How to Pack Lunch (Tips for Perfect Packed Lunches)
Packing a vegan packed lunch doesn't have to be difficult. With the right containers, ingredients and a few simple tricks, you can make sure your lunch stays fresh, tasty and mess-free until you're ready to eat it.
In this guide, you'll find practical tips for packing sandwiches, salads, pasta and more with no soggy bread or leaks.
A thoughtfully packed lunch will unwrap delights just as appealing and fresh as when you packed it, but a badly packed lunch can spell disaster and disappointment.
Read this guide for handy tips.
💭 The Do's and Don'ts of Packing Lunch
Soggy sandwiches, stale bread, oily leaks and warm salad.
These are just a few of the problems you can encounter with a badly packed lunch.
Disappointment doesn't begin to cover the feeling when you've worked hard all morning, and the thought of that tasty lunch is all that's keeping you going.
Pack the right way, and you'll never be disappointed.
✔ Vegan Packed Lunch Checklist
- Main lunch item - sandwich, wrap, savoury pastry or salad
- Protein - tofu, beans, lentils or hummus
- Fresh fruit - or crunchy veg sticks
- Snack or treat - savoury or sweet
- Dressing or dip - and salt or pepper to season salad
- Ice pack - or frozen water bottle
- Picnic rug or blanket
🥣 The Best Lunch Containers for Vegan Packed Lunches
There are so many lunch box options to choose from. Here are a few options for vegan packed lunch containers:
- Tupperware - all shapes and sizes, a good all-rounder, you need a leakproof tub
- Bento boxes - multiple compartments to keep food separate
- Tiffin carrier - lidded containers that stack one on top of another & clip together
- Bamboo boxes - environmentally friendly but often not leak-proof
- Stainless steel lunch boxes - odour-free, dishwasher safe and long-lasting
- Glass jars - in various sizes, good for salads, salad dressing, nuts & seeds and noodles.
- Dual snack tubs - these are usually long with two compartments for crunchy veg, fruit or min breadsticks and a dip
- Dual cereal tubs - a lidded bowl for cereal with a compartment for milk
- Thermos flask - good for keeping drinks and smooth soups hot
- Food Flasks - are similar to a thermos flask, but are wider so good for chunky soup, noodles, pasta and stew
🌡️ Keeping Lunch Cool & Fresh
Keep your lunch cool with these simple tips. An insulated lunch bag also helps, often these have a silver lining.
- Freezer blocks - pop them in the freezer overnight, then add them to your lunch bag in the morning.
- Water bottle - first make sure your water bottle is freezer-friendly, if it is fill it at night and pop it in the freezer. Add it to your lunch bag in the morning and it will keep your lunch cool until lunchtime and as a bonus you'll have chilled water to drink too.
- Grapes - freeze grapes and add them to your lunch bag, they'll help to keep everything else cool and you can then eat them too. No grapes? Use blueberries or strawberries.
- Stainless steel containers - these can be frozen overnight, filled and added to an insulated lunch bag to keep lunch cool.
💭 The Worst Lunch Hack
You may have seen a trending hack online where you fill a sealable freezer bag with washing up liquid, freeze it and add it to your lunch bag to keep your lunch cool.
DON'T DO IT!
Once it defrosts, it's washing liquid again. Just think of it bursting or being pierced accidentally and all that washing up liquid over your formerly delicious lunch.
Just no!
Try one of the above tips instead.
🥪 Tips for Packing Sandwiches and Wraps
The traditional way to wrap sandwiches or wraps is in clingfilm or tinfoil.
You can do that, but if you want to be more environmentally friendly why not buy a sandwich wrap which can be wiped and used again.
Alternatively, you could use unbleached parchment paper to wrap your sandwiches and filled wraps.
🥪 How to Stop Sandwiches Going Soggy
Here are my best tips for perfect sandwiches in lunchboxes.
- Spread your bread with dairy-free spread, mayo or mustard, this will build a barrier between your filling and the bread to help it from going soggy.
- Make sure you dry salad leaves and greens thoroughly so you're not adding more moisture to the sandwich.
- Take your slices of tomatoes in a separate container and add them when you are serving your sandwiches.
- Don't overfill sandwiches.
For simple sandwich inspiration check out 101 Vegan Sandwiches - Back to School Kids Lunch boxes.
🍜 The Best Way to Pack Pasta Salad or Noodles for Lunch
A leak-proof airtight container is best for pasta and noodles.
If it's airtight, you can add a sauce or dressing, but if you aren't sure take the sauce or dressing in a small jar and add when you are ready to eat.
Rice noodles can be packed in a Kilner style jar with some finely chopped or sliced veg (or dehydrated vegetables), miso paste, curry paste, stock cube or even peanut butter.
When you are ready to have lunch just add boiling water and stir.
You can make these ahead for the week.
🥗 Packing Salad for Lunch
An airtight container is the best option for packing salad.
- If you are adding pickled beetroot, dry it off on kitchen paper or your whole salad will turn pink.
- Pack your salad dressing separately and add it when you are ready to eat, or your salad will go soggy and limp.
- Croutons, seeds and nuts should be packed separately too and added at the last minute to keep them crunchy.
🍱 Putting Together a Bento Box
The secret to a good bento lunch is to find a bento box that doesn't leak between the compartments.
For the last 6 years, since my son started school we've been using Yumboxes.
They come with different size compartments and a small space for dip, seeds or nuts. The rubber on the inside of the lid provides a tight seal on the compartments so you never have leakage.
You can even add yoghurt or mayo and it never leaks.
We have two with the smaller compartments and one with a bigger section that is good for pastries, sandwiches or wraps.
Yumbox are expensive at the £25 mark, but they have lasted us 6 years so far and are dishwasher friendly so they are well worth it.
I found a discount code when I bought mine, so was happy to buy three.
I highly recommend them, but no, I don't have any connection to the company.
A jumbo ice cube tray with a lid is a cheaper option but generally not leakproof, so keep your dip separate.
🥣 Packing Soup for Lunch
A good quality thermos flask is the best option for soup, but you may have trouble pouring it if it's thick or chunky.
For a thicker soup or stew, look for a good quality food flask.
They are like a thermos flask, but shorter and thicker with a wider opening so you can eat directly from the flask or pour a thick soup or stew with ease.
♨️ Heat Your Flask Properly Before Adding Soup
Just remember to take the time to heat the flask first for the best results.
Fill with boiling water from the kettle and screw on the lid, then leave for 5-10 minutes to give it time to heat, before pouring out the water and adding your hot soup or stew.
I hope these tips will help you plan the perfect lunch. For lunch recipes check out my recipe index.
The best way to pack a vegan lunch is to use airtight, leakproof containers and separate wet ingredients like dressings or sauces until you are ready to eat them. This helps keep the food fresh and prevents soggy sandwiches or wilted salads.
To stop sandwiches going soggy, spread a thin layer of vegan butter, mayo or cream cheese on the bread before adding fillings. This creates a barrier between the bread and wetter ingredients. It also helps to dry salad leaves and avoid packing juicy tomatoes directly against bread.
A vegan packed lunch can include sandwiches, wraps, salads, pasta dishes, fruit, vegetables, dips and homemade snacks such as flapjacks or muffins. Including a balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats helps make the lunch more filling.
Yes, many vegan packed lunches can be made the night before. Sandwich fillings, salads and snacks often store well in the fridge and can make mornings much quicker and easier, but don't add dressing until you are serving the lunch.
Best Tips to Keep Vegan Packed Lunches Fresh
- Add an ice pack or frozen water bottle.
- Use an insulated bag - an insulated lunch bag or a cool bag.
- Keep wet ingredients in separate airtight and leakproof containers.
Vegan Lunchbox Packing Mistakes to Avoid
- Overfilling containers.
- Not separating wet ingredients.
- Forgetting seasonings and dressing.
- Not taking baby wipes or kitchen paper for wiping, hands, faces or any spills.
- Not cooling food before packing, so it lasts longer.
- Forgetting a bin bag (trash sack) to clear up rubbish.
More Vegan Lunch Ideas
If you need more lunchtime recipes and ideas, check out Vegan Packed Lunch Ideas, Vegan School Lunch Ideas or Vegan Picnic Food and you may also want to have a look at my Vegan Sandwich Recipes and Vegan Wrap Recipes.
Boss that lunchtime!
