40 Whole30 Lunch Ideas — And How to Pack Them

If you’re looking for packable Whole30 lunch ideas, this is the list for you! Check out these ideas to get you through the month of healthy eating!

The results from the reader survey are coming in and I’m learning so much from reading your responses!

Does this sound like you?:

• Your lifestyle includes plenty of paleo-gluten-free eats. Many of you follow a low-carb diet as well.
• You love to bake, but need quick and simple recipes for savory meals too (preferably with few ingredients that are easily available and you may already have on hand).
• You come for the recipes, and care less about the photos (which is great to know, because I hate putting a million repetitive images in a post just as much as you hate scrolling through them).
• The recipes are easy to make and as foolproof as possible.
• You use your phone to read A Clean Bake a lot, and appreciate recipes that are mobile-friendly.
• You really, really want more packable lunch ideas to take with you to work.

So, I’ll bet you already figured out where today’s post comes from! I’m going to have that request in the back of my mind as I work on recipes this year, but there are also many recipes on this site that fit the bill.

Here are enough Whole30 recipes to fill your lunch box for 30 days straight (and then some). Even if you go an entire month without leaving your desk — which I boy, I hope is not the case — hopefully these keep you fueled all month long. 

40 Packable Whole30 Lunch Recipes  to Get You Through the Month

Hopefully, these Whole30 lunch ideas make your month a bit easier. Remember, many of your favorite recipes can be made Whole30-friendly with just a few tweaks in ingredients — focus on eating real foods, leaving out dairy, honey and other sweeteners, or grains (including gluten-free grains like rice and rice noodles) where listed. 

Whole30 Lunch Salads 

These salads are packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Chop your veggies on Sunday and store them in separate glass containers to cut down on lunchtime prep considerably.

1. Mediterranean Tuna Salad: You can eat this over greens or scoop it with endives, carrot sticks, or a spoon.
2. Cobb Green Goddess Salad: This salad is easily made Whole30-friendly — all you need to do is leave out the feta cheese. Combine avocado, butter lettuce, bacon, soft boiled eggs, and tomatoes into a mason jar or glass container for a clean eating lunch idea. 
3. Jerk salmon salad (pictured below): To make this salad Whole30 compliant, simply leave the honey out of the dressing (in case you’re wondering, the orange juice is fine because it’s only used as a sweetener). Leave out the feta, and pair the crispy salmon with blueberries and cashews instead. Pro tip — make sure the salmon is completely cooled before you pack it up! And if you can, pack it separately and add it to the salad right before you eat, that should keep the produce a little more crisp.
4. Cobb Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing: Unlike the green goddess version above, this one is made to be Whole30. No changes needed; just assemble it in a mason jar with the dressing on the bottom and the salad ingredients packed from least to most delicate (delicate on top) and you’re ready to roll!
5. Salmon Nicoise Salad: This salad travels exceptionally well as is. Just make sure to pack the dressing separately and add it right before you eat. If you’re wondering, yes, potatoes are allowed in a Whole30 meal!
6. Waldorf Salad: This filling, Whole30 chicken salad requires nothing more than a fork. Note that unsweetened dried fruit is acceptable on Whole30, but in moderation so use half of what the recipe calls for, and use dairy free yogurt or mayo as the binder.
7. Tahini, Walnut and Caramelized Onion Chicken Salad: Lightly steal some (cleaned) collard or chard leaves to use as a wrap for this chicken salad. Or, just eat it with a fork out of the container.
8. Fish Taco Bowls: Yes, some (not all) Chipotle salads are Whole30-friendly, and yes, dining fast casual style is easier than cooking from scratch. But spending upwards of $12–15 per portion certainly adds up, so save yourself a few dollars by making these fish taco bowls instead — just pair with cauliflower rice instead of coconut rice. 
9. Roasted Rainbow Carrot Salad: Roasted veggies and sturdy add-ins like cranberries (make sure you’re using no-added-sugar dried fruit!) make this salad perfect for travel. Add some protein to make it more filling, and bring the dressing in a separate container.

Whole30 Dinners to Enjoy as Leftovers 

If your workweek is as hectic as mine, remember this tip: Cook once, eat twice. Rather than make separate meals for lunch and dinner, enjoy these flavorful recipes for both meals. 

10. Ratatouille (pictured below): Pack it in an airtight, rectangular container and seal the container in a zip top bag, for extra spill protection.
11. Chicken Roulades: Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and then place in a tupperware to prevent these from unrolling in transit.
12. Green Meatballs with Zoodles: If you don’t have collapsable containers, they are well worth looking into! I swear by mine (which are discontinued, but these are very similar). Fill up the bowl with zucchini noodles and meatballs and when you’re done eating, collapse the container to save a ton of space in your bag. If you’re someone who likes extra sauce, try pairing with this dairy free, veggie pesto. 
13. 20-Minute Curry Noodles: If you love Asian-inspired flavors, know that you can easily whip-up an easy stir-fry without rice, noodles, or soy sauce. To make these curry noodles Whole30 compliant, simply swap out the rice noodles for spaghetti squash or bean sprouts. Serve over a Whole30 fried rice made with cauliflower rice, coconut aminos, and eggs. 
14. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs: The ranch sauce can be made dairy free using mayo. Just make sure to pack everything separately (sauce in one container, meatballs in another and round out the meal with cut up raw veggies like carrots, celery and broccoli in a third container).
15. Acorn Squash Galette with Caramelized Onions: You can eat it hot or cold and you don’t even need a knife and fork (if you’re in a finger food mood, or just really, really swamped at work!)
16. Chicken Pot Pie: This kind of becomes a hot mess the minute you serve it, so just embrace it and think of it as a hearty stew to warm your belly at lunch time.
17. Braised Turmeric Chicken with Apricots and Olives: This one can go to work as-is! It travels well and doesn’t need much in the way of side dishes.
18. Flank Steak with Chimichurri (pictured below): Quickly roast some potatoes or parsnips to eat with slices of this steak. Both will work well with chimichurri, which should be packed in a separate compartment or container.
19. Baked Chicken Fingers with Sesame Orange Dipping Sauce: Wrap the chicken fingers really tightly so that they don’t bump each other and knock the breading off. If your office kitchen has a toaster oven, you can quickly crisp up the chicken fingers.

Whole30 Lunches to Make in the Slow Cooker 

My slow cooker is one of my favorite kitchen tools. Rather than stand idly by the stovetop, I can set my ingredients in the Crock-Pot, then go check emails, edit a blog post, or take my two-year-old for walk as lunch all but cooks itself. 

20. Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas: Skip the tortillas and eat this over cauliflower rice or in a lettuce wrap. Either way, pack the rice or wrap separately and assemble right before eating. To speed up the cooking process considerably, you can easily prepare these in an Instant Pot instead.
21. Slow Cooker Carnitas: Like the fajitas above, serve this in a lettuce wrap or over cauliflower rice, but assemble when you’re ready to eat. Don’t forget to pack extra pineapple salsa!
22. Slow Cooker Bolognese sauce with spaghetti squash: I love this recipe simply because I can set it in my slow cooker and forget it, cutting down on my active meal prep time considerably. To make your spaghetti squash, simply slice a whole spaghetti squash in half, then roast on a sheet pan at 400 for 45–50 minutes.
23. Crockpot Pork Chops with Apples and Onions: This recipe needs zero prep work. But transporting it in a microwave-safe glass container makes reheating easier. You can also slice up the pork chops and serve the whole thing over sautéed greens.
24. Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken: Honestly, you could make one batch of this shredded chicken on Sunday, then eat it for lunch all week. I used to it make BBQ chicken, tortilla soup, stuffed sweet potatoes, and chicken salad — all using the same recipe. 
25. Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma: Remember when I said I use the same shredded chicken recipe over and over? Yep, this is one of them. Serve this chicken shawarma over a salad with kalamata olives, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and an olive oil for a Whole30 lunch salad. 

Whole30 “Sandwiches”, Burgers, and Wraps 

Just because you’re saying goodbye to bread and tortillas for a month doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite lunch wrap. Fill your lunchbox with these Whole30-friendly burgers and lettuce wraps instead.  

26. Korean Turkey Burgers: Wrap the burger in iceberg lettuce for a nice crunch. Like the above, it’s best to keep the burger separate from the lettuce until right before you’re going to eat it, if possible.
27. Jalapeño Burgers: These spicy burgers can be served as a lettuce wrap, wedged between a gluten-free bun, or atop a bed of lettuce for a twist on a Southwest salad. Add red onions, tomatoes, and homemade guacamole to enjoy. 
28. Tuna Burger: Fill one of the collapsible bowls with greens and eat the tuna cakes on top, or of course you could go the lettuce wrap route.
29. Portabello Mushroom and Kale Turkey Burgers (pictured below): Make them into mini patties so they’re easier to pack, and serve over slaw.
30. Dill and Caper Egg Salad: Perfect for Meatless Monday. You can eat it with a spoon or scoop it up with raw veggies like carrots and cucumbers.
31. Mini Frittatas: Egg muffins are an easy Whole30 lunch option you can make virtually any day of the week. Simply make a batch at the beginning of the week, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. 
32. Quiche: Carry it to work in a microwave-safe glass container, if you have one, so that you can easily reheat it when you’re ready to eat.
33. Lemon Tarragon Turkey Sausage: These turkey patties are an easy recipe, requiring just ground turkey, fresh tarragon, lemon juice, and a bit of salt and pepper. Make a batch on Sunday, then serve them over salads or rolled-up in a lettuce wrap throughout the week. 

Whole30 Lunch Soups

Whether you serve them in a bowl as an entree or a cup as a side dish, these recipes are completely Whole30-friendly. Make sure you use a thermos with a tight lid so you don’t risk spilling. 

34. Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup: Break out a thermos or even an aluminum water bottle to transport this soup to work without risking a spill.
35. Thai Fish Curry: Cover the container with plastic wrap to prevent leaks, and serve over cauliflower rice — that is packed separately for transport — if you want (but it’s not necessary)
36. Pumpkin Turkey Chili: Omit the quinoa for Whole30 compliance, and wrap the container to prevent spills.
37. Vegan Cream of Tomato Soup: Use a Thermos or water bottle to transport the soup, leak-free.
38. Maple Roasted Turnips with Bacon: Wrap it in tinfoil (cover with a plastic bag) and use your office kitchen’s toaster to crisp everything up right before eating.
39. Sweet Potato and Carrot Fritters with Smoked Salmon: Skip the cheese and keep the smoked salmon separate (and very tightly wrapped because that stuff is fragrant!) until you’re ready to eat.
40. Creamy Pumpkin Sage Soup: This soup is hearty, so no need to bring any (many) sides to accompany it.

With These Recipes, Lunch is Served 

Here is my motto for life, yet something I have to remind myself every single morning: Don’t overcomplicate it. 

Just because you’re following Whole30 for a month doesn’t mean you need to toss out all your favorite recipes. Make a few simple, but intentional swaps (subbing cauliflower rice for white rice, lettuce wraps for tortillas, and so on) to make the transition as easy as possible. 

And for the times you’re completely stumped, hopefully this list helps you out.