It's easy to get into a lunch rut. You pack the same things day after day, until suddenly you can't even look at your go-to option anymore. If you're gluten-free, sometimes it can be even more difficult to break out of your usual routine. To help give your lunchtime some creative inspo, we've gathered our favorite gluten-free recipes to spice things up. From tacos to wraps to salads, our top recipes are not only packable, but so delicious you won't even notice they're gluten-free!
When it comes to making gluten-free recipes, you're going to want to watch out for a couple ingredients that may seem harmless but actually contain gluten. Soy sauce, which often contains gluten, comes in a gluten-free version, but you can also use tamari in a pinch. Tortilla chips are nearly always gluten-free, thanks to corn as a base. Worcestershire sauce, which you'll need for our Reuben bowls, is almost always gluten-free, but do look out for malt vinegar (which does contain gluten). Overall, it's important to always check the labels of your chosen products!
Now that that's out of the way, you can get prepping on those easy lunches! Our chimichurri chicken salad, turkey salad, and curried chicken salad are classic packable lunches—simply put them in lettuce wraps or dip with gluten-free crackers to make them satisfying gluten-free meals. We've got plenty of fresh salads, soups, and rice bowls, but also have included some fun ways to switch lunch up like with our crispy chipotle chicken tacos, sushi recipes, and hearty stuffed vegetables.
If you ever wondered what exactly is gluten and what happens to your body when you go gluten-free, we've got tons of handy guides about this mysterious protein. For more gluten-free ideas, check out all our favorite gluten-free desserts, gluten-free appetizers, and gluten-free breakfasts.
Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Wraps
"Cilantro-lime" is a flavor profile we can never get enough of. Cilantro lime salmon, cilantro lime chicken wings, cilantro lime rice… we’ve done it all. Pretty much anything goes well with a kick from cumin, a little tang from lime juice, and fresh herby zing from cilantro, including these simple, low-carb lettuce wraps featuring quick-cooking shrimp.
Get the Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Wraps recipe.
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Extra-crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside, these tacos are so much fun to make and eat. Putting cheese directly in your skillet might sound wrong, but it works! Once off-heat, the cheese starts to harden and crisps up, giving the texture of a crunchy taco shell, but is super-delicious.
Get the Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos recipe.
Jerk Tofu Grain Bowls
This vegan recipe is a bit of a culinary road trip through some Jamaican staples: sweet plantains, aromatic rice and peas, and tofu in a jerk marinade. To add a touch of crunch, acidity, and color, we top it all off with a simple red cabbage and carrot slaw that is just as delicious on its own as it is in the bowls (make extra and put it on everything).
Get the Jerk Tofu Grain Bowls recipe.
Roasted Chickpea And Avocado Salad
The tahini-ranch here is a lightened-up dressing that is better than any bottle you could buy. Crunchy chickpeas, creamy avocado, and feta make this a perfect summer salad for lunch or a picnic!
Turkey Salad
Making turkey salad is just as quick and easy as making chicken salad or egg salad. And just like all those other salads, you can always add your favorite mix-ins to make this fit your taste. Other ingredients like shallots and celery will provide crunch and flavor, while fresh herbs like dill or parsley will add herby freshness. P.S. You can use turkey breast instead of leftover turkey in this recipe!
Get the Turkey Salad recipe.
Fried Halloumi Salad
We think it's due time that halloumi, the brined Cypriot cheese, got its time in the spotlight. Besides the delightfully squeaky texture (where the cheese curd lovers at?) and the tangy, salty flavor, the high melting point is really what makes this cheese stand out—when heat is applied, it develops a delicious golden crust that is so delightful in this salad.
Get the Halloumi Salad recipe.
Classic Stuffed Peppers
Of all the food you can stuff, stuffed peppers are at the top of our list. Bell peppers are large enough to hold a lot, strong enough to keep their shape in the oven, and mild enough in flavor to go with just about anything. Here, we’re filling them with beefy, tomato rice and shredded Monterey Jack cheese, but you can customize them to fit your taste.
Get the Classic Stuffed Peppers recipe.
Garlic Butter Meatballs And Zoodles
These garlic butter meatballs are low-carb, gluten-free, and veggie-packed without skipping out on any of the tastiness. Now this is a low-carb dinner you can feel good about.
Get the Garlic Butter Meatballs recipe.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
Cucumbers, tomato, feta, olives, and avocado combine to create a salad that may just be your go-to office lunch from here on out. Hot tip for taking this salad to go: Ditch the whisking and throw all the dressing ingredients into a jar or small container. Right before you eat, give the jar a good shake, and you will have a perfectly emulsified vinaigrette.
Get the Grilled Chicken Salad recipe.
Rainbow Roll
Rainbow rolls include a lot of elements of traditional Japanese sushi—seasoned rice, raw fish, nori—but the composition is definitely Americanized. This inside-out roll (or uramaki) has rice on the outside, while the sheet of nori on the inside holds the avocado, cucumber, and crab in place. Top your rolls with sushi-grade fish, or get creative and try thinly sliced avocado, roasted red peppers, or smoked salmon.
Get the Rainbow Roll recipe.
Best-Ever Mexican Tostadas
We kept these tostadas simple with perfectly creamy beans, crispy fried tortillas, crunchy pickled onions, and cotija cheese, but feel free to add additional protein. You can top the beans with chicken fajitas, grilled flank steak, or even the filling for tacos al pastor.
Get the Mexican Tostadas recipe.
Burrata Salad
Think of burrata salad as Caprese salad's fancy cousin. Peak-summer tomatoes are topped with this luscious cheese (think: a shell of mozzarella filled with a soft, creamy filling) and garnished with a shower of peppery basil leaves and savory chives. 😍
Get the Burrata Salad recipe.
Esquites Corn Chowder
Esquites is the iconic Mexican street food made from corn kernels, mayo, lime, and chili powder. This soup combines the street food with corn chowder—the quintessential New England comfort food with loads of sweet corn, bacon, and potato. The warm, creamy soup and the cool, sweet, acidic esquites combine in one bowl to create an insanely good contrast of texture, temperature, and flavor.
Get the Esquites Corn Chowder recipe.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
This summer-friendly recipe uses canned chickpeas, meaning it comes together in less than 30 minutes. 😎 Our lemon-parsley vinaigrette here is perfectly tart and fresh with a hint of spice, and you're going to want to put it on everything.
Get the Mediterranean Chickpea Salad recipe.
Hot Honey Chicken & Rice Bowls
FINALLY, a dinner completely centered around hot honey. In this recipe, the chicken gets tossed in the hot honey you make yourself (which means you can adjust the heat if you want!) and becomes sweet and spicy. Drizzle any extra honey from the pan over the bowls for an extra kick.
Chimichurri Chicken Salad
This festive-looking salad couldn't be more simple to make. Toss shredded (rotisserie) chicken with a good amount of parsley (this is inspired by our favorite condiment, chimichurri, after all), garlic, olive oil, and vinegar and serve in lettuce wraps.
Get the Chimichurri Chicken Salad recipe.
Arepas
Here we’re sticking to a simple blueprint of basic arepas with easy fillings like black beans, queso blanco, and avocado, but feel free to customize to your liking. Try arepas stuffed with carnitas, roasted sweet potato, or skirt steak!
Get the Arepas recipe.
Greek Salmon Salad
Whenever we're craving a salad (or just know we should be eating more of them), we're looking for something fresh and crisp with lots of flavor. This gorgeous salad is hearty enough to be dinner, which means it'll get you through even the longest of workdays for lunch too. While the salmon is cooking, you can get all of your veggie chopping done too, and it'll all come together in less than 30 minutes.
Get the Greek Salmon Salad recipe.
Reuben Bowls
Not only do these have the standard Reuben flavors, we’ve also added tons of green cabbage and shredded carrot to help bulk out the bowls and keep you feeling satisfied. It makes these bowls especially perfect if you’re trying to eat less carbs too.
Get the Reuben Bowls recipe.
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
This cauliflower is the perfect answer when you have Buffalo wings on the brain, but you just know you need to eat some vegetables. All the flavors that you love about Buffalo sauce coat these florets, which are then air-fried to perfection. It all comes together when you dip one into the most perfect creamy blue cheese dressing. 😍
Get the Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower recipe.
