough for a weekday lunch.

43. Kelp And Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai

Traditionally found in Korean cuisine, kelp noodles are gluten-free, paleo and rich in nutrients like iron, vitamin K, calcium and fiber. (Score.)

44. Lemon-tahini Salad With Lentils, Beets And Carrots

When you’re tired of kale Caesar but still want a salad, reach for this one. It’s earthy, hearty and comes with a creamy dressing—yum.

45. Sheet-pan Lemon Butter Veggies And Sausage

The fewer dishes you have to clean throughout the day, the better.

46. Keto Sheet-pan Chicken And Rainbow Veggies

You want something healthy and delicious, but also foolproof and low effort. Voilà, we found the meal for you.

47. Sheet-pan Persian Lemon Chicken

Two kinds of potatoes and all the Middle Eastern spices? Can we have this for lunch every day?

48. Overstuffed Sweet Potatoes With Chipotle-lime Yogurt

Just because you want something healthy doesn’t mean you have to settle for steamed veggies and plain chicken. (Psst: You can make the sweet potatoes up to five days ahead.)

49. Lemon-roasted Potatoes, Chicken And Spinach With Tzatziki

Bonus points if you serve this in an adorable bento box.

50. Ketogenic Baked Eggs And Zoodles With Avocado

Keto diet or not, these cuties are ready in 25 minutes. Break out that zoodler.



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Senior Food Editor

Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...