Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Kids
The options are endless when it comes to creating a bento box lunch. Holistic nutritionist, Carley Mendes, shares her favorite lunch time ideas.

Bento boxes help you to think beyond sandwiches and make it easier to pack a nutritious and fun lunch for your children. Bento box lunches encourage diversity and color to entice little eaters and prevent brown bag boredom. Balance the box by focusing on a variety of colors and incorporate food from different categories, such as fruit, vegetables, proteins and starch. Use these simple suggestions to inspire your own creativity!
Bento Box 1
- Roasted asparagus
- Apple slice sandwich with almond butter (nut-free: sub with sunflower seed butter or tahini)
- Mixed quinoa salad
Bento Box 2
- Carrot sticks
- Sliced avocado & chicken on nori sheets
- Sprouted grain & seed crackers
Bento Box 3
- Grape skewers
- Scrambled eggs & roasted peppers
- Watermelon & blueberries
Turkey Wrap
Sliced turkey with lettuce, tomato & hummus rolled in gluten-free wraps.
Veggie Rolls
Shredded carrots, beets, peas, sliced radishes & hummus wrapped in rice paper rolls.
Zucchini Noodles
Zucchini noodles made with a spiralizer or mandolin, topped with pesto & roasted tomatoes.
Bento Ingredients
Bento Box options are limitless! Here are a few more ingredient ideas to get you started!
Fruit
- apple
- berries
- fresh figs
- grapes
- kiwi
- pomegranate seeds
- citrus: orange or grapefruit
- stone fruit: cherries, apricot, peach, nectarine, plum
- tropical fruit: pineapple, mango, papaya
- melon: cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon
- dried fruit or trail mix
Vegetables
- avocado
- cherry tomatoes
- radish
- sugar snap peas
- seaweed snacks
- kale chips
- raw slices: carrot, celery, cucumber, bell pepper
- roasted: asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini
Protein
- natural sausage with no additives
- tempeh sticks
- canned or smoked salmon
- hard boiled egg
- organic yogurt or cheese
- sliced meat
Starches
- roasted potato
- homemade yam fries
- mixed rice
- grilled squash
- quinoa salad
- mix bean or lentil salad
- crunchy roasted chickpeas