23 Halloween Dinner and Appetizer Ideas That Are a Total Scream

Monster Ball

"This ghoulishly good cheese ball has become a part of our family's Halloween tradition," says LINNBENN. "It's as much fun to make as it is to eat."

Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

These Jack-o'-lantern stuffed peppers look great. Choose nice big bell peppers to make the knife work easier. And if you want to up the spooky factor a bit, add some bucatini "worms" slithering out of the eyes or mouth or serve these (to adults) with a steak knife plunged into the pepper menacingly.

Witch Hat Dippers

"A great Halloween party snack for Halloween parties," says NomNomDelicious. "Very versatile and easy to personalize for your own tastes."

Halloween Jack-o'-Lantern Beef Pies

"Yummy biscuit cups filled with spicy beef mixture and topped with Halloween pumpkin faces," says Grandmaluvlee.

Spooky Calzone Snake

"Made this for my daughter's Halloween party," says krista1925. "It was a big hit! Not only was it 'creepy,' it was yummy."

Octodogs

Halloween hot dogs are always a winning dinner idea for the kids. "Our whole family loved this cute idea," says mohawkblonde. "We floated ours in a sea of chili."

Hot Dog Mummies

Another great Halloween dinner idea for the kids! Rock_lobster shares her Hot Dog Mummies haiku: "Gourmet food, it's not. But serve to younger diners? They'll scarf them down!"

Monster Bites

Turn pearly whites into a dreadful fright. These Halloween teeth start with ripe red apples as the devil's lips, with slivered almonds as the frightening fangs. If you like, drizzle your disturbing dentures with El Droolo del Diablo, also known as "slightly thinned-out honey." Bonus: This spooky surprise doubles as a healthy Halloween snack.

Spider Deviled Eggs for Halloween

Have a jar of olives handy? Deviled eggs are easily turned into creepy-crawly spider deviled eggs. "Made them for our film club Halloween horror movie party and people loved them," says Marianne.

Bats and Cobwebs

"The bow-tie pasta is the bats and the stringy, gooey mozzarella cheese is the cobwebs," says Kristin McNeil.

Creepy Mini Pizzas

Tiny pizzas are the pinnacle of Halloween party treats. "Love!" raves happysoupandrice. "Kids had a great time making the dough and then decorating their own spooky designs."

Dragon Eggs

"Love the technique," says Misty Campbell. "A huge hit at my Halloween dinner."

Mummy Pizza

More Halloween pizza ideas! Easy to make, and so yummy. Save a slice for your mummy.

Spooky Spider Halloween Hot Dogs

Creepy, crawly, creepy-creepy, crawly-crawly! "Use crescent rolls and hot dogs to make this Halloween version of pigs in a blanket," says fabeverydayblog. "Kids love them, and they are an easy snack for a Halloween party."

Mini Meatloaf Ghosts

"Turn your favorite meatloaf recipe into these absolutely adorable, yet still incredibly terrifying, edible apparitions" says Chef John. "They're easy and fun to make and the leftovers make great 'ghost on toast' sandwiches." Watch the video to see how to form the ghosts.

Baked Mummy Jalapeno Poppers

These jalapeno popper mummies are filled with a simple cream cheese and Cheddar filling and baked. "These baked Halloween jalapeno popper mummies are easy to make and taste delicious," says Barbara.

Halloween Shrimp Cocktail Brain

And in the not-for-the-squeamish category, here's some gross Halloween party food for adults. "Realistic, creepy, AND yummy," says Cammie. "Make it the day before your Halloween party so it has time to set."

Flayed Man Cheese Ball

"So gross and yet SOOOooo good," says Tara. "Arrange crackers, pretzels, or any snacks you want around the face and serve with a knife!"

Severed-Finger Cheese Sticks

These creepy appetizers take the concept of Halloween fingerfood literally. They're actually yummy string-cheese sticks. You'll be deeply, deeply disturbed by how delicious they are.

Halloween Zombie Meatloaf

Too far? Or just far enough? Spooky Halloween food doesn't get more disturbing than this. Deliciously disturbing, that is. "Making the zombie was surprisingly easy," says eli3leg.

Halloween Black Bat Wings

"These spooky little morsels will have everyone talking and doing double takes," says gopintos. "Looks can be deceiving; they taste absolutely delicious."

Ratloaf (Halloween Meatloaf)

Clearly a contender for most gross Halloween food. "What's better than gooey warm rat guts on Halloween? The layer of crushed French-fried onions resembles burnt fur," says Deborah. "When you slice it, the 'guts' should ooze out and make quite an impression."

Mummified Meatballs in Crispy Potato Skin Coffins

These spooky potatoes are ready in just 45 minutes. They're an easy appetizer or simple dinner.

More Like This

• Chef John's Best Halloween Recipes
• Our Spookiest Halloween Cupcake Decorating Ideas
• Halloween Recipes to Make With 3 Ingredients Or Fewer