Finding exciting and convenient lunch options can be a daily challenge, especially when you're looking for something healthy and easy to prepare. The same old lunches can quickly become boring, whether you're working from home, heading to the office, or packing a meal for your kids. Cold lunches are ideal for packing up to head to work. This article explores a variety of tasty and nutritious cold lunch ideas perfect for adults and kids alike, focusing on recipes that simplify meal prep and can be assembled quickly.
The Appeal of Cold Lunches
Cold lunches offer numerous benefits. They are simple recipes that can be put together either the night before or something cold that can be whipped together in just minutes during lunchtime. For those who work outside the home or have limited access to reheating facilities, cold lunches provide a practical and convenient solution. They also save time and effort, as they can be prepared in advance and enjoyed straight from the refrigerator.
Essential Tools and Tips for Cold Lunch Meal Prep
To ensure your cold lunches stay fresh and delicious, consider investing in a thermal isolated lunch bag with a quality ice pack. This will keep your food cold until lunchtime. Proper storage is crucial for maintaining food safety and preventing spoilage.
Maximizing Flavor and Texture in Cold Dishes
Most cold pasta salads have oil in the dressing or sauce. If you’ve ever refrigerated something coated with oil before, you know it tends to stiffen up once cold. Save a tablespoon or two of dressing and keep it separated in a little dressing container like this inside your meal prep container. Just mix it in when you’re ready to eat. Regardless of how you build your pasta salad (vertical vs flat) and whether or not you plan to save some dressing in a container, be sure to toss the pasta in at least a bit of dressing before placing it in a meal prep container. When you grab your pasta salad from the fridge in the morning, add an ice cube right in there with the pasta salad. Seriously. As the ice cube slowly melts throughout the morning, it helps revive the pasta salad into a deliciously creamy state. Treat your pasta salad like a pint of ice cream and let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes before serving. This will give the oil a chance to get back to a liquid state and actually improves the flavor since it’s easier to taste our food when it’s not so cold.
Cold Lunch Ideas
Wraps
Wraps are incredibly versatile and easy to customize with your favorite fillings. They are simple recipes that can be put together either the night before or something cold I can whip together in just minutes during lunchtime.
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Chicken Caesar Wrap
Chicken Caesar salad comes together easily and quickly with a mixture of fresh ingredients and store-bought shortcuts! This wrap has a ton of veggies in it, but is so savory and filling. This is one of my favorite lunches to have every week. I love using leftover chicken tenders or rotisserie chicken so I can whip it up in minutes. I love a recipe that can be prepped for the week and eaten in different ways. Instead, turn them into these delicious wraps by using leftover cubed chicken.
Veggie Wrap
I consider an easy lunch something I can prep once and eat multiple days in a row with no extra prep and this one is a favorite of mine.
Apple Peanut Butter Wrap
Peanut butter and jelly is a go-to lunch for my kids, but I can only make it so many times before they get sick of it. Enter this apple peanut butter wrap!
Chicken Wrap
I always meal prep a ton of chicken and this chicken wrap has been a go-to way I love to use it. It’s creamy, savory, and super flavorful.
Avocado Chicken Wrap
Since I always have chicken prepped for the week, I love to make this lunch when I notice my avocados are ripe.
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Lavash Bread Wrap
I love buying Lavash bread when I’m counting macros for high protein and this lunch recipe has always been a great way to use them up and get a good amount of protein in for lunch. I’ve also used regular tortillas and it works great too!
Turkey Ranch Club Wraps
These Turkey Ranch Club Wraps have some of my favorite flavors all in one lunch wrap!
Salads
Salads are a fantastic way to pack in nutrients and enjoy a light yet satisfying meal. Pretty much any salad can be eaten cold, but it really all comes down to personal preference. Because salads are served with dressing, you’re covered on both fronts of flavor and moisture.
Chicken Caesar Salad
Chicken Caesar salad comes together easily and quickly with a mixture of fresh ingredients and store-bought shortcuts! I love a good chicken Caesar salad, but sometimes it leaves me a bit too hungry afterward.
Broccoli Salad
This broccoli salad has become a regular for my husband’s lunches. He loves the crunch it brings and I love putting it together for him because it’s nice and easy to make.
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Burger Bowl
I love a good burger, but they don't taste so great cold for lunch, so I love switching it up and making this burger bowl.
Artichoke Salad
My artichoke salad combines marinated artichokes, canned chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and a zesty homemade vinaigrette to create a tasty side dish in 10 minutes.
Chicken Salad
I love a good chicken salad, and this one is my favorite because it is so easy to put together. It’s just five ingredients! This refreshing summer chicken salad is so quick and easy to put together. Chicken salad is one of the most versatile and easy cold lunches you can make. If you like buffalo chicken, this one is for you! Eat it as a sandwich, with crackers, or just plain by itself. This one packs a crunch and a punch of buffalo!
Macaroni Salad
I love making a batch of macaroni salad and enjoying it for lunch throughout the week.
Greek Salad
Load up your pita pockets with this veggie packed Greek salad! The recipe includes delicious baked chicken cutlets and so many fresh veggies.
Quinoa Salad
I try to keep things a little healthier sometimes and that’s where this quinoa salad comes in. The chickpeas even add some good protein, but I’ve added leftover chicken when I have extra. This quinoa lunch has been incredible to add to the routine because it’s easy and flavorful.
Pasta Salad
This pasta salad recipe may seem simple, but it is my absolute favorite. It’s easy to put together and the Italian dressing adds an acidic flavor that screams summer pasta salad. I love to add pepperoni when we have leftovers from our pizza nights. This cold pasta salad is packed with veggies and perfect for spring or summer! It’s tossed with a lemony vinaigrette and fresh parsley. This pasta salad is fantastic. It uses chicken with BBQ sauce and ranch to add a ton of flavor. I am a huge fan of anything with caprese flavors and this pasta salad is no different. Orzo is always overlooked when it comes to making lunch, but it’s just as versatile as pasta. Remember that orzo pesto salad I mentioned a few recipes up? Well, I love this pasta salad version just as much, if even not more. Most cold pasta salads have oil in the dressing or sauce. If you’ve ever refrigerated something coated with oil before, you know it tends to stiffen up once cold.
Ham Salad
I love to use up leftover ham from the holidays and put together this ham salad recipe for lunch the next day.
Tuna Salad
My family loves an easy way to use tuna and this fits that perfectly. This Lazy No-Chop Tuna Salad is quick and tasty, using dill pickle relish and spices for max flavor in no time. Tuna Salad is such a classic lunch option, but I opted for whole wheat pitas and a side of grapes here!
Lentil Salad
This is the ultimate lentil salad recipe!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is perfect for meal prep with fresh veggies and herbs.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
This Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes is perfect for meal prep!
Cabbage and Chicken Salad
This light and delicious cabbage and chicken salad will stay crunchy all week long! Filled with veggies, shredded chicken, and a delightful dressing, this salad will make a super satisfying make-ahead cold lunch.
Arugula Salad
Inspired by Aroma Espresso Bar, this is the BEST Arugula Salad - it features lentils, sweet potatoes, and lemon-olive oil dressing.
Bowls
Grain bowls and salads are two of my biggest go-to’s when I don’t want to cook or reheat something. To make a grain bowl, all you have to do is pick a grain-any grain-and mix it up with your preferred veggies and proteins. And if you’re in the mood for salad, just use the same formula but ditch the grains.
Mason Jar Salad
I not only love the flavors in this lunch, but also the presentation inside a mason jar. It looks so pretty! The trick to a successful mason jar salad is getting the layering right! You don’t want to have wet tomatoes sitting on top of your lettuce or it will be soggy within a few hours.
Tabouleh Salad
If you’ve never had it before, tabouleh is a super fresh and bright herb and bulgar salad, though I opted to make mine with tricolor quinoa instead of the traditional bulgar.
Sandwiches
I love when a sandwich can be made so easily.
Turkey Sandwich
I love this lunch recipe because of how versatile it is. I’ve used deli turkey,leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, and even chicken and it all tastes amazing with it.
Cucumber Sandwich
My husband and my kids have been loving this cucumber sandwich.
Pimento Cheese Sandwich
I love making this pimento cheese when I want something a little lighter for lunch. It’s spicy and works well with just about any cracker or bread.
Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwich
This Chickpea Tuna Salad Sandwich is a delicious vegetarian lunch idea. It’s so simple to make, too!
Brie Sandwich
I am a huge brie lover so when I came across this sandwich, I was thrilled. I can’t deny that I’ve eaten this recipe by the spoonful. It’s so good that I just can’t help it! Have I been buying more cranberry sauce all year round to pretend it’s the day after Thanksgiving just to make this sandwich? You bet!
Bento Boxes and Lunchables
We all remember Lunchables from back in the day, right? It was always exciting to open up your lunch bag and find one because they were FUN to eat. And tasty too, of course. I like to recreate them in an adult version with higher quality meats and cheeses, better crackers, and a bigger focus on protein. Might as well throw in some fruit or veggies too for good measure 😉 One critical factor for success with these bento boxes is actually keeping some of the ingredients from touching…you never want your meat and cheese to be rubbing up on one another in their container all week. These bento boxes and meal prep bowls make excellent lunches!
Loaded Bagel Bento Box
This loaded bagel inspired bento box includes smoked salmon (or lox), cucumbers, a hard boiled egg, crackers, and cream cheese.
Adult Lunchable
A lunch that doesn’t need to be reheated and can be completely customized to your tastes? Look no further than an adult lunchable. It’s similar to a “picky plate” but is prepped ahead so you can grab-and-go for lunch. Simply pick your choice of protein, veggies, and carbs to make your custom lunchable.
Other Creative Cold Lunch Ideas
Summer Rolls
Summer rolls are a fun twist on a no heat lunch. I served mine with an easy seaweed, edamame, and carrot salad to keep things nice and cool. To keep the rice paper wrappers from drying out, I recommend wrapping the rolls in a damp paper towel, then plastic wrap. These fresh veggie rolls make a quick and easy portable lunch!! And that peanut sauce looks perfect for dipping.
Pinwheels
I love a good pinwheel recipe because they pack so nicely in lunch boxes and I love the protein mix in this one. This Project Meal Plan classic is still one of my favorite cold lunches to prep for on the go. Pinwheels are a super simple deli lunch you can easily make at home and turn into meal prep!
Rice Balls
Using only 5 ingredients, you can make these delightfully transportable and delicious Rice Balls. If you're over sandwiches and salads, this is a delicious option that will keep you full until dinner.
Cold Pizza
Okay, hear me out: cold pizza lovers, this one is for you! These little English muffin pizzas are so cute and customizable. Plus, they taste great cold from the fridge or reheated in a toaster oven if you have that option. This is my son’s favorite lunch! He is pizza obsessed, and this helps keep things interesting than his typical go-to with cheese pizza.
Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps make for a great no heat lunch. You can easily adjust the spice level by adding or withholding extra hot sauce after shredding the chicken.
Cold Noodles
Cold noodles will scratch that itch and, obviously, you don’t need a microwave to enjoy them. They’re easy to prep and a great way to prevent yourself from ordering takeout instead. Cold noodles are also an ideal base for building a hearty, filling vegetarian or vegan meal. Classic buckwheat soba noodles are cooked to al dente, then tossed with a delicious tahini based sauce and paired with crispy marinated and baked tofu. These udon noodles use rotisserie chicken and a quick homemade dressing to create a noodle dish that definitely gets better after mingling overnight in the refrigerator. The celery and sprouts make these noodles crunchy and refreshing!
Cowboy Caviar
This Cowboy Caviar is a great vegetarian lunch that packs a big protein punch.
Tips for Preparing Cooked Proteins for Cold Lunches
Eating cooked proteins like grilled chicken or ground beef cold is all about HOW you do it to make sure it’s tasty and not dried out. First, and most importantly, if your chicken gets dried out when you first cook it, it will be dry and gross later in the week (especially when serving cold). I cannot stress enough how much better your chicken will be if you BRINE it before cooking! Brining is the process of submerging the raw protein in a solution of water, salt, sugar, and spices for several hours. This seasons the meat from the inside out, making for an incredibly flavorful chicken breast. It also changes the chicken on a cellular level, allowing it to retain more moisture. And that means JUICY chicken breast!! Sauces and dips are your friends when it comes to serving cold chicken. Something like hummus, tzatziki sauce, ranch dressing, etc. will go a long way in bringing some excitement to cold chicken.
Food Safety Considerations
Even though you don’t have to reheat these meals, they still need to be refrigerated until you intend to eat them. Leaving food at room temperature for longer than 2 hours will increase your risk of developing a foodborne illness according to the FDA, so play it safe and keep your food cool. It’s perfectly safe to eat fully cooked food that was stored in the fridge for up to four days without reheating it. Unsure if your meal is safe to eat? However, heat does kill bacteria, so popping your leftovers in the microwave for a minute or two can be enough to put your mind at ease. As long as you’ve handled your leftovers properly up until this point, the risk of them having developed bacteria is pretty low, but it increases after more than four days. Basically, if you’re considering eating something that’s maybe been in the fridge for a week, it’s not a bad idea to give it some heat-just as a precaution.