Savoury Halloween Recipes: From Snacks to Meals

Halloween is nearly here, and spooky season is in full swing. From planning what you’re going to wear out to your Halloween parties with your mates in student accommodation or at the big parties out and about in your town, to thinking about the scary movies you want to watch and have those jump scares from and which trick or treats you want to provide on Halloween itself, learning how to make the most out of autumn is great as a student. Halloween is definitely one of the big dates for your calendar every year, with plenty going on and loads of fun to be had.

The sweet treats of Halloween are special, of course they are, but with this post we’re looking at some spooktacular savoury Halloween recipes and treats you can make this autumn!

The history of spooky treats at Halloween

The tradition of Halloween itself dates back 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was a day where the Celts believed there was a gap between the spirit world and our own. Costumes were worn, bonfires were lit but over many centuries different traditions were blended together. Throughout all of this time though, there was a tradition of giving out sweets and snacks during the festival, including most commonly apples and nuts over the last 200 years or so.

Apple bobbing became popular during the mid 19th-century before candy apples were common. For a century or more we have become accustomed to sweets and chocolate being handed out to children who are trick or treating and knocking door-to-door, and since the 1970s especially (in the USA – and from the 1980s onwards in the UK) the chocolate and sweets seasons for Halloween has become ever more popular!

Scarily tasty savoury Halloween recipes

It isn’t just about the sweet treats at this spooky time of year though, there’s more to Halloween than that. Just like you have haunted house movies playing alongside slasher movies, you’ve got candied apples alongside a savoury Halloween snack. Let’s take a look at some tasty savoury Halloween recipes.

Chocolate-covered Halloween pretzels

Now, I know I said we weren’t going the sweet route, Halloween has such a link with chocolate that we had to include it somewhere, and where better than with an elite savoury snack, like the humble pretzel. This recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare and only 5 minutes to cook, and there will be 15 servings, but we won’t blame you if you keep most of this moreish, salty and sweet treat for yourself this Halloween!

Ingredients:

• 100g milk chocolate chips
• 100g dark chocolate chips
• 100g white chocolate chips
• 200g giant pretzels
• Edible eyes (it’s important to have the scary element here!)

Method:

• Put the different types of chocolate chips in separate bowls and melt down, either over a pot of simmering water or on a high setting in the microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool until it is a thick consistency.
• Split the pretzels into three batches, dipping a third into the white chocolate, a third into the dark, and a third into the milk chocolate.
• Add the edible eyes to each pretzel (we recommend three or four to make them extra scary). Leave to set and they keep for up to a week in an air-tight container (but let’s be honest, they won’t last a day).

Little monster pancakes

Although these might be primarily targeted at kids, they are a lot of fun to make (and eat) and can be a great thing to make with friends this Halloween. They take just 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook, serving about 30 pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 225g self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 175ml milk
• 75g chopped baby spinach
• Maple syrup, kiwi, bananas, blueberries (whatever you wish to serve with the pancakes)

Method:

• Blend the flour, baking powder, butter, milk, eggs, sugar and spinach until it is bright green and has a smooth consistency.
• Melt some butter in a non-stick frying pan and spoon in small dollops of batter over a medium heat. Two to three pancakes can be made at a time.
• Cook for 2 minutes until it is set around the edges and the bubbles are rising, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• Keep pancakes warm in a low oven whilst cooking the rest of the batch.
• Decorate the pancakes with fruit eyes and pointy teeth to make a scary monster (blueberry eyes and banana teeth work for us).

Halloween spider pizzas

If you are hosting a Halloween party this year, these pizzas are a great way to be creative and to have some fun whilst making a savoury Halloween recipe that is a hit with your friends. It takes just 20 minutes of prep and around 12 minutes cooking, plus the proving time for the dough and serves 8 people.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of pizza base mix
• Plain flour
• 120ml passata
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 150g grated mozzarella
• 50g grated parmesan
• 4 large olives, putted
• 6 small slices of salami or chorizo
• 8 drained capers (small)

Method:

• Make the pizza dough following the instructions on the pack (you could also make the dough from scratch yourself, following an easy pizza dough recipe). Place the dough on a floured surface and after flouring your hands, knead the dough for 2 minutes until it is soft, bouncy, and even.
• Cover the dough with oiled cling film in a bowl and allow it to rise in a warm place. After about an hour it should have doubled in size.
• During this time, mix together the garlic and passata in a bowl.
• Dust two baking sheets with flour, splitting the dough into eight before rolling four balls into thin circles. Lift these onto the floured sheets and add a layer of tomato sauce on top of each and then scatter the parmesan and mozzarella.
• Put four cut halves of olives onto the four pizzas, as the spider bodies, cutting the rest of the olive halves into thin strips that you will then place either side of the body to look like spider legs.
• Place four pieces of the salami or chorizo on the four remaining pizza bases, cutting the other slices into thin strips to make into spider legs too. 2 capers can be used to make spider eyes.
• Bake in the oven at 240C/220C fan/gas 9 for 12 minutes or until the cheese has started to bubble and go crispy and golden brown.

Halloween mocktail

With all these savoury snacks you need a drink to wash it all down and what better than a delicious Halloween mocktail. It takes just 10 minutes to make and serves 14-15 drinks, a fruit punch that brings out the ghouls.

Ingredients:

• 425g can lychees
• 225g cocktail cherries
• 15 raisins
• 1 litre of chilled sparkling water
• 1 litre of chilled cranberry or cherry juice
• 1 litre of chilled blackberry or blueberry juice

Additional items:

• You will also need two disposable gloves

Method:

• Fill the disposable gloves with water, tie a knot in the top like a balloon and freeze overnight.
• Drain the cocktail cherries and lychees, keeping the liquid in a jug. Push one raisin into the end of each cherry, and then push the cherries into the lychees, making scary eyeballs!
• Tip all of the juices into a large bowl with the eyeballs, peel the gloves from the ice hands and add those to the punch just before serving. You can top it all up with sparkling water.

We hope you found this blog on savoury Halloween recipes helpful. Have you got your own personal favourite savoury Halloween recipes and sweet treats that you love to make for your friends and any trick or treaters? We’re all about good food, and you’ll find a guide to healthy summer snacks to keep you energised as well as other recipe guides and food links for different towns and cities around the country.