17 Kid-Friendly Halloween Treats

Halloween season is here, so it’s time to bust out the bloody bandages, clean out the old cast-iron cauldron, and study up on your seances. There’s no better way to celebrate the scariest holiday of the year than with a proper Halloween bash (or monster mash, or graveyard smash).

This Halloween will be likely be more reminiscent of Halloweens of yore. You may be hosting a small spooky soirée, throwing a scary-movie night, or having a Halloween scavenger around the neighborhood. But regardless of what you’re doing, the focal point of any Halloween celebration is always the finger food—minus the fingers, of course.

You can go with the traditional frightening fare: candy apples, ants-on-a-log, popcorn balls, “devil’s” food cake, but we wanted to offer you some more imaginative options that are not only tasty, easy to make, and freaking cute, but they’re also better-for-you!

Check out the list below for some hauntingly yummy Halloween treats that are perfect for both daring diners of all ages.

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes

A breakfast for people who love dessert, this recipe for pumpkin pecan pancakes from the Health Voyager is full of fall flavor. Canned pumpkin, buttermilk (or a plant-based substitute), and a secret ingredient (okay, it’s silken tofu) create a fluffy, puffy texture. A sprinkling of chopped pecans helps you create a perfect bite. Terrifying tip: use a jack-o-lantern cookie cutter to make spooky Halloween pancakes.

For the Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes recipe, click here.

Peanut Butter Apple Monsters

With sunflower-seed teeth and a strawberry tongue, these gremlin-looking green apples from @Nutriacure are the perfect snack for guests who are scared of eating too much sugar.

For the Peanut Butter Apple Monsters recipe, click here.

Fiendishly Frightening Fruit Platter

Ghostly red peppers, Frankenstein kiwis, and cantaloupe tombstones make for a very frightening fruit platter. Follow the lead of @Foodbites, or try creating your own spooky snacks.

For the Fiendishly Frightening Fruit Platter recipe, click here.

Ghostly Chocolate Cupcakes

This cupcake recipe created by Goya is not your average dessert. Tucked away within each fluffy chocolate cake is a hint of tangy guava and sweet beet puree. Topping each cupcake is a crown of coconut-milk frosting. Drizzle some thinned out guava juice over the top for an even more ghastly effect.

For the Ghostly Chocolate Cupcakes recipe, click here.

Mummy’s Favorite Jalapeño Poppers

These jalapeño poppers from @Thepurplepumpkinblog are almost too cute to eat… almost.

For the Mummy’s Favorite Jalapeño Poppers recipe, click here.

Ghastly Gluten-Free Zombie Fingers

These are almost as scary as someone with a gluten intolerance eating a piece of bread. Made primarily from dates, peanut butter, and oats, these zombie fingers from Recipes from a Pantry are easy to assemble and most definitely look the part.

For the Ghastly Gluten-Free Zombie Fingers recipe, click here.

Boo-nana Popsicles

This recipe from Well Plated is the ideal non-dairy frozen treat for your guests. Not too messy, these popsicles will be gone so fast you’ll begin to wonder if they ever existed at all…

For the Halloween Boo-nana Popsicles recipe, click here.

Candy Corn Parfait

These candy corn parfaits from Family Fresh Meals have the candy-corn look, but with some surprising tropical flavor. Just layer some pineapple, tangerine, and a shot of whipped cream to capture the aesthetic of classic candy corn.

For the Candy Corn Parfait recipe, click here.

Bat Energy Bites

No-bake bat bites will keep little trick-or-treaters and party guests energized all night. These not-so-scary snacks from Annabell Karmel are quick and fun to put together with the kids.

For Bat Energy Bites recipe, click here.

Tangerine Pumpkins

Rushing to complete the Halloween party preparations? These tangerine pumpkins from Bren Did don’t require much assembly: just peel and pop a little wedge of celery on top to give them that pumpkin look.

For the Tangerine Pumpkins recipe, click here.

Ahhhhh Vegetables!

For some, nothing is scarier than a platter of roasted vegetables, but we think these spooky shaped beets, carrots, and squash from Live Eat Learn are just devilishly delightful.

For the Ahhhhh Vegetables recipe, click here.

Vegan Jack-o’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

These spooky stuffed peppers from Eating Vegan with Me are a savory holiday treat that’s perfect for small Halloween parties or dinners. Carefully carve out a scary facial expression for the pepper, stuff them with a combination of grains and vegetables, and roast in the oven. This is a fun recipe to make with kids, but be careful when handing off any sharp carving tools.

For the Vegan Jack-o’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers recipe, click here.

Halloween Pudding Cups

Simple to make and easy to eat, this recipe for Halloween pudding cups from Namely Marly is another great example of how you can make creamy, sweet Halloween treats totally plant-based. A combination of corn starch and soy milk helps set the pudding, and crispy graham crackers, cocoa powder, and Halloween sandwich cookies add a chocolatey crunch.

For the Halloween Pudding Cups recipe, click here.

Vegan Pizza Soup

A vegan pizza soup! But how? Well, this recipe from Ve Eat Cook Bake calls for a homemade cashew cream along with a combination of classic pizza ingredients like tomatoes, oregano, basil peppers and onions. Drop a mixture of tofu or vegan crumbles into your cauldron of soup, and voila, your vegan pizza soup is complete. Add the soup to some oven-safe crocks and top with puff pastry with cut out faces or Halloween shapes for a shockingly good presentation.

For the Vegan Pizza Soup recipe, click here.

Plant-Based Halloween Pizzas

Need a kid-friendly recipe to whip up in a jiffy? This snack idea from Health My Lifestyle is a great way to infuse more fun into Halloween munching. The main cooking requirement is a quick-and-easy cashew cream sauce, which you can easily make using a food processor or blender: just combine cashews, hot water, vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, cornstarch and salt, and blend until smooth. Once the cream is made, construct your pizzas on whole wheat sandwich thins or tortillas or whatever else you’ve got on hand. Add some olive eyes, pepper smiles, or anything else that brings these pizzas to life (or death), then bake!

For the Plant-Based Halloween Pizzas recipe, click here.

Protein-Packed Pretzel Spiders

Halloween doesn’t have to be all about candy and sugary sweets. You can create yummy treats that are packed with protein and whole foods, like these pretzel spiders from Everyday Delicious. By using dates, peanut butter, and oats, you can recreate a chewy, toffee like consistency that’s reminiscent of a candy bar (just without all the added sugar). Add a few pretzel legs to finish of your spider snacks.

For the Pretzel Spiders recipe, click here.

Carrot Rice Jack-o’-Lanterns

Your guests will swoon when they see these adorable carrot rice jack-o’-lanterns staring back at them. This recipe from Apron Strings isn’t hard to make and allows for a lot of your own creativity to shine through. Cook the rice in a mixture of carrot juice, water, and salt, and let cool to room temperature before rolling into balls. Add a bell-pepper stem or olive eyes to raise up the cute factor.

For the Carrot Rice Jack-o’-Lanterns recipe, click here.

Tag @MeatlessMonday #MeatlessMonday in your spooky and scary Halloween meal creations. Need more inspo? Check out our recipe library for delicious and healthy meals ideas for Meatless Monday and beyond.