30 Halloween Party Food Ideas And Cocktail Recipes

Halloween makes for a spook-tacular party theme: It gives you and your guests an excuse to dress up in fun costumes (which, if you're anything like us, you probably never outgrew), has endless options for decor (both scary or not-so-scary, depending on the age of your invitees and your personal preference), and takes place during a season with so many delicious foods featuring fall flavors — think cinnamon, pumpkin, and ginger — in combinations you really don't get the rest of the year.

And although throwing a themed party can be a lot of work for many of those very same reasons, pulling together a Halloween soirée for friends and loved ones doesn't have to be stressful if you're armed with a list of food and beverage ideas that can easily help you turn any party into a blast. We've rounded up 30 cocktail and recipe ideas that will make planning your Halloween party a little less frightening.

Kimchi is the star of this spicy Bloody Mary, which adds a unique touch to the familiar brunch cocktail. The drink — famous for its fun garnishes like celery, olives, and even shrimp cocktail — includes some ingredients you have maybe never thought about adding to it like fish sauce, wasabi, and togarishi, a Japanese spice blend made with orange peel, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds (via Food52).

The color alone makes it the perfect drink to serve at your Halloween party, but if you want to go above and beyond garnish your Kimchi Bloody Mary with pimento-stuffed olives to resemble an eyeball floating in your drink.

Recipe: Kimchi Bloody Mary

Though — in our opinion — all cookies are perfect just the way they are, sometimes you want to take your premade treats to the next level (or perhaps take a recipe shortcut and skip making them from scratch).

Our Oreo Balls recipe takes Oreo cookies, naturally, and blitzes them up into a sandy powder. Next, the pulverized cookies are mixed with nut butter (the recipe calls for almond butter, but you can feel free to swap with whatever you prefer — from peanut to allergen-friendly sunflower seed) before the resulting mixture is reformed into balls and then decorated with melted chocolate and festive sprinkles. If you'd like you can swap the milk chocolate for white to resemble mummies.

This recipe is great for kids and allowing them to decorate their own Oreo Balls would make a fun party activity! 

Recipe: Oreo Balls

If you're a party-throwing pro, you likely have your go-to guacamole recipe, but we're pretty certain that once you've tried Tasting Table recipe developer Michelle McGlinn's version you'll agree this could be the One Guacamole Recipe to Rule Them All. We keep this guac basic but add a little something-something in the form of Creole/Cajun seasoning.

McGlinn warns those who make this for their Halloween party to taste as they go and use a light hand with the salt, especially since the tortilla chips you inevitably serve it with will bring an element of saltiness, too.

Recipe: Crave-worthy Guacamole

Armed with our Cheesesteak Stromboli recipe, you won't have to work hard to get your little goblins to eat a proper meal before they dive into their Halloween candy (or your decidedly grown-up gouls to fill their stomachs before imbibing in the seasonal pumpkin cocktails you're serving up).

Recipe developer Jessica Morone makes use of pre-made pizza dough to turn this stromboli into a dish that's as easy to prepare as it is to serve. (The hardest part is waiting for the stromboli to cool.) As a bonus, leftovers — if any — can be eaten the next day.

Recipe: Cheesesteak Stromboli

If you enjoy your pumpkin flavors packed into a creamy beverage, then this boozy Halloween treat is just for you.

This festive cocktail starts with a serving of pumpkin butter, which is amped up with bourbon and triple sec, leaving you with a citrusy, pumpkin-packed beverage to be enjoyed at your Halloween party. (You may want to also play Tim Burton's creepy 1999 film "Sleepy Hollow" in the background if you really want to run with the theme.) The addition of egg white creates a slightly foamy, silky texture.

Recipe: Headless Horseman

As the days get colder and shorter, peak fruit and vegetable season begins to come to an end, but this is also the time of year apples make their stunning debut. And what better way to use up some of fall's bounty than with a delicious apple crisp?

Our Classic Apple Crisp recipe makes it easy for you because no specific apple is needed to make the fall dessert; All you need to do is make sure you choose apples firm enough to stand up to the oven's heat (think Cortland, Honeycrisp, or even Granny Smith). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream as dessert and then eat leftovers for breakfast the next day before you clean up after your Halloween festivities.

Recipe: Classic Apple Crisp

Weather you're team Muddy Buddy or team Puppy Chow, we can all agree this delightful, chocolate sensation is always a welcome sight on Halloween party snack tables.

Quick and easy to make, these Muddy Buddies can also be packed in little baggies and given away to familiar trick-or-treaters who might come knocking at your door or as party favors. Mix in some M&M's for an extra dose of chocolate and a pop of color, and remember to add a peanut warning for those who might have sensitivities.

Recipe: Homestyle Muddy Buddies

Perfect for the Halloween party set that has aged out of roaming the neighborhood asking for free candy, made with layers of chocolate, caramel, and pecans, you can be forgiven for thinking that chocolate turtles are a difficult dessert to make. But Tasting Table recipe developer Kate Shungu dispels that notion with her Chocolate Turtle recipe, which can be whipped up in under an hour.

Just remember to make these chocolate turtles in advance so they have time to set and you don't end up with a gooey mess.

Recipe: Chocolate Turtles

Few flavors have come to symbolize the fall season quite like pumpkin, and this delectable recipe brings together the sweetness of pumpkin pie and the tang of cream cheese like no other. The perfect blend of sweet, spice, and everything nice, our Classic Pumpkin Cheesecake is a dream dessert to serve at the end of a meal or set out on a Halloween snack table.

The cheesecake is best served after it has spent at least six hours in the fridge, so you'll want to plan in advance if you'd like to offer this up to your Halloween party guests.

Recipe: Classic Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crunchy and creamy would be a great way to describe crab rangoon, but the popular Chinese-American restaurant classic doesn't have to be delivered.

Our Homemade Crab Rangoon recipe is sure to please, just remember to give yourself a bit of time to master the art of folding. Once you've got that down, you're only minutes away from enjoying these crisp hot treats. You can even prep them in advance and freeze to cut down on day-of party tasks.

Recipe: Homemade Crab Rangoon

Our Boozy Cider Slushie is what happens when summer and fall walk into a bar and decide to come up with a tasty treat that incorporates the best of both seasons. This drink incorporates the flavors of chai, ginger, and bourbon in a slushie made with apple cider.

Chef Kelly Fields, who envisioned the drink, said she was looking to "create a cider drink that felt warm but was still cool and refreshing" and in our opinion, she succeeded!

Recipe: Boozy Cider Slushie

You might think of dirt pudding as a dessert that only a dedicated child — or pet — might want to dig into, but we expect you'll change your mind when you learn more about our Easy Dirt Pudding recipe.

Not only does this appeal to the young and young at heart, but recipe developer Jaime Shelbert also improved the classic treat by spiking it with a bit of extra cocoa to really make the chocolate flavor stand up and zing and entice even the most discerning palate.

For an extra fun Halloween twist, top with gummy worms or fun-sized Heath bars to resemble gravestones! 

Recipe: Easy Dirt Pudding

If you think the name of this recipe is a mouthful, just wait until you see what it yields: a giant crispy rice treat shaped like a pumpkin, with a secret crevice filled with two cups of Halloween candy.

This edible pinata promises to make any Halloween party one you and your kids will remember forever (though we think adults would equally appreciate the tasty activity), just be sure to grease your hands properly before you attempt to make our Candy-Filled Rice Krispies Treat Pumpkin so you don't end up with a sticky mess.

Recipe: Candy-Filled Rice Krispies Treat Pumpkin

This pumpkin brittle recipe carries a spicy kick and a pop of color (both delivered by cayenne pepper), as well as an irresistible sugar-and-salt contrast that will have your Halloween party guest clamoring for more.

Ready in an hour, our Spicy Pumpkin-Seed Brittle is the perfect last-minute snack or hostess gift, but it can also be made up to one week in advance and stored in an airtight container for all you serious party planners.

Recipe: Spicy Pumpkin-Seed Brittle

Your Halloween party guests will be seriously stunned when they spot this homemade Pumpkin Spice Liqueur on your bar cart.

Made with vodka and sugar, the drink embraces fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice, and is perfect for drinking neat, mixed into your favorite cocktail, or for shaking up a decidedly adult version of your favorite fall coffee.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Liqueur