If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a dad who loves Halloween, it’s this—throwing a Halloween party doesn’t have to break the bank. You don’t need fog machines, themed inflatables, or a table full of fancy Pinterest-level desserts to impress a crowd. All you need are a few fun, spooky, and delicious Halloween-themed snacks that are easy to make and fun to eat.
So if you’re planning to host a little monster mash or just want to make Halloween dinner a little more festive for the family, I’ve rounded up five of our favorite Halloween party recipes that are equal parts simple and spooky. These are tried-and-true treats we’ve made (and devoured), and I promise—they’re a hit with both kids and adults. Bonus: most of these can be made with ingredients from your local Smith’s Grocery (aka the MVP of party planning).
🕷️ Seven-Layer Spider Dip
Let’s kick it off with a crowd-pleaser: Halloween-style seven-layer dip. This is your classic party dip—refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, olives, and green onions—but with a spooky twist. After layering all your ingredients, use sour cream in a piping bag to draw a spider web on top. Add a plastic spider (or a black olive cut into spider shapes) for creepy effect. Serve with blue corn chips or tortilla chips in Halloween shapes!
Why it works: Easy to assemble, serves a crowd, and looks way more complicated than it actually is.
🧟 Mummy Hot Dogs (Air Fryer or Oven)
These mummy dogs are always a hit—and yes, they’re basically just hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll dough, but with candy eyes added after baking to bring them to life. We made ours in the air fryer (super fast), but you can do them in the oven too. Wrap your dogs with dough strips, bake until golden, and once cooled a bit, add two edible eyes with a dab of mustard or ketchup.
Pro tip: Let the kids “mummify” the hot dogs themselves. It’s half the fun.
💀 Cheesy Bone Breadsticks
If you’re serving up a spooky soup or pasta dish, these cheesy Halloween bone breadsticks are the perfect side. All you do is take refrigerated breadstick dough, cut and shape the ends into bone-like curves, then brush with butter, garlic, and cheese. Bake until golden brown and you’ve got bones that are soft, cheesy, and downright delicious.
Parent tip: Let the kids stretch and shape the dough—because if they help make it, they’re more likely to eat it.
👻 Ghost Cheese Pizzas
Okay, this one’s a Modern Dad original. All we did was take individual frozen pizzas, cook them according to the package directions, and then added a slice of cheese that we cut out with a ghost-shaped cookie cutter. Toss it back in the oven for a minute or two until the ghost melts on top.
Bonus points if you use olive slices for the eyes and mouth!
🧀 Halloween Charcuterie Board
And finally, the grand centerpiece of your snack table: a spooky Halloween charcuterie board. Build it around a plastic skeleton, a skull bowl, or a mini cauldron, and pile on a mix of meats, cheeses, crackers, candy eyeballs, candy corn, olives, and chocolate-covered pretzels. There’s no wrong way to do this—just make it spooky, snacky, and fun.
Tip: Use Halloween cookie cutters to cut cheese or fruit into festive shapes!
🎃 Final Thoughts
Hosting a Halloween party doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. With a few simple ingredients and some fun spooky twists, you can create a snack spread that your guests will love—and that your kids will still be talking about come Thanksgiving.
So grab your grocery list (you know I hit up Smith’s for all this), invite a few friends over, and have some fun in the kitchen. Whether you’re baking up mummy dogs or laying out that ghostly cheese, Halloween is the perfect time to mix a little creativity with a whole lot of fun.
Stay spooky and snack on,
—Jason (aka Modern Dad)
