Cute, EASY Halloween Food Ideas (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan Options!)

Cute, Easy Halloween Food Ideas – Make Halloween special with these easy Halloween food ideas! There are ideas for every meal of the day + dessert! (Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Vegan Options!)

I really, REALLY admire people like Kelle Hampton, who more or less have a Ph.D. in Holiday studies.

It’s so fun to see the clever, creative ways people come up with to make holidays special, whether that’s reading fun books, checking off a bucket list, or going all out on decorations and parties.

I also know myself, and know that while those are things I GREATLY admire, I do much better keeping things simple. So, today I want to share a few EASY ideas for Halloween food. None of these ideas is too terribly time consuming or requires you to have fancy skills. All of them are delicious, cute, and easy.

Whether you’re looking for a festive healthy snack (hey-o Monster smoothies!), a quick side to dinner (I’m looking at your spooky baked chips + slow cooker pumpkin taco soup), or an easy dessert to swing into the mix, I’ve got you covered.

AND I included my most ambitious recipe video to date. Keep going to watch it and get all the ideas!

1. Ghost in the Graveyard Chocolate Pudding Cups

I made these last year and my kids LOVED them. I used our favorite homemade chocolate pudding (you’d never believe it’s vegan!), then crush up some chocolate cookies, and dollop on some coconut whipped cream ghosts and use mini chocolate chips for the eyes. Easy-peasy, and they’re ADORABLE. No fancy skills required!

Note: for this, I like using store-bought whipped coconut cream since it’s a little more stable. So Delicious brand makes a good one. It’s sold in the freezer section at Sprouts or you can find it here. Otherwise, you can make your own coconut whipped cream (or use traditional whipped cream if dairy isn’t an issue for you).  

Recipe & Items to Try:

• The BEST Vegan & Paleo Chocolate Pudding
• Gluten Free “Oreo” cookies – Mi-Del, Kinnikinnik & Glutino brands are gluten free! (Trader Joe’s also sells gluten free Joe-Joe’s which are the same thing!)
• Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
• Bone sprinkles (optional)

2. Monster Face Smoothies

Again, these are easy, easy, easy. Start the day by making a green “Frankenstein” smoothie, orange “Jack O’Lantern” smoothie, or bright red “vampire” smoothie and slurp it up!

To make these even cuter, you can draw faces on your glasses or jars with a permanent marker to make a face (you can remove it later with a little rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball or microfiber cloth). Get the full tutorial + some of our favorite smoothies HERE.

Smoothie Recipes to Try:

• GREEN (Frankenstein): Pineapple Ginger Smoothie or Pineapple Peach Perfection Smoothie
• ORANGE (Jack O’Lantern): Peach Mango Bliss or Beta Berry Blast
• RED (Vampire): Triple Berry Green or Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

3. Spooky Baked Ghost Tortilla Chips

This makes THE CUTEST Halloween dinner! These spooky chips are about as easy as it gets. All you need is a Halloween-themed cookie cutter (bats or ghosts are my favorite) and some tortillas. (I use gluten free tortillas–Mission brand are my fave.)

Learn how to make these cute baked chips HERE, then serve with homemade salsa, guacamole, or my favorite Pumpkin Taco Soup!

Recipes to Try:

• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Taco Soup
• Our Favorite Fresh Salsa
• Ultimate Guacamole
• Perfect Pumpkin Chili

4. Owl Cupcakes 

These owl cupcakes are SO EASY to put together, and easily gluten & dairy free or vegan. I use a doctored up boxed cake mix (see that post for my full how-to), and then top them with ganache or chocolate frosting (this vegan chocolate frosting is a favorite). Then, all you have to do is top them with some halved cookies and some candies to make the faces. They’re ALWAYS so cute!

Get the Full Tutorial Here. 

• Check out the full tutorial here, where I share tips for getting your cookies halved easily + brands of candies you can use that are gluten free, dairy free, and even dye free!

5. HALLOWEEN SNACK BOARD!

I love putting out a big snack board for movie nights. My kids think it’s the best thing ever! You can build a Halloween snack board out of just about anything you love, but some of our favorite things to add are…

• Baked Ghost Chips (or store-bought ones!)
• Jack ‘O’ Lantern Clementines (Use a permanent marker to draw the faces!
• Apples and Caramel Dip (Try our Apple Cider Caramel Sauce–it’s even vegan-friendly!)
• Veggies + Homemade Ranch
• Guacamole or Salsa for dipping chips
• Halloween Brownie Bites–Use your favorite brownie recipe + top with Halloween sprinkles!
• Kettle Corn or Churro Popcorn.
• Nuts. I love doing something salty and something sweet, like these maple candied pecans.
• Cheese + Crackers.
• Pickles or Olives. 

6. Stuffed Pepper Jack O’Lanterns

Lastly, here’s a bonus one! These stuffed bell pepper Jack O’Lanterns make for a yummy dinner near Halloween. Carve a little face in the pepper, fill with your favorite filling (see recipes below), and bake. It’s a great way to sneak some veggies/protein in before trick or treating!

OR – You can use the pepper Jack O’Lantern to hold your favorite veggie dip (thicker dips like hummus or guacamole work best) and put it on a veggie tray for a party.

Recipes to Try:

• Taco Stuffed Pepper Jack O’Lanterns (pictured above)
• Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans
• Avocado Ranch Dip (perfect for dip with veggies!)

 

Your Turn: What are YOUR best easy Halloween food ideas?