29 Healthy Lunches You Can Make in 5 Minutes

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Updated on November 29, 2023

3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad — Photo: Carolyn Hodges

These simple recipes are perfect for days when you barely have time to think about lunch. Since you can whip up these lunches in just five minutes, you'll want to pack your pantry and fridge with the common grocery items we rely on for these meals, like avocados, rice and tinned fish. Recipes like our 3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad and White Bean & Avocado Toast are easy standards that will soon be go-tos during busy weeks.

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Roasted Veggie & Tofu Brown Rice Bowl

A healthy and satisfying vegan lunch for one, featuring roasted butternut squash, broccoli, peppers and onions with simple brown rice, lime-marinated tofu and creamy cashew tahini sauce.

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White Bean & Avocado Toast

Mashed avocado and white beans make for a fiber-rich and creamy topping, the perfect partner for a crispy slice of toast. Try it for a quick lunch or snack.

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Edamame & Veggie Rice Bowl

The ingredients in this vegan grain bowl recipe can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch to pack for work. The tangy citrus dressing is a refreshing flavor with the sweet caramel of the roasted sheet-pan veggies.

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Egg Salad Avocado Toast

It's like egg salad and avocado toast had a baby in this five-minute healthy lunch.

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3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad

3-Ingredient Creamy Rotisserie Chicken Salad — Carolyn Hodges

We put a flavor twist on the classic chicken salad by using a lemon-herb mayonnaise. Try other mayo varieties, like roasted garlic or chipotle lime, in this fast, no-cook lunch recipe. Serve this rotisserie chicken salad recipe with whole-grain crackers.

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Cucumber & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Wrap

a recipe photo of the Cucumber and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus — Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Skyler Myers, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

This easy vegetarian wrap makes a great grab-and-go lunch for work or school. Roasted red pepper hummus adds color and a little extra flavor, but any flavor hummus will work well here. Cucumber, sprouts, salad greens or spinach all add a refreshing crunch. For a peppery kick, try using arugula.

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Chopped Cobb Salad with Chicken

This healthy chopped salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. You can reserve the remaining hard-boiled egg half for a snack.

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Tuna Salad Spread

This tuna spread recipe is a healthy twist on tuna salad and uses avocado and Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise. Serve it on cucumber slices, butter lettuce leaves or whole-grain crackers.

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Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 g of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale and then letting it stand in the jar softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.

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Pork Wrap with Lime-Jalapeño Slaw

A leftover cooked pork cutlet and coleslaw from earlier meals make this lunch a breeze to put together.

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3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad

3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad — Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Bagged salad and slaw blends are great shortcut ingredients for adding variety without needing to wash and chop lots of different vegetables. Toss a kale-and-broccoli slaw mix with canned white beans and yogurt-based green goddess dressing for a crunchy main-dish salad in minutes.

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Avocado, Tomato & Chicken Sandwich

In this healthy chicken sandwich recipe, the avocado is mashed to create a healthy creamy spread.

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PB&J Bistro Lunch Box

Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this peanut butter and jelly lunch will be loved by kids and adults alike. Accompanied by sandwich sides including a yogurt parfait, fruit, veggies and popcorn, this healthy packable lunch will keep you full until dinner.

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Loaded Chicken-Quinoa Salad

Turn simple precooked ingredients into a delicious one-dish meal, high in fiber and with plenty of protein to keep you feeling satisfied.

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Peanut Butter-Banana English Muffin

Peanut Butter-Banana English Muffin

Peanut butter and banana are the original power couple. Top a simple toasted English muffin with the duo, then sprinkle everything with a hit of ground cinnamon for a healthy breakfast of champions.

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3-Ingredient White Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad

a recipe photo of the White Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad — Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This three-ingredient lunch takes a packaged salad kit to the next level with the addition of two pantry staples: cherry tomatoes and white beans. The Mediterranean flavor profile works well here, but another mix will be just as simple and satisfying.

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Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours.

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3-Ingredient Chicken Salad Tostadas

3 ingredient chicken tostadas — Carolyn Hodges, M.S., RDN

For this three-ingredient dinner, a premade salad kit is the perfect shortcut because it has everything you need in one bag, including the dressing. Swap in canned black beans for the chicken to make this vegetarian.

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Roasted Veggie Mason Jar Salad

This vegan Mason jar salad is easy to pack up and take for lunch. Layering the creamy cashew sauce into the bottom of the jar ensures that your big, bold power salad won't become wilted by the time you're ready to eat.

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Strawberry & Cream Cheese Sandwich

Sliced strawberries and reduced-fat cream cheese come together in a sandwich for this quick and healthy lunch box treat.

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Turkey-Cranberry Wrap

This wrap is quick and easy to prepare and is the perfect lunch solution for all of those Thanksgiving leftovers.

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Everything Bagel Avocado Toast

Get all the flavor of an everything bagel married with the creaminess of avocado toast in one healthy breakfast. Just toast, top, sprinkle and go for this quick morning or midday meal. Want to take it up a notch? Top with a poached or fried egg.

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Tuna Salad Crackers

A fun twist on a tuna salad sandwich. This Tuna Salad Crackers recipe uses wheat crackers instead of bread!

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Quick Creamy Tomato Cup-of-Soup

This three-ingredient, easy soup recipe is perfect for a satisfying and healthy afternoon snack or a quick lunch.

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Shrimp, Avocado & Feta Wrap

This easy wrap makes a great healthy lunch to pack for work. Buy cooked shrimp in the seafood department at most supermarkets and grocery stores, or check the freezer section for tailed and deveined shrimp that are easy to thaw and steam. Salty feta and chopped fresh vegetables keep this easy lunchtime wrap flavorful and satisfying.

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Easy Brown Rice & Veggie Wrap

Use leftover brown rice and roasted veggies for this easy vegan lunch idea to pack for work. To serve this wrap warm, simply pop it in the microwave for about a minute to warm through.

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Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad

Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.

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Protein Bistro Lunch Box

Inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes, this affordable lunch is easy to make and pack yourself. With high-protein ingredients like a hard-boiled egg, edamame and tuna, this bistro-style lunch will leave you feeling satisfied.

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Turkey BLT Wraps

This delicious kid-friendly twist on a classic BLT includes turkey. The extra protein makes a filling, healthy lunch to pack up for school or work.

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