Easy Packed Lunch Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Like Sandwiches

Easy Packed Lunch Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Like Sandwiches

Planning and packing your children’s lunchboxes every day can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. This is especially true if you have a child who is a picky eater as their lunches will require more planning. Sandwiches are a lunchbox staple, but some kids simply don’t like sandwiches. In this guide, we are going to explore some options for easy packed lunch ideas for kids who don’t like sandwiches. Read on for some non-sandwich lunch ideas inspiration!

Try Different Types of Bread

If your child doesn’t like sandwiches of the traditional kind – made with slices of regular bread – one of the easiest things you can try is simply trying a different kind of bread product. There’s so much more to the world of bread than just the usual sliced loaf.

For kids who don’t like sandwiches, try other delicious breads such as wraps, brioche, pita breads, baguettes, pumpernickel, muffins, etc. Browse the bread section of your supermarket (or a bread baking recipe book to make your own) and see what’s available. Some breads, like wraps, are best filled with something but most can just be enjoyed on their own or sliced up and eaten with a dip.

AD – Kingsmill’s New Fruity Fingers

Kingsmill has recently launched their new Fruit Fingers which are a soft brioche style bread with fruit. They come in two flavours, Mixed Berries and Apple & Raisin, and cost £1.30 for a bag of 4. These fruity fingers breads are absolutely delicious as they are or with a bit of butter and/or cheese. They’re perfect for kids who don’t like regular bread in their packed lunch. We especially love the Mixed Berries flavour which tastes similar to blueberry muffins! 

Pie & Pastry Options

Next up, there are plenty of pie and pastry options that can be enjoyed for lunch as an alternative to a sandwich. Sausage rolls (vegetarian or with meat), quiche, savoury tarts, samosas, pasties, puff pastry with sweet or savoury fillings, or simply croissants. Croissants are delicious as they are or with a sandwich-style filling. Lots of kids who don’t like bread like croissants and pain au chocolat.

Let Eggs be the Star of the Show

Another option is to let eggs be the star of the lunchbox. For example, crust less mini quiches are easy to make to your child’s preferences. Omelettes are another great option and so are pancakes. You can make mini fluffy American pancakes or your could make regular thin pancakes that you can roll up with a sweet or savoury filling. Other egg-themed lunch foods include waffles, boiled eggs, Scotch eggs and frittatas. There are lots of great alternatives to choose from and many that you can combine with the picky plate lunch ideas below.

Picky Plate Lunchbox

Lots of children (and grown-ups!) love a picky plate with lots of different picky bits. These can pretty much be anything that your child enjoys eating. The only thing to keep in mind is to get a good balance of fruit and veg, carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Popular options include fresh fruit and veg (tomatoes, cucumber, carrot sticks, grapes, apple), crackers or breadsticks, cubes or slices of cheese, raisins boxes, crisps, dips such as hummus, plus something more filling such as falafel, mini sausages, a sausage roll, or a mini quiche for example.

Leftover Feasts

The easiest packed lunch that you can make for your child or yourself is to pack up the leftovers from your evening meal the night before. There are lots of dishes that taste great cold the next day or that you can reheat and put in a food flask. Soups, stews, pasta in sauce, noodles, grilled chicken, etc. all work well for leftovers. Add some extras like fresh fruit or bread for example if you need to bulk out the lunch a bit. If your child enjoys eating leftovers for lunch, you can help your future self by cooking a little bit extra when you cook dinner. Then you know you have tomorrow’s lunch sorted too.

Filling Salads

Hearty salads also make a great healthy and tasty lunch. Additionally, they are easy to meal-prep. You can make a large batch to feed the kids and yourself for a few days. Pasta salad with pesto, cheese, and veg is a popular option. Or try a creamy potato salad, or a rice/orzo salad with veg, pineapple and halloumi. These are just a few simple ideas – use whatever your children like eating, of course. On warm days, pack the salad in a food flask to keep it fresh.

Japanese Lunchbox Inspiration

Bento boxes and lunchboxes are an important part of Japanese culture. This is why their bento lunches are so amazing. Take inspiration from Japanese lunchboxes (there are some lovely books available on this topic) and get creative. You don’t have to make everything look super cute and get special tools – simply look at what kind of foods are chosen for Japanese packed lunches.

A simple and delicious option is onigiri which you can see above. It’s a rice triangle wrapped in nori (seaweed). The rice is wrapped around a sour or salty filling. Delicious, filling and also very easy to eat on the go.

Breakfast Style Lunchbox Ideas

Breakfast-style foods can also be eaten at lunch time of course. Overnight oats with delicious toppings, yoghurt with fruit and granola (kept separately until it’s time to eat), waffles/pancakes, or even Homemade Sausage and Egg McMuffin.

Conclusion – Packed Lunch Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Like Sandwiches

As you can see there are lots of great options for lunch ideas without sandwiches for picky eaters or kids who simply don’t like regular sandwiches. In this post we have explored lots of healthy and tasty alternatives to sandwiches for packed lunches. Hopefully you have found some new lunch ideas to try!

Collaboration.