High Protein Kids Lunch Ideas

Here are some ideas for high protein kids lunch ideas with 25+ grams of protein! Plus a breakdown of the protein in each item from a Registered Dietitian.

Hi friends!

This week we’ve been chatting a lot about lunch ideas because we’ve hit the point in the school year when the novelty of packing wears off and you might find yourself in a little bit of a packing rut! I already have several great resources for you if you need new ideas.

Be sure to check out:

• This post: Sandwich Ideas For Lunch Boxes – where I share some fun sandwich and sandwich alternatives!
• This post: Easy Lunch Ideas For Kids – a roundup of some of the real-life lunches I packed for my 1st grader
• This post: Cold Lunch Ideas – a roundup of real-life lunches I packed for my 1st and 3rd graders
• This ebook: A Month of Easy Packed Lunches For Kids

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Why is protein important for kids?

Today we’re talking specifically about high protein lunches. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I often talk, as a Registered Dietitian and mom, about the importance of protein at meals and snacks.

Protein is important because it provides amino acids that help the body grow and develop. It helps repair and build muscle tissue. They also work as and build hormones, enzymes and more.

When kids don’t get enough protein it can lead to fatigue, decreased immune response, delayed growth and wound healing and more.

How much protein do kids need?

The good news is, in most cases, your child is probably getting more than enough protein to meet their daily needs.

Protein needs by age are the same for boys and girls through age 13:

• Ages 2-3: 14 grams per day
• Ages 4-8: 19 grams per day
• Ages 9-13: 34 grams per day

So, for example, a toddler who needs 14g of protein per day could have a slice of toast (4 gram of protein), plus one scrambled egg (6 grams of protein) and half a glass of milk (4 grams of protein) for breakfast and they’ve already met their protein needs for the day.

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High Protein Kids Lunch Ideas

So while it seems easy in theory, I am also a mom of 3 and know how challenging it can be to get kids to eat sometimes. Some kids don’t like breakfast. Lots of kids don’t eat well at dinner. Some kids are more selective than others.

I’m often asked for high protein lunch ideas. For my kids specifically, lunch is a great time for me to get a lot of protein and nutrients into their daily diet. Not all of them love breakfast and they’re usually starving at school so they tend to eat most of what I pack in their lunch box.

I’ve got 8 high-protein lunch ideas to share today. They each have at least 25 grams of protein. I’ve tried to give you the protein counts for some of the higher protein items so you can see the breakdown. And with protein totals this high, even if your child only eats half their lunch, they’re still getting a good amount of protein.

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#1 Toddler Lunch Ideas – Waffles & Yogurt

• Kodiak Cakes Waffles- I make these by mixing 1 cup Kodiak Cakes Pancake and Waffle mix with 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup milk and 1 egg. It makes 4 waffles which means each one has about 13 grams of protein. You could put peanut butter between two waffle triangles to make a sandwich and add more protein
• Greek yogurt – most Greek yogurt has about 12 grams of protein per 1/2 cup. Top it with some granola for even more protein
• Blackberries – aprrox 1 gram protein
• Cheerios- approx 2 grams protein

This lunch gives you about 28 grams of protein.

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#2 – High Protein Cold Lunch Ideas – Sandwich, Egg & Cheese

• Most brands of string cheese have 6 grams of protein
• Hard-boiled eggs have 6 grams of protein so 1.5 eggs = 9 grams
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich – We use Brownberry Oat Nut Bread which has 4 grams of protein per slice. Peanut butter has 8 grams of protein in 2 Tablespoons so a sandwich with 2 slices of bread and 2 Tbsp peanut butter gives you 16 grams of protein.
• Strawberries

This lunch provides about 31 grams of protein.

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#3 Meal Prep Lunch Ideas – Pasta Salad

• Pasta salad – There are lots of protein pasta options out there. This is Barilla Protein Plus which has 10 grams of protein in about 1 cup (but even regular pasta has 5-7grams). Plus an Al Fresco chicken sausage which has 9 grams and a chopped up cheese stick which has 6 grams. Finish it off with some cherry tomatoes and Italian dressing if you want and you have 25 grams of protein.
• Clementine
• Mini Larabar – This flavor and size has 3 grams of protein

This lunch provides about 28 grams of protein.

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Easy Lunch Ideas for Kids – Turkey sandwich & cottage cheese

• Half a turkey sandwich – This gives you about 9 grams from 2 slices of turkey + 4 grams from a slice bread + 6 grams from a slice cheese for a total of 19g
• Cottage cheese – Most cottage cheese has about 13 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving
• Grapes
• Animal crackers

This lunch provides about 32 grams of protein.

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#5 – Cold Lunch Ideas for Kids – Tortellini

• Cheese tortellini – 1 cup of cheese tortellini has 10 grams of protein
• Trail mix – I used a mix of crunchy edamame (approx 5g protein) + a mini beef stick with 4 grams + cereal, goldfish raisins for another 2g which means this trail mix has about 11 grams of protein.
• Ants on a log with 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter – 4 grams of protein
• Peaches

This lunch provides approximately 25 grams of protein.

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#6 – Protein lunch ideas – Egg wrap

• Pepperoni and cheese egg wrap – You get 6 grams from the egg + 7 grams from 1/4c shredded cheese + some pepperoni for a total of 13 grams.
• Mini bagel – This mini bagel has 8 grams of protein.
• Carrots + 2 Tbsp hummus is about 2 grams of protein
• Go Macro Kids bar has 4 grams.

This lunch provides approximately 27 grams of protein.

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#7 – Kids Lunch Ideas For School – Chicken Nuggets

• Chicken nuggets – There are 16 grams of protein in 5 chicken nuggets.
• Lentil banana muffin – Approximately 4 grams of protein
• Yogurt tube- This Stonyfield yogurt tube has 7 grams.
• Wheat thins – 2 grams

This lunch provides approximately 29 grams of protein.

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#8 – Protein Lunch Ideas – Overnight Oats

• Overnight oats – These can pack anywhere from 20-30 grams of protein into a serving depending how you make them. If you need a recipe try these High Protein Overnight Oats.
• Goldfish
• Breakfast sausage – This Jones Dairy Breakfast Sausage has 10 grams of protein in 3 links.

This lunch provides approximately 32 grams of protein.

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Enjoy!
–Lindsay–