The Back to School Lunch Guide, From Allergy-Friendly Snacks to Vegan Recipes

Sorry kids—we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but it’s back-to-school season. And while young people might dread having to wake up early and do homework every afternoon, many parents are excited for their children to be busy again. 

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That said, preparing school lunches can be one stressful aspect for parents who want to provide healthy vegan meals for their children. With this in mind, we’re highlighting easy-to-make recipes and ready-to-pack snacks that’ll have all the other kids wanting to trade lunches. 

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Do school cafeterias have vegan lunch options?

Vegan school lunches are becoming more commonplace in cafeterias across the US. In 2022, California became the first state to support schools to procure more plant-based ingredients with a $700 million investment. In New York, public schools now serve vegan meals to students every Friday. And in Illinois, schools now offer plant-based lunches when requested by students in advance. 

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Meals already cooked at the cafeteria are, arguably, the easiest options for parents to take when it comes to school meals. But if nutritious, plant-based lunches aren’t on offer for your child, there are other easy options. Sandwiches, pasta salads, and pitas are just a few examples of quick and simple lunch ideas.

How to pack a vegan school lunch

If it were up to kids, most of them would opt for sugary drinks and treats come lunchtime. However, loading them up on sugar in the middle of the school day doesn’t make for the best learning environment. Instead, it’s important to fill their lunchboxes with foods they enjoy while ensuring they’re still obtaining essential nutrients. 

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Fruits and healthy snacks like popcorn, pretzel sticks, and sunflower butter all make for great lunchtime snacks that won’t cause a sugar overload. Sandwiches made with vegan deli meats, dairy-free cheese sticks, and even single-serve cartons of plant milks won’t just help your kids feel satisfied, these vegan analogs will also help them feel like they aren’t missing out. For more, take a look at our list below.

Easy vegan lunch ideas for school

Even the pickiest kids will dig into these plant-based school lunches. 

Andre Soranidis

1 Sandwiches

Nothing says “stress-free” like sandwiches, which is one reason to make delicious and creative vegan sandwiches a school lunch centerpiece. We love this chickpea tuna salad sandwich recipe, for example, because you can enjoy it between two slices of bread or on top of crackers. Add some avocado to the sandwich, and your children will have themselves a hearty, healthy, and tasty lunch. Other great sandwich recipes include this buffalo cauliflower option and this New York-style vegan Reuben. Pro tip: These sandwiches also work for grown-up kids who need a good meal at the office.

Tim Atkins

2 Pita pockets

If we had it our way, the word “hummus” would be right below the word “delicious” in every dictionary. And, because of this belief, there’s no more delicious lunch than a falafel pita pocket slathered with yummy hummus. If you have enough time to make your child’s hummus from scratch, we love this garlicky chickpea avocado hummus dip and this pizza hummus recipe.  But if not, you (and your children) are still in luck, as many grocery and convenience stores carry pre-made hummus. Add some carrots and cucumber for your children to share with friends, or up the awesomeness factor by including a few falafel balls.

3 Mexican bowl

A plate of rice and beans is one of the easiest meals for vegans to make. However, you can kick it up a notch for your child’s lunch thanks to this Chipotle-inspired burrito bowl. Made with rice, black beans, taco seasoning, vegan chicken, and avocado, this bowl tastes equally delicious at room temperature as it does piping hot. Just remember to save some for yourself.

Zhoro Apostolov and Michelle Cehn

4 Cold pasta salad

A cold pasta salad takes mere minutes to make and will keep your child full until dinner. We love this easy pasta salad recipe, which features a creamy mustard dressing, and this summer picnic salad is also a great option. And, by incorporating extra pasta and more veg, this meal can be prepared in bulk, which means school lunches are set for the week (or you can take some to work!).

Shay Boyd

5 Sliders

Sliders are a fun school lunch idea, and they will give your child something to look forward to through those morning classes. They can be eaten cold, or if your child has access to the cafeteria microwave, they can be heated, too. Try these smoky barbecue jackfruit sliders, for example; this recipe with pulled mushrooms is also delicious.

Michelle Siriani

6 Bonus: desserts

Newsflash: children love sweets, so don’t deprive your kids of this small lunchtime joy! A sweet idea is chocolate chip cookies because, in case you didn’t know, chocolate chip cookies make any day better.

Allergy-friendly snacks to pack for school lunch

For extra nibbles, these ready-to-pack snacks make great additions to any school lunch. 

Good Planet Foods

1 Vegan cheese wedges

Remember the Laughing Cow cheese wedges? Kids these days have a vegan option. Good Planet Foods has added the first cow-free and allergen-friendly wedges, perfect for kids to enjoy on the school yard come recess or lunch time. The rich and creamy flavors include Smoked Gouda and zesty Pepperjack. Parents, there is no judgment if you pack one for yourself for old time’s sake. (Note: these cheese wedges contain coconut, a type of tree nut.)
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SunButter

8 Sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches

Sometimes, kids prefer simplicity, and there’s nothing quite as simple and delicious as a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But, given the severity of nut allergies, most schools don’t allow nut butters. Enter: sunflower butter. This nut butter alternative replicates the creamy taste and smooth texture of peanut butter with allergen-friendly sunflower seeds. Even better, SunButter makes ready-to-eat sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches—in both grape jelly and strawberry jelly varieties—for the busy mornings when you’re rushing your kids out the door.
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SunButter

9 Sunflower butter and fruit 

Not all lunches require sandwiches; sometimes, kids just like to graze. First off, if that’s your kid, just know that they will likely grow into an adult with a taste for expensive vegan charcuterie boards. For now, feed their snacking preferences by packing a squeeze pack of  sunflower butter, baby carrots, their favorite fruits, and a mini pack of raisins. 
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10Single-serve soy or pea milk

If a teacher or classmate asks your kid where they get their protein, all they have to do is hold up a single-serve carton of soy or pea milk. Both contain eight grams of protein—the equivalent to cow’s milk serving for serving—and most brands fortify their kids’ drinks with calcium and vitamin D. Try Ripple’s On the Go pea milk cartons in original, vanilla, and chocolate. 
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Daiya

11Vegan cheese sticks

It’s tough sending vegan kids out into the world on their own. We don’t blame them for wanting to eat exactly what their friends eat, but those foods typically derive from animals. Fortunately, there is a quality plant-based match for most packaged foods out there—including cheese sticks. Daiya’s Plant-Based Cheeze Sticks will help your child feel included at the lunch table. You may want to pack an extra for sharing purposes. Spread the plant-based word through vegan cheese! (Note: this product also contains coconut oil.)
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Maxine’s Heavenly

12 Allergen-friendly cookies

Yes, Oreos are vegan, but should kids be eating them every day? Probably not. Send your kid off with something sweet without loading them up with sugar (their teachers will thank you). Maxine’s Heavenly makes two packs of cookies that are free from refined sugar, gluten, and animal products. Flavors range from Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin to Chocolate Chocolate Chunk (yes, double the chocolate). Partake Foods is another fantastic allergen-friendly cookie brand with nut-free flavors including cookie butter and birthday cake. These cookies are yet another item parents may wish to pack in their own lunches. (Note: this product contains coconut.)
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Sabra

13Hummus cups

Virtually every big-brand hummus company makes a single-serving cup. These shelf-stable packs of chickpea spread can serve as a cornerstone of a healthy, vegan sack lunch. Just add baby carrots, a sturdy fruit, a carton of non-dairy milk, and perhaps a treat and it’s good to go. Brands to look out for include Sabra, Good & Gather (Target’s own brand), and Kirkland Signature.
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Pearls

14Single-serve olive packs

Either you were the kid or you knew the kid who couldn’t get enough olives (we were the former). Olives are packed with healthy, unsaturated fats making them ideal brain foods. Pearls is one of the most accessible brands that make single-serve olive packs. Find them on Amazon or at most large supermarkets. 
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Mighty Yum

15Vegan Lunchables 

The Lunchables of the modern parent’s youth have been veganized, and they’re kid-approved. Plant-based brand Mighty Yum is churning out “Munchables” in ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, and pepperoni pizza. Not only do they deliver on the classic Lunchables taste, the ham and turkey varieties pack a whopping 14 grams per serving while the pepperoni pizza packs 10.5 grams of protein. That’s a win-win in our book. 
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Tofurky

16 Vegan deli slices

Pack your kid with protein by boxing up a few vegan deli meat slices with their lunch. Sure, you could make a sandwich, but most kids are happy to nibble away regardless if a piece of deli meat is between two slices of bread or not. Field Roast, Tofurky, Mia, and Simple Truth (Kroger brand) all make a range of quality vegan deli slices that are perfect for school lunches. 
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