IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

37 spooky snack ideas for Halloween

Who's ready for a snack attack?
/ Source: TODAY

Hear us out: Halloween shouldn't be all about the candy.

Now, we're not saying there shouldn't be candy involved — there should be plenty of that to go around — but there should also be some satiating snacks here and there to help fuel the fun.

Because there's nothing scarier than a kid eating candy on an empty stomach, are we right?

And if you have too many activities planned — from haunted house visits to costume parties to trick-or-treating — then you may not have time for a full Halloween dinner complete with appetizers, drinks and desserts.

If that's the case, then grab-and-go snacks and treats are your best bet for keeping the spooky spirit going all night long.

If you're doubling down on the sweet stuff, we suggest going for mummy hand pies, coconut-banana ghost pops, Frankenstein cereal treats, easy-as-pie pumpkin bars, matcha monster fudge, spider-topped tarts, pumpkin-infused kettle corn, glittery candy apples, pumpkin fritters and DIY candies like Butterfingers and salted almond butter cups.

Or, if you'd prefer to go savory with your snacks to combat the cloying sweetness of the holiday, we suggest going for mozzarella "eyeballs," cauliflower bites paired with ominously black Buffalo sauce, a ghoulish graveyard dip, creepy crudites with haunted hummus, a charcuterie skull, spider-topped deviled eggs, mummy-wrapped brie and hot dogs, post-jack-o'-lantern-carving chile-roasted pumpkin seeds, vampire-repelling garlic fries and more.

And remember: They might not be the most enticing-looking on the outside — the creepier, the better! — but it's what's on the inside that counts. Once you sink your fangs in, you won't be able to stop snacking.

Sweet snacks

Chocolate-Covered 'Booberries'

If you're craving something sweet but not as sugary as your typical Halloween treats, turn to these ghoulish chocolate-covered strawberries.

This is a fun and festive treat for your next Halloween party. The rice cereal treats are so easy to make that the kids can easily get involved, too! Once you melt the butter and marshmallows on the stove and mold them, let the young bakers decorate the hair, mouth and eyes or other silly features to customize each treat. A similar process to other rice cereal treats, this Halloween recipe gets a flavor boost, too, with chocolate and peppermint extract.

This treat has everything we love about the treasured peanut butter cup but with almond butter instead, adding a little bit of maple syrup for sweetness and some flaky salt on top to balance it all out. What's left is a sophisticated, perhaps more grown-up version of our childhood favorite that's impossibly easy to create at home.

Matcha Monster Fudge

It is always more fun when you have your own homemade candy for your Halloween party, and these matcha monster fudge squares are both easy to make — using shockingly few ingredients — and terrifyingly tasty.

Halloween Cake Pop Eyeballs

Once you get past the anatomical likeness, these are in fact delicious — creepily delicious, that is!

Glittery Candy Apples

Got leftover hard candies from trick-or-treating? Turn them into glittery candy apples with this creative recipe. Experiment with different colors and flavors for a showstopping holiday party display.

Easy-As-Pie Pumpkin Bars

When fall strikes, we all long for cozy, chewy treats, but who is always in the mood to make a full pie? Not us. These little squares deliver big on dessert magic and pumpkin flavor leading up to October's spookiest night.

Whether you're preparing a full Halloween party feast or just want to make an unusual after school snack for the kids, this chocolaty take on classic puppy chow will be a hit with the whole family.

This homemade, vegan version of classic Hostess cupcakes is just as rich and decadent as the original — even without butter or cream. It's a dark-hued classic that's tough to pass up!

Turn personal-sized mini pies into spooky mummies for a fruity and festive Halloween treat. This hack-meets-recipe takes packaged, refrigerated pie crust and transforms it into something you'd expect to find at a professional bakery. With a little blueberry (boo-berry) jam, a pizza cutter, simple icing and some candy eyeballs, guests who lay their eyes on these little guys will scream with excitement.

Halloween Hand Pies

These hand-shaped pies are the perfect portable, easy-to-eat treat for ghouls of all ages. And unlike traditional hand pies, these are better when there’s some filling oozing out to really make them Halloween-worthy.

Little Monster Macarons

A pack of store- or bakery-bought macarons and a food-safe marker transform this elegant French cookie into a ghoulish group of lovable creatures.

Thick Greek yogurt, dates that taste like caramel, maple syrup, pumpkin and nutmeg combine into a delightfully creamy dessert that's low in sugar but still full of bold flavor that hit the spot when you're craving something sweet.

These sweet treats are filled with fresh raspberries and then topped off with sprinkle-studded spiders for the ultimate addition to your spooky soiree.

Pumpkin Fritters

This recipe is all pumpkin all the time! The crispy fritters are made from fresh roasted pumpkin then they get a dip in sweet pumpkin caramel infused with homemade pumpkin butter.

Give your popcorn an addictive, pumpkin-y spin by tossing a batch with a sweet and caramel-like sauce and then crisping it in the oven. It helps take a standard snack from good to, well, incredible. Plain crunchy popcorn becomes completely irresistible with the cozy warm flavors of fall.

These adorable banana pops, dipped in white chocolate and coconut are a lesser evil on Halloween than the standard gummy worms, taffy brains, and candy corn! Baby bananas are a great choice here, because of their size, but regular halved bananas are fine, too.

Sweet Dracula Doughnuts

Turn store-bought chocolate doughnuts into a Halloween treat you and the kids will want to sink your teeth into.

Rice Cereal Treat Brains

A little food coloring goes a long way to transform the beloved cereal-based treat into bloody little brains. Aside from cooking spray, the recipe only requires five ingredients that are probably in the kitchen already.

If you're like Siri Daly and have loads of candy corn around this time of year, instead of snacking on it all day long, turn it into a homemade treat and gift it to friends and family or trick-or-treaters.

Savory snacks

Roasting cauliflower with a crispy breadcrumb topping creates fabulous texture without having to be fried. For the dip, black sesame tahini is used instead of a traditional tahini paste, which adds some spooky flair to this recipe if you want to make it for the Halloween season (though, we must say, it's a winner year-round). Your friends and family are going to love it!

Mozzarella Eyeballs

Easy to make and even easier to eat, these one-bite mozzarella eyeballs come together in a snap. Have fun and display these in a head of cauliflower to resemble a brain. Drizzle with a little balsamic glaze for some sweetness and a creepy drip effect!

Let guests dig into this spooky graveyard dip that has layers of refried beans, shredded cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, seasoned sour cream and guacamole. Turn pita bread rounds into spooky shapes like tombstones, creepy cats and ghosts by using cookie cutters. Then toast them in the oven until they're golden brown. Place the pita chips in the dip, then top off the dish with scallion "grass" and mounds of olive "dirt."

Don't have time to make a layer dip? No problem. The only things needed here are a pumpkin and some store-bought guac. Instead of placing the spread in a plain bowl, turn the creamy green goop into a gruesome Halloween appetizer. This cute but creepy appetizer sometimes goes by the rather unappetizing names "pumpkin vomit" or "puking pumpkin," but let's just call it delicious.

Zombie Cheese and Prosciutto Halloween Party Skull

This creepy zombie skull is the ultimate way to serve charcuterie on Halloween. Simply wrap a clean plastic skull with prosciutto and serve it with more salumi, plus cheese and crackers. Guests will be head-over-heels for this creepy centerpiece.

Roll garlic bread dough into knobby witch fingers that are almost too creepy to eat. Pat down the dough to create knotted knuckles and use a knife to make light creases. Then press in the almonds to create fingernails. Give them a swipe of garlic-infused ghee or butter and serve them up with blood-red marinara sauce for dipping.

Give guests a break from the sugary candy and fill them up with some nice, creepy veggies. It keeps the spooky theme of a Halloween party while providing a healthy snack at the same time.

Spider Eggs

These irresistible bites have all the flavors of classic deviled eggs but with the spooky, salty bite of an olive spider on top.

Pastry Puff Wrapped Mummy Brie

This recipe has just two main ingredients, so it could not be any simpler to assemble, yet the final presentation is totally Halloween centerpiece worthy.

The best part of this dish is watching the expression on peoples' faces after biting into one of them and realizing there's a grape inside. A perfect little trick — and treat! — for Halloween.

Save the seeds from jack-o'-lantern carvings, clean them and dry them out for an easy, on-the-go snack for Halloween's busy activities. This healthy munch is also great as a flavorful topper for a creamy soup or fall salad.

Vampire Garlic Fries

It's Halloween and what could be spookier than the threat of a ghastly vampire bite? These garlic fries will keep your immune system strong — and chase all the vampires away! Just be sure to keep some breath mints handy.

These savory bites are the ideal way to balance out your candy-induced sugar shock. That's because each edible "eyeball" is packed with blood-sugar-stabilizing stuff: protein-rich egg whites plus fiber-filled hummus and guacamole, which also contribute heart-healthy fat.

Popcorn shrimp wouldn't be exciting without a sauce. This is one that packs in complex flavors. The gochujang in the sauce adds an intensely sweet and spicy taste (plus its bloody appearance!), and the shrimp is slightly spicy and tangy from the buttermilk-chili marinade.

Smoky chipotle peppers bring the heat to this Southwestern-inspired dip whose dark color is perfect for Halloween. Use just one pepper if you want a mild dose of spiciness, or add more adobo sauce or pepper if you want to amp up the burn. If possible, use fresh, in-season corn — the raw kernels’ juicy sweetness will offset the heat.

Black Forbidden Rice Arancini

The color of the black rice with the digestive charcoal is surprising but the flavor is deep and rich so it's fun to see the initial skepticism on people's faces before they bite it and then react to the delicious taste.

Mummy Hot Dogs

This easy recipe turns to regular hot dogs and pre-made croissant dough for one adorable dish. It requires very little time and effort yet is a savory showstopper for an otherwise sweet-filled holiday!