25+ Easy Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas That Aren’t Boring
Lunch can become surprisingly difficult when you need to eat gluten-free. So many of the easy options we automatically think of involve bread, wraps, pasta or something coated in breadcrumbs, and although gluten-free versions of most of these are available now, eating a gluten-free sandwich every single day isn’t particularly exciting.
The other problem is that specialist gluten-free foods can be expensive. If you’re buying gluten-free bread, wraps, pasta and snacks every week, the cost soon mounts up, so I think it’s worth remembering how many perfectly ordinary foods are naturally gluten-free.
Rice, potatoes, eggs, vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, meat, fish and many dairy products can all form the basis of lunch without needing to find a special gluten-free replacement. It gives you far more choice and, quite often, a cheaper lunch too.
Whether you need something you can take to work, an easy lunch at home or simply some inspiration because you’ve run out of ideas, here are plenty of gluten-free lunches to try.
A quick note if you have coeliac disease
There is a difference between choosing to avoid gluten and needing a strict gluten-free diet because you have coeliac disease.
If you have coeliac disease, it isn’t enough for the main ingredient in your lunch to be naturally gluten-free. Sauces, stocks, seasonings and other processed ingredients can contain gluten, while cross-contamination during preparation is another consideration.
Always check the labels of packaged ingredients rather than assuming they’re suitable, particularly when you’re using things such as stock cubes, sauces, dressings and spice mixes. If you’re making lunch in a kitchen where other people eat gluten, you’ll also need to be careful about shared preparation areas and utensils.
Coeliac UK is a really useful resource if you’re new to eating gluten-free and want more information about doing it safely.
Rice bowls make brilliant gluten-free lunches
Rice is probably one of my favourite starting points when you want an easy lunch because there are so many different directions you can take it. It’s naturally gluten-free, inexpensive and works equally well hot or cold, which makes it useful for packed lunches too.
You could make a Mexican-style rice bowl with beans, peppers, sweetcorn, salsa and avocado, or combine rice with chicken, vegetables and a suitable gluten-free dressing. Tuna, cucumber, tomatoes and sweetcorn work well if you want something you can quickly put together from ingredients you probably already have.
My savoury rice is another easy option and can be made gluten-free by using suitable stock and seasonings. You could cook a larger batch and use the leftovers for lunch the following day, adding whatever protein or vegetables you fancy so it doesn’t feel as though you’re eating exactly the same meal twice.
If you like Asian flavours, rice with tofu or chicken, mushrooms and vegetables can make a lovely lunch too, although this is one of those occasions when checking your sauces really matters. Ordinary soy sauce commonly contains wheat, so choose one that’s specifically suitable for your gluten-free diet.
Jacket potatoes are possibly the easiest option of all
I sometimes think we overlook the humble jacket potato when we’re trying to come up with interesting lunch ideas, yet it’s naturally gluten-free and you can put almost anything on it.
Cheese and beans is the obvious combination, but you could also have tuna mayonnaise, chilli, cottage cheese, leftover curry, coronation chicken or roasted vegetables with feta. Sweet potatoes work just as well if you fancy a change.
They’re particularly useful if you work somewhere with a microwave because you can take your toppings separately and put everything together when you’re ready to eat. At home, an air fryer makes it easy to get a lovely crispy skin without having the oven on for ages.
Check my jacket potato guide for more topping ideas.
Gluten-free pasta salads
If you miss pasta lunches, there’s no reason to abandon them completely. There are far more gluten-free pasta choices available than there used to be, including pasta made from corn, rice, lentils and chickpeas.
Pasta salad is particularly handy because you can make it the night before and keep it in the fridge ready for lunch. Try adding tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, olives and feta for a Mediterranean-style version, or mix your pasta with tuna, sweetcorn and a little mayonnaise for something really simple.
Pesto pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella is another easy combination, although again you’ll need to check that the pesto and any other packaged ingredients you’re using are suitable.
If you use chickpea or lentil pasta, you’ll also get a little more variety than simply replacing ordinary wheat pasta with a gluten-free copy.
Don’t forget about soup
Soup is one of my favourite lunches when the weather gets colder because it can be made in a big batch and portioned up for several days.
Tomato soup, butternut squash soup, carrot and coriander, lentil soup and vegetable soup can all work brilliantly as gluten-free lunches when they’re made with suitable ingredients. Homemade soup also means you know exactly what has gone into it.
You do need to be more careful with shop-bought soups and stock because something that looks as though it should be gluten-free isn’t automatically suitable. Check the label every time rather than relying on what was safe the last time you bought it, as recipes can change.
Take soup to work in a flask if you don’t have access to a microwave, perhaps with gluten-free crackers or a gluten-free roll if you want something alongside it.
Check my soup guide for all my recipes and my tips on finding a good flask for work
Lunch doesn’t have to involve gluten-free bread
Gluten-free bread is useful, but I wouldn’t build every lunch around it. Apart from the cost, sometimes you simply want something different.
An omelette is one of the quickest alternatives. Fill it with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, spinach or whatever needs using up in the fridge and you’ve got lunch in a few minutes.
Frittata is another good option because you can make it ahead and eat it cold. Add potatoes and vegetables and it becomes a substantial packed lunch that travels well.
You could also make a crustless quiche, have baked beans with a potato, make a substantial salad or simply eat leftovers from the previous night’s dinner.
Once you stop thinking that lunch has to mean a sandwich, there are actually loads of choices.
What about gluten-free sandwiches and wraps?
Of course, sometimes you actually do want a sandwich!
If you’ve found gluten-free bread or wraps you enjoy, there are plenty of fillings you can use. Tuna and cucumber, cheese and pickle, chicken salad, egg mayonnaise, mozzarella with tomato and pesto, or peanut butter and banana are all easy possibilities, provided the individual ingredients are suitable for your dietary needs.
One thing worth thinking about if you have coeliac disease is the preparation. A shared toaster, chopping board, butter dish or knife covered in ordinary breadcrumbs can cause cross-contamination, so making a gluten-free sandwich safely may involve a little more care than simply buying gluten-free bread.
Salads that actually feel like lunch
I don’t know about you, but a few lettuce leaves and half a tomato wouldn’t keep me going for very long. If I’m having salad for lunch, I want it to feel like an actual meal.
Start with your salad vegetables and then add something substantial. That might be potatoes, rice, quinoa or beans, along with eggs, chicken, tuna, salmon, cheese, tofu, chickpeas or lentils.
A Greek-style salad with feta, olives and potatoes can be lovely, while a chicken and rice salad makes a much more filling packed lunch than leaves alone. You could make a bean salad with tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and feta, or use leftover roasted vegetables with quinoa and a dressing.
Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, unlike couscous, so it’s a particularly useful ingredient if you’ve previously enjoyed couscous salads and need an alternative.
Leftovers can make tomorrow’s lunch much easier
One of the easiest ways to avoid getting stuck for gluten-free lunches is to stop thinking of lunch as something that always needs its own recipe.
If you’re making chilli, curry, rice dishes, roast vegetables or another gluten-free dinner, deliberately make an extra portion. Put it into a container before serving dinner and tomorrow’s lunch is already sorted.
I love doing this anyway because it saves money and means food doesn’t get forgotten at the back of the fridge. It also gives you something much more substantial than grabbing a snack because you haven’t got anything planned.
Just remember that if you’re cooking for a household where some people eat gluten and others don’t, you’ll need to keep the gluten-free portion protected from cross-contamination.
Easy gluten-free packed lunch ideas
Taking lunch to work or out for the day can need a little more thought, particularly when you can’t rely on finding something suitable nearby.
Cold rice salads, pasta salads made with gluten-free pasta, frittata, boiled eggs, homemade soup in a flask, substantial salads and leftovers are all good possibilities. You can then add simple sides such as fruit, yoghurt, cheese, vegetable sticks, hummus, nuts or suitable gluten-free crackers.
If you’re packing lunch for a child, check the school’s rules around nuts and other allergens rather than assuming they’re allowed.
Having two or three packed lunches that you know you enjoy is often more useful than trying to come up with something completely different every day.
Quick gluten-free lunches when you’ve got nothing planned
There will inevitably be days when you’ve planned absolutely nothing and suddenly realise it’s lunchtime. Those are the days when having a few basics in the house really helps.
Eggs can become an omelette or scrambled eggs in minutes. A tin of beans can go onto a jacket potato. Tuna can be mixed with rice, sweetcorn and mayonnaise, while chickpeas can be added to salad with feta and whatever vegetables you have.
Even something as simple as cheese, suitable crackers, fruit and vegetable sticks can become a perfectly reasonable lunch when the alternative is standing in front of the fridge hoping something exciting magically appears.
A few more gluten-free lunch combinations to try
Once you’ve got the basic ideas, it’s quite easy to mix things up depending on what you have available. Some combinations I’d try include:
- Jacket potato with chilli and cheese
- Tuna, rice and sweetcorn salad
- Tomato, mozzarella and pesto gluten-free pasta
- Chicken, avocado and rice bowl
- Egg and potato salad
- Quinoa with roasted vegetables and feta
- Lentil and vegetable soup
- Crustless vegetable quiche
- Chickpea, cucumber and feta salad
- Salmon with new potatoes and salad
- Egg fried rice made with suitable gluten-free sauces
- Homemade hummus with vegetable sticks and gluten-free crackers
- Sweet potato topped with beans and cheese
- Leftover curry with rice
- Omelette with mushrooms, spinach and cheese
You don’t need to buy lots of specialist products to make these work. In fact, building lunches around naturally gluten-free ingredients can make eating gluten-free feel much less restrictive.
Making gluten-free lunches a little easier
If you’re new to eating gluten-free, lunch can initially feel like another meal you have to completely rethink. Once you’ve found a handful of meals that work for you, though, it becomes much easier.
I’d start with foods you already like rather than trying to replace everything with a specialist gluten-free version. If you enjoy jacket potatoes, rice bowls, omelettes, soup or salads, you’ve already got plenty of lunches that can be gluten-free with very little adaptation.
Keep a couple of quick options in the cupboard for days when plans go wrong, use dinner leftovers whenever you can, and gradually build up a list of lunches you actually look forward to eating.
After all, being gluten-free shouldn’t mean spending every lunchtime staring sadly at an expensive sandwich you don’t particularly fancy.
If you are new to being diagnosed with Coeliac disease and a gluten-free diet, the NHS guide is a helpful resource.
