Perhaps one of the trickiest parts of planning a party is coming up with great Halloween food ideas. This is where you’ll need to get the most creative. We are going to cover a few important party tips, give you a few amazing ideas for snacks, and some of this moms top spooky drinks for Halloween parties.
It’s important to spend a good amount of time planning the Halloween party menu. Are you going to host a dinner, or simply provide Halloween themed treats? Whatever style of party you’re throwing, there’s a few tips you can follow to ensure you put together a great menu.
Tips for Putting Together a Great Halloween Party
First, if you are having a dinner party, (like our Witch Themed Dinner Party,) please check your guests’ dietary requirements. Does anybody have any special requirements you’ll need to cater to?
It’s a good idea to add a little note or checklist in with the invites. This will allow the guests to tell you whether or not they do have any dietary needs. Make sure to ask whether they need vegan, gluten-free or allergen-free foods. The last thing you need is for a guest to become seriously ill because you didn’t plan ahead.
Don’t forget to accessorize for your party…with a spooky cauldron.
Now for the fun part, coming up up with spooky treats using our Halloween food ideas…
What Type of Halloween Party Are You Throwing?
Whatever style Halloween party you’re throwing, you’re going to want to serve up spooky Halloween treats. These include things such as cookies, coated apples, cupcakes and candy related treats.
Are you going to make the treats yourself or buy them ready-made? A great tip is to create a few of your own treats and buy the rest. If you’re putting together a full dinner party, you can get away with buying pre-made treats without creating any of your own. However, if you’re just supplying light bites, creating your own treats is recommended.
Consider Getting the Guests Involved with the Food
If you don’t have a lot of time or a big budget, you can consider getting the guests involved with the food. Organize the party like a potluck party. That is, each guest will be responsible for bringing one item of food. Be sure to keep track of what each guest is bringing so you can fill in where needed. I also suggest having a list of items you would like for when someone needs Halloween food ideas.
A potluck really lowers the cost and the effort of hosting a Halloween party. However, if you do plan on asking your guests to get involved, you’re going to need to give them plenty of notice.
This idea is also great for those who are faced with guests with special dietary requirements. You can ask the guests to bring their own dishes as they’ll know what they can and cannot eat.
Greet those guests properly…
Go In With a Grocery Shopping List
After hearing back from your guests about their dietary requirements, you can put together a shopping list. It’s really important to ensure you know what you’re shopping for.
Aim to go shopping specifically for the Halloween party. You need all of your focus to be on the menu you’re creating. Have a solid list you can follow, ticking it off along the way. This will ensure you don’t forget any important ingredients from your Halloween food ideas list.
Prepare Your Halloween Party Food in Advance
Another awesome time saving tip is to prepare the food in advance. The last thing you want to be doing on the day is cooking and baking. You’ll need as much time as possible to decorate and get ready.
As you are planning out your menu, pick different items with different prepare times. A lot of food will be able to be prepped the night before. Do as much as you can in advance, so the day of the party is as stress-free as possible. And try to limit the amount of food that needs to be prepared the same day. Especially if your Halloween party will fall during the week.
Putting together a Halloween party menu can be time consuming. Remember to look for inspiration online too as this will help you to come up with creative Halloween style treats. The earlier you plan your menu, the less stressful you’ll find putting it all together on the day of the party.
12 Easy Spooky Halloween Food Ideas & Treats to Serve
No Halloween party would be complete without a few spooky treats. While you can buy pre-made Halloween goodies, it’s a lot more fun to actually make the treats yourself. There are hundreds of different Halloween treat recipes you can try out. Remember, you’ll need to take into account the dietary requirements of your guests when creating your Halloween themed recipes.
To give you a little inspiration, below you’ll discover 12 spooky Halloween treat recipes you’ll want to consider adding to the party. All of the recipes below are easy to create and don’t require any specialist baking skills. Most you can tweak to fit your party theme as well.
1. Candy Coated Apples
Coated apples are a common, yet iconic feature at Halloween parties. They’re also super-easy to make. For this treat idea, you’ll simply need apples, candy melts and semisweet chocolate chips.
All you need to do is melt the candies, dip the apples into them and ensure they’re well covered. You have two options after that. You can cover the caramel apples in things like sprinkles or nuts. Then, refrigerate the apples for at least half an hour.
Or once the apples are set, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, then spoon the chocolate into a Ziplock bag. Cut out the corner and use the bag to pipe the chocolate onto the apples, creating eyes and a mouth for the ghosts. Place the apples back into the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, or until you want to serve them.
2. Spooky Snack Mix
Making your own snack mix, which is similar to Chex mix, is easy and budget friendly. Plus it can be made to fit any holiday, orange for Halloween, red and green for Christmas, etc. This snack mix should start with any type of dry cereal you like. Chex Mix really is one of the best options, but be creative and pick anything you want. You will then add in other snack pieces that you think complement it, such as mini pretzels, candy corns, sunflower seeds that have been roasted, and bite-size Halloween candy pieces for some added sweetness.
3. Little Monster Cupcakes
Everyone loves cupcakes! If you want to test out your baking skills, these little monster cupcakes are a fab idea. You’ll find hundreds of Halloween party themed cupcakes you can create. However, if you’re looking for something simple yet fun, these designs are highly recommended.
You’ll need to first bake a batch of cupcakes. You can technically use any cupcake recipe you like here. However, if you want to create the full little monster cupcake recipe, you can find it here. Once you’ve got your cupcakes, it’s time to decorate them. Use some colored frosting and candy to create cute monster faces on the top of the cupcakes.
If you are looking to save time, you can usually pick up pre-made cupcakes already iced and just add your own spooky decorations. I love using this hack when I am in a hurry. This way I can spend more time with the fun decorating part and less time on the baking part.
4. Brownie Ghosts
A popular spooky treat you can serve up at the party is these great brownie ghosts. You can save time by using brownie cake mix and doctoring them up to how you like them (nuts, candies, etc.) Cook according to the package, then let cool. Once they are cool, cut into squares. Then you place the marshmallow on top and pour the melted chocolate over the top to give the ghost effect. Find the full recipe here.
5. Halloween Bark
This Halloween treat is similar to peanut brittle, but it is made for Halloween. You start by melting chocolate, then pouring it onto a sheet of parchment paper that is lining a small baking sheet. Just spread the chocolate around until it is even, making sure it doesn’t run off the sides. When it is still melted, add some items for the bark, such as pieces of candy corn, broken M&M’s, pretzel pieces, peanuts, and little pieces of other candy. Now put it in the fridge to harden the chocolate. Once hardened, you can break up the bark into smaller pieces and place on a cute plate for the party.
6. Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats
To make these treats, you will start with a traditional Rice Krispie treat recipe. It’s super easy and you can find it on the box. Make the treats according to the directions, then cut them into more of rectangles instead of squares. Use green frosting to paint on the Frankenstein face. You can be as basic or get as elaborate with his face as you want. Then you’re all done!
Another option with the rice krispie treats is to use cookie cutters to have spooky shapes like ghosts and tombstones, then you can icing them as well.
7. Healthy Ghosts and Ghouls
Looking for a few healthy options? Your kids are already going to be on a sugar high from all the candy they’ve consumed. So, why not create a few healthy snacks to balance things out a bit? These healthy ghosts and ghouls are a great way to get fruit into your little ones this Halloween.
All you’ll need is some bananas, strawberries, candy melts, shortening, popsicle sticks, semisweet chocolate chips and white choc baking chips. Just get creative and create something spooky.
8. Decorate a Store-Bought Pie
If you haven’t got a lot of time or you don’t want to spend too much money creating Halloween treats, a pre-bought store pie is a great option. This is one of my favorite tricks for parties. Store bought or even frozen pies will save you tons of time. You can simply decorate it with spooky faces for a quick and easy dessert recipe. Pumpkin pies are the best to use for this purpose. And there are tons of pie decorating tips on Pinterest for inspiration.
9. Witch Hat Cupcakes
If you are going to make cupcakes for Halloween, whether as dessert for your kids, to bring to their school, or for a Halloween party, witch hat cupcakes are a really fun idea. You start with a standard cupcake and frosting. Doing a chocolate cupcake with a bold purple frosting is good for a witch cupcake. You will then take a mini ice cream cone, dip it in melted chocolate, and turn it upside down, then place it on top of the cupcake.
10. Chocolate-Covered Pretzels
If you want a simple snack that is easy to make, just combine pretzels and melted chocolate. You want to have orange chocolate for Halloween, so take white chocolate and add some orange food coloring to it. Melt the chocolate, then dip your pretzels in and place on parchment paper. Use the round pretzels so you can make them look like pumpkins. When the chocolate is not yet hard, use a small candy piece on top for the stem, and sprinkle some black, orange, and green sprinkles on top.
When you’re setting up for the party, add the Spooky Snack Mix to a decorative bow, like this one with a hand coming up out of it to get you.
11. Sweet & Spicy Halloween Munchies
You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to create an impressive Halloween treat. This sweet & spicy Halloween munch is one of the easiest treat recipes you can create. It’s quick, easy and extremely tasty. And when you are done, just place it in a spooky witches cauldron or pumpkin shaped bowl for display.
All you need to do is mix several of your favorite treats in a bowl. If it’s an adult party, you can add a few items with a little punch. Otherwise, some options are spiced gumdrops, candy corn, salted peanuts, popcorn, and M&Ms. It will take you less than five minutes! Once your done, you can either service it up in one bowl, or individually if you will have little hands grabbing for it. For kids, I recommend using festive cupcake holders to hold the perfect portions.
12. Chocolate Covered Oreo Skeletons
These have cute kids’ sweets wrote all over them. And who doesn’t love an Oreo? Insert sticks into the Oreos and set aside. Melt white chocolate in the microwave or double broiler. Dip the Oreos into the chocolate, then place them in something that will hold them upright while they dry.
Once they are dry, use milk chocolate to draw spooky faces on them and let dry again. Arrange them in a container that will keep them upright for the party.
So, there you have it – 12 simple yet delicious Halloween food ideas and treats that are super-easy to prepare. No matter what your baking skill level, there’s an idea above to suit you. The only thing you need to decide now is what will you be serving to drink?
6 Spooky Halloween Drink Ideas to Serve Up
Of course you will want to create the perfect Halloween party drinks to impress your guests. You’ll find a huge range of recipe ideas for both adult and kids inspired Halloween drinks.
The great thing about serving up your own spooky drinks, is that they’re typically very easy to create. So, you don’t need to be an expert mixologist to get them tasty. And we have a few options that will be a fright for both older and younger guests.
1. Swamp Water Punch
Swamp water punch is a great punch for kids of all ages. Served in milk bottles, it has a very murky, green color. It may look disgusting, but you’ll be surprised just how tasty it is.
You’ll need Sprite, pineapple juice, sweetened condensed milk and limeade. Mix it all together and use a striped straw and decorated personalized label to create each swamp punch for your guest.Then keep a larger container for refills.
2. Spooky Foggy Drinks
Blow the kids away with these awesome spooky foggy drinks. Featuring a bright green color, these clever drinks incorporate dry ice to create a spooky misty effect.
You’ll either need Gatorade or green Kool-Aid to create the green effect. You can also add some gummy worms to give the drink an even spookier effect. Add just a couple of pieces of dry ice to create the clever smoke and watch the kids faces light up with delight.
3. Blood and Sand Cocktail
Hosting a more adult Halloween party? This blood and sand cocktail is an awesome idea. You’ll need 1 ½ ounces of orange juice, sweet vermouth, blended scotch and Cherry Heering to create this tasty cocktail.
Simply shake it all together in a cocktail shaker, then strain it over ice. Slice a lychee fruit in half, placing a cranberry into the middle of each. Then, add this to the drink to create an eyeball effect.
4. Bloody Shirley Temples
If you’re looking for a truly spooky kids Halloween party drink, these bloody Shirley temples are fantastic. They’re basically syringe shots and can be made into both adult and child-friendly drinks.
For the adult version, opt for a cranberry flavor vodka alongside lemon-lime soda. For the child’s version, use cranberry juice. Fill the syringe with the drink, then serve them up as Halloween shots.
It’s worth noting that some younger children may not like this drink idea. So, you’ll be better off serving them to both older kids and adults.
5. Fright White Cocktail
Switching back to adult themed drinks, this Fright White Cocktail is sure to impress. It’s super creamy, making it a great desert style cocktail to serve up to your guests.
You’ll need one-part of Malibu and one-part coconut cream. You’ll also need 1 ½ parts apple juice. Add the ingredients to a strainer and then shake it together with ice. Use martini glasses to serve and add the perfect finishing touch by topping them with white cotton candy.
6. Poisoned Apple Pie
This one’s purely an adult Halloween themed drink. You’ll need 2 ounces of dark rum, 1 medium egg white, ½ an ounce of heavy cream and ½ an ounce of cinnamon syrup. Shake it all together and add some ice, then shake once more to get it all nice and cold.
Strain the drink into a fluted glass before adding 2 ounces of apple juice. To give it that spooky effect, sprinkle over some activated charcoal powder along with some cinnamon.
Serve Up Some Of This Moms Halloween Food Ideas
These are just a small selection of awesome and creative Halloween party tips, snacks, and drinks you can serve up. Whether you’re catering for adults, children, or both, there’s an idea above to fit your requirements. The great thing about creating you own Halloween snacks and drinks is that they’re super easy to do and many require very few ingredients. So enjoy and have fun with our Halloween food ideas.
If you are still scrambling for the perfect Halloween costume, check out some of our Halloween costume ideas. Here are some of our favorites: