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  5. 28 Easy Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Work and School

28 Easy Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Work and School

Headshot of Penelope Wall
Penelope Wall Updated July 09, 2021
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The ancient Japanese tradition of packing meals in a bento box, a decorative container with small compartments, has caught on around the world. We love bento box lunches because the compartments help control portion sizes, and they're great for kids too.  They also give you a lot of variety in your meals. We're also fans of bistro-box lunches, which are inspired by Starbucks' picnic lunches to go. Try these easy bento box lunch ideas to shake up your lunch routine.

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Clean-Eating Bento Box Lunch

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Who says bento boxes are just for kids? This healthy bento-style lunch--loaded with clean, satisfying foods--is perfect to pack for work.

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Turkey & Cheese Pinwheels Bento Lunch

Turkey & Cheese Pinwheels Bento Lunch
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Bite-size pinwheels of turkey, cheese and lettuce make an appealing centerpiece of this bento box. Crisp celery sticks and juicy blueberries are tasty accompaniment, while popcorn, mixed with chocolate chips, makes a satisfying snack or dessert. Plus, this healthy lunch is so easy to pack and can even be made the night before.

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Protein Bistro Lunch Box

Protein Bistro Lunch Box
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Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this affordable lunch is easy to make and pack yourself. With high-protein ingredients like a hard-boiled egg, edamame and tuna, this bistro-style lunch will leave you feeling satisfied.

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DIY Lunch Kits for Kids

metal bento box filled with turkey, crackers, grapes, peas and chocolate
Credit: Jennifer Causey
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In search of new lunch ideas for kids? Children will be delighted by our healthy take on Lunchables, which includes turkey, cheese and crackers for building mini sandwiches, plus fruit, veggies with dip and even a little chocolate for dessert. It's a cute way to encourage your kids to eat a healthy lunch, plus you save money by making the kits instead of buying them. You might even want to make yourself one of these bento lunches to take to work for the nostalgia factor--they're sure to make back-to-school time more fun for kids and adults alike.

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Mediterranean Bento Lunch

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Travel to the Mediterranean over your lunch break with this healthy bento box idea that combines Greek salad, hummus, pita and more for a satisfying work lunch.

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Charcuterie Bistro Lunch Box

Charcuterie Bistro Lunch Box
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This packable lunch is just like a personal-size cheese plate to take on-the-go. The healthy and easy snack-style meal is perfect to take for lunch at work or for a light picnic date night.

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Taco Salad Bento Lunch for Kids

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No more half-eaten lunches--this taco-inspired bento box lunch is a healthy and portable meal your kid will love.

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Vegan Bistro Lunch Box

Vegan Bistro Lunch Box
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Perfect to pack for lunch to take to work or for a picnic in the park, this vegan bistro box is filled with Mediterranean diet-inspired crunchy vegetables, pita bread, creamy hummus and olives.

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Deconstructed Sushi Bento Lunch

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This healthy bento box idea makes it easy, healthy and affordable to have sushi for lunch as often as you'd like! Skip the rolling and place sushi ingredients like rice, shrimp and avocado in a bento for a packable lunch for work.

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Rainbow Bento Lunch for Kids

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This bento box idea makes lunch fun. With its colorful carrots and swirled yogurt, this packable lunch is a healthy meal kids will actually want to eat--no more half-eaten lunches.

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Fruit & Cheese Bistro Lunch Box

Fruit & Cheese Bistro Lunch Box
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This fruit, cheese and cracker box inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes is a fun and healthy alternative to your standard sandwich. It's the perfect personal-size cheese plate to pack for a work lunch or a picnic in the park.

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Picnic Bento Lunch

Picnic Bento Lunch
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Get all the flavors of al fresco dining wherever you are. This easy and healthy packable lunch idea includes all your picnic favorites for a satisfying meal to take to work.

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PB&J Bistro Lunch Box

PB&J Bistro Lunch Box
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This peanut butter and jelly lunch will be loved by kids and adults alike. Accompanied by sandwich sides including a yogurt parfait, fruit, veggies and popcorn, this healthy packable lunch will keep you full until dinner.

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Salmon Salad Bento Lunch

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Watercress acts as a tasty divider between the salmon salad and crackers. Multicolored peppers and grapes add color to this bento and boost your daily servings of fruits and veggies.

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Buffalo-Style Bistro Lunch Box

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These tailgate-inspired lunch bowls can be assembled in about 15 minutes using just a handful of ingredients from your local specialty grocery store, like pregrilled chicken and spicy Buffalo-flavored hummus. We're packing these up with crunchy veggie sticks and blue cheese so you can savor all the game-day flavors, but for a fraction of the calories.

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Egg Salad Bento Lunch

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This egg salad bento box is a hearty lunch and snack all in one. Spoon the egg salad into a lettuce "bowl" to keep it looking pretty and enjoy with cocktail bread and veggies. Toss banana and blueberries with yogurt to keep the bananas from turning brown. Save the chocolate chips and pistachios for an afternoon pick-me-up.

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Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch

Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch
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This easy pizza-inspired roll-up is a kid-pleaser. Make crunchy vegetables more appealing by selecting colorful varieties like orange and purple cauliflower--and don't forget the dip! Keep 'em smiling with watermelon cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters.

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Breakfast-for-Lunch Bento for Kids

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This bento box idea is full of your kid's breakfast favorites, even waffles. This lunch is packed with healthy foods you will feel good about serving and kids will actually be excited to eat--no more half-eaten lunches!

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Soy-Lime Tofu & Rice Bento Lunch

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Tofu, rice and vegetables are classic bento ingredients. Make extra rice for dinner and roll leftovers into balls for lunch. To keep green veggies vibrant and crisp, cook them briefly and immediately dunk them into a bowl of ice water. You can also use cubed store-bought baked tofu in place of the roasted tofu.

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Deconstructed Cobb Salad Bento Lunch for Kids

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This kid-friendly twist on classic Cobb salad gives children the choice to eat all the healthy ingredients--veggies, turkey, eggs, bacon and avocado--together or separately. Packing it all in a bento box makes it easy to tote to school and keeps all the ingredients from touching, a plus for picky eaters.

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Smoked Salmon Maki Rolls

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Skip the rice and just use seaweed to make these healthy sushi rolls filled with smoked salmon, avocado, carrot and cucumber. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

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Mini Mezze Bento Box

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Pita wedges and crudité with hummus make a satisfyingly simple lunch box. We round out this Mediterranean-inspired snack lunch with cheese and fruit. If your child likes olives, sprinkle some into the veggie dippers.

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Veggie Sushi Bento Box

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A sushi-like wrap of veggies and ranch dressing packaged in a tortilla makes an appealing lunch that kids will love. The choice of vegetables in the filling is flexible, depending on your child's preferences and what you have on hand.

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Meat & Cheese Cucumber Roll-Ups Bento Box Lunch

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Thinly sliced cucumber is used as a low-carb "wrap" in this satisfying lunch recipe. Pile sandwich fillings like lunch meat, cheese and veggies on top of the cucumber slices, roll up and cut into bites like sushi. Round out this easy packable lunch with fresh fruit and veggies for a fun meal to take to work or school.

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Egg & Waffle Bento Box

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Who doesn't love breakfast for lunch? Make it to-go with this easy bento box idea that combines waffles, eggs and fruit for a satisfying and fun meal that kids and adults alike will love.

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Tex-Mex Bento Box

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Quesadillas make a quick and easy sandwich alternative. Even though they are often served hot, quesadillas also taste good cold or at room temperature. That makes them an ideal addition to this flavor-packed bento box, a collection of foods that you can meal-prep on the weekend for easy lunches at work or school.

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Greek Yogurt Parfait Bento Box

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Greek yogurt provides the filling protein base for this colorful lunch box, but the remaining ingredients are very flexible to accommodate your child's tastes. You can replace the cereal or granola with dried fruit, and swap steamed vegetables for the cherry tomatoes and cucumber.

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Confetti Pasta Bento Box

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Cook extra pasta with dinner and set it aside to make an easy pasta salad you can pack for lunch the following day. Add beans, leftover chicken, deli turkey or tuna for extra protein.

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    1 of 28 Clean-Eating Bento Box Lunch
    2 of 28 Turkey & Cheese Pinwheels Bento Lunch
    3 of 28 Protein Bistro Lunch Box
    4 of 28 DIY Lunch Kits for Kids
    5 of 28 Mediterranean Bento Lunch
    6 of 28 Charcuterie Bistro Lunch Box
    7 of 28 Taco Salad Bento Lunch for Kids
    8 of 28 Vegan Bistro Lunch Box
    9 of 28 Deconstructed Sushi Bento Lunch
    10 of 28 Rainbow Bento Lunch for Kids
    11 of 28 Fruit & Cheese Bistro Lunch Box
    12 of 28 Picnic Bento Lunch
    13 of 28 PB&J Bistro Lunch Box
    14 of 28 Salmon Salad Bento Lunch
    15 of 28 Buffalo-Style Bistro Lunch Box
    16 of 28 Egg Salad Bento Lunch
    17 of 28 Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch
    18 of 28 Breakfast-for-Lunch Bento for Kids
    19 of 28 Soy-Lime Tofu & Rice Bento Lunch
    20 of 28 Deconstructed Cobb Salad Bento Lunch for Kids
    21 of 28 Smoked Salmon Maki Rolls
    22 of 28 Mini Mezze Bento Box
    23 of 28 Veggie Sushi Bento Box
    24 of 28 Meat & Cheese Cucumber Roll-Ups Bento Box Lunch
    25 of 28 Egg & Waffle Bento Box
    26 of 28 Tex-Mex Bento Box
    27 of 28 Greek Yogurt Parfait Bento Box
    28 of 28 Confetti Pasta Bento Box

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    28 Easy Bento Box Lunch Ideas for Work and School
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