16 Absolute Best Plant-Based Halloween Treats For Vegans

Halloween is one of the best times of year. Not only is the blazing heat of the summer behind us, but plans are being made for Halloween parties, trunk-or-treats, and autumnal celebrations galore. Not only do these events get you in the mood for all things spooky, but they're also a great time to celebrate an array of different fall and Halloween-inspired foods.

As someone who is a plant-based eater, and was a vegan for nearly seven years, I've been to countless Halloween parties where the food offerings center around meat, cheese, and confections filled with the ingredients that I choose not to eat. If you or someone you know has a dietary restriction, you probably know how awkward it can be to walk into these events with your own food in tow, and having to answer constant questions like, "What's wrong with eating that?" I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't have to sacrifice the experience of indulging in caramel apples, dips, or baked treats if you choose to eat plant-based. 

I'm here to offer some suggestions for some of my favorite Halloween-inspired dishes that are either inherently plant-based or can be made so with a couple simple swaps. As a host, this will ensure that all of the folks who visit your house on Halloween night, or for the pre- or post-parties, can have something to snack on while they enjoy all the festive cheer. 

Halloween is admittedly not a holiday often associated with vegetables. But that doesn't mean that you can't offer a lighter, more plant-forward option at your Halloween party. A cauliflower "brain" doesn't skimp on the flavor, either; it's a filling option that all of your guests, plant-based and not, can appreciate. 

There are several ways you can serve this dish. The first option is to cut off the top of one of those decorative plastic skulls and use it as a base for serving your cauliflower. You'll want to select a head of cauliflower that's comparable in size so that it can be easily nestled inside of the plastic skull. Once you have your head (of cauliflower, that is), chop off the stem so that it sits flat before dousing it in seasonings like curry, taco seasoning, or some homemade spice blend. After a quick roast in the oven, you can situate your cauliflower head atop your plastic skeleton head and serve it alongside a dipping sauce. 

Another option is to hollow out a hole in the cauliflower to nestle your plant-based dip into. You can pre-slice your florets to make it easier for your guests to grab, too. I would recommend serving it with a vegan ranch dressing; go heavy on the herbs for a bright flavor. 

The best Halloween treats don't have to be complicated. Grab a bag of mandarins from your local grocery store and cut up some celery sticks. After the fruits are peeled, you can easily tap the celery into the hole on top of the citrus to make bite-sized pumpkins.

I find that these are great, plant-based snacks for kids to enjoy after school (or to pack for lunch). Who doesn't need a little pumpkin in their life? 

No Halloween party is complete without those massive pretzel rods coated in a sickeningly sweet combination of melted chocolate, candy melts, and sprinkles. There are elements of crunchy, sweet, and salty in every bite — which makes them a diverse snack and one that can be easily decorated to fit your Halloween spread. 

Candy melts, which are often used as the dip for the chocolate, often either contain milk powder, whey, or milk itself. So, they're rarely an option for vegans. Instead, you'll want to source out a vegan white chocolate bar. No Whey! makes a great one; you'll just need to add your own coloring to it. Luckily, Wilton, which is one of the brands that I trust most for baking ingredients and tools, makes a vegan food coloring gel that's easy to stir and mix into your melted chocolate. Granted, you could also go the route of a more "natural" food coloring with something plant or vegetable-based, but it won't give you the same colorful pop as the gel. 

As for the sprinkles, you'll just want to keep your eye on the label for shellac, a coloring agent sourced from bugs. Sweetapolita is one company that makes an entire lineup of vegan sprinkles — and has a variety for seemingly every occasion. 

Banana ghosts — how easy, and cute, is that? This recipe is so, so simple and one that you can easily make with kids. 

Simply grab a couple of ripe bananas, slice them in half, and grab some chocolate chips or melted chocolate (plant-based, of course). You can melt the chocolate in a dish before transferring it to a bag and piping it onto the bananas into faces. You can also try different variations, like dipping part of the fruit in peanut butter, for a unique flavor and bite. 

If you're a plant-based eater, you've probably spent your fair share of time reading nutrition labels and trying to sort out whether or not the chocolate bar you picked up is vegan or not. Luckily, there are an array of plant-based chocolate brands that you can indulge in yourself. Just don't forget to buy a bag for all of the trick-or-treaters who will be making their way onto your doorstep on Halloween night. 

There are some chocolate brands that are very adjacent in flavor to the ones you'd find amongst conventional chocolate brands. Unreal, for example, makes bags of dark chocolate peanut butter cups that are dairy-free and certified vegan, while its chocolate-covered coconut bars are also a great option for those folks craving a Mounds-adjacent candy. As expected, you will be paying a premium for these candies, so if you're stocking up ahead of Halloween, I recommend checking out your local bulk grocery store (like Costco or BJ's) to see if you can find them for a lower cost per unit. 

A veggie tray hates to see me coming. After all, who doesn't love absent-mindedly snacking on a tray of sliced vegetables and a medley of accompanying dips? You don't have to just put out a bowl of sliced celery, broccoli, and carrots and be on your way, though. Try organizing your sliced crudités into a spooky design, like into a zombie face or jack-o-lanterns. If you aren't the kind of person who has the patience for this (which is understandable), you could also try to grab some Halloween-themed trays and containers to give your sliced veggies a festive feel. 

As for the dips, there are a ton of different options out there. A crave-worthy homestyle guacamole would provide pops of color that would really complement red veggies. Plus, this dip is naturally plant-based, so you won't have to swap out or substitute any ingredients to make it work (and for your non-plant-based guests to love it).

There's nothing quite like diving into a bowl of spooky orange pumpkin hummus with some crunchy chips. While there's nothing wrong with the traditional, nude-colored hummus, adding pumpkin to the party just brings a festive feel and autumnal flavor.

To make your pumpkin hummus, add pumpkin puree to a food processor with your other classic hummus ingredients, including canned chickpeas, tahini, oil, and seasonings. You can also add roasted garlic to the dip for a more savory flavor; it contrasts the sweetness of the pumpkin quite well. As for serving, you have several different options. For one, you can try gluten-free pumpkin seed crackers that are the perfect crunchy, nutty pairing for the hummus. Or, you can take a trip to Trader Joe's and grab a bag of its leaf-shaped tortilla chips for serving. This dip is so packed with protein that you won't even think about the array of meats and cheeses at your party. 

No-bake protein balls are a convenient way to get your morning (or afternoon) off to a good start. The best part about this recipe is not that it's just customizable, meaning that you can swap out whatever ingredients you have in your pantry for others, but you can also pack them and take them on-the-go easily. 

To make your Halloween protein balls, you'll need to start with your preferred ingredients — some people use oats, peanut butter, dates, and their plant-based protein powder of choice (I prefer Vega protein powder). Shaping protein balls is easier when they're cold, so you'll want to allocate about an hour to fully chill your batter before you get your hands dirty. And, of course, there has to be some spooky aspect to these treats. Grab a handful of thin pretzel sticks, poke four on each side, and place little chocolate chips in for the eyes. These tasty, creepy-crawly spiders will be the talk of your Halloween party or kiddo's lunch table. 

No Halloween party would be complete without mummy hot dogs. And luckily, you can find a great vegan hot dog alternative at your grocery store. One of my favorite brands include LightLife, but you can also scour the aisle at Trader Joe's to find something in the hot dog-adjacent family, too. You could even pick up a pack of Field Roast's mini apple and maple breakfast sausages if you wanted a smaller version of the appetizer for lighter snacking. 

Once you have your veggie dogs picked out, you can grab your wrapping medium. I suggest a container of Pillsbury's crescent roll dough (which surprisingly, is in fact vegan) and slice it into straight strips. Then, you can wrap it around your hot dogs, pop them into your air fryer or oven, and you'll have a tray of appetizers in minutes. Serve your "dogs" with a spicy mustard or a vegan aioli.

Plant-based cupcakes aren't as unobtainable as you might think. You can start with a basic vegan cupcake recipe and jazz it up with some of your favorite flavorful additions. If you read the ingredient list on a boxed baking mix carefully, you may even be able to find one that doesn't contain any milk or eggs. Then, from there, select the right egg substitutes and whip up a simple cake base. Consider adding an autumnal flavor by stirring in some warming spices or adding a bit of pumpkin puree to the mix for an orange hue. The sheer number of different vegan butter brands will give you a ton of options when it comes to selecting a frosting. I would also recommend buying an organic powdered sugar for a buttercream; non-organic sugar (or brands that are not specified as vegan) may use bone char to process and whiten the sugar. USDA-certified organic sugar is always vegan. 

The decoration options for your cupcakes vary. As long as you have a vegan-safe food dye, you can always make simple Halloween-colored cupcakes by adding in a couple of drops. Or, use vegan candy or sprinkles to accent your cupcakes. 

Dirt pudding was one treat that I couldn't have enough of when I was a kid. And luckily, I didn't have to forgo this nostalgic childhood treat as a plant-based adult. All you need to do to make this dessert is use a dairy-free, vegan pudding. The base for this recipe often includes ingredients like dairy-free milk, starch, vanilla extract, and sugar (just be sure to use a USDA-certified organic version of this ingredient). It can be whipped up on a stovetop within 10 minutes; but make sure to then allocate enough time for it to set in the fridge. 

Once the pudding is set, it's time to set up your containers. Dirt pudding — or, graveyard pudding, for this spooky twist — is often made with crushed sandwich cookies. Some flavors of Oreos may not be as vegan as you think because they're made with some questionable ingredients, like sugar and palm oil; plus, they may have traces of milk. So, you can always try to find a vegan, knock-off version of the classic cookie. You'll also need to swap out the gummy worm garnish for something gelatin-free — or, just use little graveyard accessories (like plastic tombstones) instead. 

Is there a way to get your hands on vegan candy without having to spend a small fortune on a specialty niche candy brand? The short answer is yes, as many of the candies sold in the grocery store's candy aisle are gelatin-free. You just may have to use a careful eye to find them. But deciding on which candies to purchase will also depend on your definition of "vegan"; since many of the candies contain regular sugar, it's hard to know whether or not they've come into contact with bone char or not. 

If we're looking at "vegan" as not containing gelatin or direct animal products, then you do have options. Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, Ring Pops, Fun Dip, and Jolly Ranchers are all safe options to put out in your Halloween candy bowl. Skittles are also vegan, since the brand has removed carmine and gelatin from its recipe. 

I'm sure you couldn't say "no" to one of these cute little apple monsters. Plus, you may already have all the ingredients you need to make a plant-based version of this super cute Halloween recipe at home. Start by quartering an apple; you'll want to use a sturdy variety for this recipe (like a Granny Smith), since you're going to be slicing into it and adding some edible decorations. Then, slice and remove a piece of the center to make the mouth and pipe in your "butter" of choice. Some folks use peanut or almond butter, but you could also use a fruit jam, tahini, or sunflower butter as a nut-free alternative. Then, stick in sunflower seeds to make rows of teeth on the top and bottom of your monster's mouth. 

To bring these monsters to life, you'll need to add eyeballs. Since it's hard to find vegan googly eye candies, I would recommend instead using mini vegan marshmallows and adding a dollop of melted vegan chocolate to them. Once the chocolate has set, secure the mallows to the apple with toothpicks. 

Spooky Oreos, oh my! Oreos are made with vegetable shortening and without milk, so they are technically vegan. However, as previously mentioned, they may contain some traces of milk — and are thus unsuitable for folks with dairy allergies. Still, there are tons of different ways that you can use Oreos for vegan treats at your Halloween gathering. For one, you can coat them in melted vegan chocolate and decorate them with spooky designs. When it comes to vegan chocolate, there's one brand that I select amongst the rest, and it may surprise you: Trader Joe's. Its semi-sweet chocolate chips are actually vegan and are far cheaper than the other premium, plant-based chocolate brands. 

Once your Oreos are covered in chocolate, consider affixing pretzel sticks to them to turn them into spooky spiders. Or, get your hands on a bag of decorative bat wings and affix them so that your cookies can fly away into the Halloween night. 

I will put my feelings about caramel apples aside for a second to acknowledge that, yes, they do have a place on many people's Halloween celebration tables. And you may be happy to know that you don't have to give up the festive tradition of making these sugar-coated apples if someone in your party is plant-based. You'll just need to swap out the traditional caramel sauce for something that's vegan-friendly. 

The bad news (depending on what you consider to be "bad news") is that you'll have to do a little work to make this recipe work; you can't turn to melting caramel chips or candy instead, because most of them contain dairy. Instead, you'll need to prepare a vegan wet caramel with sugar and water, and then stir in a plant-based milk. While the flavor won't be as rich as if you used regular, dairy-based heavy cream, you'll still get the iconic flavor, along with the experience of making them yourself. Chopped vegan chocolate, nuts, vegan sprinkles, or crushed pretzels are all great garnishes. 

I'm sorry to bring bad news, but most marshmallows aren't vegan, because they contain gelatin. Luckily, there are some marshmallow brands that you can turn to for plush, soft mallows that can be used for all of your Halloween creations. Although some people think that they're a little gritty, I will stand behind using Trader Joe's accidentally vegan marshmallows, on account of both price and convenience. You can also turn to brands like Dandies, but you should expect to pay more of a premium for them.

You can easily transform your mallows into a Halloween treat by cooking down vegan butter and plant-based mallows before stirring in some rice cereal. It's important to note that regular Rice Krispies cereal is not vegan (it contains animal-derived vitamin D3), so you'll need to find a suitable replacement. Nature's Path Organic crispy rice cereal is one option, or you can dig around to try to find a cheaper off-brand selection. From there, color your treats with plant-based food coloring and slice them with cookie cutters into fun, Halloween shapes. Who knew ghouls and goblins could be this tasty?