51 Spooky & Savory Halloween Food Ideas for Fall 2024

With spooky season right around the corner, it’s time to think of Halloween food ideas that will get you in a creepy mood and satisfy your taste buds.

This fun and spooky day is a quarter of adults’ favorite holiday, according to CBS News. And after celebrating, it’s not hard to see why. You get to let out some creativity and dress up in costumes. There are plenty of activities and events to do during the season. And the food is some of the best you’ll have all year. 

Especially when you try these Halloween food ideas. You may be planning a Halloween party for your kids or a get-together with your friends. Or maybe you’re simply looking for delicious themed treats to feast on on Halloween and the days following.

Whatever your reason, consider making these spooky, sweet and savory Halloween food ideas this fall. They’re so good the flavors will haunt your taste buds.

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• Best DIY Halloween Food Ideas for Adults
• Creepy Halloween Food Ideas
• Traditional Halloween Food Ideas
• Halloween Party Food for a Crowd
• Halloween Party Food on a Budget
• Easy Halloween Food Ideas for a Children's Party

Best DIY Halloween Food Ideas for Adults

1. Cooking Classes

This Halloween, take your cooking to the next level with cooking classes in Atlanta, cooking classes in Chicago, cooking classes in Boston and cooking classes near you.

Taught by expert chefs, you can learn new kitchen skills and tantalizing recipes inspired by world flavors. Explore new cuisines and take what you’ve learned back into your own kitchen.

You can also try online cooking classes and try new recipes in the comfort of your own kitchen. You’ll be sent everything you need to make a delicious and spooky Halloween meal. These classes are also great to learn to cook if you’re a complete beginner.

2. Mixology Classes

There’s nothing better than pairing a delicious meal with the perfect drink. With online mixology classes, expert mixologists will teach you how to make classic cocktails or spooky Halloween cocktails and your next favorite drink in your own kitchen.

You will learn the behind-the-bar techniques to make the perfect drink. These classes are one of the best gifts for foodies as they’ll be able to improve their skills in the kitchen. Plus, they’ll make unforgettable details for a Halloween party.

3. Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

If you’re looking for fall party ideas for adults, it’s a good time to try unique fall flavors. Consider creamy and rich butternut squash in one of your favorite comfort foods: macaroni and cheese.

This meal is certain to warm you from the inside out, which is perfect when the weather starts to get colder. Butternut squash mac and cheese is sure to be a showstopper for a Halloween adult dinner party or as a creative potluck idea. And guests are sure to go back for seconds.

4. Black Magic Cocktail

The black magic cocktail looks like sorcery swirling in a glass. It’s one of the best Halloween food ideas for adults that you can serve at a party.

Use black vodka or clear vodka with black icing color, edible pearl dust, along with lime juice and simple syrup to create a creepy yet delicious potion cocktail. You can also use real cherry juice, orange juice and maraschino cherry syrup.

5. Peculiar Pizzas 

Pizza is a favorite snack all year round, but these autumn-themed white pizza flatbreads will become an instant favorite. This DIY Halloween food idea will set your party apart. Set up a pizza-making station where guests can put together their own flatbread pies.

Guests will customize their pizza with their own toppings, like butternut squash and spicy sausage. Or make the flatbread more of a dessert with apples, cinnamon and pecans. 

6. Syringe Cocktail Shooters

The best Halloween-themed foods are a little creepy, as is the case with these syringe cocktail shooters. Make your own cocktails in cooky colors like blood red, mysterious purple and vibrant green.

Then, fill food-safe syringes with these scary cocktails. Pass them around the party and have guests choose them without knowing what serum they’re going to get. It’s sure to infuse a little fun into an adult Halloween party.

7. Savory Cheese Tart

Fill a tart with savory fall flavors for a Halloween party dish for adults. Use a mix of ricotta and parmesan cheeses as the base of the tart filling.

Layer plenty of fall vegetables like sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and mushrooms for a savory and filling party food.

Guests can even build their own tarts by topping them with their favorite fall ingredients.  These only need to bake for 30 minutes to be perfectly golden brown and crispy.

8. Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dessert Dip

Who doesn’t love ending the night with a good dessert? This pumpkin pie cheesecake dip will be easy to make and a hit to serve with your adult friends.

Using pumpkin spice instant pudding and cream cheese, you have a perfectly fluffy base that will be addicting to eat. Serve with caramel or sugar cookies, graham crackers, apple slices or pretzels. 

9. Spooky Cookie Decorating

Cookie decorating may not be associated with Halloween, but this easy Halloween food idea is hands-on and fun, so party guests will love it. Have a station where guests can decorate their own haunted house Halloween cookies, complete with spooky ghosts and cobwebs made from icing.

Or break into groups and compete to see who can make the scariest Halloween gingerbread house. This activity is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, plus you get to feast on your work in the end. Having some hands-on activities makes for great Halloween party ideas.

Creepy Halloween Food Ideas

10. Witch Fingers

Wondering what should I serve at my Halloween party? How about something guests are a little nervous to eat? There’s nothing that gets people in the Halloween mood like creepy Halloween food ideas.

Though they may look creepy, witch fingers can be a delicious snack made savory or sweet. The savory version is like pigs in a blanket, using green food coloring to make it look like a witch’s skin. The sweet version uses sugar cookie dough dyed green to create the freaky fingers.

11. Spider Cookies

Spider cookies are a scary Halloween food idea that is sure to make your guests pause before picking them up. Make your favorite cookie, such as sugar, peanut butter, or chocolate chip.

Once they’re finished, use a chocolate kiss or peanut butter cup as the spider’s body. Then, using black icing, draw the legs from the candy onto the side of the cookie. You can even get creative and decorate your spiders with sprinkles or icing to create creepy patterns.

12. Doughnut Hole Eyeballs

Freak out your guests by serving them a bowl of eyeballs. In actuality, they’re deliciously sweet doughnut holes. Dipe your doughnut holes in white candy coating to create the base.

Once dry, use red icing to create the veins all over the eyeball. Then, you can either use large candy eyeballs to create the eye or use icing to draw them on yourself. They might be creepy, but that won’t stop you from popping them in your mouth one after the other.

13. Ghost Cupcakes

No one wants to see a ghost, except maybe at Halloween. This spooky Halloween idea is meant to give a slight fright. Bake your favorite cupcakes and use white icing to top them with a ghoul.

You’ll want to create an arch shape to act as the body of the ghost. Then, use black icing to add the eyes and mouth. These foods will be hauntingly good for your Halloween party.

14. Jack O’Lantern Sandwich Cookies

A Jack o' lantern’s smile can be quite haunting, which makes it one of the perfect inspirations for scary Halloween food ideas.

To make sandwich cookies, cut out pairs of pumpkin shapes in sugar cookie dough. On half of the cookies, carve out an eerie face, and leave the other half of the cookies alone.

After baking, spread some jam or icing on the front of the full pumpkin, then place the cookie with the face on top. This gives the effect that the cookies are glowing or oozing from the inside out.

15. Spooky Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Transform delicious chocolate-dipped strawberries into a collection of spooky Halloween finger foods. Use chocolate melts in different colors to make pumpkins, mummies, monsters and ghosts.

Or dip the strawberries in white chocolate and use red icing or strawberry jam to create the effect of blood dripping down the sides. This easy Halloween food idea makes a classic treat a little more spooky. They also make great Halloween gifts to give to friends and family.

16. Monster Meatball Sliders

If you’ve been searching for creepy Halloween food ideas that are savory, look no further than monster meatball sliders. Ad two or three meatballs to a slider bun, then use slices of cheese cut in triangle shapes like teeth.

Use olives and pepper on a toothpick stuck into the bun to create the eyes. These sliders will make great Halloween finger foods for a party.

17. Graveyard Walking Tacos

Another creepy Halloween food idea that is savory is graveyard walking tacos. Mix ground beef with taco seasoning with tortilla chips and toppings into a cup.

You can find tombstone candy molds to make the decorations that sit on top. Or use candy bones sticking out of the walking tacos to make them extra creepy. Guests can pick them up and eat them as they move about the party.

Traditional Halloween Food Ideas

18. Candy Corn Cookies

What are popular Halloween foods? Candy corn is one of the best Halloween candies that many people look forward to each year. Make candy corn cookies to make these traditional Halloween foods feel a little bit more modern.

Mix candy corn and white chocolate chips into the cookie dough until incorporated before baking. They’ll come out soft, sweet and delicious, perfect for a Halloween party.

19. Monster Munch

A delicious snack mix is a classic party snack. Use snacks like pretzels, cereal and crackers mixed with Halloween candy favorites like M&M, Reese’s and candy corn to make it more on-theme.

Bind them all together with melted chocolate and you have an addictive party snack to serve your guests.

20. Candy Corn Popcorn Balls

Popcorn is another favorite snack to receive in your trick-or-treating bag. You can make this classic snack a Halloween-themed food by adding candy corn to it. Use melted marshmallows to bind the candy corn and popcorn together and form it into a ball.

Once they’ve cooled down, you can serve this Halloween treat. This will be a favorite for a Halloween party or to give out as spooky, delicious gifts.

21. Classic Caramel Apples

Caramel apples are a traditional Halloween food that will always be a favorite at a Halloween party. You don’t have to go bobbing for these sweet treats. And there are plenty of ways to give this classic sweet treat a Halloween twist.

Make a black poison apple by dying the caramel black with food coloring. Use red icing or dyed-red caramel to make apples with blood drizzles. Or dip the apples in white icing after the caramel and use black icing to create a skull face.

22. Soft Pretzel Bones

This Halloween food idea will be the favorite appetizer at a party. Make a classic soft pretzel dough, but instead of forming it into the classic pretzel shape, roll the dough into a 14-inch rope and tie each end into a knot, creating a bone.

Serve these spooky Halloween treats with spicy mustard or cheese sauce for dipping.

23. Black Widow Bark

Black widow bark contains all your favorite Halloween candies in dastardly dark chocolate. Choose your favorite candies, such as candy corn, candy bars and other chocolates and lay them on a baking sheet.

Melt dark chocolate candy melts, then pour the melted mixture onto the baking sheet. You can add black food coloring to make the chocolate appear darker.

Allow the bark to cool and harden in the refrigerator for an hour. Break off pieces, then top them with a piece of red licorice to represent the iconic red marking on a black widow spider.

24. Apple Cider Doughnuts

Apple is a classic flavor of fall, which makes it a great option for a traditional Halloween food. Make a doughnut batter and use apple cider, cinnamon and fresh apples to give it that fall flavor.

Once they’re fried or baked, toss them in cinnamon sugar. To give them a little Halloween edge, you can drizzle them with black or red icing.

25. Apple Cider Punch

Your Halloween party will need a good drink to serve your guests. Apple cider punch is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. You’ll need apple cider, orange juice, lemon juice and ginger ale to create this punch.

Add rum or whiskey if you want to make it an adult beverage. Garnish with apple and orange slices and cinnamon sticks. Bottles of each of these drinks will be able to make enough punch to serve an entire party.

26. Vampire Sugar Cookies

What’s scarier than getting bit by a vampire? This scary Halloween food idea will be easy to make on a dark and spooky night or for a Halloween party. First, you have to make a batch of sugar cookies.

After you’ve taken them out of the oven, use a straw or chopstick to poke two holes next to each other without going all the way through the cookie.

Allow the cookies to cool, then fill the holes with red icing, allowing a little bit to ooze out and across the cookie, just like a vampire bite.

Halloween Party Food for a Crowd

27. Candy Charcuterie Board

Entertaining a crowd means choosing food options that will please a majority of people. A charcuterie board always goes over well, but you can make it a candy charcuterie board to give it a seasonal twist.

This Halloween party food for a crowd will have a sweet treat for everyone to enjoy. You can have different kinds of chocolates, candy corn, sweet and sour candies and fruity candies. This will allow everyone to get a bit of their favorites.

28. Pumpkin Sheet Cake

What is the most popular Halloween dish? Surprisingly, pumpkin is a popular option for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. However, you don’t have to make it a pie.

Make a pumpkin-flavored sheet cake that will easily serve a party full of guests. A spiced cream cheese frosting for in between the layers and on top and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on the top of the cake will make it a favorite dessert of anyone in attendance.

29. Mummy Wieners

Pigs in a blanket are a favorite party food. Make them fit the Halloween theme by turning them into mummies. Wrap crescent roll dough around hot dogs and bake them until they’re golden brown.

Be sure to leave a space for a face at one end of the wiener. Use a little bit of ketchup or mustard to create the eyes. The golden-brown color of the dough will make it look like aged mummy wrapping.

30. Seven Layer Dip

A classic Halloween party food for a crowd is a seven-layer dip. This party appetizer is full of flavor and easy to make in bulk. Layers include refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, tomatoes and olives.

Eaten all together when scooped on a tortilla chip, your guests are sure to get a burst of flavor. It’s an instant crowd-pleasing appetizer that will have people going back for seconds.

31. Mummy Jalapeño Poppers

Get a little spicy with this Halloween food idea. Make jalapeño poppers filled with cream cheese and sharp cheddar. Then, wrap them in either bacon or crescent roll dough to look like the wrapping on a mummy.

As a final touch, use olives or candy eyes to create the eyes popping out of the mummy gauze. These are easy dishes to make a lot of, which will be great if you’re trying to serve a large party crowd.

32. Taco Ring

An easy way to feed a crowd is to make a taco ring. Fill crescent roll dough with ground beef, taco seasoning and cheese and bake it in the oven. Have toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream and guacamole for guests to add to their taco.

This is an easy food for a large crowd because you can make one or two and guests can pull off pieces. Pre-cutting the taco ring will make it easier for guests to serve themselves.

33. Devilish Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are often served at a party. But for Halloween you can play off the name and make them a little spookier. This Halloween food name will have guests chuckling at the little pun before enjoying this bite-sized snack.

Make deviled eggs as you usually would, then top them with an extra sprinkle of paprika to turn them red. With red bell peppers, cut out shapes of wings and horns and stick them in the egg to give them a devilish finish.

34. Ghostly S’Mores Dip

You can serve a large crowd with a dip. But dips don’t always have to have a savory flavor profile. A s’mores dip will be a crowd-pleaser at any Halloween party.

In a skillet, layer chocolate and marshmallow and bake until melted and golden brown. Using black icing, add little eyes and mouths on each of the marshmallows to make ghostly faces.

Serve the dip with graham crackers, pretzels or cookies. This is best eaten hot and right away, so you can prepare in advance and bake it right before you’re ready to eat it.

35. Cinnamon Snake Sticks

Indulge in an ooey-gooey cinnamon roll with a Halloween twist. You can use pre-made cinnamon roll dough to make this an easy Halloween food idea for a large crowd.

Unwrap the cinnamon rolls and cut them in half. Place them on a baking sheet with twists and curves like a snake and bake them. Then, use food coloring to dye the icing green. Brush a layer of icing over the snakes and serve the sweet, slithering creatures.

Halloween Party Food on a Budget

36. Cozy Chili

If you’re preparing Halloween party food on a budget, you want to purchase ingredients that will make a lot but not cost too much. Chili is a great food with inexpensive ingredients that will make enough to serve a party of people.

Plus, the food will warm you from the inside, which is perfect on cooler autumn nights. You can even make a fall-flavored chili by including butternut squash and potatoes.

37. Spiderweb Cake

Your guests will be in awe when you bring out a spiderweb cake at the end of the night. Bake any cake you’d like to be the base. Then, ice it with a dark chocolate or a dyed-black vanilla icing.

Then melt marshmallows in the microwave before stirring them until deflated. With gloves on your hands, dip your fingers into the marshmallows and stretch until it's thin.

Place the stretched-out strings on the cake to create a cobweb effect. You can repeat this process multiple times to cover the cake in spiderwebs.

38. Italian Sub Sliders

Sub sliders are another easy-to-make food that won’t break the bank. You can buy a few pounds of a couple of different deli meats, cheeses and some toppings and make enough sandwiches to feed a whole party.

Use slider buns as the bread for the sandwich. Remove the top of the buns and layer the meats, cheeses and toppings on the bottom buns before placing the top buns back on top. You can bake the sandwiches and serve them hot.

39. Mummy-Wrapped Meatballs

Cocktail meatballs are a favorite for partiers and inexpensive to make for hosts. Need to make it a Halloween food idea? Wrap them up to look like mummies.

Use crescent roll dough to wrap up the meatballs and bake them until golden brown. You can buy premade meatballs or make them yourself using ground beef. Both options are inexpensive Halloween food ideas.

40. Batty Doughnuts

You can transform a few donuts into vampire bats for your upcoming Halloween party. Purchase a pack of doughnuts, either miniature or full-sized, to be the base of the Halloween food idea.

You can either buy chocolate frosted or dip the doughnuts into candy melts or icing. Then, using cookies or chocolate melts in a mold, create bat wings and ears to stick into the side and top of the doughnuts, respectively.

Then, use candy eyes and icing to create fangs. Making delicious Halloween-themed food also makes fun Halloween date ideas.

41. Cauldron Popcorn

Make a bubbling cauldron overflowing with sweet popcorn for your Halloween party. This Halloween food idea will be a hit for both children and adult parties.

You can purchase inexpensive cauldrons at many dollar and home stores. Place a bowl inside to hold the popcorn if it’s not food-safe.

After popping the popcorn, mix in some candies, pretzels and icing. You can even drip icing over the sides of the cauldron to make it look like it was bubbling over.

42. Peanut Butter Cup Spiders

The combination of chocolate and peanut butter will never get old, which is what makes them a favorite Halloween candy every year. Grab a few peanut butter cups and flip them upside down.

Use mini pretzel sticks as the legs and attach them with melted chocolate. Attach candy eyes to the peanut butter cups so they stare back at you while you eat them.

43. Spider Leg Breadsticks

A Halloween party food on a budget that’s savory and a crowd-pleaser is spider leg breadsticks. Use pizza dough for this Halloween food idea to create easy breadsticks.

Brush on garlic butter to add extra flavor. You can also make a garlic knot head and a bread bowl spider body that the breadsticks are attached to. After being baked, you can fill the bread bowl with marinara for dipping.

Easy Halloween Food Ideas for a Children's Party

44. Sugar Cookie Eyeballs

This Halloween food name will have kids freaking out in the best way. They’ll be excited and maybe a little scared to try these sugar cookie eyeballs.

Bake soft sugar cookies as the base of this Halloween food idea. Make a batch of white icing, eye-colored icing and black icing. You can also make red icing, however that’s optional. Pipe and fill a white circle of icing around the cooking.

Then, add the eye color. Finish with a small black dot as the pupil. As an option, you can pipe on red veins to make the eye look even creepier.

45. Mummy French Bread Pizza

Pizza is a favorite food for most kids. Transforming it into a mummy will be a great way to make this a Halloween food idea.

Use a loaf of French bread and spread marinara sauce over it. Use thick-cut shredded cheese as the bandages for the Halloween food idea.

Place the shredded cheese horizontally and layered over each other so it looks like wrapped bandages. You can use pepperonis or olives to create the eyes of the mummy. 

46. Pumpkin Rice Crispy Treats

Rice crispy treats will be a favorite Halloween food idea for a children’s party. You can make them better fit the season by making them pumpkin-flavored. This recipe is also simple, which makes it ideal when prepping for a child’s Halloween party.

Make rice crispies the way you normally would, but add in pumpkin pie spice and a little bit of orange food gel. You can even cut them with pumpkin cookie cutters to make them even more Halloween-themed.

47. Zombie Brain Cupcakes

This Halloween food idea for a children’s party is perfect for anyone who likes monster movies. Make a batch of cupcakes and use dicing either dyed green or pink to pipe wavy lines that look like brains onto the top of the cupcake.

Use strawberry jam to add a bloody effect to the brain. Kids will love having this creepy sweet at their Halloween party. 

48. Black Cat Chocolate Cookies

A black cat is an iconic part of Halloween, which makes it a great Halloween food idea for a children’s party. You can use a box of chocolate cake mix to make the base of these fluffy cookies, adding peanut butter and sugar to the mix as well.

Roll out the dough and flatten it to an even level. Use a cat cookie cutter to cut out faces or full-body cats. After baking, you can add details like candy eyes and noses, and whiskers. You can also cover the cookies in black icing if you want them to be a darker, true black color.

49. Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

Pumpkin pie is a favorite food for the fall and a classic for Halloween. But a slide of pumpkin pie doesn’t completely fit the Halloween theme. Instead, make pumpkin pie pop tarts that the kids will love as a dessert at the party.

Use pie crust and pumpkin pie filling to make small handheld pies. Make a whipped cream icing to top the handmade tarts. And find Halloween-themed sprinkles to finish off the dessert.

These pop-tarts are often softer. These are also great treats for kids to take home with them at the end of the party.

50. Jack O’Lantern Ice Cream Bowls

This Halloween food idea is great for a Halloween birthday party. Jack O’lantern ice cream bowls will also be great for building a sundae, which can be a hands-on activity for a Halloween party.

To make this Halloween food idea, you’ll need to blow up a small balloon. Melt orange candy melts to be the bowl. Once it’s completely melted, dip the balloon into the chocolate. You may want to dip multiple times to create layers and a thicker bowl.

Once the bowl has hardened, pop the balloon and leave the bowl behind. Use chocolate to draw on the Jack o' lantern face. Then, you can fill the bowl with kids’ favorite ice cream, adding your favorite sundae toppings, like chocolate sauce and sprinkles.

51. Ghosty Pizza Bagels

Get a little spooky with this haunting Halloween food idea. It’s easy to make and kids will love this bite-sized snack at their Halloween party. Mini bagels will serve as the base for these snacks.

Spread a layer of marinara sauce over the pizza bagels. Use a knife to cut slices of mozzarella slice into ghost shapes. You can also use a ghost cookie cutter to make creating the ghosts easier.

Place them on top of the bagel bite and bake for about ten minutes until the cheese is melted. Cut small olive or pepperoni slides to act as the eyes of the ghost. These are sure to be a hit for kids at the Halloween party.

From a spooky Halloween party to a night spent watching scary movies, the right foods can make all the difference. There is no better way to celebrate one of the best holidays of the year than with delicious snacks, sweets and savory dishes. Whether you choose a classic Halloween dish or try something new this spooky season, these creative Halloween food ideas will become instant favorites.

For even more fun Halloween ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop.