Halloween is just around the corner and trick-or-treating is one of the most exciting parts of the day. It’s true that if we munch on sugary snacks all the time we’ll increase our risk of heart disease and probably rot our teeth. But do you know what’s even worse marshmallow ghosts this Halloween? Stressing out about sugar and calories. It’s one day – enjoy the chocolate guilt-free.

But it’s not just about the trick-or-treating. Here are ten ghoulishly good recipe ideas to bring the spooky theme alive across all the meals and snacks of the day that the whole family can enjoy. These simple meal and snack ideas are fun, flavourful (and spooky), and will see you through from breakfast until trick-or-treating. Enjoy!

1. Vampire Porridge

Add some fun and super nutrition to your morning porridge. Use strawberries, bananas and blueberries to make this vampire face. Sunflower seeds make perfect fangs. Add an almond for the nose and you have a healthy start to the Halloween fun.

2. Bat Pancakes

Set the scene with these delicious Halloween themed pancakes for breakfast. Full of flavour and fibre, they’ll get everyone in the Halloween mood. The quantities here are for 6 people so perfect for a crowd or freeze any leftover pancakes for another day.  In addition to the pancake recipe, you need:

1 green apple (for the wings and ears)

2 banana slices (for the eyes)

Handful of blueberries (for the pupils and feet)

1 strawberry (for the mouth)

1 almond or raisin for the nose

Sunflower seeds for the fangs

3. Witches Brew Smoothie

Help kids to be less terrified of their greens this Halloween serving them this delicious green smoothie. Not only does it taste great, but it is full of fibre, vitamins and minerals making it a simple way to boost nutrition on a busy day.  The smoothie would make the perfect accompaniment to any meal or a pre trick-or-treating snack.

4. Clementine Pumpkins and Ghostly Bananas

This fruity snack is just as fun and tasty as the less healthy Halloween options. Add chocolate chips to make the face on the banana. Peel the clementine but leave it whole and place a small stick of celery in the centre. Full of fibre and natural sweetness, this a Halloween snack that kids will be happy to eat.

5. Spiderweb Squash Soup

Adding a spider web pattern to this warming soup couldn’t be easier. Fill a piping bag or Ziploc bag with 4 tablespoons of crème fraiche. Pipe a spiral shape on the surface of the soup. Pull the tip of a knife or toothpick from the centre of the spiral to the edge of the bowl. Do this a few times to form a web shape.

6. Monster Burgers

A fun burger for all the family using cheese to create fangs and stuffed olives as eyeballs. This can be a beef burger or a vegetarian patty, making this a suitable and delicious meal for all preferences.

7. Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

These spooktacular stuffed peppers are the perfect Halloween dinner. Turn the oven to 200°C or 180 °C fan. Cut the tops off the peppers and place to one side. Remove the seeds and white flesh. Using a sharp knife, carve spooky Halloween faces into one side of the pepper. Stuff with our beef chilli or belly hug smoky bean chilli (for a vegetarian option) and replace the lids. Place in a roasting tin with the faces turned upwards. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes, with the final 10 minutes uncovered.

8. Halloween pizza

Halloween pizza is a quick and easy dinner before trick-or-treating. Follow our pizza recipe and double or triple the quantities if you have a crowd to feed. You will need one ball of mozzarella (approximately 125g drained weight) for the ghosts.

Use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter to make the ghosts out of the cheese or just cut them free-hand using a knife. Chopped black olives make the perfect ghostly face.

9. Baked Pumpkin Beef Stew

Serve up some novelty this Halloween by cooking this traditional beef stew in a baked pumpkin. This delicious stew does take some extra time but it’s surprisingly straightforward once you get started because your oven will do the heavy lifting for you. It’s a nutritious way to serve dinner and looks very impressive at the dinner table. Choose a pumpkin about the size of a football so it will fit in your oven.

10. Spiderweb meatballs / Bolognese

Elevate a firm family favourite and give it a spooky twist! Use squid ink pasta for ‘tentacles’ or black food colouring can be used with ordinary pasta. Simply add a drop or two to the drained, cooked pasta. Add a cheese ‘spiderweb’ and this this tasty dinner will go down a treat. To make the spiderweb, use thin slices of any cheese you like and arrange in a spiderweb pattern. This recipe works well with many of our recipes including turkey meatballs and spaghetti Bolognese.

We hope you enjoy the recipes and make sure to tag us on social media if you re-create any of them.