37+ Halloween Dinner Food Ideas for Everyone
Are you wondering what to cook for Halloween dinner this year? Here are some of our favorite Halloween dinner foods for your menu. Don’t forget to pick up Halloween decor and tableware to add to the festive atmosphere.
Table of contents:
1. Deliciously rotten deviled eggs
Start your meal with one of these spooky pre-dinner appetizers. Use your favorite deviled egg recipe and add some food coloring to the yolk filling to get a lime green color. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
2. Sweet potato jack-o’-lanterns
Wash and cut sweet potatoes into rounds. Use a paring knife to cut out eyes, nose and mouth. Brush with olive oil and bake the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Flip, then bake for another 20 minutes or until cooked. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
3. Jack-o’-lantern veggie tray
Place a bag of baby carrots on a round tray. Use two small dip dishes for the eyes, a small yellow pepper for the nose and cucumber slices for the mouth. Place a celery stick at the top for the stem.
4. Snake breadsticks
Using refrigerated breadstick dough, twist two lengths together to create a long, thin snake. Brush with an egg wash tinted with green food coloring. Use black sesame seeds for the eyes and cut pepperoni to make a thin tongue. Bake as directed on the package or until cooked.
5. 7-layer web dip
Make your favorite seven-layer dip in a round dish. Use sour cream to create a spiderweb on top and make spiders out of olives. Garnish the edges with cheese, green onions, tomato pieces and sliced olives. Serve with chips.
6. Tortilla bats
Use a bat cookie cutter to cut tortillas. Bake the bat chips at 350 degrees for eight to 10 minutes. Serve with salad or guacamole.
7. Witches’ fingers breadsticks
Shape breadstick dough into slender fingers, then add almond “nails” for a spooky touch. These buttery, soft breadsticks are a quick Halloween dinner food to prepare and make a fun, creepy appetizer for your party. Perfect for dipping in marinara or cheese sauce.
8. Jack-o’-lantern quesadillas
Cut tortillas into scary Halloween shapes, then fill with cheese and cooked chicken or black beans. Bake until golden and melty. These festive quesadillas are easy to assemble and a hit with kids at any spooky dinner.
9. Graveyard taco dip
Layer refried beans, seasoned sour cream, salsa, cheese and toppings in a dish. Decorate with cracker or tortilla “tombstones” and “grass” made of lettuce for a flavorful dip that will add a ghoulish vibe to your Halloween feast.
10. Wonton bats
Fill egg roll wrappers with cream cheese and herbs, then fold and fry into crispy bats. Use black olives or pepperoni for eyes. These bite-sized, crunchy appetizers are one of the quickest Halloween dinner foods to make — perfect for an eerie snack tray.
11. Baked pumpkin fondue
Hollow out a pumpkin, fill with a bubbling cheese sauce and bake until hot and melty. Serve with bread, veggies or roasted potatoes for a Halloween centerpiece that’s both fun and delicious.
12. Skull caprese salad
Arrange mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes on a plate to resemble a skull, then garnish with basil leaves and balsamic glaze. This spooky, fresh appetizer combines classic flavors with a festive, creepy twist.
13. Black olive spider focaccia bread
Press black olives into pizza dough to create a spiderweb or spider design before baking. Finish with rosemary and sea salt for an aromatic, eerie bread. This easy focaccia makes a striking addition to your Halloween table.
14. Chicken boo-dle soup
You can’t go wrong with putting a spooky twist on this dinnertime favorite. Add pizazz to chicken soup by adding black bowtie pasta and carrots that you cut into pumpkin shapes. Serve with your favorite crackers.
15. Mummy calzone
Shape your calzone into an oblong shape, then overlap the dough to look like a cloth-wrapped mummy. Use olives for the eyes and serve with marinara sauce.
16. Toxic mac and cheese
Up the “ew” factor of your Halloween dinner foods by transforming this household staple. Just add green food coloring to a box of white cheese macaroni and cheese mix.
17. Mummy dogs
Wrap hot dogs with thin strips of breadstick dough and bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until dough is lightly browned. Serve with your favorite condiments.
18. Chicken pot pie
Make your favorite chicken pot pie recipe as usual. Cut the top crust to look like a jack-o'-lantern or skeleton. If you opt for the latter, use black food coloring to draw a few spiders on it.
19. Eyeball pasta
Cook spinach pasta and top with marinara sauce. Make eyeballs by cutting string cheese into small pieces, using a straw to poke out the center and filling the hole with a black olive. Place several “eyeballs” on top of the marinara sauce.
20. Halloween pizzas
For one of the most fun Halloween dinner ideas, use pre-made pizza crusts and let everyone DIY their own pizzas. See who can make the scariest monster or cutest pumpkin.
21. Creepy Halloween hand pies
Trace your hand on paper and cut it out to make a template. Use this to cut two hands out of refrigerated pizza dough for each pie you want to make. Cook together a pound of ground beef or chicken, add a cup of salsa and a packet of taco seasoning. Top one piece of dough with the meat mixture, add some shredded cheese and top with the other piece of dough. Use a fork to crimp the edges closed. Brush with a beaten egg and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
22. Halloween feet loaf
Rather than putting your meatloaf in a pan, free-form it into the shape of a foot and bake on a rimmed cookie sheet. Use slivers of onion for the toenails and ketchup for blood. Bake as usual, but check for doneness since it’s an unusual shape and the inside might take longer to cook.
23. Pumpkin soup with web topping
Make a warm, savory pumpkin soup and finish it with a decorative sour cream web for a spooky touch. This easy-to-make recipe is perfect for cozy Halloween dinners and impresses guests with its festive presentation.
24. Blood-red tomato soup
Serve this vibrant, spicy tomato soup as your “vampire’s brew” for a creepy, flavorful starter. Blend ripe tomatoes with seasonings and top with a swirl of cream for a striking, blood-red appearance that’s sure to wow your guests.
25. Stew served in a pumpkin
Hollow out a small edible pumpkin and fill it with hearty beef stew or red wine braised beef. This festive presentation adds a fun element to your dinner table while keeping the meal warm and flavorful.
26. Witch’s cauldron chili
Simmer a batch of pumpkin or butternut squash chili in a large black pot, topped with shredded cheese to resemble bubbling foam. This is one of the best Halloween dinner food ideas you can serve straight from the cauldron.
27. Pumpkin risotto
Creamy and comforting, this pumpkin risotto combines arborio rice, pumpkin puree, sage and Parmesan. Stir until velvety and serve garnished with fresh herbs for a cozy dinner party food.
28. Witches’ hair pasta
Dress up your dinner with black squid ink pasta coated with garlic and chili oil. This spooky pasta is quick to prepare and the perfect dinner for those looking for fun Halloween foods.
Grab it now on Instacart
29. Crispy pumpkins
These crispy pumpkin treats are as yummy as they are cute. Make crispy rice cereal treats, adding orange food coloring. Shape into small pumpkins and top with an unwrapped Rolo for the stem and a green M&M for the leaf.
30. Candy corn fruit parfait
In transparent glasses, layer (filling one-third of the way with each item) pineapple chunks, mandarin orange slices and whipped topping or yogurt. Garnish with a piece or two of candy corn.
31. Witches’ cauldron brownie bites
Mix up a package of brownie mix and bake it in mini muffin tins. While still warm, use a cookie scoop to make a depression in each one. After the brownies are cool, fill the center with green frosting and top with round green candies. Add a pretzel stick to resemble a broom handle.
32. Bloody guts
Roll refrigerated cinnamon rolls into long ropes and place them on a baking sheet, twisted around like intestines. Bake for two to three minutes less than directed on the package to avoid overcooking. Add red food coloring to the icing, and drizzle on top. Add a few plastic spiders if you dare!
33. Chocolate cookie spiders
Use plain or Halloween chocolate cookies, small pretzel sticks and candy eyes to create these creepy cookies. Just stick eight pretzels in each cookie for legs and glue the eyes in place with a dot of icing.
34. Meringue ghosts
Create light, crispy meringue ghosts by piping whipped egg whites and baking until dry. Use melted chocolate or food-safe markers to add adorable ghost faces. These fun treats are perfect for Halloween parties and make charming edible decorations for cakes and cupcakes.
35. Pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Bake soft, fall-inspired cinnamon rolls filled with pumpkin and warm spices. Drizzle with icing for a cozy, seasonal treat that’s perfect for breakfast or dessert. These fall desserts bring comforting flavors to your Halloween gathering and can be made ahead for easy serving.
36. Ghoulish lemonade
Don’t forget the drinks! If you’re looking for some deliciously spooky kid-friendly beverages to try, you can turn ordinary lemonade black by adding a few drops of black food coloring. Serve in clear cups and garnish with lemon slices.
37. Vampire punch
To make this fun Halloween party drink, stir one cup of sugar into one cup of boiling water until dissolved and cool. Mix three cups of blood orange juice and one cup of tart cherry juice. Add in sugar water and a two-liter bottle of lemon-lime soda.
38. Goosebumps punch
Mix 3 liters of lemon-lime soda with 10 drops of green food coloring, then add a gallon of rainbow sherbet. Serve in clear glasses with sour gummy worms.
Start shopping for Halloween dinner
Now that your mind is spinning with ideas for Halloween dinner foods, start making your shopping list. There are no tricks (only treats!) when you order through Instacart and have your ingredients delivered straight to your door.
Need more quick bites to serve at your haunted gathering? Make these easy finger foods for your party to impress your guests!
Mel Hull
Author
Mel is a seasoned content strategist and food writer with over a decade of experience helping brands tell compelling stories. Inspired by her hometown of Houston, TX, she brings her love of bold flavors and Southern hospitality to the table. In the kitchen, she loves baking (especially banana bread!) and experimenting with Tex-Mex dishes.
Heather Matley
Editor
Heather Matley is an editor at Instacart whose passion for food and cooking has inspired her work on everything from grocery guides to recipe development. With over eight years of experience in editing, content creation, and search engine optimization, she strives to empower readers with the most effective tools, guides, and ideas to transform their home cooking.
Instacart Recommends
View most recent posts →
