Don’t Eat Crappy School Food With These Lunchboxes for Teens

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Teens are notoriously awful at eating lunch at school. I know this because my son comes home starving every day, even when I send him to school with lunch money. Thankfully, the fix to this teenage conundrum is investing in a great lunchboxes for teens. As an added bonus, if their lunchboxes are filled with stuff they actually enjoy eating, they might even stop raiding your entire kitchen two hours before bed.

Best Lunchboxes for Teens

• Best Expandable: Waterproof Waxed Canvas Lunch Box

• Well-Known Brand: Igloo 90s Retro Collection Square Neon Lunch Box

• Easiest to Clean: Koccido Bento Box Lunch Box Kit

• Best Bento Box: Bentgo Modern Lunch Box

• The Sporty Pick: adidas Santiago Insulated Lunch Bag

How We Chose

I spent an inordinate amount of time talking to teens, looking through the copious Pinterest boards they sent me, and watching TikTok to find all the trends, and the best lunchboxes. I cross-checked their ideas with real-life users of the lunchboxes, the utility of the lunchbox, and the materials used. All of our picks are durable and easy to use (because let’s face it, your teen won’t use them at all if they’re not.)

Check out the best lunchboxes for teens that you can grab right now before school starts.

Waterproof Waxed Canvas Lunch Box

So, you're feeding a kid who plays sports and therefore requires enough calories to power a small family each lunch? Well, have I got the lunchbox for you.

This expandable, waxed canvas lunch bag goes from 11 inches tall to a whopping 18 inches tall with just a slight strap adjustment. Speaking of straps, this lunchbox for teens has its own carrying strap, so your kid can just fling it over their shoulder and call it good.

I've seen this lunchbox in person, and the quality looks just as great as the photos. The whole thing is waterproof, and if you need to wash it, just wipe it down or toss it in your sink for a quick rinse. Plus, it's pretty much indestructible — which is always a big selling point when it comes to lunchboxes for teens.

More: These Backpacks for Teens Really Wow

90s Retro Collection Square Neon Lunch Box

Barbie is everywhere right now, so why shouldn't she be in your lunchbox? Igloo is a known brand, and there's a reason it's been around for so long — it's because the quality is just that good.

Igloo really keeps your food cold, and it does it affordably. The top opens easily, not sticking to the thermal interior, and the side pocket is generous. There's even a place to put an ice pack if you want to.

Kids love the look of this, parents love it for its practicality. My aunt has been carrying this very style of Igloo cooler for as long as I can remember, and it's still in great shape.

Bento Box Lunch Box Kit

My very picky, very fashion-forward tween daughter has this lunchbox, and she loves it. Yes, I still pack her lunch every day, but it makes me happy to do so.

It's a three-tier bento box with a thermos, two reusable baggies, a dressing container, and the lunchbox carrier. It comes with a spoon and fork, but I pack my daughter full-size utensils or chopsticks depending on what I'm making her that day.

The actual lunch bag is very attractive and durable. There's tons of space in it, not just for the bento box but for everything else your child may want.

The best part? Every single piece comes apart, making for the easiest cleaning imaginable.

Bentgo Modern Lunch Box

Lunch has never been more convenient than with this Bentgo lunchbox. Made of durable BPA-free plastic with a microwavable, dishwasher-safe insert, this bento-style lunchbox is easy, and it looks good.

Don't worry about it making their backpacks a mess, either — it doesn't leak, thanks to the genius design. Whether you're packing your teen a homemade feast, or they threw in an Uncrustable and some hot Cheetos, this lunchbox is a great way to do it.

Teens told me that they adore how easy this lunchbox is and how their "food doesn't touch, ew." And honestly? I feel them on that.

Santiago Insulated Lunch Bag

Did you know that adidas made a lunchbox? I know, when teens kept telling me that this was the only lunchbox they deemed worthy enough to carry, I was surprised, too,

Thankfully, it's a great lunchbox. It's 12 inches tall and just over half that wide and lengthwise. It has a thermal lining to keep food cool, and even the front pocket works as a thermal pouch. It's sporty and cool, and kids love the look of it. The exterior is made of rip-stop nylon that doesn't tear easily, and the seams are super strong.

However, it doesn't open like you'd expect because of that front pocket. It can fall or lean in strange ways that can be a bit of a bother.

Mr. Bento Stainless Lunch Jar

This lunchbox has four containers, and each of them fits in the larger lunchbox cylinder. It stays hot or cold, and both the cylinder and container is leakproof.

It comes with its own bag that has a handy carrying strap, and a full-size spork with cover. My teenage son has this lunchbox, and trust me, it's teen-proof. He's not easy on any of his things, quite the opposite, in fact, but this lunchbox? He's had it for 3 years, and it's still going strong.

The only bone to pick I have to pick is that the lunch bag itself doesn't have much room for anything else, but that doesn't seem to bother my son at all.

Expandable Lunch Box

This expandable lunchbox from L.L.Bean is awesome for a number of reasons, but the main reason is that it opens up like a briefcase, making getting to everything you packed that much easier.

The lunchbox is expandable, giving you an extra two inches of space in the same way that your luggage would do. It keeps foods at the right temperature, looks great, and kids don't hate it. It might not help your child on their calculus test, but it will hold their peanut butter and jelly without it getting all gross from being too warm.

One reviewer says, “It matches my backpack, which is weird, but I don’t hate it — it works.”... my cousin, a 16-year-old chess champion and wordsmith.

Insulated Lunch Tote, Strawberries

I was made aware by several very posh and cool teenage girls that Kate Spade lunchboxes are extremely desirable — and since my own lunchbox is also Kate Spade, I was surprised by how unintentionally cool my taste is.

It's a basic lunchbox, durable and utilitarian, but look at it. Seriously, look at it. Have you ever seen a more darling lunchbox? The gold lettering, the fun pattern, the wrapped handle — all of it is just about perfect.

I have more than one of these. In fact, I have one to match every coat. Is it embarrassing? Nope. It's super fun — I just wish they came with matching accessories!

Neoprene Lunch box

Have a kid who likes to get everything in their backpack? Then this is the lunchbox for you. It's fully collapsible, and because it's soft-sided, it's good for getting manipulated into small spaces.

It's a basic lunch bag, measuring 11 inches by 11 inches by 7 inches, with a zippered top, and strong, neoprene material. It's not a thermal lunch bag, but it is useful.

Plus, it's a real bargain at under $11. Users love how easy it is to use and clean, but also, again, the price.

Wichita Insulated Lunch Bag

Not a fan of bento, but still want individual containers for your food? I get it, and apparently, so do a lot of teens who love this set from Fit+Fresh.

It's an entire lunch system, complete with six containers, a side pouch for your drink, and an attractive lunchbox to carry it in. You can even get freezer packs designed specifically for this lunchbox for teens.

Fit+Fresh is beloved not only by the teenage set but also by celebrities like Rachel Ray. It's pretty durable, though the handles aren't real leather, and it does clean with just a swipe of a disinfecting wipe.

What to Consider

The best lunchboxes for teens need to be able to withstand an absolute nightmare amount of beatings before they start to show damage. Considering the fact that this thing is going to get tossed in backpacks, thrown around busses, lost in piles of clothing with food inside for extended periods of time, it needs to be a workhorse.

It also needs to be something they don't mind having their friends see. For some teens, that might mean that their lunchbox is practically invisible because it gets stowed away in their backpack. For others, it's going to be trendy and fun, maybe even a little wild. The ’90s and ’00s are back in a big way, and that means that lunchboxes in bold colors with seams that stand out are all the rage (we see you Igloo Retro Square Portable Lunch Box).

Lunchboxes for teens can just be a shell, like the L.L.Bean Expandable Lunch Box or the adidas Santiago Insulated Lunch Bag, or they can be more intricate. There are several lunchboxes that include bento-style lunchboxes on the inside, like the Koccido that make packing for lunch a breeze. Others may just have a few containers to separate major food items from one another like the Fresh Fit. Many of the choices are self-contained, like the Bentgo, and are meant to be tossed in their backpacks and taken out at lunch for a simple mealtime option.

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