29 Lunch Box Recipes For The Kiddos

A cookie sheet with six breakfast cookies with oats, banana, figs, and peanut butter

Breakfast Cookies1/29

Think granola bars but in soft, crumbly cookie form. That's what you get with these sorta virtuous, sorta naughty little lovelies.

Almond and coconut granola scattered on a baking sheet with a spoon resting in the center.

Almond and Coconut Granola2/29

An inspired take on a classic, this simple, sassy granola recipe is yours to follow to the letter or tweak to your (or your most picky family member's) content.

A rimmed baking sheet filled with crispy baked kale chips.

Kale Chips3/29

Potato chip fiends, stop your scoffing. We double-dog dare you to make a batch and stop at just one.

Different shapes of homemade animal crackers lying on a chalkboard background.

Homemade Animal Crackers4/29

Made from scratch with natural ingredients, these are gonna remake all your memories of stale, bland animal crackers in the circus box.

Pad Thai noodles, crunchy noodles. cucumber, bean sprouts, and lime wedges in a bowl, a bottle of chile-vinegar

Authentic Pad Thai5/29

Unspeakably more nuanced than takeout Thai, these stir-fried noodles boast a sigh-inducing balance of salty, sour, and sweet. In other words, it's the real deal.

A grey plate half-filled with mac and cheese canapes, with a few resting beside the plate

Mac and Cheese Canapés6/29

Fancy schmancy mac and cheese canapés? Why not? Plop these lovelies on a silver platter alongside flutes of Champagne or tuck them into a lunch box.

Four individual white bowls of avocado chocolate pudding with spoons on a wooden table.

Avocado Chocolate Pudding7/29

This recipe is easy, elegant, dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, kid-approved, and vegan. You're welcome.

Three jars of homemade nut butter made with different nuts.

Homemade Nut Butter8/29

"Really super easy." "So good, I made it twice." "Pure joy." That's what folks are saying about this homemade nut butter recipe.

Five cinnamon granola bars arranged side by side.

Cinnamon Granola Bars9/29

We quite like these granola bars just as-is. But don't let that stop you from adding your fave stir-ins to make them even more irresistible.

Three square slices of meatball pizza on strips of parchment paper, with fresh Parmesan sprinkled overtop.

Meatball Pizza10/29

The traditional Italian approach to pizza is one of restraint. We, uh, sort of took a few liberties with that. Okay. A lot of liberties. We don't hear anyone complaining.

Twelve Turkish borekitas sprinkled with sesame seeds on a piece of parchment.

Borekitas with Cheese Filling11/29

Allow us to introduce you to borekitas. A staple in the eastern Mediterranean, these savory pastries put equal emphasis on pastry and cheese to what we consider divine effect.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with potato chips with one bite gone and some chips scattered around it.

Peanut Butter, Jelly, and Potato Chip Sandwich12/29

We're giving you permission to lend a little more crunch and a lot more indulgence to the childhood classic.

A wedge of white pizza on a piece of parchment.

White Pizza13/29

We find this lovely, albeit subtly flavored, little number to be one of the simpler pleasures in life. We think you'll concur.

A small boy holding a partially eaten peanut butter and concord grape jam sandwich.

Concord Grape Jam14/29

Words escape us as to just how incomparable this made-from-scratch grape jam is compared to store-bought. That smile certainly says it all.

A white platter with sliced celery and cucumber and a white bowl of feta dip on top.

Feta Dip15/29

Looking for an excuse to invite folks over? Here it is. Less than 10 minutes from start to wipe-the-creamy-dip-from-your-lips finish.

Bite-size bacon and cheese scones with smoked bacon and melted Asiago on top on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Bite-Size Bacon and Cheese Scones16/29

Cute as a button, and not much bigger, these buttery, bacony scones are the most diminutive and darned good biscuits we've had in recent memory. Maybe ever.

A cast-iron skillet filled with a cooked sweet potato cornbread with two pats of butter on top and a dish of butter pats beside it.

Sweet Potato Cornbread17/29

We could blather on and on about this surprising (and stealthy healthy) riff on a Southern classic that everyone is swearing is the best cornbread they've ever had.

Four baked eggs sprinkled with chopped bacon.

Baked Eggs18/29

And you thought you didn't have time for breakfast. We're changing that with this handy dandy technique.

A glass jar filled to the brim with cheesy fish crackers.

Cheesy Fish Crackers19/29

No preservatives. No artificial coloring. Just real, honest-to-goodness ingredients—and maybe a little goldfish giddiness.

A muffin tin half filled with uncooked carrot muffins.

Carrot Muffins20/29

These little lovelies contain sugar and spice and everything nice--including an oh-so-buttery oat streusel and a batter so enticing you'd never, ever guess it's good for you.

Eight mini hog dogs wrapped in puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet

Pigs in a Blanket21/29

Without further ado or feigned guilt, allow us to reacquaint you with a long-lost childhood friend.

Homemade Larabars22/29

We got nothing against the Larabars we've been noshing for years. Save for the crazy price tag. Here's a less expensive, more customizable alternative.

A square grey plate containing a bowl of cantaloup soup and a prosciutto mozzarella sandwich on a baguette.

Cantaloupe Soup with Prosciutto-Mozzarella Sandwiches23/29

For those nights when you want to simply make supper out of a cheese and cold cut plate with some fruit.

A tray of twelve mini muffin financiers, each with two raspberries on top.

Mini-Muffin Financiers24/29

Don't let these delicate, diminutive cakes with the froufrou French name fool you. They're a cinch to toss in the oven--and even easier to toss in the mouth.

A jar of roasted applesauce with a spoon resting inside on a saucer with a strip of apple peel.

Roasted Applesauce25/29

So long, store-bought applesauce. Tuck into your own fuss-free, artisanal applesauce that's a little sweet, a little spicy, and as smooth or as chunky as you please.

Apple Chips26/29

Why pay an absurd amount of money for a teensy bag containing a couple shriveled slices when you can instead DIY a slew of slightly sweet and eminently easy snacks?

Three personal pan lasagnas in glass dishes.

Personal Pan Lasagna27/29

This loosely defined "lasagna" is an easy little cheat of a recipe that relies on store-bought ravioli, jarred sauce, and shredded cheese. Shhhhhh.

Rows of peanut butter sandies dough balls with a cookie scoop placing another dough ball on the surface.

Peanut Butter Sandies28/29

New York Times' reporter Julia Moskin divulges the recipe for City Bakery's Peanut Butter Sandies. You're welcome.

A slab of Katharine Hepburn brownies cut into 9 pieces, on parchment paper, with a knife nearby

Katharine Hepburn Brownies29/29

Who knew Katharine Hepburn was as agile at baking as acting? These brownies make us think maybe she missed her true calling.