Halloween is the perfect time to let your creativity run wild, not just with costumes and decorations, but with the food you serve at your spooky gathering. Whether you’re hosting a haunted house party, throwing a family-friendly bash, or just looking to surprise your trick-or-treaters with some frightfully fun treats, the right menu can take your Halloween celebration to the next level.
From eerie appetizers and creepy cocktails to ghastly desserts and spine-chilling snacks, we’ve compiled a list of the 50 best Halloween food ideas that are guaranteed to delight and spook your guests. These recipes are as delicious as they are festive, with options that cater to all ages and tastes. Think mummy-wrapped hot dogs, witch’s brew punch, and ghostly cupcakes—just to name a few.
Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a kitchen novice, these ideas are easy to pull off and sure to impress. So, get ready to create a menu that’s both fun and frightfully good. With these 50 Halloween food ideas, your party will be the talk of the town, leaving everyone spellbound by your culinary creativity.
Scary-Good Halloween Party Foods
Mummy hot dogs, goat cheese fingers and rice cereal treat monsters — oh my! Impress even the pickiest of ghosts and goblins with our easy-to-make (and fun to eat) Halloween party appetizers, snacks, treats and more. And just like a magic trick, these festive goodies will disappear from your food tables in a flash.
Looking for more devilishly delicious menu ideas? Check out our sinister cocktail recipes and haunting dessert ideas. Then, browse our frighteningly fun Halloween party ideas to set the scene.
Easy Appetizer: Cheesy Eyeballs
Who knew creamy mini cheeses, olives and a little food coloring could look so creepy yet taste so yummy?! Fill up your party guests with these savory little mouthfuls for a fun take on standard cheese and crackers.
Not-So-Scary Monster Apples
Turn tart apples, dried fruit and nuts or seeds into healthy treats for your favorite trick-or-treaters.
Skeleton Cookie Charcuterie Board
Frighten up your Halloween party table with this scary-cute skeleton bone cookie board. The spaces between the cookies overflow with sweet and salty treats to create an interactive, crowd-pleasing dessert display.
Easy Mummy Cake Pops
A storebought snack cake gets all dressed up for Halloween with a layer of ooey-gooey chocolate and frosting bandages.
Candy Corn Brownies
Concentric rings of colored sugar give dense, chocolatey brownies a candy corn makeover for Halloween — our free printable template makes the tricolor effect a snap.
Healthy ‘Scream’ Cheese Sandwiches
Bring kids down off their Halloween sugar high with one of these savory sandwiches. Filled with a tasty cream cheese, cucumber and dill spread, these vegetarian nibbles are sure to be a hit with even the pickiest of palettes.
Spooky Candy-Dipped Apples
Looking for a fun Halloween project to do with the kids? Well, look no further! These candy-dipped apples look just like a friendly jack-o’-lantern or ghost and are as much fun to decorate as they are to munch.
Witch Hat Cookies
With their elegant pink and black colors, dazzling gold buckles and adorable bat decorations, these cookies are perfect for any bewitching occasion.
Rice Cereal Monsters
These treats definitely won’t suck the fun out of your Halloween soiree. With vampire teeth they can keep, your guests will fall in love with these tasty beasties at first bite.
Lucky Black Cats
Made from salty pretzels and creamy chocolate, there’s nothing to fear from these delicious Halloween black cats.
Yummy Mummy Empanadas
Wrap up fun for your Halloween party guests with these pepperoni pizza-style empanadas. Filled with hearty ingredients, they’re a kid-pleasing snack for school lunches too.
Jack-O’-Lantern Marshmallow Cookies
Fluffy homemade marshmallows (don’t worry, they’re easier to make than you think) plus crisp chocolate wafers equal irresistible crunchy-meets-gooey goodies Halloween guests won’t be able to resist.
Haystack Mummies
Salty, sweet, crunchy and creamy — these white chocolate-wrapped mouthfuls are sure to be everyone’s favorite treat.
Creepy-Crawly Chips and Swampy Guacamole
Sweets are great but your party guests need something a bit more substantial to munch on too. This Halloween take on chips and dip fits the bill and is actually healthy to boot!
Furry Snowball Monsters
Halloween party guests will love these tasty nibbles that combine the favorite flavors of chocolate and marshmallow with a colorful coconut topping.
Cake Ball Eyeballs
What kid doesn’t love a cake pop? It’s all the yumminess of a cupcake rolled into an easy-to-munch handful. Take cake pops up a notch and give them a Halloween makeover with our recipe for creepy (but still yummy!) cake ball eyeballs.
Mini Candy Corn Layer Cakes
Fall’s favorite candy gets reinterpreted as a colorful mini cake that’s just the right size to satisfy even a monstrous Halloween sweet tooth.
Marshmallow Spiderweb Croquembouche
Halloween party guests will love this spiderweb croquembouche — a creepy take on a classic French dessert that makes for a stunning edible centerpiece.
Sweet-and-Salty Snack Mix
Pretzels and white chocolate-covered popcorn combine with M&M’s for a crunchable snack your Halloween guests won’t be able to get enough of. Add our free printable labels to cut-down brown paper lunch bags then fill them with this addictive mix for a budget-friendly (and crowd-pleasing!) party favor.
Black Heart Candy Apples
Black food coloring gives this fruity fall snack a sinister twist.
Mummy Cupcakes
Surprise your favorite ghouls and ghosties with this sweet Halloween treat that’s fun to make and even more fun to eat. They’re easy enough to whip up that the kids can even help with the mixing, baking and decorating.
Baby Potato Beetles
These fingerling potatoes topped with creme fraiche may give bug-phobic adults the creeps, but kids will have no problem gobbling them up.
Chocolate-Dipped Pumpkin Madeleines
These fall-flavored pumpkin cookies are the just-right treat to serve at a Halloween party, Thanksgiving dinner or any fall get-together. They’re also the not-too-sweet complement to a cup of tea and party of one.
Goat Cheese Fingers
Halloween party guests of all ages will enjoy these creamy fingers topped with a sliced almond fingernail.
Quick and Easy Pudding Pumpkins
Treat your smallest Halloween guests to a snack size cup of pudding that looks like a mini jack-o’-lantern. They’re a snap to make so the kids can even help whip them up before gobbling them up.
Edible Creepy Crawlies
These gelatin worms and cupcake spiders may look scary but they’re so tasty that Halloween guests will be sure to gobble them right up.
Sweet and Salty Popcorn Mix
Combining the best of both worlds, this sweet-meets-salty snack is just too good to pass up. Mix up big batches for Halloween get-togethers, school functions or to pass out to your favorite trick-or-treaters.
Witch’s Hat Cookies
Top rich homemade chocolate cookies with an easy-to-magic-up orange frosting and a chocolate kiss for a sweet snack that kids will make disappear.
Mummy Hot Dogs
Wrap hot dogs in flaky, ready-made dough to create a Halloween party snack kids will love helping to make before gobbling them up.
Frankens’more Treat Pops
Looking for a fun party favor to hand out to your favorite trick-or-treaters? Well, look no further: Dip marshmallow-filled graham crackers into green-tinted white chocolate and milk chocolate to create these Frankenstein-themed twists on the campfire favorite.
Cupcakes a Go-Go
Perfect for making in advance to take to school events, pack in kids’ lunches or for parties, these portable treats are sure to please Halloween fans big and small.
Spiced Pumpkin Truffles
These truffles are three-ingredient wonders and a quick fix for busy cooks. Combine 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs with 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling and mash together until thick dough forms. Scoop mixture by 1 level tablespoon and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll each tablespoon of dough into a ball and freeze until solid (about 1 hour). Dip each ball into melted white candy coating (about 12 ounces) and place on parchment paper using two forks. Garnish each truffle with a pinch of grated nutmeg. Let stand until firm, about 30 minutes. Yields 13 truffles.
Candy Bar Cookies
Can’t decide which Halloween chocolate candy is your favorite? Then these cookies are just the ticket. Chock-full of snack-sized faves, chocolate lovers will definitely want to give this recipe a try.
Witch’s Hat Sandwich Wraps
Turn ready-made dough and homemade chicken, tuna or ham salad into a hearty sandwich wrap you can make a day or two before serving.
Hairy Eyeballs
Turn homemade polenta poppers into these gruesome (but tasty!) nibbles by topping them with corn silk before frying. Add a bloodshot appearance with a few dribbles of marinara sauce.
Salted Caramel (and Bacon!) Popcorn Balls
Gather the ghouls to enjoy this tasty update on the seasonal favorite. Package the balls in a cellophane bag embellished with one of our free printable templates for a homemade party favor.
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Toasted pumpkin seeds and cinnamon bring the taste of fall to classic nut brittle.
Chile Lime Cashews
These flavorful nuts have just the right amount of spicy kick to make them the perfect salty counterpoint to all the Halloween sweets.
Pumpkin Pie Fillo Bites
Ready-made fillo pie shells are a boon to busy hosts, and you can whip up these one-bite treats in just minutes. For the filling, place 1 egg, 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin pie filling and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a bowl and mix well. Spoon the filling into 30 fillo shells and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.
Halloween Peppermint Patties
A candy-corn-colored mint filling is the sweet surprise inside these homemade candies.
Honey + Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Delight guests at your next fall or Halloween get-together with this sweet-meets-savory light bite.
Cucumber Snake
At Halloween, it’s okay for kids to play with their food. And, this colorful snake isn’t just playful, cucumbers and carrots ensure it’s also healthy.
Curse of the Mummy Mushrooms
Stuff cremini mushrooms with Italian sausage, garlic, walnuts, cream cheese and fresh herbs for a hearty, savory appetizer that both kids and adults will love.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Brownies
Dress up your classic chocolate brownie mix for fall with rich swirls of pumpkin-flavored cream cheese. Prepare a family-sized brownie mix (18.4 ounces) with the directions on the box and pour into a 13×9-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl, combine 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling and one large egg. Once mixed, place dollops of the pumpkin mixture over the brownie batter and use a butter knife to swirl the two flavors together. Bake as directed.
Homemade Pub-Style Pretzels and Beer Cheese Sauce
Adult Halloween guests will flip for these soft and chewy pretzels dipped in smoked Gouda beer cheese. Serve them with one of our signature Halloween cocktails to bring the bar experience home.
Licorice Broomsticks
Stir up some witchy fun and get the kids involved with this sweet broomstick craft.
Marshmallow Popcorn Balls
Sweet, gooey, salty, and crunchy, this popcorn ball recipe has a little something for everyone.
Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whoever said you can have too much of a good thing hasn’t tasted these cookies. Gooey, classic chocolate chip cookies dipped into smooth chocolate ganache — this recipe is a must-try for anyone with an insatiable sweet tooth.
“Poisoned” Candy Apples
Don’t worry, these apples aren’t really deadly — but they certainly look it. To make them, you’ll need: apples, twigs that have been washed and trimmed, granulated sugar, light corn syrup, water, cinnamon-flavored oil, red food coloring, black food coloring and a candy thermometer. Thoroughly wash each apple, remove the stem and insert a twig (you may need to sharpen the end first). Next, stir sugar, corn syrup and water together in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Boil until the syrup reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in flavored oil and food coloring. To coat the apple, dip completely in the syrup and swirl it. Hold the apple above the saucepan so the excess coating can drain off. Place candied apple onto a baking sheet that’s been greased or lined to allow it to cool.
Beer Cheese Dip
A few savory options are always a good idea at a Halloween party. This tangy and spicy cheese dip gets its kick from horseradish sauce. Serve with pretzels or on toasted crostinis to keep the party’s adults happily munching.
Coca-Cola Cupcake With Peanut Butter Icing
These dense, moist chocolate cupcakes are a walk down memory lane for anyone who ever dropped a few peanuts in their Coke. Topped with thick peanut butter icing, the cupcakes’ salty-meets-sweet flavor is always a crowd-pleaser.
Pumpkin Pie Dip
Entertaining has never been easier thanks to this make-ahead seasonal dip. In a large mixing bowl, combine one package (8 ounces) cream cheese, 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 can (15 ounces) of pumpkin pie filling. Beat well. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Makes 3 cups – enough to serve a crowd. Pair with pre-packaged gingersnaps and fresh apple slices, or try with pound cake tidbits and frozen cubes of cheesecake.
Marshmallow Pretzel Skeletons
The graveyard gang’s all here! Enlist help from the kiddos to craft this bony bunch.
Edible Candy Topiaries
Cover inexpensive foam topiary forms with fondant and candy to create a sweet Halloween decoration or centerpiece that kids will love helping to craft.
Chocolate Peanut Butter-Pumpkin Cups
Kids of all ages will love this seasonal twist on a classic candy. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 minute at 100% power). Stir to keep from burning. Using a pastry brush, coat cupcake liners with the melted chocolate and place the liners in a cupcake tin; refrigerate until firm. Heat 1.5 cups peanut butter in the microwave until softened, about 30 seconds, then mix with 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling. Fill the chocolate cups with filling until 3/4 full. Pour remaining chocolate on top of each cup to close them and garnish with chopped peanuts. Place in the refrigerator until firm. Yields six chocolate cups.
Maple-Nut Popcorn
Savory, sweet and crunchy, this fall favorite really satisfies with pure maple syrup, mixed nuts and a kick from cayenne pepper.
Homemade Candy Apples
This fall tradition is as sweet as they come and a lot of fun to boot. Dipping the apples then rolling them in a variety of salty or sweet treats is a fun Halloween activity for kids of all ages.
Triple Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate lovers take heed: There are three types of chocolate — Valrhona, bittersweet and dark — in these gooey, decadent little morsels. Whip up a batch to keep chocolate-craving beasties at bay.
Potato Chip and Candy Bar Cookies
These chewy-meets-crunchy cookies are endlessly customizable to suit your taste. Add any combination of nuts, Halloween candy or dried fruit. The potato chips add a salty finish that really works for salty-sweet lovers.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Don’t scoop, then dump your pumpkin innards. Salvage the seeds then toss them with your favorite spices to put a new spin on a healthy fall favorite.
Zombie Cinnamon Rolls
Hosting the perfect Halloween party is no easy feat. Zombies, in particular, have a very … specific diet. Luckily, everyone loves cinnamon rolls, so this terrifying treat is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
