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Sharing the best lunch containers that will keep your lunch at the right temperature and tasting fresh for hours! Options for kids and adults, divided containers and more.
Hi friends! My 5 Best Glass Meal Prep Containers post has been a popular post with you guys, so it's about time I posted my picks for best lunch containers.
A good lunch container will
keep your lunch tasting fresh
prevent certain ingredients from coming in contact with each other
keep your food at the right temperature
I asked the Sweet Peas & Saffron community for their favorite containers and have included some of the ones that came up time and time again. Thank you for sharing your favorite products with me!
Glass is a really smart choice over plastic for so many reasons including:
it's free from chemicals
it re-heats your food more evenly
it keeps your food fresher
glass is more environmentally friendly as it is much more durable than plastic
If you have the budget for them, they are a great investment. I recommend picking containers with a 2-3 cup capacity. My 2 cup containers fit a good-sized portion exactly, but if it's something you want to stir up you'd want 3 cup.
Ikea Glass Meal Prep Containers (SPS community favorite; these containers come in a variety of sizes and are affordable. Lids are good quality and snap securely)
Pyrex 3-cup Glass Food Storage Set (over 2800 ratings on Amazon with 4.3 average rating. Affordable and a popular choice but people do complain about the lids)
Plastic containers are cheaper, lighter, and are still fairly durable. They are a great choice when you are hiking, or if packing lunches for your kids. Make sure you pick one that is BPA-free.
Dividers are essential for when you want to keep certain ingredients separated (like salads, pitas, dips etc). They are great because often you can fit your entire lunch in the one box and have snacks in one compartment and main course in another.
Stainless steel containers like PlanetBox have a cult following! The pros of stainless versus glass is that stainless steel lunch containers will not break if dropped and are safer for kids. They are non-toxic (unlike plastic) and light to carry.
The cons? They are expensive, you cannot heat them in the microwave, and they are not 100% leak-proof.
PlanetBox Lunch Boxes (SPS community favorite; many people said they are worth the price and good for both kids and adults)
Packing our oldest a lunch that is nut-free, nutritious, and something he'll actually eat has certainly been a learning curve! One good choice we made was to invest in a good quality lunch box for him.
There are a ton of kid-friendly options on the market these days, all at different price points. I prefer a bento-style lunch box because it means less containers to wash and less likely we will lose containers/lids etc.
These containers will keep your lunch at the right temperature so you a) don't have to reheat it or b) don't have to worry about it going off on your way to and from work.
I love, love, love mason jars for EVERYTHING. I think I have every size and shape, wide mouth, and regular. I use them to store dry items in my pantry, liquid items in my fridge and freezer, and I use them to transport food to work (apples, almonds, yogurt, fruit, soup).. I use them to make marinades, salad dressings, and when I need to chop such as my caesar salad dressing I use a wide mouth jar with my immersion blender and no big food processor to clean! I love your idea of food prepping smoothies in a mason jar so I'm going to try that - mine will have bananas though ;). I was actually researching food prep dishes and felt the need to comment on the mason jars! I tried the Snapware and like them to bring meals to work (I haven't tried freezing yet). I am looking for divided containers now and saw some great options. I am so pleased that I found your site. I've tried a few recipes with great success. I have had a pressure cooker for years but it has a non-stick insert so I upgraded to an Instant Pot and am looking forward to trying new recipes that are quick and healthy! Thanks!!!
Hi Sue! I hope you like the frozen smoothie packs! They sometimes look freezer burned but you can't taste it at all. I have left them for up to 3-4 months! Thanks so much for your comment. Have a great day!
We have had our PlanetBoxes since my boys were in junior kindergarten! They have just completed Grade 6 and Grade 9!!! We only had to replace the outer bag once! (And the new bags are better than the first ones we had so I donโt think we would have even had to replace them if that was the style when we started!). So amazing! Totally worth the investment!
SUE RUSSELL says
I love, love, love mason jars for EVERYTHING. I think I have every size and shape, wide mouth, and regular. I use them to store dry items in my pantry, liquid items in my fridge and freezer, and I use them to transport food to work (apples, almonds, yogurt, fruit, soup).. I use them to make marinades, salad dressings, and when I need to chop such as my caesar salad dressing I use a wide mouth jar with my immersion blender and no big food processor to clean! I love your idea of food prepping smoothies in a mason jar so I'm going to try that - mine will have bananas though ;). I was actually researching food prep dishes and felt the need to comment on the mason jars! I tried the Snapware and like them to bring meals to work (I haven't tried freezing yet). I am looking for divided containers now and saw some great options. I am so pleased that I found your site. I've tried a few recipes with great success. I have had a pressure cooker for years but it has a non-stick insert so I upgraded to an Instant Pot and am looking forward to trying new recipes that are quick and healthy! Thanks!!!
Denise says
Hi Sue! I hope you like the frozen smoothie packs! They sometimes look freezer burned but you can't taste it at all. I have left them for up to 3-4 months! Thanks so much for your comment. Have a great day!
Erin says
We have had our PlanetBoxes since my boys were in junior kindergarten! They have just completed Grade 6 and Grade 9!!! We only had to replace the outer bag once! (And the new bags are better than the first ones we had so I donโt think we would have even had to replace them if that was the style when we started!). So amazing! Totally worth the investment!
Denise says
WOW! That's amazing! I have been scared off by the price but it sounds like they are well worth it. Thanks, Erin!