65 healthy lunch ideas for work - save yourself money and eat healthier by making your own lunch. Get a ton of lunch ideas including cold salads, hot lunches, granola bars, snacks, and soups! Simple and healthy lunch recipes.
Just like these 22 cold lunch ideas for meal prep, these healthy lunch ideas for work are so easy to meal prep, and taste delicious even on day 4!

These healthy lunch ideas for work will add some variety to your meal prep routine! Whether you work from home, in an office, or on the go - there's something there for everyone here.
No more expensive takeout lunches, or surviving off coffee and muffins! These recipes will have you looking forward to your lunch and snacks. Spend just 30 minutes -1 hour prepping these recipes to reduce stress and eat healthier all week long! These healthy lunch ideas for work are nutritious, delicious, will travel well, and last in the fridge until lunchtime.
Benefits of Meal Prep Lunches
- you will save money (no more buying your lunch!)
- you will eat healthier (no impulsive choices when you are overly hungry)
- you will reduce your stress (lunch is just waiting for you in the fridge!)
Meal Prep FAQ
Most ingredients will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to meal prep for the whole week, you can do a second meal prep session mid-week, or you can choose freezer-friendly meal prep meals. Check out these freezer-friendly lunch meal prep recipes for recipes that will keep longer!
No! Check out this post on 3 ways to add variety to your meal prep. Eating the same thing may be the most efficient way to meal prep, but is not necessary if you don't enjoy the repetition.
Broccoli to sweet potatoes, celery, carrots and many more! Check out this post on how to meal prep vegetables for some of the best veggies to meal prep, tips, and instructions.
Absolutely! These recipes are quite flexible, and there is something for everyone whether you work from home, an office, or on the go!
Lunch packing tips
- Plan ahead - make sure to include your lunches in your meal plan. Often we will plan for dinner leftovers to eat for lunch the next day and that goes on the plan. See how to write a meal plan
- Use the right equipment - We love these 2 cup meal prep containers, but 3 compartment meal prep containers and 1 pint jars are also on repeat. See the best lunch containers for more ideas!
- Keep condiments separate - (unless stated on the recipe). This is usually a good bet when it comes to salads etc. I like layering salads in 1 pint jars, or storing dressings in these 1 oz condiment containers
- Set a reminder - forgetting your lunch is the WORST! Set a reminder on Alexa, your iPhone, or even just leave a post it on the door. See 5 ways to use amazon echo in the kitchen
Sandwiches & Wraps
Sandwiches and wraps keep well in the fridge until lunch, with condiments stored separately until just prior to serving.
Meal prep it - Sandwiches and wraps can be prepared the same day you serve them OR you can store the filling separately. For some of these wraps & pitas, we heat the filling, then roll the wraps or fill the pita just before eating.
Best lunch containers - Sandwiches store great in these reusable LunchSkins sandwich bags, and we like to store wrap fillings in 2 cup meal prep containers.
Cold Salads
Salads do not necessarily mean lettuce! All of these salads have a few things in common. They are healthy, delicious, they have some staying power, and they are portable, making them ideal for meal prep lunches.
Meal prep it - Keep salad dressings separate until just prior to serving (unless otherwise directed).
Best lunch containers- For salads, we like these condiment containers, layering in 1 pint mason jars, or storing in these 3 compartment meal prep containers.
Hot Lunch Ideas (Meal Prep Bowls)
Cook these lunch recipes ahead and re-heat at lunch! These hot lunches are going to make your lunch feel a bit more of a meal. These recipes are portable, healthy and have a good dose of protein to keep you feeling full.
Meal prep it- Many of these hot lunch ideas are freezer-friendly (check directions on each recipe for storage info). Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw as needed.
Best lunch containers- For hot lunches, I like my 2 cup meal prep containers.
Granola Bars & Energy Bites
Hands up if you spend too much money on granola bars! Me me me!! We much prefer to make our own from scratch, plus they taste even better than store-bought. There are so many options here from granola bars, to energy bites, and protein bars!
Meal prep it - Granola bars are often fridge and freezer-friendly (refer to storage directions in each individual recipe)! Freeze for 1-3 months, or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Best lunch containers - We freeze energy bites and granola bars for a few hours on a baking sheet, then transfer them to reusable stasher bags or 6 cup meal prep containers.
Muffins & Snacks
Let's call this the 'misc' category! Here's some healthy and delicious muffins and snacks!
Meal prep it- These snacks can all be prepped ahead, but storage directions vary greatly. Refer to each recipe for specific instructions!
Best lunch containers- we like these 6 cup meal prep containers to store muffins, kale chips, egg muffins and more. 1 pint jars work well to store chia pudding, roasted chickpeas, and hummus.
Soups
Out of all these healthy lunch ideas, soups are probably our favorite! If you have a good microwave-safe dish with a lid, soups aren't difficult to transport to work. Heat them up in the microwave, and you have a healthy and delicious warm lunch!
Meal prep it - Cook a big batch ahead and portion out through the week. Leftovers can often be frozen for long-term storage.
Best lunch containers- some options for soup include 20 oz meal mugs from Corningware, store in 1 pint mason jars, then reheat in bowls in the microwave, this super popular Crock Pot lunch warmer, and this 24 oz thermos.
Tips for Freezing In Jars
Here are a few tips for freezing black beans in mason jars to avoid the jars breaking:
- Make sure to select canning jars; repurposed pasta sauce or food jars are not designed to withstand dramatic temperature shifts and can break.
- Avoid jars that have 'shoulders' and taper in at the top, as they are more prone to breaking
- Leave an inch from the top of the jar empty to account for expansion when freezing
- Leave the lids ajar until the beans are frozen solid- at this point, you can secure them!