Meals · Recipes
High-Protein Lunch Ideas: Easy, Work-Friendly & Meal Prep
Five easy high-protein lunches: a chicken and quinoa meal-prep box, a no-cook tuna and chickpea salad, a freezable lentil soup, a five-minute turkey wrap and a tofu and edamame bowl. You can make them hot or cold, and they all work for packed lunches.
| Meal | Protein | Energy | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, quinoa & black bean lunch boxes | 52 g | ≈600 kcal | 25 min |
| No-cook tuna & chickpea salad | 43 g | ≈430 kcal | 10 min |
| Red lentil, carrot & spinach soup | 20 g | ≈320 kcal | 35 min |
| Turkey, avocado & salad wrap | 36 g | ≈390 kcal | 5 min |
| Tofu, edamame & brown rice bowl | 44 g | ≈620 kcal | 25 min |
Cold · Meal prep · Work-friendly
Chicken, quinoa & black bean lunch boxes
Three cold lunch boxes from one batch of quinoa.
Serves 3 About 25 min
- Protein
- 52 g
- Energy
- ≈600 kcal
- Carbs
- 57 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 360 g cooked chicken breast, sliced
- 450 g cooked quinoa (about 150 g dry)
- 240 g cooked black beans, drained
- 150 g red pepper, diced
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper (not counted)
Method
- Cook the quinoa to pack instructions, then cool quickly by spreading it on a tray.
- Whisk the oil with lime juice and seasoning.
- Divide quinoa, beans, vegetables and chicken between three boxes; dress just before eating.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days. Keep chilled at work (fridge or insulated bag with an ice pack).
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 171477) · 360 g
- Quinoa, cooked (FDC 168917) · 450 g
- Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 173735) · 240 g
- Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108) · 150 g
- Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457) · 200 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 30 g
No cook · Cold · Work-friendly
No-cook tuna & chickpea salad
Store-cupboard tins and a crisp lettuce. Ready in ten minutes.
Serves 2 About 10 min
- Protein
- 43 g
- Energy
- ≈430 kcal
- Carbs
- 39 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- ≥11.1 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central; fibre is a minimum because one ingredient has no USDA fibre value. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 2 tins tuna in water, drained (about 220 g)
- 240 g cooked chickpeas, drained (about 1 tin)
- 100 g romaine lettuce
- 150 g tomatoes, chopped
- 60 g Greek-style yogurt (dressing)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice, red onion, black pepper (not counted)
Method
- Mix tuna, chickpeas and tomatoes.
- Stir the yogurt, oil and lemon together for a dressing.
- Pack lettuce separately and combine at lunch.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, without salt, drained solids (FDC 171986) · 220 g
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 173757) · 240 g
- Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw (FDC 169247) · 100 g
- Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457) · 150 g
- Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat (FDC 330137) · 60 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 15 g
Hot · Freezer-friendly · Vegan
Red lentil, carrot & spinach soup
A hot lunch to reheat in a flask or work microwave.
Serves 4 About 35 min
- Protein
- 20 g
- Energy
- ≈320 kcal
- Carbs
- 51 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 19.2 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 800 g cooked lentils (about 320 g dry)
- 300 g carrots, chopped
- 1 onion (150 g), chopped
- 100 g spinach
- 4 tsp olive oil
Garlic, cumin, low-salt stock, water (not counted)
Method
- Soften onion and carrot in the oil for 8 minutes.
- Add the lentils (or dry lentils with extra water and simmer until soft), spices and stock; simmer 15 minutes.
- Stir in spinach until wilted; blend partly if you like.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days. Or freeze portions straight away; defrost in the fridge and reheat once until steaming hot throughout.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 172421) · 800 g
- Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 170394) · 300 g
- Onions, raw (FDC 170000) · 150 g
- Spinach, raw (FDC 168462) · 100 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 20 g
No cook · Cold · Work-friendly
Turkey, avocado & salad wrap
One wrap, five minutes, no reheating needed.
Serves 1 About 5 min
- Protein
- 36 g
- Energy
- ≈390 kcal
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 5.8 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 1 large flour tortilla (50 g)
- 100 g cooked turkey breast
- 1/3 avocado (50 g)
- Handful of lettuce (30 g)
- 1/2 tomato (50 g), sliced
Method
- Mash the avocado onto the tortilla.
- Layer turkey, lettuce and tomato, then roll tightly and wrap.
Storing & reheating: Best eaten the same day; keep chilled until lunch.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Tortillas, ready-to-bake or -fry, flour, shelf stable (FDC 167535) · 50 g
- Turkey, whole, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 171496) · 100 g
- Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties (FDC 171705) · 50 g
- Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw (FDC 169247) · 30 g
- Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457) · 50 g
Hot or cold · Vegan · Meal prep
Tofu, edamame & brown rice bowl
Plant protein from two soya foods, with rice and broccoli.
Serves 2 About 25 min
- Protein
- 44 g
- Energy
- ≈620 kcal
- Carbs
- 59 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 14.4 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 300 g firm tofu, cubed
- 200 g frozen edamame, cooked
- 300 g cooked brown rice
- 200 g broccoli, cooked
- 1 tbsp oil
Reduced-salt soy sauce, ginger, garlic (not counted)
Method
- Press the tofu dry, then fry in the oil until golden.
- Cook the edamame and broccoli.
- Divide over the rice and season.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days. If eating hot, reheat until steaming hot throughout.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate (FDC 172475) · 300 g
- Edamame, frozen, prepared (FDC 168411) · 200 g
- Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) (FDC 169704) · 300 g
- Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169967) · 200 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 15 g
For work, no microwaveTuna & chickpea salad, turkey wrap, chicken quinoa box
Hot lunchLentil soup (flask or microwave), tofu & edamame bowl
Meal prep for 3–4 daysMake two days at a time in the fridge; freeze the soup
Food safety for meal prep
The UK Food Standards Agency advises cooling cooked food and refrigerating it within 1–2 hours, keeping your fridge at 0–5°C, and eating leftovers within 2 days (48 hours) or freezing them. Reheat food until steaming hot throughout, and reheat it only once after freezing.
Tips for high-protein lunches at work
- Keep packed lunches cold: use a work fridge, or an insulated bag with an ice pack.
- Dress salads just before eating so they stay crisp.
- Tinned fish and pulses are quick, store-cupboard protein. Find more options in low-calorie high-protein foods.
For the evening meal, see high-protein dinner ideas.
More ideas: the high-protein meals hub has all breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes in one place.
How we calculated the nutrition
- Each ingredient weight was multiplied by its per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (retrieved 2026-10-10), then summed and divided by the number of servings.
- Weights are for the state of the USDA entry: cooked meat, fish, rice and pasta; drained tinned beans. Raw meat loses water when cooked, so cooked weight is lower than raw weight.
- Seasonings, garlic, herbs, lemon and stock are not counted, so totals leave out their energy and any salt they add; stock cubes and many tinned foods can add noticeable salt. Energy is rounded to the nearest 10 kcal, other values to the nearest gram.
- These are estimates. Your brands, portions and cooking method will differ; check labels or use our Food Calorie Calculator for your own ingredients.
Put this into practice
Protein per 100 g, compared fairly.
Highest protein foods- Protein CalculatorEstimate a daily protein range from body weight.
- High-protein mealsThe recipe hub, with protein per serving.
- Breakfast meal prepMake-ahead breakfasts with storage advice.
- Dinner ideasFive easy dinner recipes.
- Low-calorie high-protein foodsProtein per 100 kcal.
- Lesson 3: ProteinWhat protein is and what it does.