21 Jack-O’-Lantern Recipes To Add to Your Halloween Celebration

Felicia Lim

October 26, 2023 at 5:56 AM·6 min read

Halloween is only days away! While it's really one day of fun at the end of October, lovers of the holiday have probably had their front porches decked out to the gills with cute Halloween decorations like carved jack-o’-lantern pumpkins as a way to hold Halloween-themed celebrations during the whole month of October.

Come this time of year, Halloween jack-o’-lantern-shaped food and carved pumpkin recipes flood our feeds on Pinterest, TikTok and Instagram. That's why we've rounded up a few of our favorite jack-o'-lantern recipes to carve out some pumpkin-shaped fun this year. But first, let's dive into how the jack-o'-lantern came to be one of our favorite Halloween traditions.

Origin of the Jack-O’-Lantern

The name jack-o’-lantern originally came from Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as canvases. It's also linked to the legendary drunkard Stingy Jack from Irish folktales, and apparently Irish people used to carve scary faces on turnips to scare away Stingy Jack's wandering soul. When the Irish moved to the United States, they began carving faces on pumpkins, which were native to the region. Learn more about the history of the jack-o’-lantern tradition.

How To Make a Jack-O'-Lantern

The term jack-o’-lantern in the United States usually refers to a carved pumpkin (or other times turnip or other root vegetable) lantern that is associated with Halloween. The top of the root vegetable is cut off to form a lid, the flesh is scooped out, and a scary or funny face is carved on the rind to expose the interior. A candle or light is usually placed inside the pumpkin or root vegetable to create a lantern effect. Discover our best cute and creepy jack-o’-lantern carving ideas.

Best Jack-O’-lantern Recipes for Halloween

It's also very common to create Halloween jack-o’-lantern recipes for October 31. There are so many food and drink options—ranging from savory to sweet—from jack-o’-lantern stuffed peppers and Fanta floats, to jack-o’-lantern pumpkin pies and melted brownies.

Here now are 21 of our best jack-o’-lantern recipes for Halloween. Browse through them and have fun making them this All Hallows' Eve!