Best Bento-style Lunch Boxes for Healthy Lunches in School

Samuel J Tan Food Storage, Home & Kitchen, Kitchen 0

When it comes to bento boxes, it is all about the compartments. The more the merrier as one would say. This allows for their lunches to be more exciting and if they look forward to their home brought lunch they are also more likely to finish it. Lunch battle won!

As for giving these lunch boxes to little children, it has to be rugged, durable and leak proof. It will need to take all the bumps and drops as kids do to their lunch boxes and come out the other side in one piece.

On top of that, it also needs to look attractive and be available in a variety of bright colours and design. The least likely of there being two or more of the same colour in close proximity the better. Anything to help having their lunch boxes mixed up.

These bento lunch boxes are perfect for schools and children of all ages. Check it out. Click to Tweet

Table of Contents

1. Bentgo Kids – 5 compartments

Best for Toddlers

The most popular of these are from Bentgo. These child friendly bento boxes are not only practical but comes in a variety of design and motifs, featuring fun patterns and bright colours. The Bentgo Kids bento boxes are made out of two parts; the locking outer shell and the food tray with built-in compartments. The outer shell has rubber coated edges and locking catches making it sturdy and drop proof. Inside the shell are rubber seals that follows the compartments in the food tray. This helps keep food from leaking and mixing up while in transit. As for the food tray, there are plenty of compartments, five altogether including a small round compartment for sauce, dip or jam.

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Kids will look forward to their lunches when you put them together in these attractive bento boxes. Click to Tweet

2. Bentgo Fresh – 3/4 compartments

Best for Kids

The equally popular Bentgo Fresh from the same company that brought us Bentgo Kids is based on the same concept. An outer shell with locking lids and a removable food tray with multiple compartments. In the fresh, the compartments are reduced to just three, the main compartment, a medium and a small. The main compartment can be further divided if need be with a removable divider making four separate compartments in total. The only problem with using the removable divider is that lid does not come with leak proof seal for the divider. So, remember to keep only dry food in the main compartment. Lastly, Bentgo Fresh caters to older kids and grown-ups too with toned down, not so loud colour options.

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What is healthier than home packed lunch? Use these bento boxes to keep them fresh for your children, not mixed up and mushy. Click to Tweet

3. Stacking Bento Box – 3 to 4 compartments

Best for Teens

Next, we have a slightly different take on the bento box ideas. Instead of one tray with separate compartments, there are four or five separate containers, each with its own leakproof lid that stacks together and interlocks to form a tidy carrying lunch box. The box even includes space for fork and spoon. All-in-all a cleverly designed bento box with three separate containers. A three-tier version is also available to carry more food, enough for two. Just to add, the top tier consists of the lid, two smaller containers with lid and room for spoon and fork.

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No more plastic food bags and disposable cutleries and plastic boxes. Use these washable and re-usable bento boxes for kids lunches. Click to Tweet

4. Ozazuco Bento Box Japanese Lunch Box – 3 Compartments

Best for the Environment

Not one for plastic, what about a container made from natural organic wheat fiber. It is bio-degradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly. And, it is even microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. It is made up of three stackable boxes with a leakproof lid. This allows the top container to carry soup with a capacity of up to 200ml. The second and third layers (200ml and 400ml) are your soup-free layers base for vegetable, side dishes, meat or fruit. A moving partition, a fork and spoon are also included to complete the lunch box. There are three colours to choose from and each comes with a carry case.

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If bright colours are too much for older kids and young adults, these more grown-up bento boxes with subtle tones ought to work for them. Click to Tweet

5. Bentgo Classic – 3 Compartments

Best for Young Adults

Next, is another entry from Bentgo, this time the Bentgo Classic. Great for adults and kids, the lunch box is made of two stackable boxes banded, each with its own cover and banded together with an elastic band. The smaller of the two boxes comes with a middle divider, giving it a total of three compartments. The neat thing about the classic is there is a small compartment on the middle lid to store a set of cutleries (spoon, fork and knife). All containers are dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe and there are eight colours to choose from.

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The UMAMI bento box has that classic Japanese touch. With its black case and wooden covers, it is perfect for salad, sushi, meat or sandwiches. Click to Tweet

BONUS: UMAMI Premium Bento Lunch Box – 4 compartments

Best for Adults

Now something for the parents. This classic Japanese style bento is complete with sauce pot and three piece cutlery. Made out of two stacking boxes, each box has two compartments, with a 1:2 split. The dividers are removable and movable plus there is a separate compartment for the cutlery holder. A unique feature not available in other bento boxes here is the ventilation plugs and silicone rings on the lids. Use these leakproof inserts to pull the cover open. Lastly, use the elastic strap to hold the containers together or if you use only one container, place the strap length wise. There are many colour combinations to choose from but our favourite is the bamboo and black combo shown below.

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OTHERS

La Boite A Bento Box by Kinsho – 6 Compartments

Available as a twin set or single, the La Boite A Bento Box from Kinsho is great as lunch boxes for kids and adaults. Each of the boxes has 6 fixed compartments. The center utensil compartment can be used for food. If you carry two to your office, you have up to 12 compartments for various different kinds of food. For ideas on what to put in them, check out the companion eBook with over sixty bento tips.

Kinsho Bento Boxes

Each of those boxes also comes with its own fork and spoon. But the most amazing part is its lid. It comes with individual sections to seal off each compartment, ensuring that they do not leak into one another. On top of that, it also has four snap-tight latches, one on each side, to cling on to the base and keep everything sealed in. However, this lid is hand wash only as to maintain the seal’s shape and integrity. Also available are insulated bags with aluminized mylar lining, inside pockets and ice packs to go with these boxes to keep food fresh.