Bento Lunch Ideas: 20 Easy, Colourful Boxes Kids Love

A bento lunch is one of the easiest ways to pack a healthy, colourful school lunch that children actually want to eat. Instead of one big sandwich, you fill small compartments with bite-sized foods, so every box feels like a little picnic.

Bento boxes also make balance easy. With a compartment for each food group, it’s simple to see at a glance whether you’ve included protein, vegetables and fruit. Here’s our simple formula and 20 bento lunch ideas to get you started.

Why bento lunch boxes work so well

Children love choice and small portions. A bento lunch box gives them both. Separate compartments stop foods touching (a big deal for some picky eaters), and seeing several small portions feels far less overwhelming than one large one.

Bento boxes also cut down on packaging waste, since there’s no need for cling film or lots of little bags. And they make it easy to include the 5-part healthy lunchbox formula we use every day.

The bento lunch formula

Fill each compartment with one of these:

1. Starch: pasta, a mini wrap, rice balls, crackers or a slice of bread cut into shapes.
2. Protein: egg, cheese, chicken, tuna, hummus, beans or tofu.
3. Vegetable: cucumber, carrot, pepper, sugar snap peas or sweetcorn.
4. Fruit: berries, grapes, melon, apple or satsuma segments.
5. Fun extra: a dip, a mini muffin, a few pieces of popcorn or a homemade flapjack.

20 bento lunch ideas kids love

Classic combinations

1. Pinwheel bento: cream cheese and ham wrap pinwheels, cucumber, strawberries, crackers.
2. Snack plate bento: cheese cubes, oatcakes, apple slices, carrot sticks, hummus.
3. Egg bento: a halved boiled egg, buttered toast fingers, cherry tomatoes, grapes.
4. Pasta salad bento: pasta with pesto and peas, cubed cheese, cucumber, melon.
5. Pitta pocket bento: mini pitta with tuna and sweetcorn, pepper strips, blueberries.

No-sandwich bento lunch ideas

6. Rice ball bento: rice balls, edamame beans, carrot coins, satsuma.
7. Quesadilla bento: cheese and bean quesadilla triangles, salsa, cucumber, kiwi.
8. Muffin bento: savoury cheese and courgette muffins, cherry tomatoes, grapes.
9. Falafel bento: falafel, yoghurt dip, pitta strips, cucumber, apple.
10. Rainbow bento: chicken and rice with a rainbow of veg, like our Rainbow Chicken and Rice Bento.

Vegetarian bento ideas

11. Hummus dipper bento: hummus, breadsticks, pepper, sugar snap peas, berries.
12. Bean salad bento: mixed beans with sweetcorn, cheese, crackers, pear.
13. Pancake bento: mini spinach pancakes, yoghurt dip, berries, cucumber.
14. Frittata bento: squares of vegetable frittata, toast fingers, tomatoes, melon.
15. Tofu bento: baked tofu cubes, noodles, edamame, mango.

Fun theme bentos

16. Pizza bento: pitta “pizza” slices, pepperoni-free veg toppings, cucumber, grapes.
17. Breakfast-for-lunch bento: mini pancakes, yoghurt, berries, a boiled egg.
18. Picnic bento: sausage rolls, cherry tomatoes, cheese, strawberries.
19. Dippy bento: three dips with lots of vegetable and cracker “dippers”.
20. Apple nacho bento: our Crunchy Apple Nachos packed with a squeeze of lemon, plus cheese and crackers.

How to keep a bento lunch fresh and safe

Bento lunch boxes often sit in a classroom for several hours, so food safety matters:

• Keep it cold: use an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack, especially for cheese, meat, egg, rice and yoghurt.
• Cool food first: never pack warm food straight into a sealed box.
• Take extra care with rice: cool cooked rice within an hour, keep it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours.
• Stop browning: a squeeze of lemon or orange juice keeps apple and pear slices fresh.
• Prevent soggy food: pack wet foods (like cucumber and tomatoes) away from crackers.

Our full guide to lunchbox food safety covers this in more detail.

Choking safety for little ones

For toddlers and young children, cut grapes, cherry tomatoes and large berries lengthways into quarters, and avoid whole nuts. Many schools and nurseries are nut-free anyway; see our nut-free lunchbox ideas for safe swaps.

Bento lunch tips for busy mornings

• Prep the night before: wash fruit, chop veg and fill the box, then store it in the fridge.
• Batch prep on Sundays: boil eggs, bake muffins and portion dips for the week. See our one-hour meal prep plan.
• Use leftovers: pasta, roasted veg and chicken all make great bento fillings.
• Let kids choose: give two options per compartment and let your child decide.
• Keep it simple: cookie-cutter shapes are fun, but a plain bento lunch is just as healthy.

A week of bento lunch boxes

Here’s a sample school week to show how easy it is to rotate a few combinations. Each bento lunch follows the five-part formula, but no two days look the same.

Get kids involved in packing

Children are far more likely to eat a bento lunch they helped to build. Keep a “lunch shelf” in the fridge with a few options for each compartment, and let your child pick one item from each group. Even young children can wash fruit, press cookie cutters into sandwiches and snap the lid shut. It builds independence, and the empty box at the end of the day is the best reward of all.

Frequently asked questions

What size bento box is best for kids?

For younger children, a box with four or five small compartments works well. Older children may need larger compartments or an extra snack pot.

Can I put warm food in a bento lunch?

Most bento boxes aren’t insulated, so they’re best for cold food. For warm meals, use a food flask instead; see our thermos lunch ideas.

How do I stop my child coming home with a full bento box?

Pack small portions, include at least one favourite food, and ask your child to help plan the menu. Children often eat more when they’ve chosen it themselves.

The bottom line

A bento lunch makes healthy eating colourful, varied and fun. Follow the five-part formula, keep it cold, and rotate a handful of favourite combinations. Before long, packing a bento lunch will take just five minutes, and you’ll see far more empty boxes coming home.