The Japanese bento lunch box is also known as a hakawaguri, a Japanese word meaning “lunchbox.” These conveniently packed lunches are a feature of life in Japan, particularly among students and working adults.
Bento boxes have been around since ancient Japan, but today they are popular throughout the world for school and work lunches particularly.
Traditional bento boxes are often filled with rice or noodles, meat, vegetables, fish, eggs and even dessert.
In recent times and particularly outside of Japan, bento boxes are more diverse, and can include additional items such as sandwiches, desserts, and even drinks.
Bento boxes are fun, healthy, and eco-friendly ways to dine and I highly recommend them as part of a school lunch routine. Use this guide as a starting point for customising your own personalised bento box creations.
Related: Guide to the best bento box lunch boxes and lunch bags.
8 benefits of bento lunch boxes
1. Bento Boxes Make Packing Lunches Easier
Bento boxes are convenient because they make packing lunches easier. You can pack a single lunchbox quickly and easily and have just one item to fill, instead of many different, separate bento box containers.
2. Bento Boxes Are Eco Friendly
Bento boxes are great for sustainability because they can be used over and over again. You can store different ingredients in each compartment without using disposable plastic bags or single-use cling wrap.
Small items such as crackers, or very wet items like watermelon or cucumber, can be stored in a smaller lidded container that fits inside the large box. These containers can then be washed and reused the next day.
Bento boxes are particularly useful since many schools now have a ‘nude food’ policy where packaging is discouraged or needs to be brought back home to reduce the amount of rubbish left at school.
3. Bento Boxes Keep Your Food Fresh & Safe
Bento boxes are useful because they help keep food fresh and tasty, but depending on what types of foods you’re packing for the day, it might be better to include a small ice pack in an insulated lunch bag to keep your food cool.
4. Bento Boxes Are Very Easy to Clean & Are Dishwasher Safe
Bento boxes and their containers can be easily washed by hand or placed into the dishwasher.
Of course, always check each bento box to ensure that it can be cleaned in either method before using it in the dishwasher.
5. Bento Boxes Are Leak & Spill Proof
Bento boxes come with lids that fit tightly, so you won’t need to worry about spills. The containers that fit inside a large bento lunch box also make it easy to carry sauces and other ingredients without worrying about leaks.
6. Bento Boxes Are Great For Portion Control
Bento boxes are great tools for portion control. They help people avoid overeating by limiting the number of servings available. They also provide plenty of options for inspiriting a variety of healthy foods.
7. Bento Boxes Are Affordable
Bento boxes are a great way to save money on lunch. You can pack your own ingredients from your home or inexpensive lunch items that are available.
Leftover dinner ingredients make a great addition to your bento box.
8. Bento Boxes Are Lightweight & Convenient
Bento boxes are designed to be used as lunch boxes. They are often made out of plastic, but some are made out of wood. You can also choose a stainless steel bento box.
8 Items That You Can Pack in Your Bento Box
You’ll first need a bento box, but there are many different types available. Not sure if you need a small bento box, a big bento lunch box or a mini bento box? Check out my guide to the best bento lunch box and lunch bags.
Then consider what extra items you want before you pack your bento box.
Portable Cutlery: Bento boxes often come with a place for putting eating utensils.
Ice block inside an insulated lunch bag: This will keep the food inside your Bento box fresh and chilled.
Small bento box containers: Many bento boxes will come with small lidded containers that inside the compartments. This is helpful for packing particular wet ingredients such as salad dressing or watermelon.
Protein: Bentos are often packed with meat and/or fish, but feel free to add your choice of protein to make up a filling lunch. I like to add boiled eggs, but note some schools have a no-egg allergy policy.
Vegetables: Include cut-up vegetables you enjoy as part of your bento box such carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, steamed broccoli florets, a container of peas, edamame in pods or a salad (with dressing stored separately).
Rice: Rice or noodles are almost always a part of a Japanese traditional bento box, but most Australian kids will probably prefer bread or crackers as their source of carbohydrates.
Fruit: You can pack bento containers full of whole, chopped or bite-sized fruit such as grapes, blueberries and apple slices (with a squeeze of lemon to stop them going brown).
Nuts: Many schools have a no-nut policy but if your child is not allergic you can still pack nuts inside their bento boxes for non-school outings.
6 Tips on How to Make a Bento Box
Bento boxes are fun and easy to make! Here are some great ideas to get you started on creating a healthy and delicious bento box lunch.
1. What size do you need?
Bentos come in many shapes and sizes, so choose your bento based on what and how much you think you want to eat.
Related: Guide to the best bento box lunch boxes and lunch bags.
2. Before You Start Packing Your Bento Box
Ensure that each compartment is clean and ready for packing. You may want to choose a bento style lunch box that’s easy to maintain—and fun as well!
3. Dedicate Some Time For Preparation
Set yourself up for success by putting aside a decent amount of preparation time so that you can pack more nutritious bentos.
You’ll need some time to wash and cut your fruit and veggies, for example. You may also need some extra time to put together your ingredients. I suggest doing a weekly meal prep to make the process more efficient and manageable.
Search sites like Pinterest to find fun bento box ingredient creations, especially ones that are great for kids and teens.
4. Packing the Bento Box
Plan to divide your meals proportionally. For example, rice or salad might be the largest portion of the bento, but you can customise your ratios to suit your preferences.
Make sure that your lids fit tightly to prevent leaks.
Even the youngest kids will be able to get involved in packing their bento box. You can start by pulling out a selection of the items from the fridge/pantry and putting it all on the kitchen counter for them to design and fill their bento box.
Just remember to set some boundaries on what must be included (eg a choice of protein, one fruit, one vegetable) or what cannot be included and vet the lunchbox before it gets packed and put in the schoolbag!
5. Be Creative with Colours, Textures and Appealing Ingredients
Bento boxes are fun because they offer a wide range of foods in a single box. Kids love to see what’s inside the box!
When I pack a bento box I like to make it as colourful as possible – eat the rainbow as they say!
Include foods with different shapes and sizes to make your child’s lunch interesting. For instance, add cheese cubes that are soft or pretzels that are crunchy. These items will help your child enjoy eating.
Also, remember to include different food groups to make your bento more nutritious (see above) and try to avoid items that are unhealthy – that is, food that’s high in sugar, salt and saturated fat.
6. Pack in the right order
Make sure to pack your bento box food items in the right order so that everything fits nicely into your bento snack box.
Warm foods should be packed first, as they take longer to cool down than cold ones. Once the foods are cooled, they can be added to the containers and then snapped shut.
I always pack dressing and sauces separately to avoid sogginess and leaks. Sometimes that extends to packing cheese and crackers in separate compartments so the cheese doesn’t make the crackers go stale quickly.
If I am packing items that are meant to be refrigerated, such as yoghurt or cheese, or defrosted such as frozen berries or frozen edamame, I pack those items last.
In fact, I think it’s worth investing in an insulated lunch bag to keep food chilled and to counter hot summer days.
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