These cute lunch bags will elevate your meal prep routine — one of my favorites even passes for a handbag

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Your leftovers deserve better than a leaky plastic bag. Just like the best lunch boxes, they're still well-insulated and comfortable to carry around during your commute.

I tested out a variety of totes and mini coolers to find the best cute lunch bags. Whether you're looking for bright, fun patterns or a sleek, trendy design, here are our top recommended options for making lunchtime a little more fun.

My top 3 favorite lunch bags I tested:

Best lunch bag overall

From the brand behind the ubiquitous cups, this spacious and stylish Stanley lunch bag delivers big functionality. Its insulated main compartment can store lots of food and snacks for long days.

It's spacious enough for all your food and drinks. Whether you're packing a meal prep container full of leftovers or a bagged sandwich, the Julienne Mini Cooler offers plenty of space to store your meal, snacks, and ice pack. It's even large enough to accommodate a 12-ounce drink alongside your food.

It's well-insulated to keep food fresh. While it may look pretty, this lunch bag has thick insulated walls, and the brand claims it can keep food cool for up to 12 hours. When I tested it, the bag's interior was still nice and chilly after being carried around all day.

The unique hinge top makes it easy to load. Other lunch bags can be frustrating to fill, as their lids are always flapping shut, but this cooler has a unique "doctor's bag" hinge top that makes it a breeze to load and unload. The walls snap into an upright position, allowing you to easily grab what's inside or pack up your lunch in the morning.

It comes in a variety of fun colors. Whether you want a plain neutral like black or a bolder hue, the Julienne Mini Cooler comes in eight colors. Some options even have a two-tone design with accent tones on the bag's zipper and handle.

Best mini lunch bag

I love the Baggu Puffy Lunch Bag because its compact size is just right for packing a few snacks. If you want something even smaller, the brand's Lunch Box is a more miniature version.

It's lightweight and compact. This small lunch bag weighs less than a pound, and its insulated interior can hold one small food container comfortably. It's not quite large enough for a full-size drink, but I could fit a sandwich, apple, and an ice pack.

It comes in cute, colorful patterns. If bright patterns are right up your alley, you'll love Baggu's signature designs. This lunch bag comes in seven different patterns, including motifs with strawberries, bold stripes, and even a cute Snoopy print.

It's made from recycled materials. This lunch bag has a recycled ripstop nylon exterior and its walls are filled with recycled PET polyfill, helping to give used materials new life and keep them out of the landfills.

Best lunch purse

Don't be surprised if people ask where you got your cute purse when you're carrying The Luncher from Modern Picnic. It's designed to resemble a trendy handbag, so you can take it out to dinner after you've left the office.

It truly looks just like a handbag. With a structured shape and sleek hardware, The Luncher looks just like a purse from the outside. I chose the black faux-croc colorway, but the brand offers it in a variety of sizes and finishes including wicker and vegan leather.

There are organization pockets inside. While the outside of this lunch bag is sleek and simple, there are a few useful features inside that come in handy when packing your lunch. On one side of the bag, there are slots for your utensils that keeps them secure during transport, and there's also a small pocket for napkins or even essentials like your credit card. After all, there's nothing that says you can't use it as a purse, too!

It comes with a removable strap. In addition to its two structured handles, this lunch bag comes with a removable shoulder strap that makes it more versatile. If you have a longer commute, it's always nice to be able to carry the bag hands-free.

Best budget

The Fit & Fresh Lunch Bag is a budget-friendly option that comes in a fun cheetah-print design, and the brand offers a variety of other stylish, affordable options, as well.

The interior is stain resistant. This lunch bag has a PEVA interior that's free from BPA, and the smooth fabric is easy to wipe clean and resists stains—because let's face it: spills happen!

It has a side compartment for your drink. If you like to bring a reusable water bottle to work with you, this lunch box has a special elasticized side pocket where you can tuck your drink for easy carrying.

Best with shoulder strap

The Somewhere Co. Lunch Tote is a practical and cute lunch bag, and it comes in fun color-blocked designs and whimsical patterns that you won't find anywhere else. It has an insulated lining and zip-top closure, as well as pretty gold hardware for a luxe finishing touch.

A detachable strap makes it easy to carry. This lunch bag has two cotton carry handles on top, but it also comes with an extra-long shoulder strap that you can clip onto the bag. This makes it easier to carry while keeping your hands free.

The outside pocket is perfectly phone-sized. In addition to its spacious inner compartment, this lunch tote has a big outer pocket with a magnetic closure. It's the perfect size for your phone and keys, or you can use it to hold utensils and napkins.

Best insulation

You can keep your lunch fresh for hours—even on hot days—with the Packit Freezable Lunch Bag. We tested this budget-friendly lunch box and liked that it can be stored overnight in the freezer to keep next day's drinks cold. It's just the right size for transporting a small lunch.

Its walls are filled with freezable gel. When you put this lunch box in the freezer overnight, the gel-filled walls become built-in ice packs that will keep your food at the perfect temperature for hours. This also helps to maximize the interior storage space, as you don't have to stick a separate ice pack in with your food.

It folds flat for easy storage. After you've eaten your food, the Packit Lunch Bag folds up into a compact, flat form that makes it easy to store. You can tuck it into your purse or a cupboard so it's out of the way until the next time you need it.

Best organization

For those who pack multiple meals each day or just have a lot of snacks to keep organized, the Tourit Lunch Bag is a cute lunch bag that offers lots of handy storage tricks.

It has two separate compartments. This lunch bag is broken up into two spacious zippered compartments—one on top and one on the bottom—which is handy if you want to keep warm and cold foods separate.

There are pockets and a divider for organization. The bottom storage compartment includes a removable divider that can help keep contents organized. The bag also has an inner mesh pocket for utensils and napkins, and there's a pocket on the exterior for even more supplies.

Best extra large lunch bag

If you need to transport a lot of food, the Calpak Soft-Sided Cooler is a cute and very spacious option. Not only is it great for carrying lunch to and from work, but its well-insulated design is also ideal for trips to the beach, picnics, and camping.

There are two sizes to choose from. This lunch bag comes in two sizes — 8 liters or 17 liters — depending on just how much space you need. According to the brand, the smaller option can hold around 11 standard soda cans, while the larger bag can accommodate a whopping 32 cans.

The sides unbuckle to make it more spacious. For everyday use, you can leave the sides of the cooler buckled in place, but if you ever need extra room, simply undo the clips. The top edges of the bag lift up into a tote-style shape, providing more space for storage.

It comes with a shoulder strap for easy carrying. This lunch bag may get heavy when it's loaded up with food, but it comes with a convenient padded shoulder strap to make transporting it more comfortable.

Best for easy clean-up

If you're prone to spills, you'll want an option like the Hydro Flask Insulated Lunch Bag, which we've found is particularly easy to wipe down. It's also just the right size to accommodate the brand's reusable water bottles and food containers, in case you already have some at home.

Its mid-sized design is versatile. This lunch box has an 8-liter capacity that's small enough to carry to work but spacious enough to hold a big meal and a drink or two. It also has a zippered mesh pocket on the inside of the lid for small snacks or even your keys.

The interior is easy to wipe clean. The Hydro Flask Lunch Bag has a fully-lined interior with welded seams, and when we tested it, we found that the material resisted staining and came clean easily with a little soap and water.

Most durable lunch bag

Yeti makes some of the best coolers, which are known for their thick insulation and durability. We tested the brand's Daytrip Lunch Bag and found it's equally overbuilt with heavy-duty materials that will stand up over time.

It's made from heavy-duty materials. This lunch bag is made from thick fabric that can stand up to being bumped and scraped, so it's ideal for camping, biking, and other more strenuous activities—all while still being quite attractive thanks to its wide range of colors. The brand also says you can hose it out if it ever gets dirty or stained.

It folds flat for storage. When empty, this lunch bag can be folded up, and it has a hook that will keep it compressed, making it easy to tuck in a backpack or store when it's not in use.

It's backed by a three-year warranty. If you had any lingering concerns about its durability, Yeti offers a three-year warranty on this lunch bag — significantly longer than most other products.