25 Easy Sandwich Recipes for When You’re All Out of Lunch Ideas

A crowd-pleasing classic made with wheat bread and lean protein, a turkey sandwich will keep hunger at bay until the last school bell rings. I recommend using Swiss or cheddar — whichever your kiddo prefers — and skipping the tomato or lettuce if your little one isn’t a fan.

Wraps are a great, toddler-friendly option for preschool lunches because they’re easy to hold and eat, and the combination of bananas, granola, and peanut butter (or use Sunbutter if peanuts are off limits) will be a hit. Heads-up that this recipe calls for honey, and children younger than 1 year old should never be given honey.

With its combination of roasted pork and ham, this sandwich delivers plenty of protein. Pickles and yellow mustard give the sandwich tanginess, and Swiss cheese keeps things gooey; but if those flavors don’t work for your child, swap them out for a different combo of condiments and cheese.

A deli classic, club sandwiches combine the crunchy bacon, crisp lettuce, and tangy tomato of a BLT with a typical turkey sandwich on three slices of toasted bread. Frilly toothpicks are optional but highly recommended — they add a fun, fancy touch.

Perfect for the more mature palates at the lunch table, this roasted veggie sandwich is a good format for using up leftover veggies. Here, they’re paired with feta cheese and a punchy tapenade, loaded with olives, capers, and herbs. You can go lighter on the briny bits or switch to a different cheese — either way, you’ll end up with a delightful sandwich that gets better as it sits.

I made these for my younger child’s birthday a few years ago, and now she calls them “birthday sandwiches” (which makes them objectively more exciting) and requests them often for lunches and snacks. Cucumber and cream cheese complement each other beautifully, balancing freshness and creaminess between two slices of soft, white bread.

This variation on chicken salad adds sweetness and freshness via red seedless grapes and gets an extra pop of sweetness from a little brown sugar. Walnuts provide crunch, and a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) keeps it perfectly creamy. Make a big batch to start the week, and then your kiddo can pack their own sandwiches all week long. (Skip the grapes if you're nervous about them for choking reasons.)

I know not every kid loves tomatoes, but for those that do, a caprese sandwich is a great option. An easy combination of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, this caprese gets a boost from avocado, but you can easily leave it out and still have a great lunch.

Prosciutto, salami, and provolone provide the backbone of this deli favorite. Shredded iceberg lettuce and sliced tomato keep things fresh. Swap the red wine vinegar for balsamic for something totally alcohol-free, or skip the vinegar entirely. Likewise, the pepperoncini is totally optional.

My 7-year-old loves packing bagel sandwiches because they hold up well without getting soggy in her lunch box. This one includes the classic breakfast sandwich regulars — eggs and bacon — plus cream cheese (use plain if the herbed variety isn’t a favorite) and avocado to hold it all together.

Having grown up in the South, I’m well-familiar with ham salad (a post-holiday staple), but for those of you who weren’t raised on it, it’s just what it sounds like: a mayo-based salad made with salty ham. Excellent between two slices of white bread or with buttery sandwich crackers, it might just be what you’re looking for to get you out of your lunch box rut. (Use yellow mustard to avoid the trace alcohol in Dijon mustard.)

A California sandwich combines the clean, wholesome ingredients we typically associate with Cali cuisine — crunchy sprouts, smooth hummus, and creamy avocado — piled between two slices of seedy bread. And it’s a great choice for veggie-loving kiddos because it happens to be a complete protein, which will keep them full for hours.

Why make one sandwich when you can make four at a time? A wedge of this large-format sandwich will not only keep your kid’s belly full throughout the school day, it’ll also provide lunch for you because you deserve a nice midday meal too. Skip or swap the Dijon mustard to keep the recipe completely alcohol-free if that’s a concern.

Tuna salad is an affordable, protein-packed lunch, and while not all kiddos are down with tuna, the ones who are will appreciate this version, which has just the right amount of pickles and mayo to make it an instant classic.

This four-ingredient sandwich relies on herbaceous pesto to amp up hard-boiled eggs. Use homemade or store-bought pesto, and feel free to skip the chile flake if the heat isn’t welcome in your kid’s lunch box.

A great way to coax a little flavor out of winter tomatoes, roasting helps bring the tomato’s natural sugars front and center — make a big batch and then keep them in the fridge or freezer to use as needed. Here, they add a depth of flavor to the Club sandwich’s classic combination of turkey and bacon.

Pita bread is great for sandwiches because it holds all of the ingredients like an edible pocket. This pocket is packed with crisp carrots and leafy spinach, with creamy hummus (or the earthy eggplant spread baba ghanoush), plus tangy sundried tomatoes, briny olives, and salty feta cheese.

This ingenious sandwich relies on just three Costco ingredients — Stonefire Mini Naan, rotisserie chicken, and a bagged Caesar salad mix — to whip up nine mini wraps in one fell swoop, making it a busy caregiver’s dream come true.

Also known as mountain pies, these pressed, heated handhelds are like pizzas in sandwich form. They key is dusting the white sandwich bread with oregano and garlic powder to give it that pizza parlor flavor. Wrap them up in aluminum foil so they’ll stay warm until lunch.

This is one of my son’s favorite sandwiches to pack in his lunch, though he prefers whole grain mustard to Dijon. You should likewise feel free to use the mustard of your choice — for example, a totally alcohol-free one — in this Parisian staple.

Perfect for Ranch dressing-loving kiddos, these pita wraps combine boneless skinless chicken strips with tomatoes and lettuce, dressed in ranch dressing (homemade or storebought) in a simple, kid-friendly lunch.

If your little one avoids mayo at all costs, this Italian chicken salad will be a welcome sight. Dressed in a zippy vinaigrette (Feel free to swap out the Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar for another mustard and vinegar combo to avoid trace amounts of alcohol.), the chicken cozies up with celery, red onions, and almonds for plenty of satisfying crunch.

Jarred roasted bell peppers and prepared pesto bring a one-two punch of flavor to this lunch box hero with sliced chicken, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese.

Sometimes the best lunch is one that you can be sure will get eaten, and this sweet, nostalgic treat is a pretty safe bet. Creamy peanut butter and gooey marshmallow Fluff team up to create a sandwich that kids are sure to love.

A classic egg salad like this one is an exercise in balance. There’s creaminess from the mayo and eggs, plus a bit of crunch from the celery, united by a herby dressing that doesn’t overpower or scare off young eaters. (Swap out the Dijon mustard for yellow mustard to avoid any alcohol whatsoever.)