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31 Halloween Recipes to Make in October

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Get ready for a happy (and delicious) Halloween with our collection of 31 recipe ideas to serve for Halloween. Whether you’re looking for a fun pumpkin breakfast, a quick dinner before trick-or-treating, or tasty Halloween desserts—we’ve got you covered!

A collage of six different recipes you can make before trick or treating

Halloween might be all about candy, but let’s not forget the other meals of the day! It’s a fun and exciting time of year, especially if you have little ones at home.

These are the best Halloween recipes to add a sweet or seasonal flavor to your day. We’ve included recipes for feeding a small family as well as cooking for a Halloween party.

Halloween Dinner Ideas to Make Before Trick or Treating

I love to make fun Halloween foods like Mummy Hot Dogs in the days leading up to Halloween. But on Halloween night, I want an easy, hearty dinner that will last for hours of trick or treating.

Many of these can use a few low-effort swaps to create a spooky effect and amp up the Halloween spirit.

1
Close up of white bowl with spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti sauce and fresh basil leaves
SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS
This easy dinner starts with frozen meatballs and cooks up in under 30 minutes. To make it extra fun, turn a meatball into an “eyeball”: slice a string cheese horizontally and top it with a sliced olive. (I usually only garnish one eyeball per plate.)
Check out this recipe
2
A close up picture of Instant Pot chicken parmesan bake topped with Panko and fresh basil in a white bowl.
EASY CHICKEN PASTA BAKE
With this meal, you make and shred the chicken in advance, so you can get this easy meal on the table without a lot of fuss. For a simple Halloween “win,” cut some sliced yellow cheese into Jack-o-lantern triangles and mouth shapes, then keep the breaded topping away from these areas before baking.
Check out this recipe
3
A horizontal shot of a serving of ravioli, coated in a creamy tomato sauce, topped with grated parmesan cheese and garnished with basil leaves. The ravioli is on a pale gray, speckled ceramic plate, with a fork on the top right of the frame. A small bowl of parmesan cheese are in the top left of the plate.
ONE-POT RAVIOLI FROM FROZEN
This is one of my go-to quick meals. It tastes like lasagna without the prep! Just brown the sausage, layer the ingredients, and press start. Have a lot of guests to feed? Add a second bag of ravioli with no change to the other ingredients.
(Tip: Costco often sells novelty ravioli for an easy Halloween win.)
Check out this recipe
4
45 degree close-up of instant pot chicken pot pie with a golden pie crust and creamy potato, carrot and pea filling being cut with a silver knife.
CHICKEN POT PIE
Make the creamy filling in your Instant Pot and use cookie cutters (or your knife skills) to cut the crust into Jack-o-lantern shapes.
Check out this recipe
5
An overhead shot of a wooden bowl filled with creamy pumpkin broth with tomatoes, black beans, and ground pork in the middle, with chopped cilantro as garnish. On a black plate with a soft yellow napkin and additional cilantro garnish in the lower right corner.
PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN SOUP
This Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup is made with ground pork and black beans—plus, it's an easy recipe where you pop the ingredients in the pot and press start. Pretend the black beans are creepy crawlies for extra Halloween fun.
Check out this recipe
6
Instant pot beef and cheddar sandwiches on an onion roll with ruffle cut potato chips on a wooden cutting board
BEEF AND CHEDDAR SANDWICHES
Homemade Instant Pot Sliced Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches are the upgraded version of your favorite Arby’s classic, with melty cheese sauce, thin-sliced beef, and onion rolls. You could say the cheese sauce is toxic ooze.
Check out this recipe
7
Quick sloppy joes made with frozen beef, served on a bun with salad and potato chips.
QUICK & EASY SLOPPY JOES
This easy dinner starts with frozen ground beef and pantry staples to create a kid-friendly Halloween option. (We joke that we’re serving zombie brain sandwiches when we serve this one.)
Check out this recipe
8
A white bowl filled with Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup, topped with parsley and served with bread.
CHICKEN & GNOCCHI SOUP
This hearty soup is great for an easy dinner. As a bonus, you could pretend the little squishy gnocchi are slimy slugs.
Check out this recipe
9
close up on melted cheese on top of ground beef and pasta casserole in a ceramic baking dish
BEEF-A-RONI AKA AMERICAN CHOP SUEY
This kid-friendly cheesy pasta bake makes a big batch and is on the table in about 30 minutes. You can call the pasta Goblin Guts to make it spookier.
Check out this recipe
10
A close up picture of a bowl of Instant Pot Wisconsin macaroni and cheese in a white bowl with fresh parsley and shredded cheese in the background.
WISCONSIN MAC AND CHEESE
Need a meal your kids are guaranteed to eat? This Noodles & Company copycat is a slam dunk, with lots of creamy cheese. The fact that it looks like ooey-gooey brains can just be a Halloween bonus.
Check out this recipe
11
Instant Pot chicken Alfredo topped with fresh parmesan and basil and placed in a white bowl tie a bread stick in the background.
SHORTCUT CHICKEN ALFREDO
This is an easy pasta dish that cooks the noodles and bottled sauce at the same time. You can easily change up the pasta to use some Halloween-shaped pastas that are so much fun to eat. (My local grocery store has Halloween pasta similar to these.)
Check out this recipe
12
A 45 degree shot of Instant Pot Frozen Ground Beef Chili topped with shredded cheese and cilantro
WEEKNIGHT BEEF CHILI
Starts with frozen meat and gets added protein and flavor from beans, canned tomatoes, and your favorite dried spices. Or, if you want a cook-off winning dinner, take a little extra time with our Homemade Beef Chili.
Check out this recipe
13
An overhead picture of Instant Pot chicken taquitos with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, green onion, and shredded cheese.
CREAMY CHEESY TAQUITOS
These also start with pre-shredded chicken for an easy-to-put-together meal. To be silly, you could call them skeleton bones. They’ll be the perfect food to serve your ghouls before they go trick-or-treating.
Check out this recipe
14
A 45 degree shot of Instant Pot potato soup, made with chunky potatoes, cheddar cheese, and bacon, served in a white soup bowl with a silver spoon tucked in the top right side of the bowl with cheese and bread in the background
CHUNKY POTATO CHEESE SOUP
This is a classic fall soup made with crispy bacon and tender steamed potatoes, perfect for keeping warm and full for a night of fun!
Check out this recipe
15
overhead shot of Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken and Orzo, showing the orzo, chicken, and green onions before they're mixed in and a swirl of cream on top
INSTANT POT BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
Creamy, protein-packed, and silky smooth, this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup has all the flavors of fall. We’ve made it a complete meal by adding orzo and chicken to help this dinner last all night.
Check out this recipe
16
A close up picture of a spoonful of Instant Pot taco soup on a spoon, over a bowl of soup topped with sour cream, avocado, and chips.
GROUND BEEF TACO SOUP
This hearty soup recipe uses fresh or frozen ground beef, plus pantry staples like tomato sauce, canned beans, and frozen corn. It’s a quick and easy recipe to have on the table.
Check out this recipe
17
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Pumpkin Chicken Corn Chowder served in a white bowl
PUMPKIN CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER
Want to emphasize fall flavors? This pumpkin chicken corn chowder is a great option, loaded with chunks of tender chicken, potatoes, and kernels of corn.
Check out this recipe
18
A close up of an Instant Pot French dip sandwich topped with cheese on a bun next to a bowl of au jus.
EASY FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES
Easy Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches with thin slices of beef and garlic-rosemary au jus are a delicious start to a fun Halloween night!
Check out this recipe
19
SHORTCUT MEATBALL SANDWICHES
These quick and easy sandwiches start with frozen meatballs and homemade marinara, served on toasted sub rolls with melted cheese.
Check out this recipe

Halloween Breakfast Recipes in the Instant Pot

Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day! Make it festive with one of these easy recipes:

20
A spoon taking out the first bite of pumpkin spice breakfast steel cut oats
STEEL CUT OATS WITH PECAN PIE GRANOLA
We love to send the kids off to school with their bellies full of Pumpkin Spice Steel Cut Oats are a hearty, fiber-filled breakfast made with pumpkin and warm fall spices.
Check out this recipe
21
overhead of instant pot steel cut oats with apples on a wooden spoon with a pressure cooker in the background
APPLE CINNAMON STEEL CUT OATS
Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats with Apples and Cinnamon is a creamy, fall-spiced breakfast made with fresh apple and healthy oats. Lots of hearty fiber to fill their bellies on Halloween morning.
Check out this recipe
22
Carrot cake steel cut oats topped with shredded carrots, slivered almonds, and raisins, placed in front of an Instant Pot.
CARROT CAKE OATMEAL
These decadent oats taste like cake for breakfast to start your Halloween on a sweet note.
Check out this recipe
23
Instant Pot /Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Baked French Toast with an Instant Pot in the background
PUMPKIN SPICE BAKED FRENCH TOAST
Why fight the sugar rush? If you have time to make it, this easy-to-make Pumpkin Spice Baked French Toast is a rich, decadent way to start a fall morning!
Check out this recipe

Halloween Desserts

These easy Halloween treats are fun to make and will get your family in the Halloween spirit. (You’ll find a mix of Instant Pot, air fryer, and traditional recipes in this section.)

24
A front view picture of a mason jar mug filled with sous vide hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream, chocolate chunks, and marshmallows, with more marshmallows and mugs in the background.
INSTANT POT HOT CHOCOLATE
Every year, my neighbors serves hot chocolate to warm up the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. The Instant Pot keeps it warm all night! (You can use a store-bought cocoa mix with this method as well.)
Check out this recipe
25
a shot of Instant Pot apple crisp in a white bowl, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, with the pan of apple crisp, apples, and cinnamon sticks in the background
INSTANT POT APPLE CRISP
Instant Pot Apple Crisp is packed with cinnamon-spiced apples and topped with a crumbled oatmeal-brown sugar topping.
Check out this recipe
26
Overhead picture of air fryer pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk and a bowl of pumpkin puree in the background.
AIR FRYER PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Few things feel more “fall” to me than these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies. Cooking them in your air fryer gives you a delightful crisp on the outside, with the classic ooey-gooey center.
Check out this recipe
27
slice of pumpkin cheesecake drizzled with caramel sauce
PUMPKIN CARAMEL PECAN CHEESECAKE
This is one I like to make for grown-up Halloween parties. This is a decadent Instant Pot cheesecake perfect for Halloween, with a mild pumpkin flavor and sweetened up with a gooey caramel sauce.
Check out this recipe
28
Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Candy Corn Cheesecake on a cake stand
CANDY CORN CHEESECAKE
RELAX, Candy Corn haters! This cheesecake just channels the classic colors in a honey-sweetened easy-to-make Instant Pot cheesecake. This fun tri-colored Halloween dessert is a fun way to end Halloween!
Check out this recipe
29
www.barbarabakes.com
SNICKERS BAKING BITES COOKIES
My kids are happy to trade some of their Halloween candy so we can make this recipe. You can use any kind of chocolate candy bar in this recipe.
Check out this recipe
30
www.barbarabakes.com
M&M CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
This is another one where I trade my kids’ candy from trick or treating to make these kid-favorite classic cookies after Halloween.
Check out this recipe
31
www.barbarabakes.com
HALLOWEEN PEANUT BUTTER CUP POPCORN
Upgrade your popcorn with sweet peanut butter cup flavor for a Halloween party or spooky movie night!
Check out this recipe

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