These days so many schools have nut-free tables or classrooms, or are even entirely nut-free! I know when I was first required to pack nut-free lunches for my daughters, I was pretty worried about this uncharted territory. I really had to focus on every.little.thing I was packing to make sure there was no cross contamination or broken rules.
I eventually got used to it of course, but for all those who are still figuring out how to pack an allergy-friendly school lunch this year or are even looking for ideas for a kid of your own that has a nut allergy, then this is for you! You can check out some more nut-free school lunch ideas in the School Lunch Roundup Series.
Also be sure to check out my list of Favorite School Lunch Supplies, the School Lunch FAQs, my Nut Free School Lunch Roundup 2 post, and the School Lunch Idea Gallery.
- BLTs and cheese on whole-wheat pitas
- Baby carrots
- Homemade ranch dip
- Organic popcorn
- Warm tomato bisque with whole-wheat noodles in a thermos (her fav)
- Carrots
- Whole-wheat blueberry muffin (from the freezer)
- Whole-wheat chocolate chip cookie
- Apple and sunflower seed butter sandwich
- Whole-wheat banana pancake and cream cheese sandwiches
- Frozen smoothie pop (bananas, berries, plain yogurt, spinach, kale, and apple juice)
- Hard boiled egg
- Cantaloupe and organic grapes
- Leftover slow cooker potato soup topped with organic bacon and grated cheddar
- Apple and sunflower seed butter sandwich
- Whole-wheat blueberry muffin (from the freezer)
- Homemade egg salad
- Brown rice crackers
- Organic cheese stick
- Baby carrots
- Pineapple and raspberries
- Whole-wheat pasta salad (with carrots, tomatoes, Parmesan, and homemade vinaigrette)
- Apple slices
- Hard boiled egg
- Whole spelt pumpkin muffin
- Homemade tortilla soup with sour cream and cheese to go on top
- Sliced pears
- Cold cheese quesadillas (on whole grain corn tortillas)
- Slow cooker baked beans with leftover grass-fed cheeseburger pieces mixed in (served warm)
- Diced watermelon
- Homemade buttermilk cheese biscuits (sort of in the shape of a flower)
- Homemade “Uncrustable” with sunflower seed butter and jam (previously made and frozen and stuck with a pinwheel toothpick)
- Carrots
- Organic store bought applesauce (1-ingredient)
- Diced honeydew melon
- Black bean and cheese tostadas leftover from dinner (served cold)
- Caprese salad (mozzarella, basil, tomatoes)
- Carrots
- Whole-wheat blueberry muffin
- Fruit mix (peaches, plums, grapes)
- Homemade pizza “Lunchable” including whole-wheat pitas (cut with culinary scissors), grated cheese, natural pepperoni pieces by Applegate, and tomato sauce
- Frozen peas
- Sliced grapefruit
- Macaroni and broccoli cheese casserole with homegrown diced tomatoes on top (leftover, cold)
- Apple slices
- Grapes
- Whole-grain pretzels (Unique brand sprouted grain splits)
- Egg salad
- Brown rice crackers
- Whole spelt pumpkin muffin
- Oranges and strawberries
- Organic popcorn and shredded wheat (Barbara’s brand)
- Caprese salad (local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and a little salt),
- Celery and carrots
- Homemade onion dip (for the chips and veggies)
- Organic Kettle potato chips (a special treat)
- Whole-grain wafer crackers
- Cheddar cheese
- Frozen peas
- Grapes
- Organic ham
- Dark chocolate
Unstuffed Pasta Florentine
Have my daughter who is allergic to nuts and coming up with nut free lunch ideas can be difficult. All these recipes sound and look delicious. Thank you so much:)
Where did you buy all the silicone muffin/snack containers??
Im looking for all different shapes, colors and sizes…
You can find them here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-favorite-school-lunch-supplies/.
Great ideas! Thank you so much for these peanut-free suggestions:)
Can I just say, I love you. I’ve looked at so, so many suggestions on non peanut lunch/snack ideas and yours are by far the BEST. Simple recipes for picky eaters. I can’t thank you enough for putting this together.
Sharing this with a bunch of my friends because I know how much this will help them. And I am sure the kids will love it too.
Thank you Lisa!
My daughter has an egg and nut allergy. I know it is frustrating for parents to try to come up with nut free lunches, but think of the possibility that you could be saving a child’s life! Thanks for the ideas! :-)
Just stating a small fact that may have been over looked . Peas are in the same family as peanuts they can and often do cause reactions that are blamed on peanuts. My child is allergic to all nuts including peas anything in the legume family can trigger a reaction.
Thank you so much for writing this piece. My son is allergic to peanuts, and it is always a scary thing to send him off to school everyday. Sometimes, I am just happy to have him come home every day without any dreadful phone calls. I would like to reiterate that this allergy is life-threatening. I can understand people without food allergies feeling inconvenienced, but none of us want to inconvenience others. We just want our kids safe and secure in school, and to come home alive. Just as a little tip, MANY chocolates that appear to be nut or peanut free, are actually NOT. Manufacturers are not required to list any possible cross contamination of major allergens if they do not want to. Therefore, MOST chocolates (chocolate chips, chocolate bars etc.) are not nut free. A good source of nut free/peanut free/dairy free chocolate is from Enjoy Life. It actually tastes pretty good too. Thank you for helping people navigate through nut free living. It truly is a lifesaver.
Finally! Ideas for nut-free lunches that my kid might actually eat! My son is starting school in the fall and I’ve been looking at loads of lunch ideas but most of them look like way too much work, or they include dishes that appeal to adults but not children.
Your ideas are great. Now I feel like I can manage to put together a good variety of nut-free school lunches.
Thanks so much for putting this together.
Thanks for this page. As a fellow nut allergy mom I too agree it feels like a job sometimes to work around nut allergies. I am thankful for all the options we have nowadays. For parents without allergies, I understand your frustration but please understand that a child’s life is on the line where the possibility is death. This is not something we choose to have, it chose us. I hope that Lisa’s site can continue to bring you ideas so your child(ren) may have options as well.
There is another alternative to nut-butters. It’s called wow-butter. It’s made from non-GMO soybeans and it tastes quite a lot like peanut butter. Any kid I’ve given it to can’t tell the difference. My son is allergic to peanuts and we use wow-butter instead of sunflower butter because we think it tastes a lot better :) Just thought I would let you know!
I first visited your website to find other recipes for healthy school lunch ideas. My daughters’ school is completely nut free and my oldest daughter is now gluten-free to aid her digestion. Your new website is very helpful in searching for options. I hope you will add more recipes that meet these combined restrictions, especially ones that contain enough protein to keep them fueled for the rest of the school day. I also find the pictures helpful as packing the foods in a environmentally friendly manner is always a challenge.
Thank-you for your time and effort. I am a mother with a nut allergy child and it is a 24 hour 7 days a week 365 days a year every meal job. I to find it hard to pack a healthy lunch that she will eat. I have found this site very helpful.