Ultimate Guide to Healthy, Kid-Friendly Wraps
Kids totally bored of sandwiches for lunch? Wraps provide similar nutrition in a freshly enticing handheld package. Get tons of ideas for kid-friendly wrap fillings, tips for folding leak-proof wraps, and the lowdown on what ingredients to look out for when choosing flour tortillas.
When you’re stuck in a sandwich rut, wraps can be just the thing to freshen up the feel of a packed lunch. They’re filling, nutritious, hand-held, and best of all, easy to make.
We’ve compiled all the tips, tricks, and ingredient ideas you need to become a wrap-making pro (OR that you can use to teach your kids to become pros!) Here’s what you need to know.
Tips for Making Wraps Kid-Friendly
One key to making great kid-friendly wraps is to use familiar foods and flavors you know your kids love. Then you can branch out from there, to help them add to the foods on their “like” list. Especially veggies!
With that in mind, most kids like simple. What may sound boring to an adult may be just right to your kids. Peanut butter and honey? Perfect. Cheese and avocado? Super yum. Hummus and cucumbers? Give it a go and see who bites.
Kids are commonly turned off by messy food, so avoid over-filling wraps, which leads to a leaky lunch. When you’re folding the wrap, follow these four step:
- Lay out the fillings in the middle of the wrap.
- Fold in the left and right sides to hold the filling in while you roll.
- Start to roll by folding the wrap side closest to you in one broad stroke over the fillings AND the folded sides.
- Use your ring fingers to pinch the sides in one more time before you finish rolling. This REALLY keeps the fillings intact, so your wrap is ready for the bouncing and jouncing of a kid lunchbox.
30+ Wrap Filling Ideas
Build your own fabulous wrap by choosing from the filling options below:
Proteins
- deli ham, chicken, or turkey
- tuna fish
- cheese
- hummus
- egg salad
- scrambled eggs
- grilled chicken or chicken salad
- peanut or almond butter
- re-fried beans
- cooked ground turkey or beef
- ricotta cheese
- black or kidney beans
Veggies
- shredded carrots
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- avocados
- olives
- bell peppers
- onions
- mushrooms
- spinach leaves
- chopped celery
- cucumbers
Fruits
- banana slices
- berries
- apple slices
- pear slices
- all fruit jam
- raisins
- dried cranberries
- peaches or nectarines
Dressing, Sauces, and Spreads
- bottled salad dressings like ranch, honey mustard, or Italian
- mustard
- mayonnaise
- guacamole
- hummus
- cream cheese
- basil pesto
- nut or seed butter
The possibilities are almost endless! Let’s look at ten wrap combinations that kids love, and that can help them eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in fun ways.
Top 10 Ingredient Combos for Kid-Friendly Wraps
1. Crispy Veggie and Cream Cheese Wrap
Spread some cream cheese and add your child’s favorite crispy vegetables. Shown here are red peppers, baby spinach, carrots, and cucumber. If you have fresh dill on hand, try these Rainbow Wraps and Chives also!
2. Apple and Cheddar Wrap
Shredded apple + shredded cheddar=delicious goodness! Put the whole thing under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese before you wrap it up.
3. Beans and Rice Wrap
Start by adding guacamole, which acts as the “glue” in this wrap. Then add some cooked rice, black beans, and top with a little shredded cheese. Alternatively, leave off the cheese for a vegan wrap.
4. Strawberry and Almond Butter Wrap
I could probably eat this wrap for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know these are kid-friendly wraps, but clearly they are for adults, too. This one is as simple as spread the tortilla with almond butter, add some cut strawberries, and you’re done. I told you kids like simple, right?
5. The Chicken Wrap
This wrap is perfect for when you have leftover chicken. Start by spreading some cream cheese (usually a kid favorite), top with some cubed chicken, matchstick carrots, and shredded cheese. Remember, don’t overstuff it!
6. The Avocado Wrap
I have one avocado-loving kid and one avocado-hating kid. If you have an avocado lover, please try this wrap! You just have to trust me. It’s simply mashed avocado with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. If you aren’t familiar, nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that comes in the form of yellow flakes. It is a good source of B vitamins and is used by vegans and vegetarians a lot as a flavoring. It lends a somewhat cheesy flavor to what you add it to, and it just works well with mashed avocado. This is actually my daughter’s favorite sandwich, behind the peanut butter and jelly, and it works well as a wrap, too.
7. The Egg Wrap
I serve eggs for lunch more often than breakfast. So much so that one day I tried to serve my son eggs for breakfast and he said, “What?! Eggs are for lunch!” This wrap can be for any meal, not just breakfast. I saute some onion and red pepper (use your child’s favorite vegetables), then scramble an egg with it and finish it with a small amount of cheese.
8. Sweet Fruit Wrap
I turns out this wrap is the reason my daughter likes wraps. I whisked together cream cheese with a touch of pineapple juice and honey and spread it on the tortilla. Top with your choice of fruits, like raspberries, blueberries, and pineapple. It’s a healthy dessert wrap!
9. Hummus and Cucumber Wrap
Just like my kids are split on avocados, they are also split on hummus. One loves it, one won’t eat it. This one is for the hummus lovers. It works perfectly with crispy cucumbers cut length wise.
10. Banana, Peanut Butter, and Honey Wrap
Oh yeah. You can’t go wrong with this combination. Try not to love it. I dare you.
A Note About Choosing Tortillas
Tortillas seem like a simple, basic item you can just grab off the shelf at the store. But if you’re choosing for health, there are a couple of things you should look for when you’re buying tortillas.
First, look for whole grain tortillas. Whole wheat tortillas have come a long way in the last few years. They can be just as pliable and tasty as white flour tortillas… and they have the fiber and nutrition you’re looking for.
Spinach or tomato tortillas are pretty to look at, but don’t be fooled;they don’t really have a significant amount of veggies in them.
Second, check the ingredients label for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. If you see that ingredient on the label, put it back!
This brand of tortillas is the best we’ve tried: it’s soft, 100% whole grain, and made with extra virgin olive oil.
More Wrap Recipes to Love
Turkey Ranch Wrap
Red Beans and Rice Wrap
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
You made it to the end! I hope you feel fortified with inspiration. Now go make some healthy wraps!
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
Learn More about Natalie
what type and of wrap/tortilla do you recommend?
I would love to know too! I have yet to find a tortilla I like that is healthy.
But don’t they all go soggy before lunch or are these not recommended for school
Rarely do I open a post with multiple recipes where I want to try every single one- this is a fantastic post!!
So glad you loved it!
Thanks, I’m totally out of kid lunch ideas for my picky oldest but I think she’ll dig some of these!
Love these wrap ideas, think some of these would work in lunch box?
Also curious what everyone favorite tortilla is?
Great ideas! Thank you so much. Actually looking for alternatives for wraps for husband’s lunches. Neither of us like traditional sandwiches very much. Lately I have put some wraps together, and needed some fresh ideas other than just cream cheese, cheese, roast beef/ham, etc.
On a side note, one of my favs and one that could be kid friendly is pizza themed: little cream cheese with pizza seasonings, Italian cheese, pepperoni, ham. Could add some pepperoncini, roasted red pepper, Parmesan, definitely spinach.
That sounds like an amazing wrap! Thanks for sharing.
No I didn’t make it yet but today I will try some of it ?
Wish you had a few more vegan recipes! A whole food plant based diet has been confirmed to be the absolute healthiest diet for every stage of life 🙂
Thanks for a list of wrap ideas that kids would ACTUALLY eat!! Love them
Thanks for this! I have 6 grandchildren and 2 on the way. Can any of these be frozen?
We haven’t tried freezing them- not sure how they would hold up! Let us know if you give it a try and how it works for you!