School Lunch Box Ideas/tiffin ideas- Schools have opened ( finally !!) after 2 months of summer break and life is back to normal. But kids are having a hard time going back to school after long holidays.
Packing the lunch box is another struggle as they have to be lured into going to school by making their favorite dishes. I keep on adding new tiffin ideas to this list so don’t forget to save this post.
I really hate to see food left in the lunch boxes when kids come back from school because they did not feel like eating it. We can not compromise on nutrition also. It has to be tasty and healthy. I bet this is every parent’s worry about what to pack for kids’ school lunch.
Parantha with vegetables is my first choice for kids School lunch boxes. Kids need variety and get bored with parantha in 2-3 days. So I try my best to pack some healthy snacks too.
I have prepared a list of items my kids love to take in their school lunch boxes. I hope these help you in packing your kid’s lunch box. If you have some recipe that your kids enjoy taking in their tiffin box I would love to hear about that. Please leave a comment below about that.
We try kids to eat vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products daily. Most of these Tiffin ideas have lots of vegetables in them which makes it suitable for kids’ school lunch boxes.
Update:
Our blog post, school lunch box ideas have been mentioned by the leading paper ‘THE HINDU’ in their article lunchtime treat.
http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/lunch-time-treats/article6078638.ece
Here is the list of school lunch box ideas
Spicy vegetable toast
My son took these to school and when he came home he said mom you have to send 2 tiffins of these now bcoz his friends loved them so much that there was not enough left.
Bread Pancakes
This is also perfect to take in lunchboxes and you can sneak in as many vegetables as you like.
Suji Dhokla
You can prepare the batter night before and steam the dhokla in the morning. A very healthy option.
Suji uttapam/ savory semolina pancakes
Cute isn’t it :-). Suji Uttapam or semolina pancakes are quite easy to make and healthy.
Bread cup pizza
I have not really sent them in my kid’s lunchbox yet but my son is asking me to make these for some time. Maybe I will give it a try this week.
Bread roll with Potato filling
This one is a childhood favorite of mine. I used to love taking these in the lunch box. you can prepare the potato mixture in advance and prepare the rolls in the morning.
Moong Dal Dhokla
Though it tastes best when fresh this can be sent in the kid’s school lunch box as a side dish. one of the best Tiffin ideas. Gluten-free and protein-rich snack
Hung Curd Sandwich
very easy to make. Yummy, healthy, packed with vegetables, I rest my case 😉
Poha tikki
My kids love it. I usually make this with leftover Poha but you can make it with fresh poha also.
Some more ideas For School Lunch Box for kids
Kids never say no to take these in their lunch boxes. And these hardly take any time to make. you can add more veggies too as per your preference.
This is my kid’s new favorite and I am not complaining. I love to pack these cute Appe in their school lunch box as these are not only yummy but healthy too. And let’s face it there are not many healthy options that kids also love;-)
these Kebabs can be paired up with a salad or some yogurt dip. Full of Protein and Nutrition these make a healthy choice. you have to plan ahead for this recipe. you can boil chana a day before to save time in the morning.
A yummy way to replace plain flour noodles with nutritious whole wheat flour roti/ chapati. you can prepare Roti day before to save time in the morning.
Love these Tiffin ideas. Don’t forget to pin it for future reference.
Some points to keep in mind while packing the kid’s school lunch box
- School lunch boxes keep food hot for 1-2 hours only. so always pack things kids enjoy at room temperature also.
- Avoid packing items with juice, too much oil as they can leak.
Things that turn sour, bitter should be avoided - Plan for the lunch box the day before. If you can do some preparations the day before it will help in the morning to save time.
- if your kids love sandwiches in the lunch box try to different varieties of bread.
- You can always turn your sandwich into a wrap if your kids like that and make it more healthy by switching bread with tortilla, Roti, Parathas.
- Include variety of Fruits and vegetables in the kid’s lunch boxes.
- Bright colored foods always catch kids attention.
- A protein-rich diet will keep kids full and energetic. so try to use cheese, cottage cheese/paneer, lentils, chole, rajma in their lunch box.
- you can always add carrot stick, cucumber to cover for lack of veggies in your snack. vegetables are a must in kids’ diets.
Hope you like these recipes I shared in School Lunch Box Ideas. When you make some recipe from this list don’t forget to tag us on Instagram and Facebook or use this hashtag #whatscookingmom
You can share your pics with us on email also (whatscookingmom@gmail.com)
AWSOME receipes… to keep kids happy
Thanks, Ramya. Kids love all these recipes.
I ll try it very very helpful Tasty recipes
Do try them Sameera 🙂
I’ll try it
Do let me know how they turn out Farzana.
It is ossam recipe
Thanks Farzana
Hi Nidhi,
It’s interesting to note that am not alone when it comes to planning for tiffin…a cumbersome job,indeed!
I was going G thru’ your blog which certainly was very interesting but I noticed you have largely used bread (maida) which I vehemently object specially to be given to kids…that too soo often.
Even if you suggest using wheat/brown bread I guess it still won’t make kids food healthy.
No offence intended.Your blog is excellent.Its just that I feel as a parent we should expose our children to Maida so much,so often.
My best wishes to you.
Tried many of Ur recipes….loved all of them…..Thx…☺
Thanks Asmita 🙂
Very very helpful and tasty recipes
Thanks Sami 🙂
Thanks for this post . I keep referring to this page again and again 🙂
I think its time to print it now.
Thanks Anagha. keep coming back for more recipes 🙂
The bread pancakes are amazing….just wanted to ask if we can make and store the batter beforehand?
THanks Sanjana
The mixture will become dilute and runny if you make it beforehand. and then it will be very difficult to make pancakes. So it is better to prepare batter just before cooking.
Thank you so much … It is really a great help and i am very sure my daughters are gonna love all these……
Such a relief…..
Thanks Jyoti 🙂
aap pohe or aloo ke prathe to bhool hi gye
yeah they are also perfect for kids lunch boxes 🙂
Thanks a lot for these recipes. My 2 yr old daughter is starting her playschool and i was racking my brain out for tiffin ideas, as it is compulsory in the school to give some tiffin. Just loved your site. Hope my daughter loves it as well. 🙂
Thanks Shalini. All the best to your daughter. Hope she has a good time in School.
Yeah lets hope she enjoys her tiffin also 🙂
Hello nidhi thank u so much for this post.
Monday mere bete ke school me healthy tiffin ka competition hai.kya aap mujhe achi achi tiffin recipes btaa sakte ho plz.
Hi Jasmit
you can add small portion of fruits(grapes,apple, watermelon pieces), some raisins or almonds with regular food you send to your kids. sprouts with salad also score high on nutrition. And for drink along with water you can send chaach, shikanji or panna in a thermos for complete summer meal.
So you can select one main dish with lots of vegetables, one portion fruits, one portion dry fruits, some sprouts and a healthy drink.
other than recipes in this post you can check
https://whatscookingmom.in/healthy-recipes-for-kids/
https://whatscookingmom.in/category/recipy/kids-lunch-box/
Hope this helps you. please let me know know if you want to ask something else. 🙂
Thnx for ideas.i will try sure.i really lved reading urs recipies.
Thanks Shikha. Let me know how they turn out 🙂
Thank you very much, very good receipes
Thanks Anitha 🙂
Thanks for this recipe good idea for my child thanku souh much
You are most welcome Parvinder 🙂
Hi! Nidhi Aunty I am 13 years old now and I am searching for delicious food items which I could tell my mom to make for me as I always get boring tiffin to school 🙁 and I want something new because my friends didn’t like those tiffins which I take and I have to eat it all alone 🙁 . It sounds amazing but I want something which is not so sweet and less spicy. Can you please give me some ideas which I could give my mom.
Hi Sweta.
You can make all these recipes according to your taste by reducing spices or green chillies in it. Dhokla, Suji Uttapam , bread Pancakes are not spicy at all as my 6 year old takes them in his tiffin happily. Even spicy vegetable toast is not very spicy 😉
YOu can also go through these recipes for ideas
https://whatscookingmom.in/category/recipy/kids-lunch-box/
really these recipes are fabulous. my little son will definitely like this. many thanks for this.
Thanks Shilpa. All these are my kids favorites too 🙂
Hi,
These Recipes are looking fantastic and will surely like by my Son.will definitely try all & let you Know.Thanks for sharing..
Thanks Nancy. Do try them and let me know how they turned out. Hope your son likes them.
hi, i am having great problem for making any recipes as my child is allergic to milk milkproduct almond fish and many more. its a request can i know an alternative ingredient for cheese as he wants to eat pizza. but pizza cann.t be made without cheese. i would luv ur reply and hope u solve my problem, i have not tried tofu or soya product and only soya nutrela is given to him. bye seeya
Hello Nisha. many people are allergic to milk products or they are turning vegan and do not consume milk products. They are some vegan cheese available in market which you can use to make pizza. you can also add lots of sauces and vegetables of his choice on pizza. May be he will not miss cheese. Some people use tofu or cashew cheese on pizza but I have never tried these.
You can also search internet for vegan recipes and search for vegan pizza recipes keeping in mind what he is allergic too.
Take care
Kindly post something for 3 yrs kid
Hi Nimisha. you can try Poha, Bread cup pizza, pizza with cottage cheese, kidney bean burritos, Suji Uttapam. my younger son loved them when he was 3 years old.
hi, had done this bread toast and paneer balls, sent for lunch box to my son in Jr KG with sauce.. totally he wiped offf the box.. looking for more receipes for kids lunch box..
Its such a relief when kids bring back empty lunch box. Will post more recipes soon Ramya.
Nice ideas,looking for things which I can make in advance and store as mornings r vry hectic wen u hv two boys and hv to ok 3 tiff ins for each…..and then ur hubby dear…
Thanks Madhu. yes mornings are pretty hectic. u can make suji dhoklas in advance and then in morning saute onions capsicum tomato and spices and add to it.
Hi… I really love ur blog and will soon try all ur recipes one by one. But but I have some quires 1.how to keep food warm in lunch box for long time ?
2. And sometime thing get soggy specially potato stuff… PLzz give me some ideas 🙂
HI Naaz. You can use insulated tiffins for packing lunch box or wrap the food in a foil paper. Don’t pack very hot food as that gets soggy. Pack them at room temperature.
i really liked your ideas. i would try them for sure. Please share more recipe for 6 yrs olds one !!
Sure Shalini. My younger son is also 6 years old 🙂
fantastic raciepes…jst love thm..
gonna try 1 by 1
thanx alot ma’m…
You are most welcome Sujata 🙂 Let me know when you try them.
Thanks for the lovely lunch box ideas and looking fwd for some more ideas like that.
Thanks Keyakoli. 🙂
Thanks so much for these options, Nidhi! School is starting soon and now I have 2 lunchboxes to pack!! Pinning this!
Thanks for pinning the post Roshni. I really loved reading your blog.
thank you so much for this post, mine are so picky , if they like something I stuck with it, will have to try all these, I am sure they will like it one or two. we still have one and half month to open the school so before that I will try it at home.
My kids are also like that sometimes. Do try the recipes and I would love to hear how your kids liked them. Spicy vegetable toast is my kids most favorite item of all of these.
Thank you so much for this post Nidhi! I have been racking my brains for creating a healthy yet tasty lunch menu for my daughter. Your bread rolls I tried last year and they made way to our menu and have stayed there. Yum! And now I am definitely going to try the Suji dhokla and bread cup pizza. My daughter will love them!
Thanks Swapna. I would love to hear how they turned out. 🙂
Hello mam…
I visited on ur blog first time and I really love ur recipes. It’s quite simple recipe, easy to cook and delicious. My kid is just 2 and half yr old. He eats nothing. He goes to school without doing breakfast. he don’t like veggies, sweet dishes , fruits. Can u please share some interesting breakfast and lunch recipe for my kid?
Hello babita please visit my page healthy recipes for kids for more ideas 🙂
https://whatscookingmom.in/healthy-recipes-for-kids/