This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Do you need another idea for kids packed lunches? I would love to show you How to Pack Tacos for lunch. Homemade Taco lunchables is one of our kids favorite lunches because it is completely different than the regular “boring” sandwich.
How to pack Tacos in a LunchBox?
You will want a kid thermos to keep your taco meat warm. I love these thermos for kids. I bought mine on Amazon and there are several on sale right now.
Then pour boiling water in your thermos first. This process will heat up the thermos. Let the boiling water sit for a bit.
To make this easier, I use our tea pot to boil the water quickly and to make it easy to pour the water in the thermos. I let the boiling water sit in the thermos (with the lid off) for just a few minutes (maybe 3).
Then pour the water out. Now your thermos is HOT and ready to keep your hot taco meat warm. It works great every time.
Easy lunch ideas for kids:
My kids love it when we have leftover taco meat from dinner the night before. When we have Crockpot Tacos or ground beef tacos they know that I always make extra meat for their lunches the next day.
Even if we don’t have leftovers, it’s easy to make tacos. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season with taco seasoning and some salsa. Simmer for 5 minutes and then it’s ready to pack in the kids’ lunches.
I also make extra meat when making chicken tacos. My kids are always excited when they open their lunchbox the next day to see something different than the usual sandwich!
What is included in this lunchbox
- Approximately ¼ cup of taco meat
- Crispy shells (or tortillas)
- Lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream or any additional toppings
- Chips – we did hot fries because my kids like to add those to their tacos.
- Fresh fruit – we did grapes but any that your kids love will work great.
How do you keep tacos warm for lunch?
The key is to heat up your taco meat on the stove. We will eat tacos the night before and then save some of the tacos for lunch the next day.
In the morning, while the kids are getting ready for school, I will heat up their taco meat and put in their heated thermos.
Then add in their taco shells and their toppings, chips and fruit to their lunchbox and off to school they go. They are getting a complete meal and it will keep them full for the rest of their school day!
Homemade Taco Lunchable tips:
Use lunchbox containers (like the Rubbermaid ones I used or a bento box) to store your taco shells, chips and fruit to keep them separate. It also keeps your taco shells from crushing in the lunchbox.
I used snack size baggies for my cheese and lettuce and these work great because they’re the perfect size for the small quantities.
Equipment you need for this lunchbox:
We love these easy lunch boxes. We have used a cheaper version in the past, but I have switched to the name brand easy lunchboxes.
They do a much better job and they last a lot longer. It is worth the few extra dollars for the name brand. Trust me! We love it.
I used a kid thermos to keep the taco meat warm and the Rubbermaid containers to keep the other food separate and safe from crushing.
Variation Ideas for Taco Lunchable:
- For the Meat – Use your favorite taco meat for this easy lunch recipe. Ground Beef, steak or white meat chicken would work great in this recipe.
- For the Cheese – We usually use cheddar cheese but Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack with be delicious in this lunch recipe.
- For the Chips – My kids are just really into hot fries right now. However, you can use any of your favorites: tortilla chips, Cheetos or Doritos.
- For the Fruit – I used grapes but any that your kid’s love would be delicious. Strawberries, raspberries or apples would all work great in this packed lunch.
Print the Recipe for School Lunch Tacos:
How to make a Taco Lunchable
Ingredients
- ½ cup Taco Meat
- 2 Crispy Shells
- ¼ cup Shredded Lettuce
- ¼ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- ½ cup Chips
- ½ cup Fresh Fruit
Instructions
- Pour boiling water into your thermos. Let the water sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Then pour the water out.
- Heat up the taco meat and place it in the thermos and seal it shut.
- Then package the remaining items in separate zip locks bags or storage containers to keep them from getting the other ingredients soggy.
- Place all the ingredients in the lunch box.
