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    Home » Recipes by Meal Type » Vegetarian Lunch Recipes

    Sep 20, 2021 · Modified: Aug 24, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments

    41 Vegetarian Lunchbox Ideas

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    A huge collection of inspiring vegetarian lunchbox ideas, that will help you avoid getting into a rut with your vegetarian packed lunches!

    A collage showing vegetarian lunchbox ideas.

    For a lot of us, September marks the kids going back to school, and the return of the dreaded packed lunch. A daily chore that can bring so many headaches!

    And even if you don't have kids in school, this time of year is often a chance to refocus after a busy summer, and get back into the swing of packing a healthy lunchbox every day - not always an easy feat.

    Luckily, vegetarian packed lunches don't need to rely on the exact same unimaginative cheese sandwich every single day - there are heaps of other things you can pack in your vegetarian lunchbox to ensure lunchtime is something you and your kids can look forward to all morning.

    What to pack in a vegetarian lunchbox

    I personally like there to be one 'main' element in the lunches I pack, plus a few smaller bits on the side. The main could be a sandwich or wrap, or something a bit different, like a pastry, or even a few spoonfuls of pasta salad.

    This post contains heaps of different vegetarian lunchbox ideas that you can use as the main part of your packed lunch.

    Then, in addition to the main event, I usually add a few of these extras (not all of them every day!):

    • fresh fruit
    • salad veggies (cucumber, tomatoes, raw pepper, carrot sticks, etc)
    • a dollop of some sort of dip or spread
    • a few potato crisps or veggie straws
    • a small block of cheese (unless the main event was cheese-based)
    • dried fruit, like raisins or dried apricots
    • a sweet treat

    Some of the vegetarian packed lunch ideas in this list are super kid-friendly, whereas others might be a little more grown up - so just choose whatever you feel your intended consumer will enjoy!

    Can you prepare a vegetarian lunchbox in advance?

    If you don't have time to pack a lunchbox from scratch every day, batch cooking is your friend!

    As well as simple sandwiches that can be whipped up quickly in the morning, this post also contains a few cold salads that can be cooked in big batches to enjoy throughout the week. There are also some pastries and other savouries that can be batch cooked in advance, so they're ready to pop into lunchboxes through the week.

    Food safety advice usually recommends eating pre-cooked food within 3-4 days of cooking (source: USDA) - so for example, if you cooked a batch of something on Sunday afternoon, you could eat it on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and probably even on Thursday, as long as it still looks, smells and tastes okay.

    You should probably try to make something fresh, like a quick sandwich, for your lunch on Friday.

    Can you pack nuts in a lunchbox?

    In the UK, a lot of schools have a blanket ban on anything containing nuts in lunchboxes. This is because nut allergies can be so serious, and it's easier for them to just ban nuts altogether, than to chop and change the rules depending on which particular allergies the children in each class have.

    Adult workplaces may not have the same ban on nuts, but it would be considerate to avoid nuts in your lunchbox anyway, unless you're certain that you won't be eating nearby somebody with a severe nut allergy.

    Some of the recipes below (clearly marked) do contain nuts. If necessary, omit the nuts, or swap them for something else.

    As well as obvious sources of nuts, like whole nuts or peanut butter, watch out for sneaky nuts hiding in things like pesto, which is usually made with pine nuts. It's easy to swap the pesto for an alternative nut-free spread, or use a nut-free version.

    Vegetarian packed lunch ideas

    Here's what's included in this collection, in case you'd like to skip to a certain section:

    • Vegetarian sandwiches, wraps etc.
    • Vegetarian pastries and other savouries
    • Vegetarian dips and spreads
    • Vegetarian salads
    • Lunchbox-friendly sweet treats

    Otherwise, just scroll down to browse! Enjoy!

    Vegetarian sandwiches, wraps, etc.

    Creamy chickpea salad sandwiches [vegan]

    BBQ tofu bacon BLT wraps [vegan]

    Coronation tofu salad sandwiches [vegan]

    Greek salad sandwiches with black olive hummus

    Easy homemade flatbreads [vegan]
    - stuff these with whatever fillings you like!

    Pesto and white bean tortilla roll-ups
    - pesto contains nuts

    Ultimate halloumi sandwich
    - pesto contains nuts

    Greek quesadillas

    Spicy roasted chickpea wraps [vegan]

    Avocado and halloumi wraps

    Vegetarian pastries and other savouries

    Mini mushroom picnic pies

    Cheesy veggie fritters

    Very veggie oat bars
    - pesto contains nuts

    Vegetarian mezze [vegan, depending on what you choose]
    - just choose a few elements to pack in the lunchbox for a fun themed lunch

    Spicy bean and halloumi fritters

    Vegetarian Scotch eggs

    Cheese and onion lentil rolls

    Cheesy lentil slice

    Carrot and cheddar bites

    Spinach and goat's cheese self-crusting quiche
    - contains nuts

    Black bean and lentil vegetarian koftas [vegan]
    - best served with a tasty dipping sauce, like salsa or tzatziki

    Fried gnocchi [vegan]
    - these would be really fun served with a tub of tomato sauce for dipping!

    Tofu and spinach samosas [vegan]

    Sage and onion beetroot nuggets
    - contains nuts

    Cajun spiced savoury trail mix [vegan]
    - contains nuts

    Parmesan baked fava bean chips
    - a brilliant nut-free snack for schools that don't allow nuts

    Cheesy lentil and veggie slice

    Vegetarian dips and spreads

    Quick black bean dip [vegan]

    Sun-dried tomato hummus [vegan]
    - topped with nuts

    Easy garlic mushroom pâté
    - contains nuts

    Mexican bean vegetarian pâté [vegan]

    Asparagus and feta vegetarian pâté

    Vegetarian salads

    15 minute creamy pasta primavera
    - this one was initially designed to be eaten warm, but works well as a cold pasta salad too

    Sweet potato quinoa salad with tahini dressing [vegan]

    Nutty tofu lettuce wraps [vegan]
    - contains nuts

    Mint and pistachio pesto potato salad [vegan]
    - contains nuts

    Ultimate vegetarian Caesar salad

    Lunchbox-friendly sweet treats

    Raspberry and blueberry oaty breakfast bars

    Apple and cinnamon breakfast muffins

    Traditional British pancakes
    - a pancake folded up in a lunchbox with some fruit and chocolate spread would be a really fun change!

    Pumpkin spice loaf cake

    Have I inspired you to pack something a bit different in your vegetarian lunchbox this week? What will you cook first?

    More Vegetarian Lunch Recipes

    • Smoked Cheese and Broccoli Tart
    • Mediterranean Scrambled Eggs with Feta
    • Creamy Mushrooms On Toast
    • 30 Super Quick Vegetarian Dinners (20 minutes or less!)
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    Comments

    1. Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet says

      September 07, 2017 at 4:32 pm

      Awww, you should have published this amazing list earlier. Would have saved me a trip to the library looking for ideas! ;-)

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        September 08, 2017 at 3:51 pm

        Haha sorry! Hopefully you're bursting with ideas now ;)

        Reply
    2. Camilla Hawkins says

      September 07, 2017 at 2:01 pm

      Lots of delicious lunch box inspiration here:-) Thanks for including my recipe:-)

      Reply
    3. Kevin Chambers-Paston says

      September 06, 2017 at 5:22 pm

      SO MANY amazing ideas here. I must start making my own lunchboxes again so I have bookmarked for reference.

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        September 08, 2017 at 3:49 pm

        Thanks Kevin! It's so easy to slip out of the habit of making your own lunch isn't it.

        Reply
    4. Jacqueline Meldrum says

      September 06, 2017 at 5:02 pm

      OMG I could just eat my way through that list and be happy as Larry. Thanks for including some of my recipes. Shared!

      Reply
    5. Annabel says

      August 31, 2017 at 11:37 pm

      One tip from my packed-lunch days - if you want to take a salad, take the lettuce in a separate box from the rest of it, as the undressed lettuce will keep crisp, and you can then add the "nice bits" on top when it's lunchtime.

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        September 02, 2017 at 11:41 am

        Good tip - and definitely add any dressing just before serving too!

        Reply
    6. Tarsha Steel says

      August 31, 2017 at 11:55 am

      Yum!!

      Reply
    7. Cookbook says

      August 29, 2017 at 4:51 pm

      What a great post to bookmark! I feel so guilty every time I go out to lunch at work. I need to save money and bring lunch from home!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 31, 2017 at 10:16 am

        Yeah it can definitely get expensive!

        Reply
    8. Camilla Hawkins says

      August 29, 2017 at 4:24 pm

      Lots of fab inspiration here which I shall be showing my newly veggie daughter! Thanks for including my pinwheel wraps:-)

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 31, 2017 at 10:16 am

        Thanks Camilla, how exciting that your daughter's gone veggie - how are you finding cooking for her?

        Reply
        • Camilla Hawkins says

          August 31, 2017 at 5:22 pm

          It's been a bit if a challenge lol☺️

          Reply
          • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

            September 02, 2017 at 11:40 am

            Haha well feel free to shout if you would like any tips or easy ways to cook for meat eaters and veggies at the same time :)

            Reply
            • Danielle says

              September 30, 2017 at 9:13 am

              hi, do you have any posts about cooking for both? My other half is veggie, but me and kids aren't-although happy to eat half our meals veggie, but cooking for all seems the hard bit...any tips? Kid friendly veggie meals?
              Just found you blog yesterday and some of your ideas look lovely!x

              Reply
              • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

                October 07, 2017 at 3:24 pm

                I don't have any posts specifically about that I'm afraid, although maybe I'll write one! My husband is a meat-eater so all my recipes are approved by him haha. I think most meals can easily have the meat added afterwards (as long as you make sure the vegetarian meals have some protein in them too) - stir fries, for example. Or, you can just have two separate pots on the go - if you're making a spaghetti bolognese, for example, it's not really any harder to chuck everything into two separate pans, and add vegetarian mince to one and meat to the other. Meat substitutes like Quorn are good for this kind of thing!

                Reply
    9. Shirley says

      August 29, 2017 at 3:10 pm

      I cannot wait to try these recipes! They all look so tasty and delicious, thanks for the share!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 31, 2017 at 10:15 am

        Thanks Shirley! :)

        Reply
    10. Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says

      August 29, 2017 at 10:02 am

      Great post Becca! My OH and I are trying to be much better about taking lunch to work. Now we have TONNES of recipes to choose from!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 31, 2017 at 10:15 am

        It can be hard to find the time to prepare lunch in advance can't it, but definitely worth trying!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

    More about me →

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