Creepy Halloween Food: Make a Prosciutto Face

A healthier alternative to sugar-laden treats, this creepy prosciutto face is a fun addition to any Halloween party food lineup.

Years ago, I went to a Halloween party at my friend's nursery school. Parents were invited to bring food items to share, and one of the things I brought was this creepy prosciutto face. It attracted a lot of attention!

Most Halloween food is packed with sugar and is quite unhealthy. That's why I like coming up with non-sugary Halloween food ideas that are still fun.

This has always been one of my favorites. Over the years, I've gone about making this “cute” appetizer in several different ways.

Watch how easy it is to make a prosciutto face

Make the prosciutto face base

Use a mask

The easiest way to make a creepy prosciutto face is to cover a store-bought mask with foil or plastic wrap, and then cover it with prosciutto ham.

While it's the fastest way to complete this project, you have to go out and buy a mask if you don't have one around. That means you'll also have extra “junk” at home after the party is finished.

Pros of using a mask:

• Quick and easy

Cons of using a mask:

• You have to buy a mask
• The finished face is wide and flat

While the face mask made the whole process super quick and easy, I think the homemade face structure looked better in the end. Perhaps by cutting the excess width off the forehead portion of the mask, it would look better.

Make a form from tissue paper

The first time I made the prosciutto face for the party, I didn't have a mask to use. So, I made a facial structure base from some wadded up paper and cloth scraps stuffed into a plastic food-safe bag.

To make a base for the prosciutto face, you can use whatever you have on hand. I've used paper towels, wadded up tissue paper, cloth scraps, and crumpled newspaper.

You'll need:

• Paper scraps
• Aluminum foil and/or plastic wrap

Instructions:

Wad the paper up into an oval spheroid shape. You can hold it all together by filling a paper or plastic bag.

Cover the form with aluminum foil or plastic. I prefer using aluminum foil as it can be easily molded and hold its shape.

Press into the shape on either side to form eye sockets. In retrospect, I probably should have put them a bit lower on the face to leave room for a forehead.

Make a nose shape by adding a small wad of paper on top of the shape where the nose should be.

Cover the “nose” with another sheet of aluminum foil to hold it all in place.

Cover a cheese ball

I haven't done this myself yet, but the last time I brought out a ham face tray, a friend asked if there was cheese under there. I though, “Wow! What a great idea!”

Rather than use a mask or paper, you can make the shape of the face out of cheese ball ingredients. (Recipe to come?) 😉

Covering the base with ham “muscle”

You will need:

• Prosciutto, serrano ham, or another cured ham with a “muscle-like” look

Instructions:

Keep adding the prosciutto until you have completely covered up the face structure and used all of the ham that you want to use.

Once you have made the basic shape of a face, you can start to cover the face with your prosciutto.

It looks more realistic when you use strips of ham and criss-cross them over the face structure.

Continue to wrap and cover the face form with ham until the entire face is covered.

• Redder, thicker ham slices look a bit less creepy.
• Thinner, browner strips of ham give a creepier, more realistic zombie look. Depending upon your audience and party, you can choose accordingly. 😉

Edible eyeballs

No creepy edible face would be complete without edible eyeballs! They give the face a super creepy look.

You can use:

• Cream cheese and olives
• Mozzarella balls and blueberries
• Homemade gummy eyeballs
• lychees with blueberries

For that first Halloween party, I made the eyes out of olives stuck onto the face with some cream cheese. That worked out really well, and was a super easy option using foods many of us already have in our fridge.

On a different day, I remembered that I still had a few homemade gummy eyeballs in the fridge. So, I used those instead. To keep them in place, I wrapped a few thin pieces of prosciutto around them. I think this is probably the creepiest and tastiest option!

When I made my video about how to make a creepy prosciutto face, I used mozzarella balls for the eyes, and scooped out small areas to which I added some blueberry pupils. That was another super easy, less creepy, eyeball you could choose.

Looking back, I think that by wrapping strips of prosciutto ham around the eyeballs gives the whole thing a more finished look. You could try doing it with the mozzarella or cream cheese options too!

Garnishing your prosciutto face

Don't leave your prosciutto face on a platter by itself! Try surrounding it by the following…

• Make an original antipasto platter by surrounding it with other sliced meats and cheeses.
• For the health-conscious, surround your prosciutto face with some cut up raw veggies.
• Surround it with crackers. (This is especially a good idea if you have covered a cheese ball.)

Now be prepared for your guests to be shocked, grossed out, and amazed all at the same time!

How to Make a Creepy Prosciutto Face

Looking for other non-sugar, cute Halloween food ideas? Check out my Halloween food ideas for kids.

*This post was originally posted on October 16, 2013 and was updated and republished in October 2019 with new photos, tips and ideas.