19 Bento Box Lunch Ideas That Are Just as Cute as They Are Tasty

Charcuterie boards and bento boxes go together like, well, cheese and crackers. We love @ross_ini's trick for getting adorably ruffled salami, so that your lunch looks almost too pretty to eat when you open it up.

This rice-arranging trick shared by @bienbento is a genius way to fit more food and make your bento box lunch look good while doing it. With figs, rice, eggs and veggies, this complete meal is too cute.

Flexibility is what makes bento boxes great. As @heathercoxzzz shows, If you have leftover protein and grains from dinner the night before (or two nights before,we won't tell) you can toss it in different sections of a detachable bento box — like this Wagindd Bento Box ($23, was $26) — and enjoy a piecemeal meal.

This no-cook taco salad bento box idea is so easy to prep that there's almost no excuse for not packing lunch. Simply add veggies, cheese, corn chips, and a dipping sauce or dressing (OK, there may be some prep required) into your bento compartments, and you have a dippable taco salad that's delicious and easy to assemble. Even better, since the chips are isolated from the veg, you know they won't get soggy.

This popular stackable Itern Bento Box ($11, originally $19) is great for when you need to bring lunch as well as a morning and afternoon snack. Like TikTok user @elainamuch here, lots of bento users will portion out their yogurt and granola into one container. Not only is it easy, but it also helps reduce the plastic waste that comes with buying single-serving yogurts.

These Thai vegetable rollups are delicious and bento worthy. Packing a wrap is one thing, but slicing it into small sushi-size bites makes it the perfect bento box entree. You can fill one compartment with Thai peanut sauce for extra dipping and another with extra veggies or a little fruit.

With a bento box, your egg salad won't escape the sandwich, and get all over your fruit, veg, and cookies, as @bentos_and_bowls shows here. This type of Monbento Box ($44) with a movable little tray allows you to customize the layout every day, depending on your needs.

The pineapple salsa is what makes this tropical jerk chicken and gingered broccoli recipe so bento-able. Salsa is, of course, delicious, but to avoid a soggy mess, you don't want to combine all your ingredients until lunchtime. That's why having compartments to separate the salsa from the chicken and rice is perfect.

Cobb salad is a great lunch option, and packing it in a bento box ensures that your ingredients maintain the right texture until you're ready to eat. Not to mention, these miniature egg sandwiches dreamed up by @heathercoxzz are an adorable twist.

Once again, separate textures are your friend here. Keep your nuts crunch and your oranges crisp and juicy with separate compartments for this delicious and easy sheet pan garlic ginger chicken and broccoli meal prep.

Who said you have to save bento boxes for lunch? This breakfast bento box by TikToker @hollysutherlandd is perfect for long-shift workers, or anyone who has breakfast-for-lunch or breakfast-for-dinner cravings. Who wouldn't be happy to open their bento box and find pancakes?

Bento boxes may be cute, but they get extra points when you don't have to prep anything. This delicious Greek pita box comes together with deli turkey, store-bought tzatziki, and adorable mini pita breads for dipping (you can also cut regular pita into wedges if you can't find mini ones). Fat, carbs, and protein: check, check, and check!

For the most creative among us, like @bienbento, rice molds can help take your bento game to a whole new level. Adding sesame seed faces and other cute lunch box components makes this bento box lunch almost too cute to eat.

With three different components, this Moroccan chickpea meal was made to bento. Roasted chickpeas, sweet potato, cauliflower and couscous make up one side of the bowl, while the other two hold a delicious carrot salad, and then massaged kale and avocado. Fresh, healthy, and absolutely full of flavor — because you deserve it.

A homemade falafel wrap is the star of this vegan lunch bento box from @tessbegg, which comes with fruit, veggies and hummus for snacking. Bentos are particularly friendly to vegan diets, as you may need different sources of protein to round out your meal.

If you're obsessed with making homemade salads or want to keep your lunches low carb or keto, you'll love this Bentgo Salad Stackable Lunch Container ($17), which is made specifically for the job. It has a hole for dressing and different compartments so you can measure out your veggies, protein, and fat, and keep it all separate until you're ready to enjoy.

If you didn't think sandwiches (especially a delicious veggie-packed one like this) could fit in a traditional bento box, think again. Slicing the sandwich four ways, like @littlemonstereats shows here, makes it aesthetically pleasing, and a perfect fit.

Tuna salad is definitely a food that benefits from separation ahead of mealtime. Follow the lead of this tuna salad meal prep, and use your bento box's different sections for the almond, cucumber, and apple toppings keeps them fresh and crunchy. Store lettuce in a separate compartment, and then mix when you're ready to eat.

As this TikTok from @heathercoxzzz shows
, mini croissants make everything better. Tip: dry the tomatoes out beforehand — or sore them in separate compartment, and pop onto your sandwich just before eating — so that they don't make the bread wet.