We Tested 36 Lunch Containers: Here Are the Best Ones for Every Kind of Lunch
Given where food prices are these days (ahem!) some of us are packing our lunch from home more often than not. And for that, we need the perfect lunch container. Whether we’re packing a large salad, a cup of soup, a sandwich, or ye olde leftovers, we want a container that will keep our food securely packed. No salad dressing spilling on your skirt! And no tuna on rye squashed at the bottom of your tote bag.
So with a wide range of packable foods in mind, we rounded up an assortment of 36 products in 6 categories. We tested each of these containers to see how well they serve their intended purpose, and how well they live up to the manufacturer’s claims.
Spoiler: These are our top picks for each category. Read on to learn more about why these made the cut.
How We Tested
All lunch containers: We filled each product with water that had been tinted red with food coloring. Then we placed them upside down on a paper towel and allowed them to sit for five minutes, followed by shaking vigorously.
Microwavable containers: We filled each of these with a cup of tomato sauce and heated until boiling. Then we cleaned them by hand, and then in the dishwasher.
Salad bowls: We filled each of these to capacity with lettuce. If there were any additional layers and/or containers for add-ins like tomatoes and croutons and/or dressing, we filled those as well. We stored the filled bowls at room temperature. Then we measured the temperature of the lettuce every two hours, or until the ingredients reached over 40°F.
Sandwich bags: We filled each with sliced turkey sandwiches on whole-wheat sandwich bread.
Soup containers: We filled these to capacity with boiling water. Then we stored them at room temperature, measuring the water temperature every two hours until below 140°F (or for amount of time the manufacturer claims the container can keep contents hot).
Bento boxes: We filled each of these with various foods, including a sandwich, if possible. In the bento boxes with a snap-in ice pack, we measured the temperature of the sandwich every two hours, or until it reached over 40°F.
Lunch boxes: We filled each with sliced turkey sandwiches on whole-wheat bread, a medium apple, a juice pack, and one small Rubbermaid ice pack. Then we measured the temperature of each sandwich every two hours, or until it reached over 40°F.
In products with plastic or fabric components, we applied a teaspoon each of mustard, ketchup, and salad oil to the components and allow them to sit overnight. Then we attempted to clean them.
Why You Should Trust Us
I’ve spent virtually my entire career testing and writing about kitchen gear of all kinds. I began my career as a professional chef in New York City restaurants and have long been an avid home cook.
For 30 years I worked at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where I oversaw the Kitchen Appliances Lab and all articles for both the magazine and website related to everything from apple corers and cookware to ranges and refrigerators. My responsibilities included establishing repeatable testing procedures that could capture how well products work, as well as how easy they are to use.
For the last five years I’ve been testing and writing about cooking equipment for Kitchn as well as other websites including Reviewed, Wirecutter, and Food Network.
The bottom line: I know my way around the kitchen as well as a testing lab, and can tell you what counts when it comes to choosing tools as varied as lunch boxes and barbecue grills.
What to Consider When Buying Lunch Gear
What Do You Like to Eat for Lunch?
If you’re a salad person, you’ll want a bowl. Look for one that’s big enough to hold a generous portion of lettuce and still give you room to toss it with all the other goodies, like tomatoes, croutons, and craisins, that you like to add in. You’ll love one that comes with a separate little container to hold the dressing, so you can add it right before you eat and avoid a soggy salad.
For a liquid lunch of hot soup, choose an insulated jar with a tight-fitting lid.
If your idea of the perfect midday meal is a sandwich, you don’t need a large container, but can choose a small bag or case that you can slip into a tote.
While you can use just about any container in your kitchen for storing leftovers, you’ll want one that won’t leak into your bag or onto your desk.
If you view eating lunch as an aesthetic experience, you might want to consider a bento box. With lots of little compartments, a bento box will allow you to arrange a variety of items. On the other hand, the compartments tend to be small and might not even accommodate a half sandwich. Cutting everything into portions that fit into each little section can be a chore.
As an alternative, for packing a variety of foods, you may be better off with a more traditional lunch box or bag that can hold a sandwich, a whole piece of fruit, and a bag of chips.
Will You Be Able to Keep Your Lunch Refrigerated Until Lunchtime?
From years of testing food storage products of all kinds, including lunch boxes, I can tell you that very few containers will keep food at safe serving temperatures for even two hours. According to the USDA, no perishable foods should be kept at temperatures above 40°F for more than two hours, and one hour in very hot weather.
If you won’t be able to keep your lunch in a refrigerator, be sure to tuck in an ice pack or two.
Do You Typically Bring Leftovers or Another Food That You Like to Warm Up?
If you do, you’ll want to check that the container is microwavable.
How Easy Is the Container to Clean?
Check to see if the manufacturer says the product can be cleaned in the dishwasher. At the end of the day, the least stressful way to clean a container is to toss it in the machine.
Most lunch boxes and bags need hand-cleaning. Smooth vinyl or plastic interiors are the easiest to wipe clean. When you’re choosing a lunch bag made of fabric, look for dark colors that can disguise mustard and ketchup stains.
Tips for Packing Lunches
Refrigerate juice boxes, whole pieces of fruit, and other non-perishable items the night before you pack them, as they’ll help to keep perishable foods like cold-cut sandwiches cold until lunchtime.
Be sure to include at least one frozen ice pack.
At the end of the day, any food that’s uneaten and wasn’t refrigerated should be tossed.
Unless you’re 100% sure that a container is leakproof, it‘s best to put it in a bag before you toss it in your purse or tote.
How We Rated Lunch Boxes
On each of the tests detailed above, I judged all of the bags on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. I gave more weight to tests that measured how well containers protected food and how much they leaked, as poor performance on those factors could be deal-breakers.
What We Looked for in Lunch Boxes
All Lunch Containers
Leakage: I checked to see if products leaked when they were shaken vigorously or when they were simply turned upside-down.
Ease of opening and closing: I looked to see how easy it was to close each container tightly and then open it.
Ease of packing: In each container, I packed appropriate foods and determined how easy it was to place the items inside.
Security of the closure: I checked to see if products stayed tightly closed, or if they could easily be accidentally opened.
Ease of cleaning: I cleaned each container by hand. Those items that could be placed in the dishwasher, I ran through a cycle. The one item that was machine washable I ran through the washer. As well as checking to see if any stains remained, I inspected to see if the products were adversely affected by cleaning. I also considered if a product had crevices or had several parts that could make it a nuisance to hand-wash.
Storage: Products that weren’t excessively large or that folded for storage received extra points.
Appearance: While this certainly isn’t the most important factor, I took into consideration the attractiveness of containers.
Microwavable Containers
After microwaving tomato sauce in any of the microwave-safe containers, I washed containers by hand and checked to see if there was any staining. Then, I ran them through the dishwasher to see if any stains that didn’t come off after hand-washing were removed in the machine. In addition, I checked for pitting and warping.
Salad Bowls
I looked to see if salad bowls could keep lettuce cold enough to be crispy and to be safe. According to the USDA, no perishable foods should be kept at temperatures above 40°F. for more than two hours and one hour in very hot weather.
Sandwich Bags
After making a turkey sandwich on sandwich bread, I checked to see how easy it was to place it in the bag.
Soup Containers
I checked to see how long food stayed hot enough to be both palatable and safe. When it comes to hot food, the USDA, says food should not stay at temperatures below 140°F for more than two hours.
Bento Boxes
In each compartment of the bento box, I placed a different item, looking to see if there was a compartment that was large enough to hold a sandwich and also to see how much effort it required to cut foods into sizes that would fit in the sections. In the one bento box with a snap-in ice pack, I checked to see how long it was able to keep a sandwich cold.
Lunch Boxes
I assessed whether lunch boxes could keep a turkey sandwich cold enough to be safe to eat.
I cleaned off blobs of mustard and ketchup and rinsed off oil. Then I inspected each lunch box to see if any stains remained.
Best Salad Bowl: S’well Salad Bowl Kit
S’well made a name for itself by offering beautiful bottles that are exceptionally comfortable to drink from as well as excellent at keeping water chilled or coffee hot. With its salad bowl kit, it upholds its reputation for practical objects that are a pleasure to use and aesthetically pleasing.
The Kit consists of a stainless-steel bowl that’s large enough to hold a substantial portion of salad and gives you plenty of room to toss it. A shallow tray that rests on top of the bowl and under the lid can be used for items like croutons, cheese, or fruit and nuts. In the tray, there’s a small container for dressing.
In my tests, the S’well salad bowl, like every bowl that I tested, was not able to keep lettuce cold. So, you will definitely want to refrigerate it when you get to the office or pack it in an insulated bag with ice packs. While the dressing container stayed tightly closed, the bowl itself leaked, which means you don’t want to toss your salad at home or include any liquid ingredients. All of the pieces can be popped into the dishwasher for cleaning.
Specifications
Materials: Stainless steel, silicone
Approved Uses: Freezer-safe and dishwasher-safe
Capacity: 64 ounces
Rating Criteria
Temperature retention: 1
Leakage: 1
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 5
Security of closing: 4
Storage space: 3
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Anyone whose ideal lunch is a really large salad.
Good to know: In addition to basic black, it comes in teakwood and blue marble colors.
Best for Soup: Stanley All-in-One Food Jar
Hands-down, the Stanley Food Jar* was tops in our test at keeping water piping hot. In fact, it was still steamy after 13 hours. In addition, this container has a generous capacity, so you can fill it with enough beef barley soup or chunky minestrone for a substantial lunch. It has a wide mouth that makes it easy to eat directly from the jar, but comes with a stainless-steel lid that doubles as a cup.
Around the jar, there’s a removable, washable fabric wrap with a handle and an on-board stainless-steel spork. Close the lid tightly and it won’t leak, so you can toss the jar in your bag or on a car seat without worrying that it will make a mess. In the summer, it will keep your gazpacho or vichyssoise nice and cold for a full day.
This isn’t a pretty jar, but it has an industrial aesthetic that communicates that it’s a high-quality product. With its top-notch insulating properties and convenient features, who cares if it looks like it belongs at a construction site rather than on an office desk?
*We originally tested a similar version of the Stanley Food Jar that’s currently out of stock, and will update this post when it becomes available.
Specifications
Materials: Stainless steel
Approved Uses: Dishwasher-safe
Capacity: 17 ounces
Rating Criteria
Temperature retention: 5
Leakage: 5
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 5
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 4
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Soup-lovers who like their chowder piping hot!
Good to know: Also comes in a 20-ounce size that’s perfect for bringing chowder for two or several cups of coffee or hot chocolate.
Best for Sandwiches: Built Reusable Sandwich Cube
If your idea of lunch is a traditional sandwich, you’ll love this reusable silicone cube. With a zipper that goes around 3 sides, it’s easy to open and plop in a BLT. While the sides aren’t totally rigid, it definitely gives more protection against squishing than a plastic bag.
What it won’t do is keep your turkey or egg salad on wheat cold, so remember to put the cube in a bag with an ice pack if you won’t be able to refrigerate it until lunchtime.
Specifications
Materials: Silicone
Approved Uses: Dishwasher-safe
Rating Criteria
Leakage: 1
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 5
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 5
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Sandwich-lovers who don’t want their bread squashed and/or don’t want to use disposable wraps or bags.
Good to know: You can choose white or blue.
Best for Leftovers: Rubbermaid Brilliance Plastic Containers
Made of clear hard plastic with a latching lid, Rubbermaid Brilliance will keep sauce from leaking, making it perfect if leftover baked ziti or beef and broccoli is your idea of a delicious lunch.
However, because the lid fits so tightly, it can take a little pull to remove it. You have to be careful when you tug it off after microwaving, or hot liquids can splatter. These containers are dishwasher-safe and don’t stain heavily like many other plastics do; but over time they do develop a slight orange sheen from marinara sauce.
Specifications
Materials: Tritan plastic
Approved Uses: Freezer-safe, microwave-safe, and dishwasher-safe
Capacity: 4.7 cups
Rating Criteria
Leakage: 5
Staining: 4
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 5
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 5
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: People who like a hot lunch. They can warm up leftovers or steam veggies in these containers.
Good to know: Brilliance is available in a variety of sizes for all kinds of food storage, including ones that are ideal for storing staples like flour and sugar. There’s also a glass version that comes with the same plastic latching lids.
Best Bento Box for Adults: Bentgo Classic Lunch Box
If your lunch box’s looks are more important to you than its size, a bento box is for you. The pretty and compact Bentgo Classic just might arouse envy when you pull it out in the company lunch room.
When the strap and lid are removed, there’s a shallow layer with two compartments that can each hold a small portion of cut-up fruit or veggies or a brownie. Lift it up and there’s a second lid in which rests a plastic spoon, fork, and knife. Take that off and find a dish that’s big enough for a not-too-thick sandwich or 2 cups of a salad or portion of leftovers. And yes, you can pop the bottom layer in the microwave to reheat a square of last night’s lasagna.
In my tests, it didn’t stain and none of the parts warped from a run in the dishwasher. Keep in mind that whether you wash the bento box by hand or machine, there are lots of parts to keep track of.
The Bentgo will leak, so don’t pack anything with dressing or sauce that can seep out. And don’t expect it to keep your food cold. To keep everything looking pretty when you open the box, you will want to keep it upright and not let the ingredients knock around and fall out of place. After all you, don’t want to defeat the purpose of packing your lunch in a bento box.
Specifications
Materials: Plastic
Approved Uses: Microwave-safe, and dishwasher-safe
Rating Criteria
Leakage: 1
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 4
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 5
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Lunchers who like an artfully arranged meal.
Good to know: Comes in lots of pretty colors.
Best Bento Box for Kids: PlanetBox Rover Stainless Steel Lunch Box
Treat your little one to a gourmet lunch consisting of an assortment of their favorite foods, each in its own space. There will be no more complaints that the strawberries touched the bologna.
Constructed of stainless steel, the Rover has five compartments, including one that can hold a sandwich and another carrot sticks. I found things stayed where I put them even when I shook the Rover or turned it upside-down.
The box comes with two containers that can hold items like ranch dressing for dipping or a little portion of pudding. While liquids will seep from compartment to compartment and out of the box, the containers stay tightly closed. The large latch is easy for small hands to open and close. However, at nearly $60 this item is definitely a splurge. If you’re willing to spend even more money, you can buy a lunch bag with a clip to attach it to a book bag for about $33.
As it’s totally free of crevices, I found this bento box super easy to clean by hand; it’s also dishwasher-safe.
Specifications
Materials: Stainless steel
Approved Uses: Dishwasher-safe
Rating Criteria
Leakage: 1
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 4
Security of closing: 3
Storage space: 4
Appearance: 4
Who it’s best for: Kids who don’t like their foods to touch each other.
Good to know: Rovers with 3 and 2 compartments are also sold.
Best Overall Lunch Box: Pack-It Freezable Classic Lunch Box
This is the only product that I tested that was able to keep a lunch as cold as if it was refrigerated, and not just for a few hours. After nine hours, a sandwich was actually a few degrees cooler than when I stashed it.
The secret to the PackIt’s success is an ice pack built into the side of the bag. Each night, you place the entire bag in the freezer so that by the time you’re making lunch in the morning, the pack is frozen solid. To prevent it from taking up excess freezer space, the bag folds up.
The only downside is that the coolant adds weight to the bag; then again, adding ice packs to any lunch box or bag will make it heavier. Both sides of the bag are easy to wipe clean but mustard left a barely discernible stain on the fabric exterior.
Specifications
Materials: Poly canvas
Approved Uses: Freezer-safe
Rating Criteria
Temperature retention: 5
Leakage: 1
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 4
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 4
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 5
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Anyone who can’t refrigerate their lunch when they get to work or school.
Good to know: Available in black and a lot of prints as well as in other sizes and configurations.
Second-Best Lunch Box for Sandwiches: Built Gourmet Getaway Lunch Bag
This is a simple and stylish lunch bag that could even double as a small tote. It’s very easy to pack and has a zipper closure that will prevent your sandwich from slipping out — but won’t prevent leaks. While it won’t keep food cold, there is room to slide in a couple of ice packs on either side of your ham and cheese sammie. The Gourmet Getaway folds flat for storage and if it gets grimy, is machine-washable.
Specifications
Materials: Neoprene
Approved Uses: Machine-washable
Rating Criteria
Leakage: 1
Staining: 5
Cleanup: 5
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 5
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 5
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Those who are looking for a cute, easy-to-carry-and-store lunch bag.
Good to know: Select plain black or blue or one of an array of appealing prints.
Second-Best Lunch Box for Kids: Lands’ End Insulated EZ Wipe Printed Lunch Box
I really like the no-fuss simplicity of this lunch box. It has colorful fabric on the outside and a hard seamless plastic shell on the inside. When you unzip it, the sides are rigid, making it easy to pack. It’s also exceptionally easy to wipe the interior clean.
A mesh pocket inside is designed to hold an ice pack, which you shouldn’t forget to include if you’re packing a perishable item like roast beef or mozzarella cheese. There’s also an ID label in the interior to write your child’s name. On the outside, there’s a pocket to stash a napkin, note, or a treat. A clip on the handle makes it easy to attach it to a book bag or back pack.
Specifications
Materials: Polyester
Rating Criteria
Temperature retention: 1
Leakage: 1
Staining: 4.5
Cleanup: 4
Ease of opening and closing: 5
Ease of packing: 5
Security of closing: 5
Storage space: 4
Appearance: 5
Who it’s best for: Kids who want a simple lunch box in a fun print.
Good to know: The assortment of patterns includes choices that will appeal to kids of all ages.
