50 Easy Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas for Work, School & Home

Are you looking for easy gluten-free lunches you can take to work or send to school with the kids?

Are you feeling limited by a lack of simple yet delicious gluten-free choices?

I hear you! You need lunches that are :

• No fuss
• No special ingredients
• No confusing instructions.

You need Lunches that you will actually make, even when you don’t feel like making lunch.

This list of gluten-free lunch ideas may be the answer. It may even get your creative juices flowing and you'll come up with ideas of your own.

Simple Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas for Work & School

When I sat down to write this article, I did some surfing to see what’s already out there to help with gluten-free lunches.  What I found was a lot of great recipes. 

But when I thought about making those lunches, I realized something.   

And that’s just what I have for you here. 

A list of practical, simple, healthy gluten-free lunch ideas that you’ll actually make.  

What Makes a Good Gluten-Free Lunch?

• It needs to be easy
• It needs to have simple ingredients
• It needs to be nutritious and filling

And depending on your lifestyle you may also need your lunch to be:

• portable
• microwavable
• delicious cold - no warming required

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Gluten-Free Themed Totes

Carry your gluten-free lunch, groceries or anything else with pride using my Naturally Gluten Free line of cloth tote bags.

Click the photo you like best to go to my store.

This eco-friendly, durable tote is perfect for shopping trips, farmer's markets, or everyday errands, while serving as a stylish reminder of your commitment to living gluten-free.

Why You’ll Love It:

• Made from high-quality, eco-friendly materials.
• Spacious and durable for groceries, books, or daily essentials.
• Features the Naturally Gluten Free logo and uplifting tagline.
• Perfect for everyday use or as a gift for gluten-free loved ones.

Stay stylish and sustainable while embracing your gluten-free journey with this versatile tote bag—ideal for living gluten-free, simply and naturally.

The pictures above are links to my store.  Just click on the one you like best.

Best Gluten-Free Sandwich Alternatives

The sandwich is the obvious place to start. Did you grow up taking a sandwich to school every day for lunch?  I did!  Was it painfully boring?  Yes it was!

Let's not write sandwiches off too quickly.  They have lots of advantages:  

• they are portable
• they don’t require utensils
• you can pack one in your bag and pull it out when you have a minute to grab a bite. 

No mess, no microwave, no fork.  You don’t even need a table.

The Problem with Gluten-Free Sandwiches is the Bread. 

Gluten-free bread crumbles and falls apart. Add sauce or any moisture in the filling and your sandwich disintegrates.  

Making a sandwich on the same old bread is boring.  Try putting your favorite sandwich filling on one of these gluten-free bread alternatives:

• a gluten-free bun.
• a gluten-free wrap or tortilla
• a taco shell
• rice cakes

Make Your Sandwich on a Gluten-Free Bun

Buns hold together better than sliced bread.  They’re thicker so they can take a bit of moisture.  

Schar's Gluten-Free Ciabatta Bun is my favorite. 

I was served this lovely soft roll with my soup aboard a Viking cruise ship. When I asked for the recipe,the chef laughed and brought me the package.

You can use this link to purchase Schar Ciabatta Buns on Amazon.  I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Here are some ideas for to load up your gluten-free bun:

• Roast beef with spicy mustard, a slice of tomato and pickle.
• Ham with a slice of Swiss cheese, lettuce and Thousand Island dressing.
• Leftover chicken breast with romaine lettuce, Dijon mustard and mayo.
• Roast pork or pork tenderloin with cheddar and salsa.

Roll Up Your Filling on a Gluten-Free Wrap

Wraps travel better, store more easily and are more versatile than bread. They are so impressive that they deserve their own article.  Check out the link below for tons more ideas. 

Gluten-Free Wraps:  A great alternative to bread.  Wrap up your favorite sandwich ingredients, use them as a pizza base or crisp them up in the oven to make your own nachos.  Quesadillas anyone?

Crunchy Taco Shells for Lunch

Anything you can put on a sandwich can go on a taco shell.  They’re crunchy and delicious and a nice change from the norm.  Try:

• Leftover beef stir-fry on a taco shell
• Chicken salad on a taco shell with a few olives and provolone cheese
• Leftover baked whitefish on a taco shell with diced celery, cucumber and ranch dressing
• Slice up leftover bratwurst and top with sauerkraut
• Canned or leftover homemade chili topped with shredded cheddar

If you’re packing taco shells for work or school, they’re best in a container so they don’t break. 

Gluten-Free Rice Cakes

Do you think rice cakes are boring and tasteless? I used to, but maybe we’re not trying hard enough. 

When you think about it plain bread is pretty boring and tasteless too. That is until you dress it up with your favorite topping. Consider this, you can put anything on a rice cake that you’d put on toast. 

Gluten-Free Rice Cakes 7 Ways:  These crunchy, versatile little discs are way under-rated.  They're quick, they're low cal, you can top them with pretty much anything and they're naturally gluten-free!

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Low Carb and Keto Friendly Lunches

What if you're avoiding bread altogether?  Maybe you don't like all the gums and starches in gluten-free bread, or maybe your trying a keto diet to lose a few pounds. 

Here are some options.

Naturally Gluten-Free Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are the perfect naturally-gluten-free alternative to bread.  They are also a great option if you’re looking to reduce calories or carbs.  

You need a lettuce that’s soft enough not to break when you roll it.  The ends of romaine work well.  So does Boston or butter lettuce.  

For extra variety and nutrition try kale, collard greens or chard.

The trick with lettuce wraps is to use two pieces of lettuce.  It gives you more area to work with and will roll up better.  You can also use romaine hearts. Spoon in your filling, and eat it like an open-faced sandwich.  

Lettuce wraps will work with any of the suggestions above, or try:

• BLT lettuce wrap – bacon, lettuce (of course) and tomato.  Add your favorite mayo or ranch dressing to give it that needed lunch time zing.
• Pastrami and Swiss with sliced almonds and yellow mustard 
• Hamburger on a lettuce bun. That's right. Forget the big bready bun and wrap your patty with all the fixings on a nice big soft piece of lettuce. 
• Deli meats are perfect on a lettuce wrap because they’re tender yet they hold together well. No sandwich filling on your lap.

Gluten-Free Deli Meat Wraps

Take a look at that slice of deli meat. Notice anything?  It’s flat and round like a wrap.  

Why not flip your sandwich inside out and use the meat as the wrap.  This is especially great if you’re trying to avoid carbs. Try these options:

• Ham wrap with cheddar and pickle
• Deli roast beef wrap with lettuce, mozzarella, and horseradish
• Deli chicken or turkey with julienne cucumber and baby spinach
• Prosciutto with melon slices

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Understanding Gluten-Free Lunch Meat

Lunch meat or deli meat is one of those places where gluten can hide. Follow this link to find out how to choose safe gluten-free cold-cuts for your sandwiches.

Hot & Comforting Gluten-Free Lunches

Sometimes your belly wants something warm and comforting.  If you have access to a microwave then a gluten-free hot lunch is in your reach.

The best and easiest hot lunch is leftovers from dinner. 

You've already put time and creativity into cooking a delicious gluten-free dinner. When you’re cleaning up fill your container. Voila! .  Easy lunch. 

Here are some more hot lunch ideas.  Some are for lunch at home days when you can cook up something quick.  Others are perfect to package up and take to work or school:

• French onion soup
• Pigs in a blanket – wrap sliced bacon around cocktail franks and bake at 400° for about 25 min
• Leftover gluten-free pizza and salad
• Make a gluten-free personal pizza on a wrap
• Gluten-free biscuit with gluten-free soup
• Chili (canned or homemade) topped with shredded cheddar. Pair with gluten-free toast or plain Doritos
• Bean and bacon soup
• Baked beans (canned or homemade, hot or cold) with gluten-free toast or plain Doritos
• Grilled cheese
• Chicken wings (great hot or cold)
• Gluten-free fried rice
• Gluten-free mac and cheese
• Pizza bagel – toast your gluten-free bagel, top both sides with shredded cheese and pepperoni and slide it under the broiler for a minute or two. 
• Baked potato topped with bacon and cheddar – bake your potato in the microwave, add bacon and shredded cheddar then melt under the broiler. 

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Breakfast for Lunch

Gluten-free breakfast foods make great lunches.  Why do we limit certain foods to certain meals?  Eggs are the perfect example.  They’re high in protein and they are quick and easy to make.  Try these ideas.

• Omelet with side salad
• Poached eggs on toast with deli ham and fresh veggies
• Devilled eggs with cheese cubes and fresh veggies
• Scrambled egg on a wrap
• Scrambled egg on a taco shell
• Omelet muffins with small salad

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Can Celiacs Have Salads?

Absolutely!  Start with naturally gluten-free vegetables like salad greens, tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, onions.  Then step out of your comfort zone and try adding some of these:

• Chopped kale or thinly sliced cabbage. 
• Fruits can make your salad sweet and tickle your taste buds. Try strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mandarin orange sections, or sliced peaches or pears. 
• Try different cheeses like cheddar, feta or goat cheese. 
• Add nuts like walnuts or pecans or seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
• Try make ahead salads that keep well in the fridge like coleslaw or my broccoli salad pictured above. 

Where Gluten Hides in Your Salad

Most salad dressings are gluten-free but check the label to be sure

• Some Asian style dressings have soya sauce which is not gluten-free unless you buy gluten-free soya sauce. 
• Skip the croutons, or you can buy or make your own gluten-free croutons.
• Avoid grains unless you know for sure they are gluten-free grains.

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Gluten-Free Lunch Recipes

I said these gluten-free lunch ideas don’t need recipes, but here’s a bonus for you.  On the days you have time to cook, enjoy something special, then freeze some for the busy days.  

Bean & Bacon Soup

French Onion Soup

Chicken Wings

Rice Cakes 7 Ways

Gluten-Free Soups

Salad Dressings

Peach and Buckwheat Salad

Wraps

Easy Coconut Shrimp

Macaroni Casserole with Ham and Crispy Potato Chip Topping

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