How to Make Homemade Lunchables

Save money by creating your own homemade Lunchables for your kid’s lunches and snacks! They’re fun to put together, too.

My older two kids love Lunchables and I am just too cheap to buy them for school lunches. I have nothing against them and I think the convenience can’t be beaten, but I refuse to pay $2 each for 2 kids every day. Not going to happen.

So I made them myself at home and they turned out great! (and the kids are young enough that they do not care that it is not in the actual box!) You can reuse a Lunchables plastic container or a reusable bento box (I like PlantBox’s steel lunchboxes best).

Here is how I did it (and you can use any variation of food items)!

I bought generic Ritz crackers (which taste great and are much cheaper than name brands), bologna, and generic American cheese.

Using a cookie cutter, preferably one in a cracker shape (you can also use the lids from a tomato paste can), cut out the cheese and bologna.

Put 4 crackers, 2 pieces of bologna, and 2 pieces of cheese in a zip-top bag. (this is enough makings for 2 of those) If your child is a big eater, you can add more to the bag. I found that I can get 2 rounds out of a slice of cheese and 3 rounds out of a piece of bologna. (and the youngest loves to eat the scraps while I am making them)

The key is to make up a bunch in advance so that cold lunch prep is really fast and the kids don’t eat all the crackers beforehand!

With these made up ahead of time and stored in the fridge, filling lunch boxes is FAST and EASY, which is great for early in the morning!

Also, check out 5 Easy Bento Box Lunches That Any Mom Can Make!

Amy @ Mom Spark

For 16 years, I have been the creator & full-time blogger of Mom Spark. I’ve also created content for numerous outlets such as Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, & Huff Post.