Best Stainless Steel Lunch Containers for Your Lunchbox

Best picks for stainless steel lunch containers and non-toxic food storage.

The best stainless steel lunch containers to tuck into your purse or kid’s lunchbox are stylish, economical and non-toxic. After all, who wants to reuse the same old thin plastic lunchbox container that is scratched, broken or chipped? Plastics are made of not-so-great stuff – none of which you want to ingest along with a PB & J.

Why Stainless Steel Lunch Containers are Awesome

Stainless steel – the workhorse of kitchens for generations – is strong, durable, and won’t fall apart in a dishwasher after the third wash. It’s not going to stain from the pasta sauce that you put in a lunchbox container.

And it will stand up to the beating, dents and dings that lunch containers take from both adults and kids alike.

According to a study by ECOlunchbox, a family could save up to $450 in one school year by using eco-friendly stainless steel reusable lunch solutions, rather than disposable plastic containers, bags and utensils.

Even better? Many of these non-toxic stainless steel lunch containers can go in the dishwasher (always check for the manufacturer recommendations)! No more hand washing fragile plastic lunch box containers to keep them from cracking or leaching chemicals.

So these stainless steel lunch containers save you 5-10 minutes a day! Who doesn’t need a time saver in their life?

Best Stainless Steel Lunch Containers

Here’s my top picks for non-toxic options to safely store lunch, snacks and leftovers without worries about chemicals.

P.S. You can see most of these stainless steel containers in the video at the end of the article (not all of them are shown in the video).

LunchBots

I have owned a LunchBots stainless steel lunch box container for well over a decade. And it’s still looks great. In fact, my version is so old they don’t even make it anymore.

This is the second LunchBots stainless steel bento box that I have. I love the color, which can be customized from a variety of colors. And the decorative BPA-free plastic cover is removable. So you can have the colored portion on to make your kids happy with their favorite color, or to distinguish bento boxes between the kids. 

Or you can leave the silicone lid off (it is an extra charge to get one) and just have plain stainless steel.

The colorful covers can be removed for easy cleaning, or left on.

These new modern stainless steel bento boxes have a divider inside to keep foods separated.

Lunchbots also has a classic stainless steel sandwich container with no inserts. So you can pack a sandwich, wrap, burrito or salad and use the entire container without having to divide into smaller portions.

LunchBots Snack Containers

The perfect accompaniment to the lunch box containers for your salads, sandwiches or other entrees, these snack-size containers with a screw tight lid are where you stash your chips, pretzels or candies for that little bitty indulgence to get you through your afternoon.

Lunchbots Review:

• All stainless steel construction using 18/8 stainless steel
• Plastic never touches your food
• Can customize colors with removable BPA-free plastic lid
• Bento Boxes with a variety of different compartment configurations
• Stainless steel sandwich container option
• Bento boxes and sandwich container not watertight
• Dishwasher safe
• Lunchbots also has stainless steel salad bowls, insulated lunch bags and insulated stainless steel food containers

BKLYN Bento

If you are looking for more of an adult vibe for your insulated food containers, BKLYN Bento has the aesthetic for you.

These vacuum sealed, doubled walled containers have copper in the inner wall. This helps to conduct the temperature and maintain it whether you are using the jars for hot or cold.

With a wood-grain look top and two different modern color palettes (Cracked Coal or Snow Crystal), these are the containers that teens and adults want to be seen with!

They come in three different sizes, and a reusable bamboo spoon is included with the jar.

PlanetBox

Stainless steel lunch boxes from PlanetBox are like a kid’s dream come true. 

There are a variety of ways to customize these stainless steel containers with divided compartments, including:

• Choose how many compartments you want
• Customize with magnetic stickers
• Add a colorful bag and accessories

PlanetBox is more than just a lunch container. It’s the entire lunchbox, especially when you buy a custom bag to hold the container and accessories. 

We chose the Launch size. This is the size in-between the Rover and Shuttle sizes.

And, yes, I LOVE how all of the names and designs are related to a space theme! 

You’ll be surprised at how many different magnets there are to customize your PlanetBox lunchbox. As well as the choices of bags to carry the PlanetBox.

I absolutely love how fun this stainless steel lunch container is. And the entire lunchbox is stainless steel. So no food touching plastic, except for the small condiment container (which has a silicone lid).

PlanetBox Review

• Made entirely from stainless steel (except for accessories)
• Dishwasher safe
• Not watertight
• Snack containers have food grade silicone rubber lid
• Water bottles are stainless steel with no lining and leak and spill proof

MIRA

MIRA is a brand that I just discovered, but I am really impressed with their stainless steel containers, in a range of sizes and types. Plus, the brand is more affordable than other stainless steel food container brands.

This see-through stainless steel sandwich container is perfect for a sandwich, a salad, or a large portion of any type of food. I also like it to be able to store leftovers in at home, because I can see through it (that’s rare for a stainless steel container).

Their stainless steel insulated food jars are smart for storing hot and cold foods. They come in a range of sizes. I got the large 25 oz. one which is big enough to hold a hot stew or a hearty portion of soup. 

If you had a cold soup, like a gazpacho, this would be an ideal container to store it in, too. The beauty of insulated food jars is that you don’t need additional ice packs in your lunch box or lunch bag to keep things safely cold.

And MIRA’s stainless steel nesting bowls come in a range of sizes that are perfect for storing entrees or snacks. Their lids are not silicone, but a #4 plastic. Again, I’m not worried as much about using plastic as food container lids, rather than storing food in plastic. And #4 plastic is not generally toxic like #7 plastic (which can contain BPA).

Klean Kanteen

I can’t speak highly enough about Klean Kanteen products. They work so well that I’ve had my stainless steel insulated water bottle for a decade and it still works great! (Read my review although I’ve found some other insulated water bottle favorites, too!)

So when I recently discovered that Klean Kanteen makes insulated food canister containers for keeping food either hot or cold, I knew that they’d be winners.

Back in the day when mom used to pack my school lunches, it was a really big deal when we got hot SpaghettiOs in the lunch box. (Did you know that they make organic SpaghettiOs now?!? Yep, they’re in my emergency food stash for disasters.) That meant that it was a special day.

While my food choices have changed since elementary school days, my connection and memories of a hot soup or pasta for an on-the-go lunch remain. Being able to pack a hot lunch in a non-toxic food container gives me the warm fuzzies (and keeps my food really warm – or cold, too!).

We were RVing across the country last year. There were many times when I heated up a meal and packed it in my Klean Canteen insulated container. Then I could have a hot lunch even though we were driving several hours to our next destination.

In all honestly, we tried packing ice cream in our insulated container to go hiking. I only put in a scoop and didn’t pack it tightly with food. When we opened it up hours later, the ice cream had melted. It was cold, but had melted. So definitely pack it tightly if you’re going to try ice cream or something frozen like that!

To-Go Ware Tiffin Lunchbox

Whether you use this as a lunchbox or stackable stainless steel lunch containers, this reusable food container really makes a statement!

The Tiffin Lunchbox concept is an idea that comes from India, where the reusable stainless steel containers that stack on top of each other are used.

Stacking the stainless steel lunch containers on top of each other, then securing with metal latches, allows you to transport a variety of containers with ease. And you won’t lose them!

I got this 2-tier stainless steel tiffin lunchbox from To-Go Ware. It really is a statement piece!

The containers are large and roomy. And the latches are definitely strong.

What’s great is that you can just use the top container on its own. So if you want to bring just a little food, only use one tier. Or use both tiers together for a larger meal.

In fact, my biggest complaint is that the tiffin is just a little too loud. If you were in a quiet lunchroom, you’d definitely make a lot of noise trying to undo all the latches and separate the containers.

But if making noise isn’t an issue for you or your kids, this stainless steel tiffin is a great zero waste option to pack your lunch! To-Go Ware has a variety of reusable bamboo utensils to go completely zero waste.

To-Go Ware Tiffin Lunchbox Review

• Completely stainless steel
• Can use top tier separately
• Latches tightly together 
• Dishwasher safe
• Makes a lot of noise unclasping latches

ECOLunchBox

I love this brand of stainless steel lunch containers. ECOlunchbox has so much to choose from, including:

• Bento Boxes in square, rectangle and circular sizes
• Stainless steel bowls with leakproof lids (also called Blue Water Bentos)
• Lots of little snack containers
• Stainless steel trays (with no lids)

I have a collection of the EcoLunchBox stainless steel bowls with leakproof lids. They are classic, simple and work really well.

The stackable, nesting Blue Water Bento boxes are especially nice for saving storage space in the kitchen cabinets!

The colorful lids also make me happy, too!

ECOLunchBox Review:

• Stainless steel containers
• Leak proof silicone lid
• Variety of sizes and shapes
• Dishwasher safe

WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF MOST OF THESE LUNCH CONTAINERS:

Be sure to Pin This List of the Best Stainless Steel Lunch Containers so you remember what they are!

Already have a stainless steel lunchbox container? Which brands do you love?