45 Easy Lunch Ideas You Can Make In 10 Minutes Or Less

Breakfast might be the first meal of the day, but lunch is equally as important. Especially if you start hitting a slump before the afternoon! Between picking the easiest option (cold leftovers, yum!) and dreaming up lunch ideasin the middle of the workday, it's no wonder we need that afternoon cup of coffee so desperately. But eating a healthy, delicious lunch every day doesn't mean you have to devote your entire Sunday to meal prep, and the lunch ideas ahead prove it. Keep reading for flavor-packed lunches you can make in a matter of minutes. These will save you time *and* still give you plenty of flavor. Yes, please!
What is the easiest thing to make for lunch?
We'd say some of the easiest things to make for lunch are quick recipes. Meals like overnight oats, scrambled eggs or tofu, or sandwiches don't take a lot of time or effort.
What are 10 good lunch foods?
Pasta, soup, salad, sandwiches, toast, smoothies, jar recipes, grilled chicken, mug recipes, and crackers with dip are all good lunch foods.
What can I make for lunch at home?
There are a variety of lunch ideas that you can make at home. Versatile ingredients like veggies, chicken or tofu, and your favorite sauces can go in multiple recipes like salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes.
What's a good small lunch?
Finger sandwiches, salads, and soups are all small lunches that will leave you satisfied without weighing you down.
Easy Pasta Lunch Ideas
Mason-Jar Ramen
Pre-cooked protein and veggies don't just have to form grain bowls. Liven up your lunch with a fun, healthier take on Cup Noodles. (via Brit + Co.)
Pasta with Creamy Pesto Sauce
Serve this creamy sauce in just 5 minutes. Use it to drown your favorite pasta shape or roasted cauliflower rice in pure deliciousness. (via The Endless Meal)
Mac and Cheese in a Mug
We could never pass up the opportunity to make mug mac and cheese! Since the recipe calls for a bag of shredded cheese, you can just add your fave. (via Feel Good Foodie)
Creamy Zucchini Pasta
This gluten-free pasta tastes like creamy alfredo, but with a lighter twist, thanks to coconut milk. (via Rachel Mansfield)
Brown Butter Sage Pasta
This 10-minute meal is gluten-free, and made with just four ingredients – easy peasy! (via Rachel Mansfield)
Salad Lunch Recipes
Simple Fattoush Salad
While this recipe for fattoush salad uses romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers, and herbs, you can really use whatever you have on hand. Open a bag of pita chips instead of baking your own for a lightning-fast lunch. (via Brit + Co.)
Keto Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
This handheld take on chicken salad will please your tummy and your carb count. (via Brit + Co.)
Easy Quinoa Salad
If you have leftover quinoa, add in all your fave fruits (dried or fresh), nuts, and herbs for a psuedograin salad that will satiate. Whether you eat it cold or warm, this is a lunch that won't leave you wanting more. (via Brit + Co.)
Watermelon Radish Salad
Watermelon radishes receive the name for their pink hue and green exterior alone. Flavor-wise, they are the opposite of sweet (the earthy, spicy veg goes best with a simple balsamic vinaigrette). But we don't mind. They're one of the prettiest veggies we've ever seen! (via Brit + Co.)
Strawberry Arugula Walnut Salad
Whip up this sweet-and-savory salad with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing for a deceptively nutritious lunch. (via Brit + Co.)
Blood Orange + Thyme + Toasted Walnut Fennel Salad
The great thing about salads is how customizable and easy they are to put together. Just reach for whatever fruits and veggies you have in your fridge and mix them up in a bowl! This fennel salad is already making our mouths water. (Most Hungry via Brit + Co.)
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This flavorful 5-minute salad made with sour cream, red onion, and dill is delicious on its own or on top of toast. (via Feel Good Foodie)
Carrot Salad
Simple and delicious, this healthy salad is super easy to toss together. It makes for an unbeatable side dish to accompany your best lunch sandwiches. (via Fancy Peasant)
Super Quick Shrimp Avocado Salad
Three-minute poached shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and fresh herbs compose a salad you never knew your lunch repertoire needed. (via Pinch of Yum)
Easy Chickpea Spinach Salad
This is one amazing salad in terms of taste, nutritional value, and meal prep-ability. (via She Likes Food)
Healthy + Easy Asian Chicken Salad
Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for this salad, and you’ll have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. Switch up the fruits and veggies that you add on top – depending on your mood. The more colorful, the better! This is one veggie-packed easy lunch idea we can't get enough of. (via Damn Delicious)
Chicken Cobb Salad
Use leftover chicken, pre-crumbled bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and your favorite dressing to quickly assemble a hearty lunch that hardly feels like a salad. (via No. 2 Pencil)
Bowl Lunch Recipes
Tuna Poke Bowl
Perfect for leftover rice, this poke bowl just requires quickly mixing sushi-grade tuna in soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, slicing cucumbers, and topping it off with spicy mayo. (viaBrit + Co.)
Mermaid Veggie Bowl
Like a poke bowl, this veggie-friendly lunch is easily customizable with whatever chopped veggies you have on hand. Top with your favorite poke classics, like seaweed salad and pickled ginger. (via Brit + Co.)
Easy Acai Bowl
With just five ingredients — apple juice, banana, frozen berries, Greek yogurt, and frozen acai purée — this acai bowl can be whipped up in a blender in minutes. (via Culinary Hill)
Avocado Soup
This creamy, vegan soup has a tang of lime juice, a taste of garlic, and a spicy kick from jalapeños! (via Live Eat Learn)
Sandwiches + Toast + Flatbreads To Eat For Lunch
Pressure-Cooker Ramekin Eggs
An Instant Pot will help cook your mix of eggs, mushrooms, and cream into something truly divine. Dig in with a spoon or spread on a slice of your favorite bread for a breakfast-for-lunch feast. (via Brit + Co.)
Grilled Fluffernutter
As long as you have all the ingredients on hand, you can certainly whip up this nostalgic bite in five minutes. Make sure you have plenty of napkins! (via Brit + Co.)
Double Grilled Cheese
This version has cheese both on the inside and outside of the bread for the absolute best grilled cheese possible. (via Brit + Co)
Tofu Scramble
This meal is perfect if you're craving eggs (but don't actually eat eggs). Vegan friends, this is the easy meal for you. (via Munching With Mariyah)
Heirloom Tomato, Basil, and Manchego Toast
While your bread is toasting, slice up a tomato and some manchego, layer them on the bread, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of basil, salt, and pepper. (via Half-Baked Harvest)
Sweet Potato Tostadas
Make this mouthwatering lunch extra easily with store-bought tostadas, which you spread with refried beans (or black beans) and your choice of taco toppings, such as shredded sweet potato and grated cheese. (via She Likes Food)
Coconut Bacon BLT
Use pre-made coconut bacon (or your favorite meat substitute) to make this soft-yet-crispy vegetarian BLT in no time. (via Hello Glow)
Pear + Blue Cheese Flatbread
The combination of sweet pears with salty blue cheese and prosciutto (on a piece of naan) makes this a toaster-oven lunch you’ll crave even after you’re done eating it. (via Plain Chicken)
Turkey Panini
It doesn't have to be Thanksgiving to enjoy a turkey-cranberry-cheese sandwich. We'd eat this every day of the year. (via Feel Good Foodie)
Quick Spinach-Artichoke Turkey Panini
This panini is packed with fresh turkey, spinach-artichoke dip, and sun-dried tomatoes. Buy pre-made dip and already sliced turkey, and lunch basically makes itself. (via Whitney Bond)
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Juicy grapes, tart apples, and cranberries is comfort food between two slices. (via Damn Delicious)
Tortilla Pizza
Get your pizza fix in 10 minutes with this tortilla take on pizza dough. (via Feel Good Foodie)
Shaved-Egg Avocado Toast
Beef up your usual avocado toast with a shaved hard-boiled egg, salt, and pepper. After noshing on that, you’ll have all the energy you need to conquer the rest of your day, even when that afternoon slump hits. (via How Sweet Eats)
Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Toast
If you're looking for something that will go a little bit easier on your stomach, consider this toast recipe! Not only is cinnamon sugar toast a classic that has us feeling all kinds of nostalgic, but the addition of dark chocolate gives it a grown-up spin. (via Half Baked Harvest)
Lunchtime Sandwiches + Toast + Flatbreads
Healthy Hidden Spinach Guacamole
This guacamole is a quick mix of spinach, avocado, red onion, garlic, and jalapeño for a true power lunch. (via Brit + Co.)
Smoked Salmon Dip
This low-carb dip mixes smoked salmon, dill, cream cheese, and lemon juice. It will go perfectly with some toasted bread for an easily-to-handle lunch at your disk. (via A Spicy Perspective)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip
Swap your PB&J for this sweet and savory dip with a side of your favorite fruit. (via Feel Good Foodie)
3-Ingredient Magic Taco Dip
We're throwing it back to elementary school days with a dip that's perfect for carrots, celery, and all other kinds of finger foods. (via A Spicy Perspective)
5-Minute Tzatziki Sauce
With a bag of carrot sticks or pita chips, this easy tzatziki is an instant lunch. (viaLive Eat Learn)
Cucumber Mint Yogurt Salad (Cacik)
Enjoy this fresh-tasting dip with a bag of chips or toast for a satisfying lunch. (via Forks & Foliage)
Smoothie Lunch Ideas
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
For lunch on the go, blend up bananas, Greek yogurt, oats, almond milk, and peanut butter. You can change up the ratios depending on whether you want it thicker (more PB) or thinner (more milk), and voilà! (via Feel Good Foodie)
Watermelon Smoothie
On the lighter side, this watermelon and yogurt smoothie is refreshing and filling and just takes 5 minutes. (via A Spicy Perspective)
More Easy Lunch Ideas
Fancy 5 Minute Nachos
If you think about it, nachos are kind of like a different type of salad. This one features cheese, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts for a totally easy but totally delicious. This is also a great way to get rid of leftovers if you have extra veggies in the fridge! (via A Spicy Perspective)
Baked Salmon
This 8-minute lunch is perfect with a simple salad, on toast, or on its own. (via The Endless Meal)
Find more quick, easy lunch ideas on our Food section, get inspired on Pinterest, or join our newsletter!
This post has been updated.
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