Who said trick or treat always has to mean sweet? If you ask us, “something good to eat” also refers to snacks that are salty, briny, spicy, and just plain savory. So when the seasonal craving strikes for something other than candy, check out these otherworldly Halloween noshes.
Snacks that Strike a Gourd
Goodness knows that we love pie. But when it comes to easy (and savory) Halloween pumpkin recipes, you don’t need to just feast on flesh. Tossed with oil, salt and spices and roasted, pumpkin seeds are the perfect Halloween snack. Especially when they’re dusted with lip and spine-tingling seasonings, from electrifying turmeric and lime to supernaturally fiery ghost pepper. The second most powerful chili on the Scoville scale, the heat will haunt you for what’ll feel like an eternity.
Serially Killer Popcorns
Caramel popcorn is a classic Halloween treat. But the crunchy puffed kernels can be used as a blank canvas for so much more. In addition to being a palette for spellbinding flavors, you’ll also find popcorn festively dressed in bewitching Halloween colors, from pumpkin orange (jalapeno cheddar) to midnight black (dotted with musky bits of truffle) to ghostly white (white pepper parmesan). With these savory nibbles on the refreshment table, your monster mash will be a graveyard smash!
Paranormal Pickles
Assemble your own creeptastic laboratory lined with jarred delicacies suspended in liquid. And no, we’re not talking formaldehyde—we’re referring to farm-fresh produce packed in divine brine! Pickled cauliflower will have you craving brains. Scorpion pepper-spiked dill pickles have a deliciously deadly sting. Pumpkin Spice isn’t always “nice.” In pickle form, it’s the deliciously dangerous Mr. Hyde to the saccharine latte’s Dr. Jekyll. And you don’t need to fear the Carolina reaper, especially when it’s used to add heat to hand-cut cukes!
Stake-Raising Garlic Snacks
Vampires beware! These garlic snacks bite right back. Make the stinking rose the star of your edible Halloween spread, with cloves of spicy pickled garlic, fistfuls of rosemary garlic almonds, crunchy orbs of turmeric garlic puffed water lily seeds, and tangy garlic hot sauce showered over everything. Your holiday party will be a real cluster suck.
Charcuterie Spreads That’ll Knock ‘Em Dead
This isn’t the time for mild prosciutto and milky mozzarella. Come Halloween, we prefer meats and cheeses with a bit of an exor-twist, such as salami infused with mind-altering absinthe, sharp cheddar tinged with inky ingredients like truffle or black tea, an unapologetically pungent over the moon blue cheese that’ll have you howling, and strips of South African beef jerky forcefully infused with black garlic. Candy is dandy, but when it comes to new and improved Halloween snacking, we’ve officially turned to the dark side.