If you’re dreading Halloween this year due to all of the candy, consider healthy Halloween snacks instead!
There are many effective ways to avoid sweets this season.
The best healthy Halloween snacks for you and your family depend on your lifestyle and preferences.
Avoid items containing added sugar, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, refined grains, and high-fat or processed meats when picking snacks.
Forgo sweet treats this holiday season in favor of healthy Halloween snacks to avoid unplanned weight gain and stay on track with your healthy living plan!
Start by replacing all that sugar with the healthy Halloween snack ideas below!
Learn more about those dreaded Halloween candy binges and what to do with all that candy!
Simple Fruit and Veggie Halloween Snacks
Use the following ideas when creating healthy Halloween snacks for parties, family get-togethers, or after-school functions!
Tangerine Pumpkins
To prepare tangerines that already resemble tiny pumpkins, simply peel the tangerines, cut tiny “stems” from a stalk of celery, and place one on top of each tangerine!
Banana Ghosts
Another simple, yet highly nutritious, healthy Halloween snack is to create ghosts out of bananas.
Cut each banana in half — the uncut end of the banana is the head of the ghost.
Cut the other end into a zig-zag shape (optional).
Make eyes and a mouth using mini dark chocolate chips.
Simply press them into the banana or attach them using sticky peanut butter.
Green Apple Monsters
Green apple monsters are nutritious, delicious, and festive!
You’ll need green apples, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, and sliced cheese or sliced strawberries.
Wash and quarter the apples, cut a V-shape into each one to make a mouth, and spread peanut butter into the monster’s mouth.
Add a cheese or strawberry slice to each to create a tongue, and stick pumpkin seeds onto the peanut butter for the teeth.
“Candy Corn” Fruit Parfait
Forgo traditional candy corn this Halloween in favor of a refreshing candy corn fruit parfait.
Simply fill each glass cup or small mason jar with fresh pineapple chunks topped with orange or peach slices.
Top each fruit cup with plain Greek yogurt and enjoy this healthy Halloween snack with your family!
Spiders or Eyeballs on a Log
Spiders or eyeballs on the log are like “ants on a log,” but you’ll use plastic spiders or eye eyeballs in addition to, or instead of, raisins.
Wash and slice celery, spread each celery stick with peanut butter, and top each with black plastic spiders or eyeballs.
Just make sure the kids pull off the plastic pieces before eating this healthy Halloween snack.
This option is for older children!
Pumpkin Hummus with Veggies
Create a hummus pumpkin out of your favorite hummus by placing it in a large serving bowl, making it smooth and rounded, and using a spoon to create pumpkin-like grooves in the hummus.
Add part of a cucumber for the pumpkin’s stem, and serve the hummus with sliced cucumbers, carrots, celery, bell peppers, or any other fresh veggies of your choice.
Skeleton Veggie Tray
Forgo a traditional veggie tray this Halloween in favor of a skeleton veggie tray.
Place veggie dip or hummus in a bowl as the skeleton’s head, add olives for its eyes, and get creative by using a variety of fresh veggies to make the skeleton’s body.
Bell Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns
In addition to carving pumpkins this Halloween, cut red or orange bell peppers into tiny jack-o-lanterns.
Simply cut off the tops (but save them) of the peppers, remove the insides of the peppers, and carve eyes and a mouth into each.
Fill the peppers with cheese cubes, berries, fresh veggies, or any other favorite healthy snacks.
Roasted Jack-o-Lantern Sweet Potatoes
Roasted jack-o-lantern sweet potatoes make a delicious snack that’s packed with nutrients.
Simply slice the sweet potatoes into circles and use a paring knife to make jack-o-lantern eyes and a mouth in each.
Lay the potato slices on top of parchment paper on a baking sheet, brush olive oil over the tops and bottoms, and sprinkle the slices with sea salt.
Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes, turning them over halfway through, until they’re golden brown around the edges.
Other Healthy Halloween Snacks
Halloween-Shaped Foods
If you’re looking for a quick, easy option for healthy Halloween snacks this season, simply cut nutritious foods into Halloween shapes.
You can make ghosts, pumpkins, or witch hats out of sliced cheese, fruit, and even sliced cucumbers or other fresh veggies.
It’s time to get creative!
Popcorn Monster Hands
Unsweetened popcorn is a highly nutritious Halloween snack, as it’s packed with fiber and classified as a whole grain.
To make scary popcorn hands, simply fill clear plastic gloves with unsweetened popcorn (place carrot tops in the tips of each finger hole if you’d like), tie the bag closed, and enjoy!
Cauldron Dip
This Halloween season, serve green hummus in a carved-out squash or pumpkin that’s shaped like a cauldron.
Serve it with fresh veggies, pita bread, or pita chips.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
This simple pumpkin seed recipe makes the perfect healthy Halloween snack, as it’s packed with fiber and protein!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of fresh pumpkin seeds
- 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash the pumpkin seeds under running water in a strainer or colander. Remove as much of the pumpkin pulp as you can.
- Pat the seeds dry using a dish towel.
- Place the seeds in a medium bowl with olive oil, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss to combine well.
- Place the seeds on a large pan and bake them for 30-40 minutes, flipping them over about every 10 minutes.
- Remove the seeds from the oven, let them cool, serve, and enjoy!
Servings: 4
Halloween-Themed Tomato Mozzarella Ball Skewers
This mozzarella ball skewer recipe is nutritious, delicious, and super simple to make!
Ingredients
- 8 skewers
- 24 fresh mozzarella balls
- 24 cherry tomatoes
- 24 whole black olives
Instructions
- Place 3 mozzarella balls, 3 cherry tomatoes, and 3 black olives on each skewer in an alternating pattern of your choice.
- Dip the skewers in hummus or your favorite oil-based dressing.
- Serve and enjoy this Halloween-themed snack with your family!
Servings: 8
Jack-o-Lantern Baked Stuffed Peppers
Unlike the jack-o-lantern bell pepper snack idea above, this baked stuffed pepper recipe is a hot, savory dish!
Ingredients
- 4 large orange bell peppers
- 1 cup of cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon of avocado or olive oil, plus additional oil to coat a pan
- 1 pound of lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces of mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups of roasted red pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Uses a sharp knife to slice off the tops of the bell peppers (horizontally). Set the tops aside.
- Remove all of the seeds and membranes from the inside of the peppers. Rinse and pat them dry.
- Use a small paring knife to cut holes in the peppers to make jack-o-lantern faces.
- Cook the rice according to the package directions. While the rice cooks, use olive oil or non-stick spray to lightly grease a sheet pan.
- Arrange the peppers and their tops on the pan. Cook them in an oven for 20-25 minutes or until the peppers are cooked, but still firm.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and allow them to cool while you make the filling.
- To prepare the filling, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions and mushrooms and sauté the mixture for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms soften.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground meat and spices to the pan and continue to cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains in the meat.
- Drain any excess grease from the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the red pepper sauce and cooked rice. Stir to combine.
- Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is heated through.
- Before serving, fill the peppers with about 1 cup of the mixture, overfilling each pepper slightly.
- Place the tops on the stuffed peppers and serve them as a favorite healthy Halloween snack!
Servings: 4
Spooky Spider Devilled Eggs
Take your favorite devilled eggs recipe, or use this one to create spooky spider devilled eggs as a healthy Halloween snack this season.
Ingredients
- 12 black olives
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
Instructions
- Cut the eggs in half, lengthwise.
- Remove the yolks and mash them. Stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Place the yolk mixture back in the eggs.
- Cut the olives in half.
- Place one olive half on top of each egg to form a spider body.
- Cut the remaining olive halves into tiny spider legs.
- Place eight legs near each olive half to complete the spider’s body.
- Serve and enjoy!
Servings: 12
