by Lucia Rivera, VRG Intern

Beyond the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich and accompanying side of fruit, vegan lunch options range from school-offered healthy offerings, to personalized salads, soups, sandwiches, and more! For vegan kids in any grade, a delicious and satisfying lunch can have an amazing effect on their day. Whether or not a school offers lunch and snack options for vegan students, the possibilities are endless of what can fill one’s lunch box every day.

My high school in Southern California did start providing daily vegan options for students in 2018. They present these on a smartphone school lunch app, which indicates all options students have on respective days. For daily lunches, the school cafeteria prepares items such as three bean salad, baked butternut squash, and spicy lime cucumber rounds that are all indicated to be free of eggs, dairy, meat, and fish. These all can be picked up relatively quickly by students at the cafeteria whether a student is vegan, vegetarian, or just wants to eat something new and healthy.

Depending on personal preference, however, preparing lunches at home may be part of one’s daily routine. This only widens the opportunities for amazing vegan lunches. If preparing homemade lunches, it is never a bad idea to start by trying out the basics. For example, as mentioned previously, the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a coincidentally vegan recipe that has room for modification. There are a variety of nut and seed butters that each add their own twist to a sandwich, just as there are many marmalades, jams, and spreads that can complement a specific flavor! I personally have enjoyed using almond butter with raspberry jam and substituting sunflower seed butter for my brother who had nut allergies. Nut or seed butter also tastes amazing with bananas or another kind of sweet addition. If sandwich form gets repetitive, lunches can also consist of fruit slices with peanut, almond, soy nut, or other butter. Vegan soy “deli meat” can also be used in sandwiches along with lettuce, tomato, avocado, vegan cheese substitutes, and anything else that one likes. Other optional ingredients include vegan cream cheese, hummus, sliced tempeh or tofu, and vegan margarine.

Another great tool – thermos containers – are not to be forgotten! These can keep any variety of soup warm throughout the day, ranging from vegetable noodle to miso soup. Penne pasta with marinara sauce can also retain its heat in a thermos, as does vegan mac and cheese. Tofu and rice can be mixed and packed in a thermos too, with a dressing included or kept on the side. Warm lunches can also include other vegan options like bean chili, veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs, warm wraps, and more! An alternative way to keep lunches warm for a couple hours is by using insulated lunch bags or wrapping sandwiches/wraps in aluminum foil. Warm wraps usually include a choice of vegan meat and melted vegan cheese with a kick of cooked or fresh vegetables. For example, one warm vegan wrap recipe is a vegan chicken ranch wrap.

Cold lunches, on the other hand, can focus on main dishes of pasta salads, cold wraps, fresh spring rolls, and to-go Buddha bowls. Buddha bowls can be personalized to include one’s preference of vegetables and beans (like sweet potato, broccoli, and edamame beans) and sauce to add to the bowl’s tofu component. Cold wraps are a lunch choice that can often be overlooked, but are perfect for personalization, like sandwiches are. Yet, their use of tortilla, pita, or other type of wrap distinguishes them from the typical sandwich. One of my personal favorite vegan lunches is a store-bought hummus and vegetable wrap that is perfect to eat on the go, without requiring heating up or preparation. Lunches can also be easily made at home, whether made during weekly meal prepping, or separate every morning.

In addition to a delicious main dish, lunches can also include specific snacks and side dishes. Some snacks include granola bars, dried fruit, fresh fruit or vegetables, vegetable chips, pretzels, rice cakes, vegan muffins, and hummus with carrot sticks. There are also dozens of other snacks that can complement lunch daily. Many grocery stores offer even more varieties of vegan snacks, including roasted and salted edamame beans, which I have brought as a snack to school on a variety of occasions. Side dishes can easily be created with a small green salad of spinach and cherry tomatoes, or roasted broccoli and potatoes. More complicated side dishes include tempeh potato croquettes and vegan scalloped potatoes.

Overall, whatever one may be craving as they wait for the bell to ring before lunch, there is always a vegan option that can satisfy their needs. From salads, to sandwiches, to wraps, vegan lunches can become the highlight of a great day—whether from home or the cafeteria.

For other school lunch ideas, see:

https://www.vrg.org/teen/#food
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_pb_j.php