Halloween is upon us, which means it's officially spooky season. Time for candy, costumes, and creepy decorations galore. But if you follow a vegan diet, the traditional Halloween fare of candy, cookies, and other sweet treats can seem off-limits. Have no fear though, because it's entirely possible to celebrate Halloween authentically while sticking to plant-based principles.
According to a report by Trstdly, there are numerous fun and creative ways to make deliciously ghoulish vegan edibles perfect for Halloween haunting. With the right ingredients and techniques, your Halloween party will be a scream for all the right reasons. Read on for flavorful recipe inspiration that proves following a vegan lifestyle doesn't mean sacrificing excitement.
Tips for Conjuring Up Bewitching Vegan Halloween Treats
When formulating frightfully good vegan recipes, it helps to keep some guiding principles in mind. Here are tips for whipping up Halloween treats that will leave your guests cackling with delight:
- Substitute dairy and eggs with vegan alternatives like flax eggs, banana puree, aquafaba, nut milks, coconut oil, avocado, and more. Get creative!
- Decorations can utilize natural colorants like turmeric, beet powder, activated charcoal, matcha, berry purees, and vegetable juices.
- Go beyond candy. Cookies, cupcakes,Energy balls, muffins, doughnuts, pancakes, and pies can all get a spooky vegan makeover.
- Experiment with Creepy shapes, textures, and themes. Craft eyeballs from dates, blood pudding with coconut and cocoa, fingernails from rice paper, or spooky faces on peppers or sweet potatoes.
- Don't forget the drinks! Whip up frighteningly refreshing smoothies, milkshakes, hot chocolates, and elixirs. Infuse them with natural greens, fruits, spices, teas and nut milks.
With so many ingredients and techniques to inspire ghastly deliciousness, maintaining your vegan integrity this Halloween is totally doable. Time to conjure up some bewitchingly innovative treats!
Showstopping Vegan Halloween Finger Food
No Halloween party is complete without fabulously frightening finger foods. These plant-based bites and snacks are surefire crowd-pleasers.
Moldy Cheese Balls
Looking for a snack that's creepily cheesy? These moldy cheese balls definitely fit the bill! Blend tofu, miso paste, lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Form into balls, coat with flattened green herb mixture, and stick a pretzel stick down the center of each. Chill until ready to serve alongside crackers. These freakishly flavored bites look straight out of the crypt!
Witch Finger Cookies
You don't need magic to conjure up these sweet and spicy cookie sticks shaped just like a witch's fingers! Mix oats, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and maple syrup in a food processor. Transfer dough to a piping bag, pipe into finger shapes on parchment paper, and bake. Once cooled, add an almond nail. Simple, spooky, and totally vegan approved!
Pumpkin Hummus with Tortilla Chips
This pumpkin hummus is fiendishly flavorful and ideal for dipping. Blend together chickpeas, tahini, pumpkin puree, garlic, lemon juice, and spices like cumin until smooth and evenly orange. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips or fresh vegetable crudités. It'sseasonally savory with a monstrously moreish twist.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
Slice sweet potatoes into thick wedges, toss with maple syrup, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast until tender and starting to crisp but still holding shape well. The natural sweetness plays perfectly against warming spices. Serve as hearty handheld bites for a seasonal side.
Delightfully Devious Vegan Desserts
A Halloween celebration must incorporate creepily delicious desserts into the mix. These plant-powered sweets definitely deliver the goods.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Two cakey pumpkin cookies sandwiched around a luscious vanilla cream filling create the ultimate pumpkin spiced treat. Mix pumpkin puree into cake batter for extra seasonal flavor before baking into rounds. Make filling by whipping coconut cream with powdered sugar and vanilla. Assemble into perfect palm-sized whoopie pies with brilliant burnt orange hue.
Spiderweb Cupcakes
Cupcakes get caught up in this deliciously delicate spiderweb design. Swirl vanilla or chocolate frosting atop vibrant orange cupcakes. Use a piping bag to draw concentric circles of frosting across the surface, then connect circles with angled lines. Top with plastic spiders or sprinkle with crushed cinnamon candies for added crunch and character.
Boozy Banana Ghost Milkshakes
Floating banana ghosts are the highlight of this playfully potent milkshake. Blend frozen banana, non-dairy milk, vanilla, and spiced rum for a thick and soupy consistency. Pour into glasses, top with whipped coconut cream, banana slices, and chocolate chips to create friendly ghost faces. The perfect potent Halloween treat!
Witch's Cauldron Fudge
This fudgy confection captures all the magic of a witch's brew in perfect portable form. Melt non-dairy chocolate and coconut milk together, stir in spices, chili powderand cayenne pepper. Swirl in festive candies like orange and black non-pariels before pouring into a cauldron mold. Chill until set, then slice into creepy color-flecked fudge potions.
Bewitchingly Good Beverages
Whether hosting a spooky soirée or keeping the Halloween spirit alive at home, frightfully delightful drinks are a must. These potions pack a playfully witchy punch.
Pomegranate Blood Splatter Punch
Vibrant red pomegranate juice takes center stage in this gruesomely gorgeous Halloween punch. Mix pomegranate juice, orange juice, grenadine syrup, and lemon juice over ice and top with sparkling water.Pour carefully into glasses full of ice cubes so the red juice trickles down the sides for a spilled blood effect.
Toxic Slime Smoothie
This thick, gloopy pineapply smoothie looks radioactive but tastes tropically divine. Blend pineapple, mango, spinach, banana, coconut water, lime juice, and ice until ultra thick and smooth. Pour into glasses, top with blue spirulina powder, green matcha powder, bee pollen or other fun toppings. Punchy flavor and color in every sip!
Caramel Apple Cider
Warm apple cider gets a decadently autumnal twist thanks to swirled in housemade vegan caramel. Simmer apple juice with spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg with fresh orange slices. Remove orange slices and swirl in rich date caramel before serving piping hot.
Midnight Margarita
For the adults, this spooky black margarita is seasonally stylish with a smoky kick. Rim the glass with black salt or activated charcoal. Shake tequila, triple sec, lime juice and agave nectar with ice then strain into glasses filled with ice. Float an ominously dark black cherry on top for garnish.
Vegan Halloween: As Sweet As Candy Without the Cruelty
Halloween has always been synonymous with candy, but thankfully more and more vegan sweets options exist nowadays. Major brands now offer delicious plant-based candies, while small-batch artisans are concocting fabulous fruit-and nut-based treats as well. With so many options, those following plant-powered diets need not feel limited. Grab an orange bowl and stock up on these deliciously dairy-free delights to keep little trick-or-treaters content.
From fruity twists on old favorites to daringly innovative new flavors, these frighteningly good candies prove Halloween can still be sweet for vegans. Share the bounty with party guests or eager trick-or-treaters to spread both seasonal joy and compassionate choices. Because being kind to animals is the ultimate way to keep Halloween spirit bright.
