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Ready to wow your friends and family with amazing Halloween cupcakes? I’m excited to share 8 amazing and easy Halloween cupcakes that will upgrade any Halloween party and make you the star of the Halloween desserts!
The Best Halloween Cupcake Ideas
I’m so excited to add these easy Halloween cupcakes to my Halloween recipes collection. Below you’ll learn about 8 different Halloween-themed cupcakes and how to make them, each with easy to follow step-by-step instructions, including:
- Mummy Cupcakes
- Eyeball Cupcakes
- Frankenstein Cupcakes
- Spider Web Cupcakes
- Witch Hat Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
- Ghost Cupcakes
- Spider Cupcakes
What you need for these Halloween Cupcakes
If you want to make all of these Halloween cupcakes, here are the extras you will need outside of the cupcakes and frosting:
- large, medium and small candy eyeballs
- pretzel sticks
- black jimmie sprinkles
- red jimmie sprinkles
- seedless raspberry jam
- mini oreos
- green nonpareils
- pretzel twists
- gel food coloring: The frosting colors needed to make these cupcakes include orange, green, white, black, and chocolate.
To make your shopping and planning easier, here are my favorite tools, food coloring and candies to use for Halloween cupcakes:
Spooky Cupcakes
For spooky season, it’s fun to get into the theme and make a spooky treat! These spooky Halloween cupcakes have that spooky touch while also keeping them kid-friendly, like my friendly ghosts, spider cupcakes, and spider webs.
Spooky cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties or even a scary movie marathon!
Scary Halloween Cupcakes
Nothing screams Halloween like scary Halloween cupcakes! (See what I did there?) Because I like to keep my cupcakes appropriate for the whole family, these ideas are more kid-friendly. However, there are still some scary Halloween cupcake ideas below, like these bloodshot eyeball cupcakes, mummy cupcakes, and this ghost cupcakes recipe.
Cute Halloween Cupcakes Ideas
My adorable Halloween cupcakes are loved by kids and adults! My frankenstein cupcakes, pumpkin patch cupcakes, and witch hat cupcakes are all cute Halloween treats that would be perfect for Fall bake sales, kids’ parties, or family get-togethers.
How to make Halloween Cupcakes
The base of these recipes is my favorite chocolate cupcakes recipe and my easy homemade frosting. However, if you prefer not to make them from scratch, you can make any of these Halloween cupcake recipes using a box mix and canned frosting. Keep reading for all my best easy Halloween cupcake ideas!
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
Spread a generous amount of orange frosting on top of each cupcake. Transfer the remaining orange frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip. Pipe a circle around the edge of the cupcake. Then pipe 4 curved lines, 2 right facing and 2 left facing.
Add part of a pretzel stick to the top of the pumpkin for the stem. Use green frosting to pipe curly green vines near the stem.
Mummy Cupcakes
Add a little bit of frosting to the backside of the candy eyeballs and stick them onto the cupcake.
Fill a piping bag fit with a Wilton #47 tip with frosting. Hold the piping bag above a cupcake and gently squeeze to create thin strips of frosting that resemble mummy bandages. Zigzag the strips across the cupcake, going around the eyes, to create a mummy-wrap effect. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Witch Hat Cupcakes
Pipe a single layer of green frosting onto the cupcake.
Sprinkle green ball sprinkles around the edges of the green frosting.
Using the black frosting, start in the center of the cupcake and pipe a wide flat circle, this is the brim of the witch’s hat.
Then pipe the remaining hat by applying pressure to the bag, gently lifting and lowering the bag to create the creases in the hat. As you get to the top of the hat, let off pressure and slowly allow the frosting to come to a peak. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Eyeball Cupcakes
In a small bowl combine the jam and red food coloring. You can add 1 tsp of water if you want to thin it out.
Spread a generous amount of frosting on top of the cupcake. Place 1 large candy eyeball in the center. Transfer the bloody jelly to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip or smaller. Pipe fake blood vessels coming from the eyeball. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Spider Web Cupcakes
Spread a generous amount of white frosting onto each cupcake.
Transfer black frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 piping tip.
Start by adding the spider web. Pipe a black line horizontally across the cupcake. Then add two diagonal lines, creating an X. Connect the lines with slightly curved lines, adding 2 per section, to make the web.
Add a mini oreo to the spider web. Use a small amount of frosting to attach the candy eyeballs. Then pipe 4 legs onto each side of the oreo, for a total of 8 spider legs. Repeating with the remaining cupcakes.
Ghost Cupcakes
Fit a piping bag with a piping tip, I used a Wilton 1M. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a swirl pattern.
Place a large marshmallow on top of the frosting.
Transfer the canned frosting to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until the icing is runny. Spoon icing over the marshmallow, letting it fall and cover the whole marshmallow.
Wait a few minutes for the icing to firm up, then press on candy eyeballs. Use the black writing icing to add a mouth to each ghost.
Frankenstein Cupcakes
Spread a generous amount of green frosting on top of the cupcake. Use a paper towel to cover the bottom ⅔ of the cupcake, then sprinkle black jimmie sprinkles on, this is Frankenstein’s hair. Remove the paper towel.
Add 2 candy eyeballs. Using black frosting, draw a straight line above the eyes for eyebrows and draw a squiggly line for the mouth.
Use the red sprinkles to add Frankenstein’s cut. Then break the pretzel stick into smaller pieces and place a piece on both sides of the cupcake for Frankenstein’s bolts. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Spider Cupcakes
Spread a dollop of frosting on each cupcake, smooth with a spatula.
Dump the brown jimmie sprinkles in a bowl. Turn the cupcake upside down in the bowl and lightly press the frosting into the sprinkles to get them to stick.
Break pretzels apart and press 4 legs into each side of the cupcake, adding 8 legs total.
Use a small amount of frosting to attach the candy eyeballs to the cupcake.
Best Halloween Cupcake Flavors
While I make all of my Halloween cupcakes with a chocolate cupcake, you can choose any cupcake base you want! Here are some options:
While you can change up the cupcake flavor, I recommend sticking with vanilla frosting so you are able to dye it various colors with food coloring.
Tips for Halloween Cupcake Decorations
Here are my best tips for Halloween decorations on cupcakes:
- Themed cupcake liners: If you really want to stick with the Halloween theme, start with the cupcake liners. You can find liners featuring ghosts, pumpkins, bats, and more.
- Use gel food coloring: Gel food coloring is more concentrated and works well for achieving vibrant and dark colors, such as black or deep red.
- Offer a variety: Offer a variety of Halloween cupcake designs to cater to different tastes and preferences among your guests.
- Presentation: Arrange your decorated cupcakes on a Halloween-themed platter or cupcake stand with props like fake spiders, cotton spider webs, or mini tombstones.
What are the best candies to decorate cupcakes with?
The best candies to decorate Halloween cupcakes with depend on the theme of the cupcake. If you are making several Halloween cupcake designs and don’t want to buy too much candy, the one candy you should buy is candy eyeballs! You can do so much with them, and they are used in so many cupcakes like mummies, spiders, and ghosts.
FAQs for Halloween Themed Cupcakes
To make cupcakes with a perfectly domed top, first fill your cupcake liners 3/4 full with cupcake batter. Start with a higher heat, baking the cupcakes at 400 degrees for the first 5 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of the baking time. Starting with the higher heat will cause the tops to puff up, creating a domed top on the cupcakes.
There are a few ways to make super moist cupcakes. First, using oil instead of butter increases moisture. Second, using sour cream or buttermilk helps make perfectly moist cupcakes. Finally, where appropriate, using pumpkin (like in my pumpkin cupcakes) adds lots of moisture.
More Fall Recipes
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Halloween Themed Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 grams
- ¾ cup cocoa powder, natural unsweetened or dutch processed cocoa powder, 63 grams
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules, such as Folger’s, optional
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1/2 cup
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup hot water
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter , 3 sticks, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- dash milk or heavy cream if frosting becomes too thick
Spider Web Cupcakes
- Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Black gel food coloring, Mini Oreos
Frankenstein Cupcakes
- Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Green and black gel food coloring, Red jimmie sprinkles or red frosting, Black jimmie sprinkles, Pretzel sticks
Mummy Cupcakes
- Candy eyeballs, Piping bag, Wilton tip
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
- Piping bag, Wilton 4 piping tip, Wilton 2 piping tip, Orange and green gel food coloring, Pretzel sticks
Eyeball Cupcakes
- ½ cup raspberry or strawberry seedless jam, Red gel food coloring, Water, Large candy eyeballs, Wilton 4 piping tip, Piping bag
Witch Hat Cupcakes
- Piping bag, Black and green gel food coloring, Green nonpareil sprinkles, Wilton 1A Piping Tip, Wilton 32 Piping Tip
Spider Cupcakes
- Brown jimmie sprinkles, Pretzels, Candy eye balls
Ghost Cupcakes
- Large marshmallows, Canned white frosting, Candy eyeballs, Black writing icing
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl combine the all purpose flour, unsweetened natural cocoa powder, instant coffee granules, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add in the eggs, beat again for 30 seconds.
- Add in half of the buttermilk, beat for about 20 seconds. Add in half of the dry ingredients, beat. Add the remaining buttermilk plus the hot water, beat just until the liquid is mixed in then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
- Fill the muffin liners 1/2 full. Bake for 17-19 minutes at 350º F or until a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick when inserted into the center. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.
FROSTING
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and vanilla extract, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until combined.
- If you want to add food coloring, do so now.
- Taste as needed to determine if you want more powdered sugar. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a dash of milk or heavy cream.
- If you want an extra fluffy frosting, add in 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream when adding the last bit of powdered sugar. Whip for 3-4 minutes.
Spider Web Cupcakes
- Remove 1 cup of frosting and dye that black. Spread a generous amount of white frosting onto each cupcake. Transfer the black frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 piping tip. Start by adding the spider web. Pipe a black line horizontally across the cupcake. Then add two diagonal lines, creating an X. Connect the lines with slightly curved lines, adding 2 per section, to make the web.Add a mini oreo to the spider web. Use a small amount of frosting to attach the candy eyeballs. Then pipe 4 legs onto each side of the oreo, for a total of 8 spider legs. Repeating with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Spider Web Cupcakes.
Frankenstein Cupcakes
- Remove ½ cup frosting and dye that frosting black. You can also use store bought black frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip. Dye the remaining frosting green.Spread a generous amount of green frosting on top of the cupcake. Use a paper towel to cover the bottom ⅔ of the cupcake, then sprinkle black jimmie sprinkles on, this is Frankenstein’s hair. Remove the paper towel.Add 2 candy eyeballs. Using the black frosting, draw a straight line above the eyes for eyebrows and draw a squiggly line for the mouth.Use the red sprinkles to add Frankenstein’s cut. Then break the pretzel stick into smaller pieces and place a piece on both sides of the cupcake for Frankenstein’s bolts. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Frankenstein Cupcakes.
Mummy Cupcakes
- Add a little bit of frosting to the backside of the candy eyeballs and stick them onto the cupcake.Fill a piping bag fit with a Wilton #47 tip with frosting. Hold the piping bag above a cupcake and gently squeeze to create thin strips of frosting that resemble mummy bandages. Zigzag the strips across the cupcake, going around the eyes, to create a mummy-wrap effect. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Mummy Cupcakes.
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
- Remove ¼ cup of frosting and dye that green. Transfer to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 2 tip. Set aside.Dye the remaining frosting orange. Spread a generous amount of frosting on top of each cupcake. Transfer the remaining orange frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip. Pipe a circle around the edge of the cupcake. Then pipe 4 curved lines, 2 right facing and 2 left facing.Add part of a pretzel stick to the top of the pumpkin for the stem. Use the green frosting to pipe curly green vines near the stem. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes.
Eyeball Cupcakes
- In a small bowl combine the jam and red food coloring. You can add 1 tsp of water if you want to thin it out.Spread a generous amount of frosting on top of the cupcake. Place 1 large candy eyeball in the center. Transfer the bloody jelly to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 4 tip or smaller. Pipe fake blood vessels coming from the eyeball. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Eyeball Cupcakes.
Witch Hat Cupcakes
- Divide the frosting into 2 bowls, dye one bowl green and the other black. Transfer the green frosting into a piping bag fit with a Wilton 32 tip. Transfer the black frosting into a piping bag fit with a Wilton 1A tip. Pipe a single layer of green frosting onto the cupcake. Sprinkle green ball sprinkles around the edges of the green frosting. Using the black frosting, start in the center of the cupcake and pipe a wide flat circle, this is the brim of the witch’s hat. Then pipe the remaining hat by applying pressure to the bag, gently lifting and lowering the bag to create the creases in the hat. As you get to the top of the hat, let off pressure and slowly allow the frosting to come to a peak. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. For detailed instructions view Witch Hat Cupcakes.
Spider Cupcakes
- Spread a dollop of chocolate frosting on each cupcake, smooth with a spatula. Dump the brown jimmie sprinkles in a bowl. Turn the cupcake upside down in the bowl and lightly press the frosting into the sprinkles to get them to stick. Break pretzels apart and press 4 legs into each side of the cupcake, adding 8 legs total. Use a small amount of frosting to attach the candy eye balls to the cupcake. For detailed instructions view Spider Cupcakes.
Ghost Cupcakes
- Fit a piping bag with a piping tip, I used a Wilton 1M. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a swirl pattern. Place a large marshmallow on top of the frosting.Transfer the canned frosting to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until the icing is runny. Spoon icing over the marshmallow, letting it fall and cover the whole marshmallow. Wait a few minutes for the icing to firm up, then press on candy eye balls. Use the black writing icing to add a mouth to each ghost. For detailed instructions view Ghost Cupcakes.
So cute! The mummy is my favorite. Happy Halloween.