You remember lunchables, right? The absolute coolest lunch at the school cafeteria table. They were like a charcuterie board for kids with meats, cheese, and crackers that you could make yourself.
Table of Contents
As a kid, you felt independent “making” your own lunch, and your parents probably loved not having to make your lunch. Then the company blew everyone’s minds and made pizza lunchables.
Truth be told, we really loved the pizza lunchables, and we are willing to bet you did, too. So why not make homemade pizza lunchables for your kids or yourself?
They are easy to make, and we can guarantee they will taste better than store-bought. You’ll just have to find out which days your child’s school is not serving the classic cafeteria rectangle pizza.
What Are Lunchables?
If you don’t remember lunchables or you were a hot lunch kid, you might not be familiar with these original bento box lunches. They came with either sliced turkey or ham and either cheddar cheese or white cheese, crackers, and usually, a treat of some kind like a mini candy bar or chocolate cookie.
When they evolved to the pizza lunchables they included grated mozzarella cheese, red sauce, slices of pepperoni, and a little crust to pile it all onto to make a little pizza snack. They were no cook, self-assemble room-temperature pizzas that tasted better than they sounded.
And you can buy lunchables pizza with pepperoni on Amazon. Order ten, just in case.
Why Are Lunchables Popular?
We think lunchables were so popular because they were unique and different from the regular cheese sandwich or peanut butter and jelly that kids were used to. Plus, some picky eaters just prefer all of their food to be separate.
But you don’t have to be a kid to love the idea of lunchables. Recently the charcuterie craze that has taken over the kitchens of the U.S. is basically just fancier lunchables. Engraved charcuterie boards covered in expensive meats and cheeses with fancy fruits and nuts are now a staple at adult parties and gatherings.
We think the humble lunchable started it all. You know it’s true.
How to Make Homemade Pizza Lunchables?
If you have kids, you might want to remake pizza lunchables into a healthier version, or maybe you just want to make them for your own lunch; either way, it’s a great lunch. If you are making them for kids, we suggest investing in a cool bento lunch box to keep everything separate and make them easily portable.
And if they are for you, a bento box is still a good idea. We suggest one that has more compartments because the adult version of homemade pizza lunchables is more sophisticated than just pepperoni, cheese, sauce, and base. Meal prep homemade pizza for the whole family for all we care!
Here are some of our favorite ways to put together homemade pizza lunchables. First, you need to decide on a base. We have tried all of these and really like them with flatbread or naan.
Occasionally when we are making our homemade pizza dough which makes two large pizzas, we will use one of the doughs to make mini pizzas. The mini pizza dough gets rolled out and par-baked.
Then, once they are cool, we freeze them. This is perfect for when we just want a mini pizza for one or to make homemade pizza lunchables.
The sauce you choose will make or break the pizza. For kids’ homemade pizza lunchables, we suggest keeping it simple with a red sauce. The original pizza lunchables had a very sweet red sauce that was almost closer to ketchup than pizza sauce. You can make your own or just use a store-bought ragu.
For adults, you can still use a red sauce, but you can make it customized to your liking. We like to throw in some crushed red pepper to our red sauce for a slight zing, and if we happen to have some roasted garlic on hand, you can bet that goes in there too.
But if you want to switch it up, try using pesto or Alfredo sauce as a base. If you are using shredded chicken, then barbecue sauce works too.
Now comes the fun part the toppings. For kids, simple is usually the way to go with some pepperoni or salami. Some kids even prefer just cheese, so that makes it pretty easy. Hawaiian pizza is a big favorite for kids and works for homemade pizza lunchables, too.
When we make them for ourselves at home, we opt for more varied choices with marinated artichokes, shrimp, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, grilled eggplant, and seasoned mushrooms.
If we are making them to take to the office or on the road, we make it a bit more simplified and keep the wet ingredients to a minimum.
And if you are taking them any place where others are going to be sharing your eating space, like in a small company lunchroom, car, or airplane, then be considerate of others and leave the pungent shrimp, tuna, anchovies, and anything else that has a strong smell at home.
Don’t forget to stay true to the lunchables and include a little treat, whether it’s for yourself or your kids, a little sweet treat is the best way to finish a homemade pizza lunchables. We like a piece of dark chocolate with almonds, a cookie, or any mini candy bar.
Life is short, so don’t forget the treat. Was just as good as the pizza!
Ideas for Base
- Naan bread or flatbread
- Crackers
- Homemade mini pizza dough
- WASA crackers
- French bread slices
- Baguette slices
Ideas for Sauce
- Marinara
- Pesto
- Barbeque
- Alfredo
Ideas for Topping
Pro Tips for Making Homemade Pizza Lunchables
- Use a cookie cutter to cut naan or flatbread
- Don’t forget to add a small plastic knife or spoon to spread the sauce
- Use a Bento box or plastic containers to keep everything separate until lunchtime
- Chop all the topping small for assembly
- Dry any wet toppings like pineapple before putting them in the lunch box to keep the mess down
Do you remember pizza lunchables? What’s your favorite type of lunchables?
