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I work from home, so I’m not packing a lunch for work in the usual sense, but I still need easy, healthy lunches for work pretty much every day. My calendar is usually packed, and if I don’t already have some kind of plan, noon rolls around, and I’m standing in the kitchen trying to figure out what I can make in five minutes. That’s usually when the healthy lunch part goes out the window. I’ll grab whatever is easiest, eat something that doesn’t really fill me up, and then wonder why I’m dragging by 2 p.m. Having a handful of healthy lunch ideas for work that I already know I like makes a huge difference, especially on days when I’m bouncing from one meeting to the next.
35 Simple Healthy Lunches for Adults
Most of these lunches are easy to prep ahead, pack for work, or throw together quickly when lunchtime sneaks up on you. I included a good mix of salads, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, and warm lunches, so you’ve got plenty of healthy options depending on how much time you have and what actually sounds good that day.
My Top Lunch Picks
Beef Shawarma Wrap
Flank steak is cooked shawarma style, then wrapped in pita with vegetables and tahini sauce. It started as Middle Eastern street food. Wrapped in foil, it makes an easy packed lunch for adults that still feels healthy.
Arayes
Quick and easy to make, arayes is a popular Lebanese recipe which is basically meat stuffed pitas made with onions, tomatoes, parsley and spices
Lentil Tabbouleh Recipe
Cooked green lentils get mixed with parsley, mint, green onions, and fresh lemon juice, with 9g of protein per serving. There is no lettuce to wilt, so it is one of the easier healthy lunch ideas for work to make ahead.
Easy Bowl Lunches
Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
Black beans, corn, sweet potatoes, and cilantro lime rice, built for meal prep. It holds up well through the week, which makes it a simple healthy lunch idea for work.
Chicken Burrito Protein Bowl
Chipotle-inspired, this Chicken Burrito Bowl served over Cilantro Lime Rice, has 52g of protein and all the flavor! It’s great for meal prep!
2 hours 50 minutes
Chicken Teriyaki Bowl
Chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice, with a homemade teriyaki sauce. A good healthy lunch for work that reheats well in the office microwave.
Quinoa Buddha Bowl
This vegan Quinoa Buddha Bowl is filled with nourishing roasted sweet potatoes, kale, crispy chickpeas, avocado and a tangy tahini dressing!
Sandwiches & Wraps for Work
Ground Beef Burritos
Stuff your Ground Beef Burritos with meat, beans, and rice and roll tight in a flour tortilla. To get them to hold together pan sear and serve with all the things!
Hummus Sandwich Recipe
Whole-grain bread layered with hummus, feta, spinach, banana peppers, cucumbers, and oregano. It takes about 10 minutes. An easy packed lunch for adults that you can put together before work.
Buffalo Chicken Wrap Recipe
Chicken tenders get cooked in homemade buffalo sauce, then wrapped with romaine, mozzarella, carrots, and ranch. It is ready in about 20 minutes. A good healthy lunch idea for work when you want a little heat.
Smash Falafel Pita
Smash Falafel Pita is a new way to enjoy falafel by smashing the batter on pita and frying it on a skillet – it’s an easy quick trend to try!
12 hours 20 minutes
Easy Packed Hot Lunches
One Pot Chicken and Rice Recipe
Chicken breast, frozen veggies, and rice cook together in a single pot with just 10 minutes of prep. Portion it into containers for easy packed lunches for adults to heat up at work.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
This creamy Cajun chicken pasta is a lightened up version made with milk and chicken broth instead of heavy cream. It’s lightly spicy and loaded with juicy blackened chicken oven penne pasta!
Ground Beef and Rice Recipe
Lean ground beef, basmati rice, 7 spice seasoning, and chickpeas all cook in one pot, with toasted nuts as an option. Pack the nuts separately so they stay crunchy, and it is one of the heartier healthy lunch ideas for work.
Easy Butter Chicken
A quick and easy version of the popular Indian dish, Butter Chicken, cooked in a creamy tomato sauce in just one pan!
Taco Pasta Recipe
Easy beef taco pasta, cooked in one pot with ground beef, taco seasoning, fire-roasted tomatoes, and pasta cooked together in broth. Done in 30 minutes.
Tasty Treats and Snacks
Starbucks Oat Bars
These oat bars are filling, healthy-ish, and work for breakfast or a snack. Make them ahead and skip the Starbucks line. Keep one in your bag for a good healthy snack at work.
Chia Jello
This Chia Seed Jello is made with 2 ingredients: chia seeds and fruit juice! It’s a healthy high fiber snack and great for meal prepping!
4 hours 5 minutes
Date Snickers
These 4 ingredient Date Snickers are a popular and easy TikTok recipe made with Medjool dates, peanut butter, nuts, and dark chocolate!
Protein Ball Recipe – 4 Flavors
These no-bake energy balls use just a few ingredients and come in four flavors: Chocolate Chip, Cake Batter, Lemon Coconut, and Cinnamon Raisin. Toss a couple in with lunch for a simple, healthy snack at work.
Tips for Making Easy Packed Lunches for Adults
- Make a plan. The old adage (which is actually a quote from Benjamin Franklin) holds true here: “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”. Just like meal prepping for dinners is important, it’s a good idea to plan out your packed lunches for work ahead of time so you don’t fail…at eating wholesome foods and avoiding take-out. This allows you to rotate through your favorite lunches easily and prevents decision fatigue.
- Be ready with containers. Different meals require different types of containers. Some meal prep containers have dividers that keep ingredients separate (which is super helpful when you have different components with different textures). Other meals may benefit from something like a hot soup thermos.
- Use mason jars for salads. These don’t just make excellent drinking glasses or pickling jars. Wide-mouth mason jars are excellent vessels for salads because they are sturdy, compact, and convenient. Add salad dressing to the bottom of the jar, followed by heartier ingredients, and top with greens. When ready to eat lunch, just invert all the ingredients into a large salad bowl and enjoy. Or just shake the jar and dig in.
- Know your ingredients. This may seem like such a simple thing, but it makes a huge difference because if you’re anything like me, you don’t love wilted spinach or browned avocadoes. Keep ingredients that need to remain vibrant and fresh intact as long as possible.
- Avoid smelly foods. Be considerate of others sharing your work space and save meals with strong odors such as fish, garlic, or heavily spiced dishes for another time. I know, it’s hard to say no to classic tuna salad but your co-workers will appreciate it. And hopefully, they will be just as considerate to you.
How To Store Packed Lunches
- Keep foods chilled: Keep your lunch refrigerated if you have access to a fridge. If not, use ice packs or frozen water bottles to keep the food cold until lunch break.
- Use insulated lunch bags/boxes: Invest in insulated lunch bags or containers to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Vacuum-insulated food jars are excellent for keeping hot foods like soups, stews, and pasta warm for a short time.
- Pack ingredients separately: Make sure to use separate containers for wet ingredients like dressings and sauces to prevent sogginess. Similarly, keep dry and crispy ingredients, such as croutons or tortilla chips, in sealed ziplock bags until ready to eat.
- Avoid prolonged storage: Try to consume your packed lunch within a few hours of preparation to reduce the risk of bacterial growth. If you have access to a fridge and microwave, that is always the ideal way to store and reheat work lunches versus thermos.
- Use clean containers: Make sure all lunch containers, utensils, and surfaces are clean and free from any food residues before packing up your lunch.
