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Halloween Party Food in a Flash!

We love Halloween in our house and every year the kids ask if we can host a Halloween party. Usually it’s a ‘no, too busy’, but this year, on October 31st, they finally convinced me to say yes. What was I thinking?! I had less than 24 hours to come up with a party food menu, and a huge part of that 24 hours needed to be given over to my full-time job, school and sleep. Make that maybe three hours available to shop and prepare food. Could it be done? With a little imagination, here’s what we came up with for Halloween party food in a flash!

Witch fingers

Witch fingers

This simple recipe involves buying a bag of ready-cooked cocktail franks from the deli counter, slicing off an oval for the nailbed, and pressing an almond sliver (or in this case, whole almond – time poor remember!) onto the nail bed for a very unpleasant looking nail. Score in a few lines for knuckles, garnish with tomato sauce blood and hey presto! you’re onto a winner!

Zombie scabs

zombie scabs

Mmm-mm, who doesn’t love nachos splashed with salsa, sprinkled with gooey cheese, and grilled until warmly picked fresh from the unfortunate zombie? Easy!

RELATED: Here is our kids guide to the real meaning of Halloween.

Cat Vomit

Cat vomit

Funnily enough, no-one was willing to try this until I explained exactly what went into it. I promise you the cat played no part in its creation whatsoever!

This is actually yummy and I will use it as a dessert on other occasions (for family only!). It’s simply thick custard garnished with crumbled chocolate flake, smashed biscuit for texture, and a splash of dried fruit mix to give it that enticing appearance.

Halloween party food – the basics

You don’t need to whip up anything special for Halloween food. Renaming a few basics can add to the fun and atmosphere in a very simple way. Try these favourites from previous Halloween parties we’ve hosted:

Halloween party snacks
  • Vege chips, especially beetroot or sweet potato, can be dragon scales or picked scabs
  • Pickled cabbage is great as rotting flesh (maybe stick to the older kids for that one!)
  • Stuffed olives are lizard eyeballs
  • Tinned lychees stuffed with sultanas are a sweet eyeball alternative
  • 2-minute noodles makes great witches hair

You’ll have to excuse the photos; I’d never expected to use them for anything other than a personal memento, but you get the idea.

Party game

The above selection was created for a previous year’s party game called “ew, what’s in my mouth“. Our young party guests were blindfolded and had to guess what we were feeding them. Hilarious for the parents, and a little nerve-wracking for the kids, but totally safe and non-toxic – I’m not that evil, bwahahahaha!

Previous Halloween party food menus

This wasn’t our first Halloween party. Here are some ideas from previous years that I didn’t get chance to recreate on this occasion.

Monster eyes

Monster eyes

The grown-ups loved these and they’re very simple to make.

Scoop the yolk from hard-boiled eggs into a bowl and mash with a little mayo and curry powder before spooning it back into the white. Top with a slice of olive and garnish with sun-dried tomato and capsicum for the muscles that hold the eyes in the place.

The disembodied hand

Disembodied Hand

I rushed this a little and failed, but if I get around to trying again and it works then I’ll come back and update with a new photo.

To create a ‘disembodied hand’ you will need a brand new rubber glove – not the sort that you can inflate like a balloon, but the washing-up type that will hold their shape. Wash the glove thoroughly and turn it inside out, then stuff with finely (that’s the key word, and where I went wrong!) chopped fruit and berries. Pour jelly into the glove to fill the spaces and hold it all together, tie off the end with a rubber band or string, and freeze overnight.

To serve, cut the glove carefully off the frozen jelly hand, taking care to not snap off any digits (ahem), and place in a bowl filled with a cocktail of fruit juice and lemonade. Deliciously refreshing for an Aussie Halloween!

Watermelon brain

watermelon brain

This is another treat that you can go into a lot more detail with if you have the time. Carefully peel a half of watermelon, and carve in those wonderful brain-like swirls and cortices. 

More Halloween party food ideas

For more Halloween party food ideas, click

here for inspired healthy snacks
here for brains and mummies Halloween cupcakes
and here for ghastly ghouls chocolate bark

Photo of author

Joanne Crane

Joanne loves speaking directly to people of all ages through the medium of writing, sharing tips and knowledge for families and kids to help everyone get the most out of life. Her focus is on the development of resilience, confidence and independence in children, and on helping families engage and create lasting memories. Self-esteem, self-respect and self-worth are vital skills that Joanne believes children need to learn early to help them grow as adults.

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