Last Updated on November 27, 2023 by David Michael
Halloween Food
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I love Halloween.
And I love Halloween food and parties. Halloween food can be creepy and delicious. Using jello molds to shape your food makes for an easy Halloween party. You just need some good recipes to fill those molds.
These savory recipes aren’t sweet at all, there’s enough candy going around. They make a great presentation as a Halloween charcuterie board to enjoy through the evening.
Serve our recipes on a cutting board with breads, crackers, and some fresh fruit and you’ve got a Halloween party as a cheese board.
The chicken mousse recipe is a tweaked version of an old 1950s recipe. It makes enough mousse to fill a 5-6 cup mold. It’s perfect for a larger brain mold. Everything is blended in a food processor to give it a uniform color and texture. This holds its shape, yet is easily spreadable when it reaches room temperature.
The tomato aspic makes a vibrant red that works great with a human heart mold. A tempting dish for any vampires at your party, but don’t worry – it’s packs a garlic punch that perfectly enhances the olive oil and tomato. This makes about 2 cups and works in the smaller molds. Again, it is spreadable once it reaches room temperature. We believe Halloween food should look scary, but also taste good.
The cheese ball is given a Halloween makeover by forming it in a small brain mold. A 2 cup mold is the perfect size for this recipe. Or you could just shape it into a ball and be done with it. Pumpkin ale gives this a Fall / Halloween flavor that ties everything together.
Pumpkin chili is a classic that I make just about every Halloween. I love making it in the Staub Cast Iron Pumpkin. Serve right out of the pot – the pumpkin shaped french oven is not only decorative but functional. Adding pumpkin chili to your Halloween board can easily turn your Halloween party into a substantial dinner.
Chicken Mousse Brain
Chicken Mousse Recipe
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
2 cups cooked chicken, diced – about 1 pound of cooked chicken
2 cups heavy cream.
Heat the 2 cups of broth in a saucepan over low heat.
Sprinkle gelatin over broth and remove from heat.
Let stand for 10 minutes to allow gelatin to soften. Stir to dissolve gelatin, heat gently if needed.
Pour gelatin and remaining ingredients into a food processor.
Process until mostly smooth.
Pour into an oiled 6 cup mold, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.
When ready to serve, dip mold in hot water and unmold onto a serving plate.
Serve with crackers or crusty bread sliced into rounds or points.
Tomato Aspic Heart
Tomato Aspic Recipe
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the tomato sauce in a saucepan over low heat.
Sprinkle gelatin over tomato sauce and remove from heat.
Let stand for 8 minutes to allow gelatin to soften.
Add remaining ingredients and whisk until gelatin is dissolved and everything is smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into an oiled 2 cup mold, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
When ready to serve, dip mold in hot water and unmold onto a serving plate.
Serve with crackers or crusty bread sliced into rounds or points.
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Ball Brain
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Ball Recipe
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 ounces pumpkin ale
½ teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
Blend everything together in a food processor.
Scrape into a plastic wrap lined 2 cup mold.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Unmold and remove plastic wrap.
Serve with sliced bread and crackers.
Pumpkin Chili
Pumpkin Chili Recipe
A Sweet Finish – Pumpkin Blondies
Pumpkin Blondies Recipe
We hope these recipes help set the Halloween mood for your party.
Be sure to check out our other Halloween posts for more ideas:
Halloween Cocktails that aren’t overly sweet.
Halloween Decor to help set the tone without being too cliche.
Halloween Music for the perfect background music for a party, to sound effects for a haunted house.
Halloween Books that will send chills down your spine.
Halloween Candy for our favorite Halloween treats to hand out (and nibble on).
Halloween Party Ideas – a great Halloween party is easy to throw with our Halloween party picks.
Be sure to check out All Things Halloween for all of our Halloween and related links.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Staub Enameled Cast Iron 3.5 Quart Pumpkin Cocotte
I use this for Halloween, and any other dish I want to serve at the table. Perfect for Fall / Autumn and works all through the holiday season. It makes a great presentation for Thanksgiving also. I use the 3.5 quart size.
Large Brain Gelatin Mold
The perfect size for our chicken mousse recipe. Make sure to oil it well and you should have no trouble getting your brain out.
Human Heart Gelatin Mold
This is what gives our tomato aspic its wonderful Halloween form of a human heart.
Human Hand Gelatin Mold
This is another larger size mold. This looks like it would hold 6-7 cups, but I don’t have this one yet. I would use this with the chicken mousse but I would add more spices and perhaps a few drops of food color to give it a great zombie look.
Nordic Ware Haunted Skull Cakelet Pan
Bake up some skull shaped treats for your Halloween. Nordic Ware’s legendary non-stick coating helps you get a perfect skull shaped cakelet. This pan holds a total of 5 cups, perfect for individual servings. Leave plain or decorate with royal icing for a great sugar skull look.
Visit the Amazon Halloween Shop for costumes, lawn decorations, and more.