Halloween is my favorite excuse to get weird with food!
I mean, when else can you show up with toe chilli or intestine bread and no one bats an eye?
A spooky potluck is a fun time to make cute, creepy, and downright silly dishes to share with friends and family!
Halloween potlucks are my favorite because I love getting creative but I also love seeing what everyone else brings.
So if you’ve got a Halloween party coming up, this is your chance to bring something fun and spooky that will have people talking.
Here are some Halloween appetizers:
1. Spiderweb Taco Dip
To make this dip, start by spreading a layer of refried beans across the bottom of a wide dish.
Then add some guacamole to the middle.
Sprinkle spreaded cheese around the border then top with black olive, chopped tomatoes and chopped green pepper.
Fill a piping bag with sour cream and draw a web in the middle.
Finish with a plastic spider and serve with tortilla chips.
2. Graveyard Taco Dip
If you love taco dip but spiders aren’t your thing, try this graveyard version!
Layer refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese in a casserole dish.
Then top with salsa and chopped green onion.
Stick upright tortilla chips into the top like tombstones, using a food-safe pen to draw “RIP” if you want extra fun.
Put this dip this right in the center of the potluck spread for the full effect.
3. Boo-falo Dip
Mix shredded chicken, cream cheese, buffalo sauce, and ranch together until creamy.
In a skillet or round baking dish, line some balls of dough around the outside to create a border.
Put the dip in the middle, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and use extra dough to make the face.
Bake until it’s bubbly and that’s it!
4. Cauldron Queso Dip
Okay, so this is just queso dip in a cauldron, but it’s still spooky and delicious!
Melt Velveeta or cheddar cheese with a can of Rotel in a saucepan, stirring until smooth and creamy.
Add cooked sausage or ground beef if you like extra flavor.
Transfer everything to a black cauldron-style serving bowl so it looks like bubbling potion.
5. Spider Bread Dip Bowl
Start with a round loaf of bread and cut out the center to hollow it.
Fill the cavity with your favorite spinach or artichoke dip.
Shape smaller rolls into legs and attach them with toothpicks so the loaf becomes a spider body.
You can make a smaller bread ball for a head and use black olives for eyes.
Arrange the whole thing on a tray with crackers and veggie sticks.
6. Bloody Baked Brie
Place a wheel of brie on a baking sheet and cover it with raspberry jam so it oozes like blood.
Then arrange the baked brie on a tray and along with a fake syringe full of jam.
Add a few candy knives to add to the presentation!
Serve it warm with crackers or apple slices.
7. Pumpkin Cheese Ball
Mix cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and seasoning until combined, then shape into a round ball.
Roll it in crushed Doritos or crushed cheese crackers so the outside is bright orange.
Use a piece of bell pepper stem or celery for the pumpkin stem on top.
Set the cheese ball in the center of a tray surrounded by crackers, pretzels, or veggies.
You can score faint vertical lines in the cheese ball to mimic pumpkin ridges if you want it to look fancy.
8. Pumpkin Hummus
Whip up a batch of hummus using canned chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice.
Stir in canned pumpkin puree and a bit of cumin or smoked paprika for extra flavor.
Pour it into a bowl and use a spoon to swirl ridges on the surface so it looks like a pumpkin top.
Garnish with pumpkin seeds and a little olive oil.
Add a celery stick to the center for a stem.
Serve with pita chips or veggie sticks around the outside.
9. Monster Cookie Dip
I love this dip because you can get really creative with it!
Blend cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together until smooth, then fold in peanut butter and oats.
Stir in candy-coated chocolates and chocolate chips for color.
Spoon the dip into a bowl and smooth the top.
To make it spooky, use candy eyes or gummy worms peeking out of the dip.
Pair it with graham crackers, pretzels, or apple slices. It’s sweet, salty, and fun all at once.
10. Ghost S’Mores Dip
Line a baking dish or skillet with a layer of chocolate chips and top with a full layer of marshmallows.
Bake until the marshmallows puff up and turn golden.
Use ghost-shaped marshmallows (look for Ghost Peeps!) on top if you can find them for extra effect!
Add a drizzle of chocolate syrup over the finished dish.
Serve with graham crackers for dipping right into the gooey layers.
11. Halloween Brownie Dip
Whisk together cream cheese, whipped topping, and brownie mix until it’s thick and fluffy.
Scoop into a bowl and smooth out the surface.
Crush Oreos on top to look like dirt and add candy pumpkins or gummy worms crawling out.
Or you can use sprinkles and candy eyes.
Graham crackers, pretzels, or even apple slices work great for dipping.
12. Spaghetti with Eyeballs
Cook spaghetti and toss it with marinara sauce so it’s nice and saucy.
Form mini meatballs, bake them, then press a slice of mozzarella on top while still warm.
Stick an olive slice in the center of the cheese so it looks like an eyeball staring out.
Arrange the meatballs across the spaghetti so it looks like a bowl of peering eyes.
Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the top.
13. Upchuckin’ Pumpkin Pasta Salad
This one is a little gross but perfect for a Halloween potluck!
Boil short pasta, rinse, and toss it with ranch or Italian dressing, peas, and diced peppers.
Hollow out a small pumpkin and carve a mouth at the bottom.
Place the pumpkin on a tray and have the pasta salad spilling out of the mouth onto the dish.
Add black olive slices or shredded cheese to give it texture and sprinkle paprika over the pasta to give it a little color.
This makes everyone laugh when they see it set on the table!
14. Eyeball Pasta Salad
Cook up any pasta you want (black bowties work great for Halloween) and make a pasta salad.
Press green olives into mozza balls and add them to the salad to make it spooky.
That’s all you need to do!
Honestly, you really can make whatever pasta salad you want…the eyes will do the rest!
15. Monster Mac & Cheese
Super easy, you ready?
Make a box of mac and cheese, add green food coloring, add candy eyes.
My kids love this because it’s one of their favorite foods with a Halloween twist.
If you want to get fancy for a potluck, make your own mac and cheese with richer cheese and different types of pasta.
16. Jack O’ Lantern Stuffed Peppers
Slice the tops off bell peppers and hollow them out.
Carve little jack o’ lantern faces into the sides with a paring knife.
Fill each one with rice, seasoned ground beef, and tomato sauce before baking.
When they come out, the carved faces look extra spooky against the filling!
Save the stem and stick it back in for the full pumpkin look.
17. Mummy Garlic Bread
Slice a baguette into pieces and spread garlic butter across the surface.
Layer strips of mozzarella cheese (or use cheese strings) over each piece like mummy bandages.
Bake until the bread is golden and the cheese melts into stringy layers.
Add two black olive slices for eyes on each piece.
Arrange them on a tray in rows so it looks like a little mummy army.
And serve warm while the cheese is still gooey.
18. Mummy Meatloaf
Here’s another easy mummy potluck food!
Mix ground beef with breadcrumbs, seasoning, and egg to form a traditional meatloaf.
Shape it into a rectangle or oval and cover the top with strips of puff pastry to look like wrappings.
Leave a space for the “face” and add two olive slices for eyes.
Bake until the pastry turns golden and the meatloaf is cooked through.
Place it on a serving board and slice thick pieces.
19. Toe Chilli
I’m not sure if this one is more gross than fun or more fun than gross!
Either way, it’ll make everyone pay attention.
Make a hearty pot of chili with beans, ground beef, tomatoes, and spices.
Take some hot dogs and carve out a spot for some toenails (and add some details like knuckles).
To make the toenail, use a chunk of onion.
Stick the toes in right before you serve the chilli, making sure the toenails peek out on top.
20. Intestines Dipping Bread
Unroll a package of crescent roll dough and twist it into long ropes.
Arrange the ropes on a baking sheet in a squiggly pattern to look like intestines.
Mix some red food coloring in with garlic butter and brush all over.
Bake until golden brown and puffed.
Place them around a bowl of marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.
21. Roasted Skull Potatoes
These are so eerie and easy!
Slice large potatoes in half and use a small knife to carve shallow skull faces into the flat sides.
Make sure to leave the skins on…no peeling!
Toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of paprika for color.
Roast until the edges are crispy and the carved lines darken.
The skull shapes really pop once they’re baked.
Serve on a tray with a side of sour cream dip (mixed with red food coloring because why not?).
22. Black Olive Spider Focaccia
Make a simple focaccia dough and press it into a baking pan.
Before baking, press halved black olives into the dough as spider bodies and cut strips for legs.
Sprinkle rosemary and sea salt over the top.
Bake until golden and fluffy, with the olive spiders baked in.
Slice into squares for serving.
23. Pumpkin Ravioli
Make a pasta dough using pumpkin puree, roll it out, and use a cookie cutter to make pumpkin shapes.
For the filling, anything savory will do (I like sausage, garlic, and sage).
Put a tiny bit of the filling on a pumpkin, top with another pumpkin, then seal with a fork around the edges.
These boil beautifully and taste amazing tossed in sage butter with a bit of parmesan.
24. Brimstone Bread
This one looks really cool!
Start with a basic bread dough and knead in red food coloring (or beet puree).
Shape the dough into a loaf or rolls, then brush the outside with a mix of black cocoa powder and oil or use activated charcoal for a deep black crust.
Score the top lightly so the red peeks through as it rises.
Bake until the crust is firm and dramatic against the bright interior!
25. Zucchini Mummy Bread
Take some store bought garlic bread, brush it with garlic butter and top with shredded cheese.
Lay out thinly sliced lengths of zucchini as the “wrapping” and black olives for eyes.
Bake it and that’s it!
The zucchini will crisp up and add a little something healthy to this potluck dish.
26. Jack O’ Lantern Quesadillas
Cut tortillas into pumpkin shapes using a cookie cutter or knife.
On half of them, cut out triangle eyes and a jagged mouth so they look like jack o’ lantern faces.
Sprinkle cheese and fillings on the uncut tortilla and top with the face tortilla.
Cook on a skillet until the cheese melts and the tortillas turn golden.
Serve with salsa and sour cream for dipping.
They’re super easy to stack on a platter for a potluck!
27. Mushroom Skull Pizza
Roll out pizza dough and spread on marinara and cheese.
Use halved mushrooms to create little skull faces by carving tiny eyes and mouths into the caps.
Arrange the skull mushrooms all over the pizza before baking.
Once baked, the skull shapes stand out against the melted cheese!
Slice into squares so every piece has at least one skull (you don’t want anybody missing out).
28. Halloween Chicken Noodle Soup
Make chicken noodle soup with broth, shredded chicken, and vegetables.
Swap in black bowtie pasta for noodles to give it a Halloween twist!
Oh, and cut the carrots into little pumpkin shapes using a paring knife.
Simmer everything together until the vegetables are tender.
Serve in big bowls with breadsticks on the side
29. Meatloaf Feet
These are so creative!
Shape seasoned ground beef into two large foot shapes on a baking sheet.
Use onion slices for toenails and ketchup for bloody stubs at the ankles (you can add some rings of onion here too).
Bake until cooked through, letting the ketchup caramelize.
Serve them on a tray with mashed potatoes to look like dirt.
Slice pieces off the “feet” for servings.
It’s gross enough to get reactions but still hearty comfort food!
31. Hocus Pocus Punch
If you’re looking for a signature drink to bring to a Halloween potluck, give this one a try!
Mix orange soda with pineapple juice in a large punch bowl.
Add scoops of rainbow sherbet that float on top and bubble like potion.
Stir in gummy worms or candy eyeballs for decoration.
A little ginger ale makes it fizzy.
Chill with a block of dry ice nearby if you want fog effect.
Ladle into cups and watch everyone come back for refills.
Spooky Potluck Halloween Dishes for You!
Halloween is the one time you get to have fun with food in a way that’s equal parts silly and spooky!
Show up with something creative, set it down with a grin, and let the reactions roll in.
