These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (2024)

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (1)

Though it’s technically a one-night only event, we’re all about finding ways to celebrate Halloween all spooky season long. That means as many potlucks as we can get ourselves invited to, like costume parties, pumpkin carving contests, classroom parades, and murder mystery dinner parties. You might think Halloween is all about the costumes, but it's just as fun to show your scary, zany, creative side through food too. You’ll find everything from apps to spooky co*cktails to dinners here, perfect whether you’re the type to go all out for Halloween or are more of a last-minute costume kind of person. Check out our 49 Halloween potluck ideas—they’re “scary” good!

No matter the occasion, there are a few things to consider when preparing food for a potluck. Sure, you could just pick up ice or cups, but where’s the fun in that? If you’re looking for something crazy simple to bring, go for simple drinks, apps, or desserts with a little something extra. Big-batch co*cktails are the easiest, since you can mix them up at home or at the party without too much effort. Check out our Frankenpunch, our spiked pumpkin pie punch, or our harvest punch for ideas. (Hot tip: You can give any fall co*cktail a spooky name to make it perfect for Halloween.) You can also dress up easy (even store-bought!) desserts with cobwebs, eyeballs, or candy to make them perfect for any Halloween party. Try our monster truffles, our ghost s’mores dip, our vampire cookies, or our pumpkin patch brownies to see how easy it is. Want a simple appetizer? We’ve got a ton that repurpose recipes and ingredients you might already know and have into adorably frightening apps that come together fast. Check out our pumpkin deviled eggs, our cheesy witch brooms, our spider web black bean dip, or our ghost pizza bagels—they’re perfect for kids (and adults that want to act like them for Halloween!).

Want more Halloween inspiration? Check out our favorite Halloween breakfasts, dinners, and desserts too.

1

Mummy Hot Dogs

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (3)

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.

2

Spider Taco Ring

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (4)

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.

3

Halloween Sangria

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (5)

Sure, you could serve a bottle of wine at your next Halloween party. But transforming it into sangria not only serves more people, but also gives you the opportunity to make it more festive! This recipe is spookier than your average sangria: Blood oranges, pomegranate seeds, and blackberries all work together to make a Halloween-approved brew.

Get the Halloween Sangria recipe.

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4

Pumpkin Deviled Eggs

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (6)

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.

5

Ghost S'mores Dip

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (7)

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.

6

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (8)

Part retro, part cult classic, it’s hard to go wrong with a cheese ball. This festive pumpkin rendition may not contain any actual pumpkin, but it’s full of fresh herbs, minced jalapeños, and of course, plenty of cheese (and is SO cute on a Halloween cheese board!).

Get the Pumpkin Cheese Ball recipe.

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7

Ghost Purse Ravioli

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (9)

Looking for something delicious that's only a little bit spooky this Halloween? Try these adorable raviolis filled with ricotta, Parmesan, and finely chopped pear. We made these from wonton wrappers, rather than pasta dough, to make them scary easy on you too. You're welcOoOme.

Get the Ghost Purse Ravioli recipe.

8

Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi With Italian Sausage

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (10)

For this gnocchi dish, we use pumpkin puree to build a sauce that has a touch of tomato and is similar to a marinara in texture. Just like with butternut squash or sweet potatoes, pumpkin pairs beautifully with sage and sausage, so they were natural additions to the gnocchi and sauce.

Get the Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi With Italian Sausage recipe.

9

Mummy Brie

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (11)

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.

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10

Eyeball Pasta

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (12)

Spaghetti and meatballs is a potluck classic, but dinner on Halloween can't be regular—it's gotta be spooky! Our classics have been Jack-o'-Lantern stuffed peppers and ghost pizza bagels, but now we're obsessed with turning ordinary meatballs into scary works of art by making them look like monster eyeballs.

Get the Eyeball Pasta recipe.

11

Pumpkin Juice

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (13)

In the Harry Potter books, pumpkin juice is traditionally served over ice for a refreshing drink that screams fall; however, you could also warm this up in a mug for something more cozy. Try it with some bourbon for the most Halloween-y hot toddy.

Get the Pumpkin Juice recipe.

12

Ghost Pizza Bagels

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (14)

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.

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13

Apple Cider Whoopie Pies

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (15)

To come up with this, we pictured all the delightfulness of an apple cider donut, but instead of having to deal with frying, you whisk up a whoopie pie batter and bake it in the oven. You don’t have to make a trip to an apple farm or go to a farmers’ market to really indulge in apple cider flavors.

Get the Apple Cider Whoopie Pies recipe.

14

Pumpkin Curry

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (16)

Earthy, sweet pumpkin is the perfect base for a spicy, Thai-inspired coconut milk curry. We begin by roasting the pumpkin to provide some caramelization and nuttiness that adds a lot to the final dish. Then we take some of the roast pumpkin and actually blend it into the curry sauce which adds another layer of pumpkin flavor. 😋

Get the Pumpkin Curry recipe.

15

Hocus Pocus Binx Cookies

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (17)

Hocus Pocus is a must-watch every year, and these adorable Binx cookies are in honor of the classic movie character. Black cocoa powder turns these chewy chocolate cookies a dark rich color, perfect for our favorite talking cat.

Get the Hocus Pocus Binx Cookies recipe.

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16

Butternut Squash Soup

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (18)

What dish is the most indicative of leaves falling and the chilly autumn breeze? Some might say its pumpkin pie, others might say warm apple cider, but to us, nothing fits better with October sweater weather than a delicious bowl of butternut squash soup. Save yourself some before taking this to a potluck—there won't be any leftovers to take home!

Get the Butternut Squash Soup recipe.

17

Witch Finger Cookies

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (19)

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.

18

Creamy Pumpkin Vodka Sauce & Penne

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (20)

If the classic penne alla vodka is on your weeknight rotation, it may be time to switch it up. What better way to do that than with fall flavors? Pumpkin gives a sweet, complex note to this irresistible sauce we didn't know we needed until we tried it.

Get the .

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19

Graveyard Chicken Enchilada Dip

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (21)

It takes less 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.

Get the Graveyard Chicken Enchilada Dip recipe.

20

Pumpkin Tomato Soup With Grilled Swiss Cheese Sticks

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (22)

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 with heavy cream and sharp Parmesan.

Get the Pumpkin Tomato Soup With Grilled Swiss Cheese Sticks recipe.

These 49 Scary-Good Halloween Potluck Recipes Are Total Crowd-Pleasers (2024)

FAQs

How do you throw a scary Halloween party? ›

How to Plan an Adult Halloween Party
  1. SET A DATE, TIME AND LOCATION. ...
  2. MAKE A GHOUL'S LIST… OR GUEST LIST. ...
  3. ESTABLISH A FUN OR SCARY THEME. ...
  4. SET A BUDGET AND ASK FOR HELP. ...
  5. FOOD DYES AND FILLERS ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS. ...
  6. ORGANIZE PARTY ACTIVITIES. ...
  7. MAKE A SPOOKY MUSIC PLAYLIST. ...
  8. GIVE OUT HALLOWEEN PARTY FAVORS.

How to make a scary room for Halloween? ›

To make a haunted house, try replacing all of the lights with green bulbs or covering lamps with cobwebs or drapes so it's dark inside. You can also set up strobe lights, black lights, or a fog machine to make your haunted house eerie and hard to see in.

How do you throw a sophisticated Halloween party? ›

Spooky Meets Elegant

Set a dramatic table with dark florals, pink velvet, glittering pumpkins and gilded skeletons. Treat guests to a spooky charcuterie spread, co*cktails and sweets, and a spider-infested croquembouche as the edible centerpiece.

What is the most eaten food on Halloween? ›

Pumpkin pie is a traditional food in Halloween festivities far and wide. Once autumn hits, nothing cures the Halloween sweet tooth quite like a slice of homemade pumpkin pie.

What food to serve at an adult Halloween party? ›

We love mixing up the devilish with the delicious when it comes to party food, which is why we love serving up our pumpkin lasagna and butternut squash casserole along with fun apps like mummy brie, a spider taco ring, or pumpkin deviled eggs.

How do you throw a haunted house party? ›

Tips For Throwing a Fun Haunted House Party
  1. Set the Spooky Scene. ...
  2. Send Spine-Chilling Invitations. ...
  3. Create a Bone-Chilling Menu. ...
  4. Plan Frighteningly Fun Games and Activities. ...
  5. Incorporate Interactive Haunts. ...
  6. Dimly Lit, Not Dangerously Dark. ...
  7. Capture the Memories.
Oct 10, 2023

How do you make an epic Halloween party? ›

Keep reading to see my top 7 tips for hosting an epic halloween party!
  1. PLAY WITH DECOR. Hanging witches hats from the ceiling creates an easy yet impactful way to create ambiance. ...
  2. DRESS UP THE TABLES. ...
  3. SELF SERVE STATIONS. ...
  4. SPOOKY CUTE TREATS. ...
  5. KEEP KIDS ENTERTAINED. ...
  6. MAKE SURE TO DRESS UP. ...
  7. DON'T FORGET THE ADULTS.

What should a Halloween party have? ›

Stock up on a variety of treats, from gross gummy body parts (feet, ears, and eyeballs) to classics like Pixy Stix and Bazooka. Punch bowl: No Halloween party would be complete without a spooky punch. Serve one that's blood-red, ghoulish green, putrid purple, orange, or black and use dry ice to create an eerie mist.

What time should an adult Halloween party start? ›

Be Strategic with Your Time

Unless you have the time or the budget to do that, you may want to stick with a start time of around 8:00. That way, not only can you get away with serving simple appetizers, you can add to the spooky ambiance with the darkness outside.

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