23 Halloween Dinners To Make Before a Night of Trick-or-Treating
Updated on September 25, 2025
Scare up an appetite with hearty dinners full of seasonal ingredients and frightfully fun takes on family-friendly dishes.
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
1 / 23
Fun Halloween Dinner Ideas
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
2 / 23
Monster Veggie Burgers
Need something to fortify your trick or treaters for a night of candy gathering? These madcap veggie burgers are just the thing. They’re full of veggies and greens, but how can they protest -- monsters are green, right? If you’d like to add more cheese, stick a slice on top of each crisp patty in the last minute or two of cooking.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
3 / 23
Halloween Meatballs with Cheesy Skulls
This five-ingredient Halloween-inspired dinner is so easy it’s scary! Mini cheese rounds fit perfectly into skull-shaped molds, and when quickly melted become the perfect creepy garnish for the meatballs and sauce. The sauce comes together with just three ingredients: olive oil, garlic and crushed tomatoes. Using frozen meatballs and simmering them straight from frozen in the sauce is a shortcut that helps add extra flavor. Use your favorite shape of pasta or try black squid-ink spaghetti or a special Halloween-themed pasta for even more ghoulish fun.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
4 / 23
Hot Dog Mummies
Made with store-bought crescent dough, these mummy dogs will be a hit at dinner or a Halloween party. The dough is very forgiving and easy to wrap, and the best part is it doesn’t need to be perfect—these are ancient mummies after all.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
5 / 23
Pumpkin alla Vodka
Warm up your autumn evenings with a delightful fall-inspired vodka sauce that includes pumpkin purée and is tossed with adorable zucca pasta. The creamy sauce blends beautifully with the earthy sweetness of the pumpkin and since the pasta is perfectly shaped like mini pumpkins, the dish has a fun seasonal touch. It’s great if you're hosting a Halloween party or just enjoying a cozy autumn dinner at home.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
6 / 23
Individual Scary White Pizzas
These pizzas are spook-tactularly simple to make. You can use store-bought dough and skip the sauce — and you don’t need to worry about stretching the dough into perfect circles!
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
7 / 23
Mac-O-Lantern and Cheese Bowls
Impress you family with these orange bell pepper jack-o-lanterns. You might even get your kids to eat more veggies this way!
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Matt Armendariz
8 / 23
Bloody Temple
Looking for a delicious drink to serve for Halloween? We’ve transformed a standard Shirley Temple into a spooky, drippy mocktail perfect for trick or treaters — gummy eyeballs included. You can also add gin or vodka for the adults in the crowd — see the Cook’s Note for the perfect amount.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Ryan Dausch
9 / 23
Spaghetti Worm Cups with Bolognese
Maneet uses squid-ink pasta to give her Bolognese cups their eerie black color. If you can’t find it at your local supermarket, black bean pasta is a great substitute.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
10 / 23
Pumpkin Ravioli
These delicious ravioli have pumpkin through and through: Our easy homemade pasta features pumpkin purée. It’s cut out in the shape of pumpkins with a cookie cutter and then stuffed with a pumpkin and crème fraîche filling. Tossed with a nutty brown butter–sage sauce, they are autumn in a bowl.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Jason DeCrow
11 / 23
Meatball Mummies
Puff pastry is a freezer staple. Keep a box on hand at all times and use it to wrap just about anything — kid-friendly, Halloween-inspired meatballs included!
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
12 / 23
Sweet Potato Tot Casserole
This family-friendly casserole topped with sweet potato tots is hearty, crowd pleasing and easy to make. It’s a great dish before trick or treating or for any casual fall dinner. The filling can be prepared a day or two ahead – just top with the cheese and frozen tots before baking.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Teri Lyn Fisher
13 / 23
Chicken Pumpkins
Like a fairy godmother in the kitchen, you can transform boring bites of chicken into magical pumpkins with just a “swish” of the knife.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Eddy Chen ©
14 / 23
Green Chicken Finger Sandwiches
These crispy chicken fingers get their wicked witch-inspired hue from a secret ingredient in the panko crust: matcha powder!
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Pizza Tentacles
This dinner may look like a terrifying sea monster but the only thing scary about those tentacles is how delicious they are! Stuffed with pesto, crumbled Italian sausage and plenty of cheese they’re the perfect way to enjoy pizza on Halloween night.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Renee Comet ©
16 / 23
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Trisha’s quick-and-easy tortilla soup is the perfect bite before heading out for a night of trick-or-treating. With hundreds of 5-star reviews (and fans raving that it’s “full of flavor” and “the best I have ever made”) it’s guaranteed to please kids and grown-ups alike.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Halloween Party Pizzas
The best way to get your kiddos to eat before heading out for a night of candy and fun? Halloween-themed mini pizzas, decorated to look like ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and spiders.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
18 / 23
Wormy Weenie Sandwiches
Kids will love the "yuck" factor of eating worms, but everyone will appreciate that these dressed-down versions of sausage and peppers are also quite yummy.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
19 / 23
Pumpkin Lovers Lasagna
Rachael uses all the best fall flavors in this baked pasta dish — like butternut squash, nutmeg and pumpkin puree.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Renee Comet ©
20 / 23
Mummy-aki Chicken Fingers
Give chicken fingers an extra crunchy coating by wrapping them (just like mummies) in strips of phyllo dough. The chicken is marinated in teriyaki so it’s guaranteed flavorful and delicious — so no need to worry if you don’t have time to make the dipping sauce to serve alongside.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: RYAN LIEBE ©
21 / 23
Blood Orange-Shrimp Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is quick and easy — making the perfect choice when you need a speedy family meal. The fact that this one is sweetened with blood oranges (for a fun nod to Halloween) makes it even better.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: Matt Armendariz ©
22 / 23
Spicy Juicy Lucy-fer Sliders
To ensure a nice browned top to your sliders, check that the broiler flame is on when you pop them in. Many broilers cycle on and off as they work, so it's important to broil these fast-cooking burgers during an "on" cycle.
get the recipe
More photos after this Ad
Photo: RYAN LIEBE ©
23 / 23
Squash-Black Bean Chili
Cozy up to a bowl of chili before you head out for a night of trick-or-treating. Hearty ingredients like squash and black beans will keep you and your little ones full all night.
get the recipe