The Plant-Based Lunch Box
The Plant-Based Lunch Box
How a few good components turn into a week of vegan lunches.
By the time midday arrives, most of us are not looking for inspiration—we are looking for something that simply works. A lunch that holds together, travels well, and feels like it was made for our day. A box that opens to real food: grains that still have shape, vegetables that still have color, something warm tucked beside something fresh. Not dramatic. Not complicated. Just right.
There is something quietly satisfying about a well-packed lunch box. Not a sad desk salad, not leftovers shoved into a mismatched container—but a box that looks like someone thought about it. Color. Balance. A little contrast. Something fresh beside something warm.
Grain bowls with chickpeas, vegetables, and avocado
Falafel boxes with rice and roasted vegetables
Curry and rice layered for easy reheating
Fresh, snack-style boxes with fruit, grains, and greens
They aren’t four different ideas. They are the same idea, repeated with confidence:
start with a base, add a protein, add color, finish with something that makes you want to open the lid.
This post shows how to build that kind of lunch box—and gives you three core recipes that appear across the images: a bright lemon couscous, baked falafel and a simple chana masala.
How to Think About a Vegan Lunch Box
Every good lunch box has three anchors:
A base: rice, couscous, quinoa, potatoes
A protein: chickpeas, lentils, falafel, beans, tofu
Color: vegetables, herbs, fruit
From there, rotate flavors. Set the pattern.
Couscous or grain + chickpeas + broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, avocado
Rice + falafel + roasted potatoes, peppers, carrots, chickpeas
Rice + chickpea curry + tomatoes, herbs
Brown rice + green vegetables + cucumber + fruit
Same structure. Different mood.
Lemon-Herb Couscous with Vegetables
Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes
This is the couscous you see paired with chickpeas, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, and lemon slices. It is light, fresh, and built for mixing into lunch boxes all week.
Ingredients
1 cup couscous (about 170 g.)
1 cup boiling vegetable broth or water (240 ml.)
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ cup chopped parsley (about 10 g.)
¼ cup diced cucumber (about 40 g.)
¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved (about 50 g.)
2 tbsp. sliced green onion
Directions
Place the couscous in a heat-safe bowl. Pour the boiling broth or water over it, add the olive oil and salt, cover tightly, and let stand for 5 minutes.
Uncover and fluff with a fork, breaking up any clumps.
Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, and green onion. Taste and adjust salt or lemon as needed.
Cool completely before adding to lunch boxes.
Pairs With
chickpeas, broccoli, carrots, avocado, cherry tomatoes.
Baked Falafel Balls
Serves: 2-4 (about 6-8 falafel) | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20–25 minutes | Total Time: 35–40 minutes
The falafel in the images are round, green-flecked, and baked—not fried—so they hold up well in meal prep boxes with rice, roasted potatoes, carrots, peppers, and chickpeas.
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (15 oz. / 425 g.)
½ cup chopped onion (about 80 g.)
2 cloves garlic
½ cup fresh parsley (about 20 g.)
½ cup fresh cilantro (about 20 g.)
2 tbsp. flour or chickpea flour
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and cohesive, but not smooth.
Scoop about 1½ tbsp. of mixture at a time and roll into balls. Place on the baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and firm.
Cool before packing into lunch boxes.
Pairs with: rice, roasted potatoes, carrots, peppers, chickpeas.
Simple Chana Masala for Meal Prep
Serves: 4–6 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25–30 minutes | Total Time: 35–40 minutes
The stacked containers in the images show layers of rice and a warm orange chickpea curry. This version is simple, steady, and reheats beautifully.
Ingredients
1 tbsp. oil
1 small onion, diced (about 100 g.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. turmeric
1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz. / 400 g.)
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (30 oz. / 850 g.)
¾ cup water (180 ml.)
1 tsp. salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Directions
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5–7 minutes, until soft and lightly golden.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Add the spices and stir well, coating the onions.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, water, and salt. Bring to a simmer.
Lower the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and saucy.
Stir in the lemon juice before cooling and packing.
Pairs with: rice, cherry tomatoes, herbs, steamed greens.
Building the Lunch Boxes
Couscous Veg Box
Lemon-herb couscous
Chickpeas
Steamed or roasted broccoli
Carrot sticks or roasted carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado slices
Lemon wedges
Falafel Bowl
Rice
Baked falafel balls
Roasted potatoes
Roasted carrots and peppers
Chickpeas
Curry Box
Rice
Chana masala
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh herbs
Fresh Snack-Style Box
Brown rice
Brussels sprouts
Green beans
Cucumber slices
Pear and grapes
A Realistic Way to Meal Prep
Cook grains in big batches and store them plain.
Make one or two proteins—like falafel or chickpeas—and use them in different ways.
Roast vegetables once or twice a week and rotate them through boxes.
Keep flavor simple: lemon, olive oil, herbs, spices.
A great vegan lunch box is not about perfection. It is about having a few reliable pieces that fit together in more than one way. When couscous, falafel, and chickpea curry are in rotation, lunch stops being something you scramble for—and becomes something you open with interest.