• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
es_ES Español
  • About
    • Meet Tracy!
    • Contact Me
    • Disclaimers & Disclosures
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Holidays
    • New Years Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • es_ES
Oh, The Things We'll Make!

Oh, The Things We'll Make!

Make it yourself so that you control the ingredients!

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Soups & Salads
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Sweets
      • frozen treats
    • Breads & Wraps
    • MIY Pantry Basics
    • Condiments & Sauces
    • Beverages & Smoothies
    • Story Archives
  • Make it Yourself
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Face & Body
      • Cleansers, Soaps, & Gels
      • Deodorants
      • Hair
      • Skin Care
      • Oral Care
      • Baby & Toddler Care
    • Home & Garden
      • Cleaning & Laundry
      • Garden & Hens
    • Soap Making
    • Upcycling
  • About
    • Meet Tracy!
      • More About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Disclaimers & Disclosures
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Soups & Salads
    • Beverages & Smoothies
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Sweets
      • frozen treats
    • Breads & Wraps
    • Condiments & Sauces
    • MIY Pantry Basics
    • Story Archives
  • Make it Yourself
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Natural Face & Body
      • Cleansers, Soaps, & Gels
      • Natural Skin Care
      • Natural Hair care
      • Oral Care
      • Deodorants
      • Baby & Toddler Care
    • Soap Making
    • Home & Garden
      • Cleaning & Laundry
      • Garden & Hens
    • Photography
    • Upcycling
  • Holidays
    • New Years Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
es_ES Español
Overhead view of 12 pizzas that have been decorated for Halloween with ghosts, spiders, a bat and other Halloween characters

13 Easy Halloween Food Ideas For Kids

Last Modified: October 10, 2021 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // October 6, 2021 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

es_ES Español

Ditch the processed candy this Halloween with these quick-and-easy, low-sugar Halloween inspired food ideas for kids. See how easy it is to make food fun for Halloween, with everything from ghost and mummy pizzas and "bloody" burgers to spiderweb soup. #thethingswellmake #halloweenfood #halloweenrecipes #halloweenmeals #halloweensnacksforkids #halloweenfruit #halloweenideas #halloweenkids #miy #bentoboxforkids

There’s no need to rely on sugar-laden treats to get your kids excited about Halloween. Try these fun Halloween food ideas for kids!

Overhead view of 12 pizzas that have been decorated for Halloween with ghosts, spiders, a bat and other Halloween characters
Pin these ideas to Pinterest for later!

I have always loved Halloween and Halloween parties.

As a kid, I remember one Halloween party where we had to touch different foods blindfolded. We touched eyeballs (grapes), brains (jello), teeth (corn kernels), and “guts” (Spaghetti), and other slimy unknowns. It creeped us out, but it was a lot of fun!

I also enjoyed planning my own Halloween parties and thinking up all sorts of Halloween party food ideas. From the silly and spooky to the creepy and gross, I love it all.

What don’t I love? The over-abundance of sugar associated with the holiday.

Halloween doesn’t have to be about candy apples and candy corn. You can make fun, healthier snacks and meals or even healthier Halloween desserts. To make healthier Halloween treats, you just need to get a bit creative. Just about any food can be decorated in a way that makes it fun for the holiday.

One easy way to make foods fun for the holidays is to use Halloween cookie cutters to cut them to shape. That’s how I made some fun-looking Halloween chicken nuggets for my son!

Halloween Chicken Nuggets

Looking for a Halloween dinner idea for kids? These Halloween chicken nuggets are super cute and easy to make. Plus, they can be made grain (and gluten) free!
Check out this recipe
Halloween chicken nuggets shaped like ghosts, pumpkins, and bats, decorated with BBQ sauce and served with sweet potato fries.

There are lots of other ways to make your food fun, though. You can make something cute, something spooky, or something slightly gory. Choose depending on the age of the kids and the type of party or occasion where it will be served.

Overhead view of 4 Halloween themed bento boxes with foods decorated with skeletons, monsters, ghosts, pumpkins, and mummies

1. Cute Monster Foods

While monsters are supposed to be scary, movies like Monsters Inc. have changed our perception of them. Instead, they can be funny and cute. Younger kids especially love monster inspired treats. Cute monsters can be made by adding “eyes” to pretty much any food using toothpicks. Check out these cute monster hamburgers and the silly looking monsters made from apple slices, nut butter, sunflower seeds, and strawberries.

  • monster hamburgers next to a plate of pretzel and cheese broomsticks, frankfurt witche's fingers, and other Halloween foods.
    Monster burgers, pretzel broomsticks, and frankfurt fingers all make for fun Halloween food for kids.
  • 6 monsters on a plate made from apple slices, peanut butter and with strawberry slice tongues.
    Cute monsters can be made from apple slices, nut butter, sunflower seeds, and strawberries.

2. Mummies

Mummies are another fun theme that can easily be made in a number of ways. For a super easy idea, wrap fruits and other school lunch foods in paper or gauze. Then add paper or googly eyes to finish the design.

For a completely edible mummy, wrap or decorate foods with cheese strips. This works especially well for decorating foods like sandwiches and pizza.

  • Overhead view of a platter covered with mini mummy pizzas, and tarts covered with olive spiders, amongst other foods.
    Mummy pizzas
  • Mummy hamburgers
  • Easy mummy fruit

3 . Frankenstein foods

Another classic monster theme that’s a lot of fun is Frakenstein. Because Frankenstein is green, you can sneak in some healthy foods when making him. In the Bento boxes photo above, you can see how they converted a spinach wrap into a cute Frankenstein. A homemade guacamole spread is another great way to get the perfect shade of green.

3 open-faced avocado sandwiches on a plate with Frankenstein faces made from black olives and red bell peppers.
Avocado makes a great Frankenstein “makeup” for your sandwiches.

4. Spiders and spiderwebs

Haunted houses are almost always covered in lots of dust and spiderwebs. That’s probably why spiders and spiderwebs end up as the decorations for so many Halloween snacks.

You can easily make spiders out of black olives, or, if you’re really short on time, you can decorate any party food plate with a few plastic spiders.

For the spiderweb, you can arrange some spaghetti strategically or try my method for decorating soup with a cute, spiderweb design. The same idea can be used to decorate a variety of thick soups and dips.

  • Overhead view of a plate of spaghetti with pesto sauce (a nest) covered with olives decorated with eyes next to a meatball "spider" with cucumber peel legs
    This cute spider hamburger has a spaghetti web flavored with pesto sauce.
  • Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Red Peppers and Caramelized Onions

Check out my tutorial for making the spiderweb design along with the recipe for a tasty roasted pumpkin soup with red peppers and caramelized onions. It’s the perfect appetizer for your Halloween dinner!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Red Peppers and Caramelized Onions

Roasting your veggies brings out the flavors in this creamy pumpkin soup, the perfect healthy comfort food for those cooler autumn and winter days.
Check out this recipe
two bowls of a roasted pumpkin soup garnished with fresh sage and caramelized onions.

5. Gummy worms and leeches

It’s not just spiders and spiderwebs. Lots of creepy crawlies are popular at Halloween. While gummy worms aren’t only associated with this holiday, the thought of eating leeches would make just about anybody squirm. These gummy treats are fun and easy to make and much healthier than commercially sold candy.

DIY Gummy Worms

Fun for kids of all ages, Make your own healthier homemade gummy worms (or gummy leeches), even if you don’t have any candy molds.
Check out this recipe
A bowl filled with orange and red homemade gummy worms

6. Jack-o-lantern fruits and veggies

While the classic jack-o-lantern is probably the most iconic symbol of Halloween, you don’t have to stick to carving pumpkins (which most people never end up eating anyway). You can either carve other fruits and veggies to look like a jack-o-lantern, or you can just decorate them with paper cutouts to give them their faces. While oranges would be an obvious choice for decorating, look how fun Jack-o-lantern pineapples look!

Hollow veggie and fruit jack-o-lanterns can be either filled with led candles or stuffed with other foods (like dips, pasta, or rice dishes).

  • peppers cut into jack-o-lanterns on a plate decorated with plastic spiders
    Stuffed pepper Jack-o-lanterns
  • jack-o-lanterns made from bell peppers
    Pepper Jack-o-lanterns with candles
  • pineapples decorated with paper eyes and mouth to look like jack-o-lanterns
    Jack-o-lantern pineapples

7. Veggie candies

Another healthier alternative is to make gummy treats using fruit and veggie juices and taking advantage of their natural colors and flavors. By forming them in Halloween-shaped molds, you end up with super cute and delicious candies that don’t need artificial food coloring.

Homemade Fruit and Veggie Gummies – Live Simply

A great processed candy alternative, these super cute gummy treats help your kids get in an extra serving of fruits and veggies in a fun way!
Check out this recipe
A bowl of pumpkin shaped gummy treats made with fruits and vegetables

8. Witches’ fingers and other body parts

Horror movies serve as inspiration for so many gory Halloween party foods and activities. These often include foods representing dismembered body parts. Some ideas for your holiday platter include pretzel bones and cookies shaped like witches’ fingers. For the spooky fingernails, use almonds. Either bake them in place or stick them on with melted white chocolate. (For a cookie recipe you can use, why not try my pumpkin spice biscotti?)

A tray covered in witches' finger cookies

9. Ketchup “Blood”

Another way to add a bit of gore to your Halloween foods is to add a dash of “blood”. Something as simple as stabbing your food with a knife and letting it ooze ketchup instantly transforms it into fun Halloween fare!

3 hambuergers on a platter. The right two have been made to look like monsters, while the left hamburger has been stabbed with a knife and is oozing ketchup blood.

10. Eyeballs

Eyeballs are another commonly represented body part in Halloween foods. I, myself, couldn’t resist the fun of making some spooktacular gummy eyeballs with coconut milk, fruit juice, and blueberries. They’re simple to make and are delicious!

Spooktacular Gummy Eyeballs

Looking for a healthier Halloween treat? Learn how to make gummy eyeballs, using not-so-spooky, real-food ingredients. They're fun to make and delicious!
Check out this recipe
A hand holding a gummy eyeball from a plate full of gummy eyeballs and a jack-o-lantern in the background.

11. Creepy skinless face

Another gory body part food is fun to make and completely sugar-free! For a spooky Halloween antipasto platter, cover a mask (or a face shape made with paper and foil) with ham or other deli meats. I like the look of using cured ham like prosciutto or jamón serrano, but you can experiment with whatever you have on hand. Cream cheese works great for sticking olive eyes in place.

Creepy Prosciutto Face

Don't let sugar scare your guests away from your Halloween party. Make this creepy prosciutto face as a healthier alternative to the usual sugar-laden Halloween treats.
Check out this recipe
Creepy Halloween dish shaped as a head made out of Prosciutto ham with cream cheese and green olive eyes, surrounded by square crackers.

12. Tombstone cakes

Another fun classic is to cover your desserts with “tombstones” and “dirt”. This can be done with a variety of Halloween recipes. Decorate cupcakes or cakes (why not cheesecake?), chocolate mousse, or pudding cups with “dirt” made from crushed chocolate cookies or chocolate chips. Then, add some cookie tombstones and maybe even some gummy worms. Your guests will surely love them!

  • Table with Halloween foods including a prosciuttos face and a pumpkin shaped cheeseball with crackers
    Tombstone cheesecake and creepy ham face
  • tombstone desserts
    Tombstone chocolate mousse or pudding cups

13. Pumpkin serving bowls

If you’re really out of ideas, cut off the top of some small pumpkins and hollow them out so that you can serve other foods inside them. Bake the pumpkins first if using them to serve cooked dishes like soups and stews. You could even garnish them with pretzel broomsticks (shown above) to make them look like a witch’s cauldron!

A hallowed out pumpkin being used as a bowl for a vegetable rice dish.

I hope you have found some fun ideas to use for your next party!

This post was originally published on Oct. 12, 2014. It linked out to real food recipes and other Halloween party ideas on other blogs, many of which have since disappeared. It was completely rewritten to remove broken links and give new, fun ideas for easy Halloween treats!

Category: Halloween

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

Previous Post: « Overhead view of scooping out a roasted butternut squash pumpkin into a jar and ice cube trays for freezing. Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree (Canned Pumpkin Substitute)
Next Post: 10 Healthy Ways To Spice Up Your Coffee Overhead view of several cups of coffee flavored in different ways. »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shannon Colclough

    July 31, 2022 at 8:12 PM

    Those lunchbox ideas are to cute! Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza, DDS

      September 5, 2022 at 1:48 PM

      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Sarah

    October 16, 2014 at 3:03 AM

    Tracy, this roundup is great! And that pumpkin yogurt parfait is calling my name!

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      October 16, 2014 at 1:21 PM

      Thanks, Sarah!
      I’ve been eating that for breakfast most days over the last couple of weeks! I like that it’s not overly sweet, but you can always sweeten it if you like it that way. 😉

      Reply
  3. KC Coake

    October 15, 2014 at 2:29 AM

    This looks like an amazing list of ideas! Inspiration for sure! Thanks so much for including 2 of my posts in the round-up.
    KC

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      October 15, 2014 at 11:19 AM

      Thank you for letting me use them! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Amanda L

    October 14, 2014 at 5:36 PM

    What a fantastic round up of Halloween and Real Food ideas! And thanks for including my Door Mummy decoration in the round up!

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      October 14, 2014 at 5:56 PM

      Thank you, Amanda! I’m glad you like it! Thanks for letting me use it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Search

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
Oh, the things we'll make!...

More about Tracy

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Healthline, Redbook, Redfin

Closeup of 4 bars of homemade soap. Two of them have been wrapped in brown paper and wrapped with ribbons. One soap is wrapped with red ribbon and the other with white ribbon.

Making an Easy, Basic Beginner Soap, and Then Making it Fun!!

Homemade prawn crackers on a plate in front of uncooked homemade prawn crackers and a roll of prawn crackers dough.

Prawn Crackers from Scratch

Impress your friends and save money by making your own soy sauce from scratch. Today we'll learn how to make a homemade shoyu, a fermented Japanese soy sauce made from soybeans and wheat berries. #shoyu #soysauce

How to Make Soy Sauce (Homemade Shoyu)

Two bottles of a homemade conditioner next to a wooden comb and a washcloth.

Easy DIY Hair Conditioner for Natural Hair

A small glass jar filled with an emulsified sugar scrub with a wooden spoon in it.

Easy Emulsified Sugar Scrub

Over head view of a spoon full of tomato paste over a jar full of it. A couple of fresh tomatoes lay next to the jar.

Easy Homemade Tomato Paste Recipe

Featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Healthline, Redbook, Redfin

White logo for Oh, The Things Well Make! website

Copyright © 2023 Tracy Ariza · Disclaimers and Disclosures · Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy