In an ideal world, your toddler’s lunch would look something like this: A fruit, a veggie, some protein, a healthy complex carb and source of fat. In reality, it’s more like whatever they’ll consume without crying because the seedless watermelon has seeds, the hot dog is staring at them and the peanut butter and jelly isn’t cut diagonally. No worries, friend: Here are 55 toddler lunch ideas they’ll actually enjoy (fun riffs on hot dogs and PB&J included).
food
55 Toddler Lunch Ideas Even the Pickiest Eaters Will Love
Published Mar 29, 2023
1. Peanut Butter and Banana Rollups Snack Box
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, no cook, <10 ingredients
God forbid those PB&B rollups touch that celery, right? These snack boxes let you meal prep—and give kids plenty of options to choose from.
- Time Commitment: 23 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, low sugar
We’re not saying you should lie, but if you don’t tell ’em there’s broccoli in there, they won’t know.
3. Soft and Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, one bowl
They’re made with whole wheat flour for a boost of nutrition. Want to make them ahead? They’ll keep in the freezer for up to a month.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, <15 minutes
Whoever came up with “don’t play with your food” had never eaten one of these sandwiches.
5. Sweet Potato Noodle Ham and Cheese Cups
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, make ahead
Salty ham and savory cheese are always a winning combo. The ability to eat their lunch with their fingers is a major plus.
6. 4-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free
Pancakes for lunch? Listen, it’s all about choosing your battles. These contain no added sugar and are high in protein and fiber.
7. Sweet Potato, Bacon and Broccoli Egg Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
They’re quick, filling and healthy to boot, and you can swap the fillings for whatever your kid likes best.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
It’s not that much more effort than the stuff from a can, and you have the added benefit of knowing what it’s made of.
9. Homemade Crispy Baked Fish Sticks
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
The eternal question: To dip, or not to dip? If your family is in the former camp, we highly recommend tartar sauce…or ranch.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Easy on the chiles, heavy on the cheese. These are filled with shredded chicken, but you can substitute another protein (like ground beef) if desired.
11. Baked Quinoa Chicken Nuggets
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
They might not be shaped like dinosaurs, but they’re just as easy to make and taste a lot better, too. The quinoa breading is crispy, the chicken is moist—they’re practically begging to be dipped in barbecue sauce.
12. Baked Mac-and-Cheese Bites
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, make ahead
Macaroni and cheese is always a good idea, but when it comes in a portable, pre-portioned package, it’s even better. Since the leftovers store beautifully, you’ll even have lunch for a few days.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
Instead of making a bunch of individual quesadillas, save time by making one big one and cutting it into manageable squares. (Bonus points if you can sneak in a veggie or two.)
14. Meal-Prep Creamy Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Raisins
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead
A touch of honey in the dressing balances out the tangy apple cider vinegar and mustard. Our advice? Make the raisins optional.
15. BLT Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead
What’s the secret to getting your kid to eat romaine? Toss it with lots of fun, ruffly noodles and a bunch of bacon, of course.
16. Turkey Spinach Pinwheels Meal Prep
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, no cook, make ahead
Kiddo hates turkey? Swap in ham or chicken. No-go on the spinach? Skip it. These easy lunchboxes are endlessly adaptable—pick whatever fruit and veggie they like.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, high protein
Good news: Crispy cauliflower looks a lot like chicken nuggets. Start ’em on taco Tuesday early.
18. Homemade Healthy Fish Sticks
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
They’re even easier than the ones you buy from the freezer section. Don’t have an air fryer? Just make them in your oven.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, no cook, beginner-friendly
Cute? Check. Fun to eat? Check, check. We think all sandwiches should be served on a stick.
20. Veggie Sushi
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, make ahead
This is just practice for when your kid graduates to the real thing. (OK, maybe they’ll start with California rolls).
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
You didn’t think we’d forget your toddler’s favorite food group, did you? These hot dog bites come together in no time and keep well in the fridge. Don’t forget the ketchup, of course.
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, high protein
Since every meal can’t possibly be smothered in cheese sauce (believe us, we’ve tried), this one has a secret: It’s made with butternut squash instead.
23. Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly
Wanna know a secret? There’s zero frying involved. We knew there was a reason you loved chicken tenders.
24. Peanut Butter Apple Cinnamon Sushi Rolls
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: no cook, <15 minutes, beginner-friendly
His two favorite food groups (peanut butter and apples, of course) in one fun-to-eat package.
25. Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Quesadillas
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead
If you can have breakfast for dinner, you can have breakfast for lunch. These ham and cheese quesadillas take only 30 minutes to make, and they even have a little broccoli snuck in there for good measure.
26. Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
Broccoli sneaks its way in again, this time in a kid-friendly (and healthy-ish) spin on grilled cheese.
27. Avocado and Black Bean Pasta Salad
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, dairy free, low sugar
Because even your 3-year-old isn’t immune to the appeal of corkscrew-shaped pasta.
28. Mini Potato and Carrot Quiche Cups
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: make ahead, gluten free
Swap the traditional crust with a kid- and parent-approved potato exterior. (Psst: You could even use sweet potatoes if you want.)
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, no cook, make ahead
Matchstick carrots, seedless grapes and a small side of naan make this easy chickpea salad a full meal.
30. Cheesy Chicken Quinoa Enchilada Meatloaf Muffins
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, crowd-pleaser
Worried about spice level? There’s just one teaspoon of chili powder in this recipe.
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Cheesy, crispy, bite-size and dippable. What’s not to love? (Don’t forget, they’re also ready in 30 minutes.)
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser, gluten free
Your toddler won’t know it, but each of these cups is packed with protein, healthy fats and plenty of veggies. The cheddar cheese is optional but encouraged.
33. Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, vegetarian, high protein
Just like grandma’s…except with a sneaky serving of cauliflower.
34. Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles
- Time Commitment: 13 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
Plain noodles with Parm? Your kid has good taste. This pasta is ready in less than 15 minutes, so it’s ideal for busy weekdays.
35. Mini Quesadillas
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
Beans and cheese stuffed into pint-size wonton wrappers make for a delicious midday meal. So delicious we might sneak one for ourself.
36. Brown Butter Sausage Penne Pasta
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
We’ve found your new mantra: Peas, penne and Parmesan.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <15 minutes, <500 calories, low sugar
A slightly sweet sauce and slurpable noodles are the key to expanding your kid’s palate.
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly
Will they believe you if you tell them it’s hot dogs? (It won’t matter…they’ll devour them before they realize a thing.)
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
The trick to easy homemade pizza? Use flour tortillas as the crust.
40. Crispy Cauliflower Nuggets
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, low sugar
If a salad and a chicken nugget had a baby. If the suggested lemon-pepper aioli isn’t up your kid’s alley, just skip it.
41. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Stuffed Peppers
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, make ahead, gluten free
Junior might not eat the bell pepper boat, but he’ll gobble up what’s inside: A creamy, yogurt-y chicken salad that’s packed with hidden vegetables.
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, beginner-friendly
Aside from being tasty, these potato “toasts” are great for gluten-sensitive tots. All you need now is her favorite toppings for dipping.
43. Mozzarella Meatball Frittata
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, <30 minutes, make ahead
So that spaghetti and meatballs you lovingly made last night went untouched. No worries: Repurpose those leftovers into a frittata, cut it into kid-size slices and watch them disappear.
44. Crispy Baked Cauliflower-Corn Nuggets
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, no sugar
Admit it: Your child could live entirely on things marketed as nuggets. (Since they’re homemade, it’s totally fine!)
45. Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Here’s proof that you don’t always need to hide the veggies to get them eaten.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian
She’ll love that it looks like confetti; you’ll love that it takes only 20 minutes to whip up.
47. Sweet Potato Fritters with Avocado Dipping Sauce
- Time Commitment: 18 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, low sugar
Who needs French fries when you have sweet potato fritters? Make them even more toddler-friendly by scaling down the size.
48. Taco Pinwheels
- Time Commitment: 21 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, no cook
Presenting the failsafe ingredient that will make your kid want to eat anything: cream cheese.
49. Broccoli and Cheddar Brown Rice Muffins
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
With whole grains, protein and veggies, these cheesy rice muffins are a complete package. Serve them with some sliced fruit, chef’s—er—toddler’s choice.
50. Almond Butter Stuffed Soft Pretzel Bites
- Time Commitment: 57 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser
Soft, salty and just sweet enough. Serve ’em with jam for dipping.
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: make ahead, <30 minutes
Prep these greens-filled egg bites ahead on the weekend and re-heat them in a toaster oven or microwave just before serving. (And before you ask, you can totally swap the veggies and cheese for your kid’s favorites.)
52. Corn Fritters with Elote Dip
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegetarian, crowd-pleaser, low sugar
If your toddler is adventurous, serve these fritters with the slightly spicy elote dip. If not, skip it in favor of—dare we say it?—ketchup.
53. Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
We won’t judge if you sneak a few for your own lunch. They’re that good. If your kid isn’t into everything bagel seasoning (they’ll get it someday, promise), you can sprinkle asiago cheese on top instead—or serve ’em plain.
- Time Commitment: 21 minutes
- Why We Love It: high protein, beginner-friendly, <30 minutes
Chopping up the herbs into ultra-fine bits is a great way to expose your tot to new flavors without sparking a tantrum from the texture.
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, beginner-friendly
Whether you’re 2 or 102, it’s simply impossible to say no to pizza. (Ditto for a lunch that’s ready in 25 minutes.)
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 restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she’s an avid home cook and fanatic baker.
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