Ideas for Healthy Halloween Snacks

Autumn is here, and that means Halloween fun is right around the corner. Try some inspired Halloween snacks at home for some delicious and nutritious treats!

Halloween is a great time for costume parties and trick or treating. But if you’re looking for something more than fun-sized chocolate bars, brownies, and Rice Krispy treats, there are many healthier snacks you can make at home! Instead of going with the standard fare, try some unique Halloween snack ideas that will make the day extra spooky. Share your inspired Halloween treats on your favorite family app!

The key is creativity! You can make almost any food into a Halloween snack if you think outside of the box. And treats are great, but Halloween side dishes and appetizers can also be a fun option too.

• Roasted Halloween Veggies - We’ve all had problems getting our kids to eat their veggies, but this dish makes it easy. Before roasting, cut root vegetables like carrots and potatoes into Halloween-inspired shapes like a mummy or pumpkin. Your kids probably won’t mind eating their vegetables! You can also use this method with fun-shaped cheese on Ritz crackers.
• Stuffed Peppers ­– This creative dish can make for one of the best Halloween snack ideas. Before stuffing peppers with a mixture of your choice, cut jack-o-lantern faces into them. Stuff them with the filling and put them in the oven for your own ‘pumpkin’ style peppers.

• Chorizo Eyeballs ­– Kids and adults alike will love this kooky take on easy Halloween snacks. Cut chorizo or any sausage of your choice into rounds and cook. Once cooled, place a dot of cream cheese on each round and cover with half an olive. While this is a savory treat, it also makes for fun snacking. You can also make eyeballs out of unwrapped baby bel cheese, olive slices, and ketchup, as seen in this tutorial.
• Celery Mummies: Lookout, "ants on a log," there's a new, fun celery snack in town. Place cream cheese or hummus in a resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut 1/2 inch off 1 corner. Pipe about 1 tablespoon into each celery piece. Then, cut deli ham slices lengthwise into 16 pieces. These will be the bandages. Cut pieces crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Place about 12 ham pieces over cream cheese or hummus. Use the tip of the knife to tuck in the ends of ham along the celery's edge. Cut raisins or cranberries into 40 pieces. Place pieces between "bandages" for the mummies’ eyes.
• Frankenguac: Make regular guacamole (with avocado, lemon juice, onion, a little bit of salsa cilantro), but serve it in the shape of a square/rectangle. This will be the head of Frankenstein's monster. Use sour cream to make eyes, cut olives for pupils, a whole olive for a nose, and thin olive slices or pretzel sticks for the sewn-up mouth. You can also use black corn tortilla chips for the hair!

With all the other things to worry about, you probably want to keep things simple when it comes to snacks. Share your own ideas for easy and healthy Halloween snacks on FamilyApp with other parents!

• Halloween Smoothie: Smoothies are one of the best ways to get some added nutrients while still maintaining great flavor. And, with all the added fruit, you won't need any added sugar! Try a peach and orange smoothie with milk, orange juice, honey, vanilla extract, plain yogurt, and frozen peaches. Or, try a green "Frankenstein's monster" smoothie with frozen bananas, frozen mango chunks, spinach, blueberries, and coconut water.
• Monster Popcorn Balls-- For this, place 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup sesame seed butter, and 1/2 tsp salt in a microwave-safe mixing bowl for 45 seconds (or until bubbling). Pour over a bowl filled with 6 cups of popcorn and gently mix. When the popcorn cools to the touch, shape into 2-inch balls. (Tip: Wet hands with cold water to prevent sticking). Finally, attach candy eyes.

Since it's the season of candy, fruit is a great option if you're looking for a sweeter treat without all the guilt.

• Candy Corn Fruit Pops: This fruit kabob is so cute; the kids may just forget about actual candy corn! Cut pieces from the pineapple slices. Then cut the cantaloupe to fit on top. Do the same with the banana, so the shape looks like candy corn. Push in the stick to hold together. Slice up the rest of the fruit & place it in a bowl. Push the candy corn pops in fruit to stand up.
• Boo-nana Mummies – This is among the cutest Halloween snack ideas to get your kids eating their fruit! Start by slicing bananas into 1.5-inch chunks and skewering. You can then make a mixture of peanut butter and powdered sugar. Use this mix to add candy eyes, then flick the rest onto bananas for a spooky snack!
• Not-So-Candy-Apples: When the sugar high becomes too real, it may be time to switch to a fruit-based option with some protein. Instead of a "candy apple," use lollipop sticks into apples and spread nut butter over the surface. Then, you can roll them in bits of dried fruit, nuts, or unsweetened coconut. But to make them much creepier, stick a bunch of prepackaged candy eyes to the nut butter.
• Mandarin Pumpkins - This is one of the simplest ways to make healthy treats a little extra fun for Halloween. Serve mandarin oranges without the peel and put thin matchsticks of celery in each center to look like the stems. It's the perfect low-calorie snack, especially for packed lunches! You can use tangerines, too!

When there's nothing left in the bowl except for the candy that nobody likes, it's time to get creative with your dessert options. That's where these healthy snack ideas for dessert come in handy:

• Pumpkin Yogurt Parfait-- This doesn't have a fun shape, but it's still visually appealing, and you can use seasonal flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon granola, oats, peanut butter, or whatever your kid will eat! Start with a scoop of vanilla greek yogurt, then add a layer of pumpkin puree, a layer of pumpkin spice or cinnamon almond granola for some crunch, and a layer of homemade whipped topping.
• Candy Corn Popsicles - Candy corn may not be a healthy Halloween snack, but this popsicle version is pretty nutritious! Take pineapple lemonade, maple yogurt blended with milk, and a combination of mango and orange juice. Once each layer is prepared, you can freeze it into the mold, so the candy corn form holds! Share your popular popsicle recipes on your favorite family app!
• Pumpkin Cupcakes – A frosted cupcake may not often sound like the healthiest idea. However, you can make an ordinary cupcake a bit more nutritional with a few additions! Instead of white flour, use whole wheat flour and include pumpkin puree. With a frosting of cream cheese and Greek yogurt, you’ll have a ghoulishly good treat!
• Spider Web Snacks – While your kids may prefer milk chocolate, dark chocolate makes it healthier! All you have to do is melt dark and white chocolate separately. Pour the dark chocolate onto parchment paper, then use a piping bag to spiral on the white chocolate. Use a toothpick to create spiderweb designs for the most unique of Halloween snack ideas! Don't forget the spider, too! You can make these with banana slices as the body, mini chocolate chips for the eyes, and pretzel sticks for legs.

Whether you’re looking for savory or sweet, there are plenty of healthy Halloween snacks that will be sure to impress. From pumpkin cupcakes to candy corn popsicles, these treats work for a party or just for your little ones. Just because it's the season marked by candy by the bucketful, it doesn't mean you can't maintain healthier eating habits. Do you have any fun Halloween plans this year? Make a group on FamilyApp and plan a Halloween party where you can try all these fun Halloween-themed snack ideas!