45 Cold Lunch Ideas for Adults | Everyday Family Cooking (2024)

A quick and simple wrap made with leftover chicken tenders. With just 5 ingredients, this lunch is perfect for work or game day.

This chicken caesar wrap is easy to make and totally delicious. Fresh veggies, croutons, tangy parmesan, chicken, and creamy caesar dressing.

A quick and easy lunch recipe that is best when eaten cold. It's delicious and full of flavor!

Looking for a new and improved cold lunch idea? These ham and cheese roll-ups are just as easy to prepare as they are tasty to eat.

Turn your favorite fajitas into crispy chicken fajita wraps. These sandwiches are great for pre-made lunches and using leftover chicken!

These 5-ingredient tuna pinwheels make the cutest appetizer or lunch! Prep them ahead of time and enjoy whenever you need a quick boost.

These crunchy Peanut Butter Sandwich Wraps come together in just moments and are completely adaptable – no need to measure exact amounts! Perfect for on-the-go meals and make-ahead lunches!

A great way to use up leftover ground beef, these cheeseburger roll-ups taste incredible when cold and packed as an easy lunch idea.

Need a quick and healthy meal you can eat on the go? These pesto chicken wraps with sun-dried tomatoes are so tasty and easy to make!

Make the halloumi wraps that everyone loves - kids and foodies included! With halloumi cheese, red pesto (store-bought is fine), avocado, and walnuts these wraps are packed with flavor, done in 20 minutes, and super easy to make.

This Turkey Bacon Ranch Wrap will take you 5 minutes to throw together. Make it with leftover turkey or deli meat. Either way, this tortilla wrap recipe makes a great lunch box meal for kids and adults alike!

These Avocado Chicken Wraps are a delicious and healthy 10-minute lunch! They're loaded with avocados, shredded chicken, grape tomatoes, cilantro, a spritz of lime, and a blend of Mexican spices and make a delicious cold lunch idea!

These fresh and crunchy BBQ Chicken Salad Wraps take just minutes to make for a quick and easy, low-calorie cold lunch.

Bacon ranch pasta salad is full of ranch flavor and crispy bacon crumbles! Enjoy it for a light lunch or as a side dish at your next party.

You don’t know ease in the kitchen until you try this 5 Ingredient Chicken Salad Recipe! Ready in minutes, it’s easy to customize with different seasonings and mix-ins.

Make the best egg salad using my easy, foolproof method of hard-boiling eggs, and you'll have a delicious lunch in no time!

This BLT pasta salad is an easy recipe you can have ready in less than 20 minutes! The pasta salad is rich and creamy with a buttermilk ranch dressing, crisp romaine, juicy tomatoes, and salty bacon. Enjoy this salad as a quick lunch or a side dish at cookouts or picnics.

This quinoa chickpea salad is loaded with fresh ingredients and flavor! It’s delicious, nutritious, and best of all, incredibly easy to make.

A simple Italian Pasta Salad with fresh garden vegetables and cheese. It packs perfectly for lunch and tastes incredible as a work lunch idea.

From summer cookouts to easy lunches, this BBQ chicken salad will be your new go-to! Top with crunchy fried onions for an instant classic.

This healthy and easy Chicken Taco salad in a jar is quick to put together and uses canned chicken breast so it requires no cooking. It's the perfect, on-the-go ready to eat lunchbox meal for adults and kids

Lunchtime can’t get here quick enough when a Make-Ahead Healthy Travel Salad is waiting for you. Not only is this salad bright and colorful, but it’s also loaded with healthy ingredients and texture galore!

This quick and simple broccoli salad recipe is filled with fresh ingredients with a homemade dressing and only takes 15 minutes to prepare.

A summery pasta salad filled with cheese tortellini, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and basil topped with a fresh lemon vinaigrette.

This Quinoa Apple Kale Salad is filled with nutrients, fibers, and protein and is delicious when packed and eaten cold!

This protein-packed salad features spicy buffalo chicken, crisp banana peppers, juicy grape tomatoes, and tangy blue cheese crumbles.

This roasted squash salad is filled with butternut squash, rocket, and goat cheese for an incredibly simple and healthy lunch idea.

This healthy broccoli salad with carrots, raisins, apples, and cheese is so tasty! it's tangy, crisp, fresh, and sweet in every bite. It is a light and delicious vegetarian lunch option.

You can take Panera with you to work with this easy cold lunch idea! It's filled with chicken, carrots, lettuce, and almonds for a healthy filling lunch.

Greek Orzo Salad is a light pasta salad full of tender orzo, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, diced cucumber, and feta cheese all tossed in homemade Greek dressing.

This easy spinach strawberry salad with balsamic dressing is bursting with flavor, is easy, and is perfect for spring and summer lunches. Add some grilled chicken and a slice of bread to your salad to make it a full meal.

Savor the goodness of juicy tri-tip paired with creamy sliced cheese between the crisp, crusty layers of a ciabatta roll. This hearty tri tip sandwich is a perfect use of leftovers for any busy family.

Everyone LOVES these cucumber and cream cheese rolls! They're super easy to make and are perfect for lunch boxes for adults and kids!

These Italian Pinwheels are a great way to use deli meat for an easy lunch.

The Ultimate Avocado Sandwich. A healthy and nutritious sandwich filled with avocado, cheese, tomatoes, and rocket for a juicy and unbeatable taste!

This turkey avocado sandwich is the perfect quick and easy feel-good meal. Crisp toasted sourdough is layered with a homemade garlic aioli, creamy avocado, sliced turkey, and crisp, salty bacon. This recipe is incredibly versatile so feel free to use what you have on hand– it’s also a great way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers!

All you need is 10 minutes to throw together the most delicious and versatile chicken salad pita ever. With pre-cooked chicken, you're close to a delicious lunchbox chicken salad. Eat it over a bed of lettuce, over whole grain bread, or just off a spoon.

This easy ham salad doubles as a dip for crackers and on a sandwich. It's an easy lunch idea for adults and works great as a way to use leftover ham!

There's nothing better than the taste of sweet, tangy BBQ Sauce, smothered on top of juicy grilled chicken! This cold lunch idea is filled with fresh greens, grilled asparagus, and a creamy avocado ranch dressing, creating a flavorful dish packed with vitamins, fiber and protein!

Homemade Penne Pesto Primavera is the most delicious and the easiest recipe! It's full of flavors and is a great cold lunch idea for work!

Pimento Cheese can be eaten as a dip with crackers or even on sandwich bread with a little mayo! It's a super easy cold lunch idea that's unique but so tasty!

An easy way to switch up eating pasta for lunch at work, this tahini pasta is packed with flavor, protein, and is great comfort food.

Looking for a low-carb lunch option? These spicy sesame zoodles are perfect as a cold lunch packed for work!

These Protein Snack Packs are filled with hard-boiled eggs, almonds, hummus, and crunchy veggies. An easy and delicious Lunch Meal Prep Solution perfect for any protein lover, these fantastic little protein snack packs are perfect for school lunches, post-workout snacks, or picnics in the park.

An easy cold lunch idea that's freezer-friendly and great for school or work lunches.