Best Electric Lunch Boxes Reviewed & Rated for Quality

In a Hurry? Editors choice:
HotLogic Mini Oven
Test Winner: HotLogic Mini Oven
Amazon Link
Bringing your own lunch to work is always a great idea. It does wonders for your wallet, and it does a good job at making it much easier to sit down and eat without having to spend time finding something to get for lunch. It can very quickly cut into some important resting time. One of the annoying things about bringing your food from home is having to deal with the fact that it won't be hot and fresh tasting. Of course, you could heat it up in the microwave, but it just doesn't really cut it in the same wave. Even worse, your work might not have a microwave. An plug-in lunch box is your ticket to having warm and satisfying meals. Just plug it in, and it will warm your food up for when you want to sit down and eat it.

Standout Picks

HotLogic Mini Oven
HotLogic is great for anyone who wants to make sure that their food is nice and hot for when they need it.
Amazon Link
$34.95
Crock-Pot Food Warmer
This little invention from Crock-Pot is a great choice for convenience and for portability. This is a great little lunch pail.
Amazon Link
$49.00
Koolatron  Stove
The Koolatron takes the form of a typical looking lunch kit, but it can be heated to over three hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
Amazon Link
$38.53
YOUDirect
This is another lunch box that is designed for your car, but this one is designed to heat up food that you have already cooked.
Amazon Link
ONEZILI Multi-Function Cooker
This is another option that is designed for your car. The difference is that this time it is a small rice cooker.
Amazon Link
$37.69
ieasycan
This is a comfortable and simple option that is easy to clean, and also easy to carry around with you.
Amazon Link
Guyuyii
This lunch box is great because it is designed to be portable, and more alike to a traditional lunch bag. It holds your containers and will keep them nice and hot for you.
Amazon Link
Kabalo
This is a very cheap choice for a heated lunch box. It is so cheap because it has a simple and small design.
Amazon Link
TAYAMA
The Tayama is like a heating set of Tupperware that will make sure that you will always have a warm lunch packed up in the most convenient package possible.
Amazon Link
$17.01
RoadPro Portable Stove
The RoadPro is a very popular portable stove that does a great job for anyone who likes to eat hot food while they are on the road.
Amazon Link

Criteria Used for Evaluation

Potency

These products are only as good as their ability to heat your food. The general idea behind this type of lunch box is that you should plug it in a few hours before you are ready to eat, and then your food will be ready for lunchtime. Some of the lunch boxes on this list will achieve this quicker than others. Another important thing to think about is that some of the lunch boxes on this list are made to only warm up food, while others are designed to cook it. Make sure to double check to see you are getting what you want from your lunch box. Try to find a lunch box that will only take a a few hours to give you the results that you want.

Portability

This is the other most important thing that you can look for when buying yourself a fancy new lunch box. The whole point is being able to take it where it needs to go. This is important in a few ways. You want a lunch box that is easy to carry around. Look for one that comes with a useful handle that is easy to pick up. You want it to be made of a material that will stop it from getting too hot when you are heating your food up. Another thing that will make sure that your lunch box is easy to carry around is that it has a very tight fit on the top of it. You want a lunch box that is easy to put together. Look for lids that snap on for a very tight fit. Another useful thing is if the lunch box has compartments to put all the other things you are going to need, like utensils and other pieces of food.

Fit

Fit refers to the simplicity of putting the lunch box down. For many of these lunch boxes, their ideal design is to be placed in the passenger seat of the car while they warm up. this means that they need to be able to keep a good grip on the car while you are driving around so that they don't slide around. Another thing that is great about these lunch boxes is how easy it is to put them down and forget about them. Another important element of the fit of the lunch box is the size and shape of it. You should look for a lunch box that best suits your needs in this department. If you are going to have to walk your lunch box a long way after it is ready, then it might be for the best that it is a little smaller, while if you do not, then a larger size would be best so that you have no limitations on how much you can bring with you.

Connectivity

These products are only as good as the quality of its cord. There are a few things that these companies can do to make sure that the cord is as effective and durable as possible. You want to look for a lunch box that will do a good job of keeping its cord protected. It is important that the cord will not degrade over time. It needs to be properly made so that the energy going through it is never so much that it will burn out. There are a couple of small features to look into if you want to make sure the cord will have a good deal of longevity. The first is to look for a cord that comes with a place to store it. It is always a benefit when the cord can be placed somewhere when you are done with it. Another useful element to look out for is a place that covers up the socket. This will stop debris like dust, or something even worse, like water, from getting into the cord's connection and frying it out.

Value

The wide variety of prices that you see among these products is mostly affected by the power of the lunch box, as well as the size of it. These options are very much a case of getting what you pay for. The portable stoves are all the most expensive ones, but they give you the added ability to be able to cook your own food from scratch while you are doing your work. The other big factor is the amount of space you will have to place your food. The cheapest ones on this list are designed to have no extra space, and are similar to a single Tupperware, albeit one that heats itself. The more it costs, the more options you will have in what you can achieve.

10 Best Electric Lunch Boxes

1. HotLogic Mini Oven

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$34.95
HotLogic Mini Oven
Amazon Link

HotLogic is great for anyone who wants to make sure that their food is nice and hot for when they need it.

Portable Oven
The crazy thing about the HotLogic is that you can use it like an oven. It isn't going to cook your food in thirty minutes or anything, but it can be used to cook up or heat any kind of food that you would like. It is like a portable slow cooker that you bring with you to work. Just plug it in when you get to work and it should be ready by the time that you sit down to eat.

Other Features
The HotLogic is designed so that it will never overcook your food. It heats it to a single temperature and then leaves it there. It cooks and warms very slowly so that you don't have to worry about uneven cooking or any kind of damage coming to your food. It also does a good job of keeping in the smell so you don't have to worry about bothering anyone with your warming food.

Cost and Value
HotLogic is a very useful device. It doesn't just keep your food hot for lunch, it can even cook it for you if you want your food to be truly fresh. It works with most kinds of Tupperware, including plastic. It does costs a little more than the other options, but it has so much utility that it is hard to question the price.

Amazon Link
$34.95

2. Crock-Pot Food Warmer

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$49.00
Crock-Pot Food Warmer
Amazon Link

This little invention from Crock-Pot is a great choice for convenience and for portability. This is a great little lunch pail.

Portable Food Warmer
This lunch box is great for warming up your leftovers or other foods that you have prepared at home. The way that it works is you just pop the pot on the base when it is plugged in, and then you don't need to worry about if your food will be ready for you later. The best thing about this one is that it is perfect if you have your own desk because you can leave the warming base plugged in at your work.

Other Features
Crock-Pot is a good choice for many other reasons, as well. It is designed with an easy to carry handle that makes it perfect for carrying around to and from the job. It also comes with a very tight lid that makes it easy for you not to have to worry about your food when you are carrying it around. The whole contraption is also dishwasher safe, which makes it even easier.

Cost and Value
The Crock-Pot warmer is a very convenient choice for anyone who likes their food to be warm at work. The warming base makes this a great choice for anyone who has a nice little spot to leave their things at work. The portable nature of this lunch box is also great for taking it to and from work. It doesn't cost too much for the high-quality construction on display.

Amazon Link
$49.00

3. Koolatron Stove

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$38.53
Koolatron  Stove
Amazon Link

The Koolatron takes the form of a typical looking lunch kit, but it can be heated to over three hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

Portable Stove
This oven heats up to an incredibly hot temperature. It is like having a mini oven to go everywhere with you. It is perfect for cooking up many kinds of food, or just for warming something up for your lunch. It runs out of a car outlet, so you don't have to worry about finding somewhere to keep it, either.

Other Features
The Koolatron has some other cool features to get excited about. It is designed for use with a foil pan. Just throw everything that you want to eat inside of it, and then let it run for a few hours. All of a sudden, you will have a good deal of grub, ready to eat. It doesn't heat up so much that it needs to be used for cooking, it will also do a great job being used as a warmer.

Cost and Value
The Koolatron is great for cooking up a meal on the road. It can be adapted to be used in a normal wall outlet, as well. This adds to its range of uses. This is a great choice for anyone who has to do a lot of driving for a living. The convenient design and car outlet plug make it perfect for taking on the road for a home-cooked meal.

Amazon Link
$38.53

4. YOUDirect

Where to buy
Amazon Link
YOUDirect
Amazon Link

This is another lunch box that is designed for your car, but this one is designed to heat up food that you have already cooked.

Car Lunch Box
This lunch box is designed for use in your car. It has a small plug for your cigarette lighter, which does a great job of warming up your food on the seat beside you. It comes with its own pan that makes it easy to separate your food into even portions. This lunch box will make it easy for you to heat up your food while you are out and about.

Other Features
There are some other things to be excited about with this lunch box. It has been designed to do a great job of keeping itself portable and convenient. It is a nice travel size that won't take up too much space in your working area. This lunch box also comes with a utensil tray so that all your things can be found in one convenient place.

Cost and Value
The YOUDirect doesn't cook your food like the Koolatron, but it has some other features that make it a great choice for anyone who works in their car for a long time. The separate food trays that you put your food in makes it so that you can have a clean and portioned meal that will be nice and warm when you are ready. Other clever conveniences like the utensil tray mean that you will always be ready to eat when the time comes.

Amazon Link

5. ONEZILI Multi-Function Cooker

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$37.69
ONEZILI Multi-Function Cooker
Amazon Link

This is another option that is designed for your car. The difference is that this time it is a small rice cooker.

Travel Rice Cooker
A travel rice cooker is a great little choice for anybody who has to do work on the road. Rice is very fulfilling for road work. It is very filling and easy to cook. It is also great for being mixed in with just about anything. If you are the sort of person who eats rice more than once in a while, this could be a great choice for you.

Other Features
This rice cooker is great for many other reasons too. It can be used as more than just as a rice cooker. It is perfect for anyone who wants to keep their food warm too. It can be set to a different setting so that you can reheat rice that you cooked earlier. It also only takes around thirty minutes to cook up some rice for you.

Cost and Value
This product lands right in the middle as far as price goes. The amount of use you could find with this depends a lot on what your diet usually is. If you love rice as much as many other people do, then this is a good choice. The rice cooker is very fast and efficient, and it is easy to find other foods that can be cooked in a rice cooker too.

Amazon Link
$37.69

6. ieasycan

Where to buy
Amazon Link
ieasycan
Amazon Link

This is a comfortable and simple option that is easy to clean, and also easy to carry around with you.

Simple
This product is designed to make sure that you can have a hot lunch ready for you whenever you want it to be ready. It is designed for the car but can be easily adapted for an outlet. It is very simple in that it has a metal tray inside of it that you can easily remove and clean. These lunch boxes are a good fit just about anywhere.

Other Features
This lunch box does a good job of making sure that you are ready for just about anything. It has been made out of very durable and safe materials that mean that you don't need to worry about any unwanted chemicals leeching into your food. This lunch box also has a cover for the port, so that it can remain clean and safe when you take it out of the car with you.

Cost and Value
This is a great little lunch box that is designed for anyone who wants to keep it simple. It is made of great materials that do a good job of keeping your food healthy, while also being easy to clean. It also doesn't cost as much as some of the other choices on the list. It does go up to a quite high temperature, so your food will remain hot for a long time after being unplugged.

Amazon Link

7. Guyuyii

Where to buy
Amazon Link
Guyuyii
Amazon Link

This lunch box is great because it is designed to be portable, and more alike to a traditional lunch bag. It holds your containers and will keep them nice and hot for you.

Extra Portable Design
This product is great for the easiness with which it can be used. It comes in a cloth bag that gets heated up when it is plugged in. This lunch box is bag is great for a few reasons. It is very portable, and can easily be carried around. The bag is also great at retaining heat, which makes it good for keeping your food hot after it has been unplugged.

Other Features
There are lots of other reasons to buy this lunch box. It comes with a very easy to clean steel container. The container is made out of a metal that does a good job of retaining the heat created by the bag. this makes it very easy for your food to stay hot. The materials that the bag is made out of are also completely safe, as well.

Cost and Value
The Guyuyii costs a little more than the other options on this list. a lot of the reason for that is that this lunch kit comes with all the extra pieces that you might need. It comes with a convenient bag for carrying your things, and then it also comes with a container and utensil for eating your food. This is a great lunch box for anyone who might want to carry their lunch box off after the food has been heated.

Amazon Link

8. Kabalo

Where to buy
Amazon Link
Kabalo
Amazon Link

This is a very cheap choice for a heated lunch box. It is so cheap because it has a simple and small design.

Simple and Small
This choice is one of the simpler ones on this list. All you get is a small container with a handle, and then the cord that you plug in to let the whole thing warm up. This lunch box is also very small. It is a good size for a small lunch that you can quickly chow down on during your lunch break. The size makes this lunch box much easier to bring around with you.

Other Features
This lunch box is a great choice for a few other reasons, as well. It comes with a very easy to use handle that can be folded down so that it doesn't take up too much room. The handle is designed to avoid absorbing any heat, which makes it easier for you to carry your lunch around. It also has a very ergonomic design that is perfect for opening up and enjoying.

Cost and Value
One of the biggest selling points of the Kabalo is that it costs a ridiculously low amount when compared to the other choices. A small pile of pocket change will have you eating warmed lunches in no time. This lunch box is a good choice for anyone who wants something very simple. It makes up for any of its shortcoming with its price.

Amazon Link

9. TAYAMA

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$17.01
TAYAMA
Amazon Link

The Tayama is like a heating set of Tupperware that will make sure that you will always have a warm lunch packed up in the most convenient package possible.

Heated Tupperware
This lunch box is unique for its similarity to other kinds of Tupperware. It uses very similar methods to other kinds of food packaging and even has very easy to use safety latches on the sides of the lid. The big advantage over traditional Tupperware is that it can be plugged in so that it can warm itself up. You can not even see the heating element.

Other Features
This lunch box has lots of other things that make it a great choice. It has multiple pieces inside the box, which makes it easy for you to separate your food into different portions for if you want to mix your food up later. It is also designed to be extra energy efficient and can be left in the wall for a long time. Another thing that makes it great is that it can be left plugged in for a long time without needing to worry about it becoming damaged.

Cost and Value
This lunch box is a great choice for many different reasons. Another big selling point for this lunch box is that it is very cheap, too. This is a great pick for anyone who usually brings a few plastic containers of food to work to put in the microwave. This set works the same way, but it can also take that extra step of having to wait for the microwave out of the equation.

Amazon Link
$17.01

10. RoadPro Portable Stove

Where to buy
Amazon Link
RoadPro Portable Stove
Amazon Link

The RoadPro is a very popular portable stove that does a great job for anyone who likes to eat hot food while they are on the road.

Convenient Portable Stove
This is a very effective portable stove that will do a good job of heating up just about anything that you need. It is good for both heating up leftovers, as well as cooking up some frozen food. Just leave it on the passenger seat for a few hours and it should be ready. It is designed to fit into any car plug so that it can sit right in the front seat.

Other Features
The RoadPro has been so popular that it has its own line of products to go with it. This product is great because it has aluminum foil pans that you can put into it. They have been specifically designed to fit into this specific model so that you can know that it will always be the right fit.

Cost and Value
The RoadPro is actually a really good deal for something that can cook your food on the road for you. It has its own pans, which reduces the mess by quite a deal. This portable stove is a great choice for anyone who finds themselves wishing that they could cook themselves some food while they were on the road.

Amazon Link

Sources

  1. Colleen Lidovice, 30 Soup Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes, Article
  2. How To Clean Stuff, How to Clean Insulated Lunch Boxes, Article
  3. Jeremy Laukkonen, From Car Cigarette Lighter To 12V Accessory Socket, Article