18 Kid-Friendly Halloween Party Food Ideas

It’s that time of year again…the pumpkin spice lattes are in full brew, the pumpkin patch pictures are flooding Facebook, and everyone is pulling out their booties and flannels even though it’s still ninety degrees in our lovely little swamp. It’s also time for that first class party to come sneaking around the corner while we are buried six feet deep in costume planning and graveyard decorations.

When I was young, I don’t remember ever having a single class party. Sure, we had an annual Valentine’s exchange where we all shuffled around our pre-packaged bulk Valentines purchased from the local Walgreens and stuffed ourselves full of Starbursts and Dum-Dums for a good fifteen minutes before we were dismissed at the end of the day. But I don’t recall ever having parents show up bearing lovingly prepared treats and classroom decorations.

Well times have changed, Mama. If you are new to the elementary {and sometimes even preschool} party circuit, it won’t be long before an ambitious Room Mom snags you by your topknot as you’re fleeing the schoolyard and asks whether you prefer to send a sweet treat, a salty treat, or a fruit to your snowflake’s Halloween party.

If you’re anything like me, spending hours trolling through Pinterest is not your idea of a good time, so to save you a little bit of frustration and energy, I’m going to share a few of the adorable ideas the internet has to offer for fall parties. Some schools have an actual Halloween party while others prefer to keep things purely fall-focused, but there is enough variety here for either type of gathering.

18 Kid-Friendly Halloween Party Foods | Houston Moms Blog

 {SWEET TREATS}

1} Halloween Candy Bark :: Using vanilla almond bark, food coloring {green, in this recipe} and an assortment of funky gummy candies {think gummy worms, gummy bugs, gummy eyeballs}, you can make a bark that is sure to pack a bite. This could also be adapted for a Fall party by changing to an orange or yellow food coloring and incorporating candy pumpkins, candy corns, or other fall-related candies.

2} Graveyard Pudding Cups :: Pile crushed Oreo “dirt” onto chocolate pudding cups and then top with a ghost marshmallow Peep and a pumpkin candy to create these adorable Graveyard Pudding Cups. My 5-year-old would go batty for these. {See what I did there?} I think these could also be made using yogurt rather than pudding as the Oreo “dirt” will maintain the graveyard feel.

3} Witch’s Brew Brownies :: Everything but the kitchen sink goes into these brownies. In a way it reminds me of Grandma’s meatloaf. Whatever is leftover (here, candy) gets ground up and reformed into a completely new creation.

4} Pumpkin Patch Dirt Cups :: These are a different take on the Graveyard Cups and would be appropriate for a fall themed party. Create using gummy worms and a pile of candied pumpkins and just leave out the ghost peep.  Again, you could use yogurt in place of the pudding for a healthier option.

5} Owl S’mores :: How adorable are these for a fall themed party! {Or if you happen to attend Lovett Elementary.} And who doesn’t love a s’more?

18 Kid-Friendly Halloween Party Food Ideas | Houston Moms Blog

{SALTY TREATS}

6} Mini Spider Pizzas :: These precious, tiny pizzas use olive slices as spiders, and they get bonus points for easy portability and consumption, which we all know is important, especially with the younger crowd.

7} Halloween/Fall Snack Mix :: This is just a great go-to staple for any fall party. There are a million different recipes for snack mix out there, but I love the variety in this one, both in flavor and in the little pops of color.

8} Jack-o-lantern Mac and Cheese Cups :: Comfort food gets spooky when delivered in jack-o-lantern decorated plastic cups.

9} Caramel Corn Cobs :: Popcorn is always a staple in my salty treat line-up, and this method of delivery, in the form of an adorable corn cob wrap, is a fun way to make plain old popcorn into a fall party treat. You can go with the caramel corn in this recipe or a plain variety.

10} Halloween Popcorn Hands – So you want to serve popcorn in a fun way that’s also a little creepy? Stuff it into food service gloves, add candy corn fingernails and spider rings, and you’ll have all the kids wondering who has the freaky mom.

11} Monster Cups and Cheesestick Ghosts :: It’s all about the presentation with these googly-eyed monster cups and string cheese ghosts. I love the simplicity of this one. It takes very little time or craft/cooking skill but still has a big impact.

18 Kid-Friendly Halloween Party Food Ideas | Houston Moms Blog

{FRUIT-BASED TREATS}

12} “Boo”nana :: Oh my! These will send you into cuteness overload, but they are so simple. Two different sizes of chocolate chips add ghost faces to bananas. The only down-side to this adorableness is that they are a last-minute item as the bananas will brown if made ahead of time.

13} Mummy Juice Boxes :: White electrical tape and a bag of googly eyes, easily turn your beverage option into a fall treat!

14} Squeeze Pouch Mummies :: Like the juice boxes above, fruit squeeze pouches also make adorable mummies when decorated accordingly.

15} Mummy Apples :: Gauze and candy eyes make green apples into memorable little mummy treats.

16} Silly Monster Apple Bites :: Using sunflower seeds, your favorite nut butter {or non-nut butter for allergy sufferers}, strawberries and apples, create creepy but fun monster mouths. This recipe uses a lot of natural ingredients, but if time is a priority {isn’t it always?}, you could use marshmallows instead of the sunflower seeds and store-bought candy googly eyes.

17} Clementine Pumpkins :: Such a simple ides, but what child doesn’t love clementines? My daughter just flocks to these when they are decorated like little jack-o-lanterns.

18} Orange Pumpkins :: Another cute take on the orange theme. Peeled oranges look shockingly like little pumpkins, especially when a slice of celery or other green veggie is inserted into the middle.

18 Kid-Friendly Halloween Party Food Ideas | Houston Moms Blog

Hopefully, this list will at least give you a few ideas for what to bring to your child’s fall/Halloween party. And bonus points for Mom if you turn any of them into part of a Halloween-themed lunch! Any favorites we might have missed?

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Jennifer U
Jennifer grew up in Houston before heading to Austin for seven years to attend the University of Texas as a history and government major and continuing at UT for law school. An attorney by day, in the evening she trades high heels and ambition for wet kisses and warm hugs from her three children - Kieran {Dec 2005}, Sawyer {Jan 2011}, and Birdie {Sept 2014}. Her many vices include an intense passion for all things Bravo and her plan for the future is "more cowbell." You can find her at the duck pond, the zoo, on Instagram @jen.e.underwood and blogging at Treading Water in the Kiddie Pool {www.treadingwaterinthekiddiepool.com}.

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