55 Easy Halloween Appetizers To Get The Party Startled
Pre-game your candy haul with these spooky appetizers.
We’re big proponents of a good appetizer spread, particularly on holidays not known for their food. Halloween might be ALL about the candy, but you can’t survive on sugar alone. You’re still going to want to get your party started off right by offering a sweet and savory mix of options. Keep your party guests happy all the way 'til the witching hour with these 55 appetizer ideas. They’re sure to please everyone, young and old, this Halloween season.
Much like costumes, Halloween food is a great opportunity to show off your creativity. We’re talking ingenious uses for cookie cutters, like our ghost pizza bagels; putting scary faces on everything, like our Jack-o’-lantern quesadillas, our mummy brie, or our black cat cookies; and using garnishes in unexpectedly spooky ways, like in our cheesy witch brooms, our pumpkin deviled eggs, or our ghoulishly green avocado hummus. When in doubt, pipe a spiderweb on it, like our Oreo spiderwebs or our spiderweb black bean dip. Trust us, everyone will love the effort.
Looking for Halloween appetizers that are a little less… on the nose? We’ve also included some fall appetizers here that feature pumpkins, butternut squash, apples, and more. Check out our caramel apple cheeseball, our butternut squash potstickers, our pumpkin butter and brie pull-apart bread, or our candied walnut Brussels sprouts bites. They’re perfect for Halloween and can be enjoyed all season long too.
Want more Halloween inspiration? Check out our favorite Halloween cocktails, Halloween dinners, and Halloween desserts too.
Candied Pepitas
These candied pepitas are crispy, crunchy perfection with a dash of warm spice to make them ideal for fall snacking. If you can avoid eating all of these directly off the pan with your hands, you can also use them to top pretty much anything.
Get the Candied Pepitas recipe.
Skillet Chili & Meatballs
This recipe combines the best of a game-day snack and the components of spicy chili into a single dish, perfect for any fall party. Rather than crumbling the ground meat as in the classic dish, you'll form those same elements into perfect meatballs. Bathed in a tasty chili sauce, the dish becomes spooky good dip and app all in one.
Get the Skillet Chili & Meatballs recipe.Spider Taco Ring
If you love crescent rolls and are as obsessed with tacos as we are, this Halloween-inspired appetizer is calling your name. Created to playfully represent a spider with crescent roll legs and a crescent roll ring body stuffed with a beefy taco-spiced filling, it’s equal parts cute, creepy, and downright tasty.
Get the Spider Taco Ring recipe.
Witch Finger Cookies
Ghouls, goblins, and witches to the front, please! Spooky season is here, and we’re celebrating in style with these scary delicious witch finger cookies. A witch finger cookie is exactly what it sounds like: a shortbread cookie shaped into a severed finger and adorned with an almond nail and a bit of blood-red jam.
Get the Witch Finger Cookies recipe.
Pumpkin Deviled Eggs
These adorable pumpkin deviled eggs are way easier to make than Jack-o'-lanterns! Paprika gives a wash of bold color, while a fresh chive (or snip of scallion) makes for the perfect stems.
Get the Pumpkin Deviled Eggs recipe.
Pumpkin Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sticks
While we love classic tomato soup, we sometimes want to shake things up a bit when fall comes around. This soup gets an extra creamy dose, not only thanks to sweet pumpkin puree, but also with heavy cream and sharp Parmesan. Serve one or both before your main meal this Halloween.
Avocado Hummus
This ghoulish green dip is the best of hummus and guacamole combined.
Get the Avocado Hummus recipe.
Puppy Chow
Puppy chow (aka muddy buddies) is one of the easiest and most delicious snacks EVER. The only thing that could make them better is mix-ins—we love having a mix of sweet and savory, so pretzels, plain potato chips, or salted peanuts would make a great addition.
Get the Puppy Chow recipe.
Mummy Brie
Thanks to puff pastry, your basic baked brie becomes a totally spooky Halloween appetizer. Perfect for a Halloween party spread or to bring to snack on during a scary movie marathon.
Get the Mummy Brie recipe.
Ghost S'mores Dip
This s'mores-inspired dip is the perfect dessert or appetizer to throw together last minute. Graham crackers make for perfect dippers, but sliced apple, pretzels, or potato chips would certainly do the trick. You can even make it ahead of time—to reheat, return to a 450° oven until melty, 3 to 5 minutes.
Get the Ghost S'mores Dip recipe.
Curried Cashews
These curry-lime cashews are a great anytime snack, but we think the color contrast (and the surprising flavor combo) will fit in perfectly in your Halloween appetizer spread too.
Get the Curried Cashews recipe.
Ghost Pizza Bagels
The scariest thing about these pizza bagels is how fast we're going to eat them. 😉 We definitely recommend using a cookie cutter for the ghosts—try other shapes too if you got 'em!
Get the Ghost Pizza Bagels recipe.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
One of pumpkin's best (and often overlooked) attributes is their seeds! They’re super-easy to prepare and make a seriously delicious snack. They're great prepared simply, roasted with salt and melted butter, but the variations are completely endless (like our pumpkin-pie inspired version), so get creative.
Get the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe.
Mummy Hot Dogs
There are a lot of mummy hot dogs in the world, but ours is the best for a couple of big reasons. Firstly, they're stuffed with cheese. Secondly, each mummy is brushed with melted butter before baking. Buttery, flaky, and cheesy, you really can't go wrong!
Get the Mummy Hot Dogs recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Pretzels
White chocolate, pumpkin pie spice, and pretzels come together to make the prettiest pretzels we ever did see. The orange food coloring and sprinkles are optional, but really, why would you not?
Get the Pumpkin Spice Pretzels recipe.
Butternut Squash Potstickers
Making your own potstickers doesn't have to be complicated. These vegan potstickers are easy to put together and most of your time is spent roasting your squash until really tender, which can be done ahead of time. Crimping takes a little practice, but the good news is that even if they look a little wonky, they're still going to taste great!
Get the Butternut Squash Potstickers recipe.
Pumpkin Pie Dip
We have made so many pumpkin pie desserts, but we love this for its simplicity, and because it's the ultimate last-minute dish for Halloween. Gingersnaps are great for dipping, but don't stop there: Apple fries, cannoli shells, or graham crackers would also be delicious.
Get the Pumpkin Pie Dip recipe.
Soft Pretzel Bites
Using canned biscuit dough to make pretzel bites is the best hack ever. The pretzels won't look gorgeous as they come out of the boiling water, but don't worry—they will brown and crisp up and be oh-so-gorgeous when they come out of the oven!
Get the Soft Pretzel Bites recipe.
Cheesy Mini Meatball Skillet Dip
Part cheese dip, part meatballs, this skillet dip is not only delicious but a fun activity for the whole family on Halloween. Gather up your little helpers, wash those hands clean, and get to shaping the mini-meatballs (or feel free to use store-bought if you can find 'em).
Graveyard Chicken Enchilada Dip
It takes fewer than 10 ingredients to throw this simple graveyard together—you might have some of them at home already! Feel free to use all store-bought ingredients to make it easier, or make your own enchilada sauce, homemade chicken, and taco seasoning.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
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