There have been quite a few times when I needed some good no bread lunch ideas. Sometimes I am simply out of bread. And then there was the time when I was following a low carb, keto diet, and bread was off-limits.
Luckily, there are lots of very delicious bread-free lunches to choose from. You really don’t need a slice of white bread to make a perfect lunch!
Forget about the classic sandwich made with bread and start thinking outside the box. These fantastic non-sandwich lunch recipes will have you looking forward to lunch all day long!
Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Salad
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Lunch Ideas with No Bread
These 15 exciting recipes are all perfect for lunch. None of them require bread, so you can stick to your low carb, bread-free life
1. Keto Grilled Cheese
Our delicious recipe for keto grilled cheese is really incredible. Who knew you could make a grilled cheese without any bread!
Rather than use bread to make our grilled cheese, we use slices of halloumi cheese. Halloumi does not melt but holds its shape as it cooks.
The result is warm, salty cheese that is stuffed with your favorite grilled cheese fillings. We use tomatoes and spinach inside our bread-free sandwiches, making this meal super healthy. While these are technically still sandwiches, they have no bread at all!
2. Egg Salad
Egg salad is the perfect make-ahead lunch idea that perfectly fits our quest for non-sandwich lunches. While many people put egg salad on bread to make a sandwich, we have other plans!
Image Source: Natasha’s Kitchen
Try this delicious recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen. Eggs, red onion, dill, chives, and celery are all mixed together to create a hearty mix. The homemade lemon and mustard dressing really ties all of the ingredients together.
This egg salad will keep in the fridge for several days. You can make the salad at the beginning of the week and enjoy it every day at lunchtime.
Serve the egg mix with crackers wrapped in a gluten-free tortilla, or eat it with a spoon straight from the bowl. It is super tasty, no matter how you serve it!
3. Tuna Salad
Tuna salad is a tasty, light lunch that does not require bread at all. This recipe from Downshiftology is the best tuna salad we have ever tried, and we know you will go crazy for it too!
Image Source: Downshiftology
Canned tuna is mixed with mayonnaise, celery, red onion, parsley, and a little salt and pepper. Use your favorite kind of tuna to personalize the recipe to suit your taste buds.
Try using cream cheese in place of mayonnaise for a heartier salad. Sour cream is another great substitute that will give your tuna a nice tangy taste. Yogurt can also be used in place of mayonnaise for a lighter dish.
Serve the tuna salad alongside some sliced carrots, cucumber slices, or crackers. It is great for dipping or just for eating with a fork. Sure, it works as a sandwich but be a little creative and make it without the bread!
4. Shrimp and Lettuce Wraps
These amazing shrimp and lettuce wraps from Healthy Lunch Ideas will make you forget all about sandwiches at lunchtime. Easy lunch ideas like this make us excited to cook and eat!
Image Source: Healthy Lunch Ideas
You only need four ingredients to make this recipe. Cooked shrimp, cottage cheese, and chopped onions make up the shrimp salad. The mix is scooped into a large lettuce leave which serves as a bowl. Pick these wraps up with your hands and eat them just like you would eat a sandwich!
Try adding some spices and herbs to the cottage cheese and shrimp mix. A little parsley, garlic powder, or chili powder will make the meal even more flavorful.
Make the lettuce wraps using chopped, cooked chicken in place of shrimp. Make sure the lettuce leaves are packed as full as possible so you get a nice, complete meal. Filling foods are the best!
5. Deviled Eggs
A nice plate of deviled eggs for lunch sounds like a dream come true. This recipe from Spend With Pennies is an easy recipe that you can make early in the week and enjoy every day.
Image Source: Spend With Pennies
Hard-boiled eggs are stuffed with a creamy mixture of egg yolk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and seasonings. A sprinkle of paprika makes the eggs look picture perfect.
Deviled eggs are a great lunch box meal. They are healthy and easily packed in a lunch box to go. Kids will love eating the deviled eggs with their hands, and you can adjust the recipe to suit your kids’ tastes.
Some like a little cayenne, while others will prefer deviled eggs made with yogurt in place of mayonnaise.
6. BLT Salad
We are obsessed with this BLT salad recipe from How Sweet Eats. It takes a classic sandwich and transforms it into a bread-free salad. This is fantastic for any BLT lovers who are looking to skip the bread.
Image Source: How Sweet Eats
Crunchy lettuce is mixed with corn, feta cheese, ripe avocado, and tomatoes. Crunchy bacon is a great, salty addition and essential for a BLT. You can also use ham in place of bacon for a less crunchy salad.
Try tossing the mix with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing to make it even more flavorful.
Add some snap peas or chopped cucumber to the recipe to make it even more packed with goodness. Salads allow you to get creative, unlike sandwiches which can be restricting.
7. Chicken and Broccoli
No one can resist a saucy chicken and broccoli mix. This recipe from The Endless Meal is so flavorful that you are going to need seconds.
Image Source: The Endless Meal
The homemade peanut sauce is really what makes this meal. It is creamy, thick, and has just the right amount of sweet flavor to go with the spicy pepper.
Peanut Chicken and broccoli reheats well. You can make it in advance and store it in your fridge until lunchtime.
Enjoy the peanut sauce chicken and broccoli over white rice, cauliflower rice, or just eat it on its own! You will never crave sandwiches ever again!
8. Crudité and Hummus
Cookie and Kate will show you how to make a perfect, creamy hummus that will make you look forward to lunch all day long. It is also perfect for kids and makes a great lunch box idea. Kids will love dipping veggies and crackers into tasty hummus!
Image Source: Cookie and Kate
All you need to make delicious hummus is chickpeas, baking soda, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and some spices. You can adjust the seasoning in this recipe to make it as spicy or as mild as you’d like.
Try adding two tablespoons of cocoa powder and a little brown sugar in place of the garlic. This makes a great, healthy dessert like hummus that will still pass as a lunch!
9. Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is always a good lunch idea. Homemade mac and cheese is even better! This recipe from Archana’s Kitchen will help you make the best mac and cheese you have ever had.
Image Source: Archana’s Kitchen
Cooked pasta noodles are tossed in a cheese sauce made with milk, butter, and shredded cheddar cheese. Feel free to mix up the cheese using parmesan cheese, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella.
Scoop this mac and cheese right into your kids’ lunch box or enjoy it at home as comfort food. Everyone in the family will adore this sandwich-free lunch idea.
10. Burrito Bowls
Loaded burrito bowls are perfect non sandwich lunch recipes that you will adore. You can make your burrito bowl with all your favorite Mexican toppings. However, use this recipe from Damn Delicious as a guide.
Image Source: Damn Delicious
A good burrito bowl will be packed with healthy black beans, corn, ripe avocado, tomatoes, and a good cilantro lime dressing.
Add sliced jalapenos for some heat or crushed tortilla chips to give the bowl a nice crunch. There are so many topping ideas that we could go on forever!
11. Yogurt Parfait
This easy yogurt parfait recipe from Super Healthy Kids is a fun lunch everyone in the family will love. Kids will be excited over this dessert-like lunch that is surprisingly healthy.
Image Source: Super Healthy Kids
Yogurt is layered in a glass with crunchy granola and fresh fruit. Feel free to use your favorite fruit to make the parfait exactly how you want it.
This recipe uses fresh strawberries, but blueberries, raspberries, sliced grapes, or even chopped mango will work well. You can also mix fresh blueberries and strawberries to make the parfait even better.
Yogurt parfaits are best when eaten fresh, so the granola does not get soggy. Keep this in mind when planning your nonsandwich lunches! These parfaits are also a kid-friendly breakfast.
12. Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps are great non sandwich lunch recipes. We especially love these Asian turkey lettuce wraps from The Recipe Critic. They are packed with delicious, healthy ingredients that you will adore.
Image Source: The Recipe Critic
Shredded carrots, mushrooms, and water chestnuts all add a great crunch that complements the lettuce leaves. Ground turkey is cooked in hoisin sauce to add a yummy Asian flair.
Try adding chopped snap peas, cucumber, or tomatoes to the filling. You can also replace ground turkey with some chopped ham or salami. Both types of meat are lunch classics that the family will love! Even a kid will flip over this yummy recipe.
13. Stuffed Avocado
Instead of making BLT sandwiches, try making BLT-packed avocados. This recipe from Wholesome Yum will show you how to make this delicious, fun lunch idea.
Image Source: Wholesome Yum
Bacon, grape tomatoes, lime juice, garlic powder, and salt and pepper are mixed together to make a creamy filling. The filling mix is packed into a ripe avocado, filling the hole where the pit has been removed.
Yummy ideas like this will make you never miss sandwiches! You definitely do not need bread to have a great meal.
14. Tortilla Pizza
Tortilla pizzas are going to quickly become your kids’ favorite food. They will never ask for lunches with bread again!
Image Source: Simply Recipes
These tortilla pizzas from Simply Recipes are very easy to make. The pizza heats on the stovetop in a skillet, so you don’t even need to turn on the oven. You can also microwave them to cook even faster.
Top the pizza with any of your favorite pizza toppings. If you do not have shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped string cheese will work too!
Get creative with the pizza and let your kids add their toppings too. Make the pizza as packed as possible! They may have the best ideas! Salami slices, chopped ham, pineapple, or just a simple cheese pizza all make great pizza lunches.
15. Spinach Puffs
These little spinach puffs from Well Plated are way better than any sandwich. They are a perfect lunch box food and something you can feel good about packing for your kids.
Image Source: Well Plated
The creamy spinach filling is wrapped in tender puff pastry. The puffs bake in the oven until perfectly golden brown.
Try the spinach puffs while they are warm, or enjoy them at room temp. They are a food that is good in any season or anytime! You may even want spinach puffs for breakfast.
A nice warm spinach puff with a bowl of strawberries on the side sounds like an ideal meal.
Amazing Bread-Free Lunches- From Tuna Salad to Tortilla Pizza
You definitely do not need bread to make amazing lunches. Any of the recipes on our list are perfect for those following low-carb diets or just for those looking to break away from bread. Enjoy!
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