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If you’re planning a Halloween spread and want something equal parts spooky and tasty, these potatoes are for you. The spooky Halloween skull potatoes are carved mini spuds seasoned with a bold blend of spices and roasted until golden. The skull faces give them personality while the crispy texture makes them irresistible. These work great as a party snack, appetizer or side dish. Get creative with your carvings and serve them up with fun toppings for a Halloween crowd-pleaser.
Spooky Halloween skull potatoes are fun to carve and full of flavor. These oven-roasted mini shrunken head spuds are seasoned and ideal for Halloween parties.
Love making Halloween treats? Also try chocolate frogs, Halloween panna cotta eyeballs or perhaps Nutter Butter ghost cookies!
Why You’ll Love It
Fun to make: Carving the potatoes is a creative activity for all ages.
Big on flavor: Smoky paprika, garlic and onion powder add bold taste.
Gluten free: They’re naturally gluten free.
Perfect for parties: These are a fun Halloween side that gets people talking.
Customizable: Add toppings or skip the carving if you’re short on time.
Kid-friendly: They’re spooky enough to impress kids but simple to enjoy.
Spooky Halloween Skull Potatoes Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Mini red creamer potatoes: Bite-sized and perfect for carving little skulls.
Lemon juice: Prevents browning and adds a tangy brightness.
Olive oil: Helps the seasoning stick and gives a golden finish.
Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper create a bold seasoning mix.
Parsley flakes: Optional for a fresh garnish and pop of color.
How to Make Skull Potatoes for Halloween
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prep the lemon water: Mix cold water with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl.
Carve the potatoes: Use a paring knife to make skull faces and place each in the lemon water.
Mix the seasoning: Combine olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and all the seasonings in a separate bowl.
Season the potatoes: Drain the potatoes and toss them in the seasoned oil mixture.
Arrange and bake: Place them face up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until golden.
Add toppings: Garnish with your favorite extras and serve hot.
Substitutions and Variations
Make it dairy free: Use dairy free sour cream or skip the creamy toppings.
Use different spices: Try Cajun seasoning, chili powder or Italian herbs.
Swap the potatoes: Baby Yukon golds or fingerlings also work well.
Serving Suggestions
With other savory snacks: Enjoy mini charcuterie boards too and maybe this spooky spider pizza!
With sweet treats: Also make some Halloween Rice Krispie treats, candy corn peanut butter cookies and boozy dirt cups.
How to Store Skull Potatoes
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze them for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: You can warm them back up in a pan in the oven or air fryer.
Top Tips
Take care while carving: Use a small paring knife and carve slowly.
Use lemon water soak: This keeps the potatoes from browning while you work.
Try different faces: Make jack-o-lanterns or spooky skulls for variety.
Go deeper with features: The deeper the carvings, the more defined the faces after roasting.
Shrunken Head Potatoes FAQs
Look for small red creamer potatoes or mini Yukon golds. These should be about an inch in diameter. The flesh holds together well (unlike with mashing potatoes) so your shrunken head design won’t disintegrate! Creamer potatoes are typically served in cream sauces (hence the name) with onions and green beans or peas. They’re also perfect for carved potato recipes like these spooky potatoes. If you can’t get those, any waxy potato suitable for boiling and about an inch in size should work here. Another idea is to cut larger ones down, but then you’re making even more prep work for yourself!
It’s honestly up to you. The simplest way would be to cut out a pair of eyes, nose and mouth. They would be recognizable as faces/skulls. If you want a fancier result, you can cut more, making individual teeth and so on. Not convinced about your artistic skills? You could ask (older) kids to have a go or else just keep things simple or just cut a few of the potatoes into skulls instead of all of them. But maybe you don’t really know your inner artist until you try making this exciting Halloween side dish or appetizer!
Easy Fun Halloween Potatoes Recipe
Spooky Halloween Skull Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Pounds potatoes, red mini creamer or similar mini potatoes
- 4 Cups water
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon paprika, smoked or regular
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
Optional Garnish
- parsley flakes, fresh or dried
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 385°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash potatoes, then set aside.
- Add the cold water to a bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice.
- Using a paring knife, carefully carve skull faces into each mini potato. Place the carved potato into the bowl of lemon water.
- In another bowl, mix together the oil, the last 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the seasonings.
- Drain the potatoes then toss them in the seasoning oil.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, face side up. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden and tender.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings, and additional salt as preferred.
Notes
Use lemon water soak: This keeps the potatoes from browning while you work.
Try different faces: Make jack-o-lanterns or spooky skulls for variety.
Go deeper with features: The deeper the carvings, the more defined the faces after roasting.
Nutrition
With their creepy faces and crispy skins, spooky Halloween skull potatoes are the kind of snack that gets remembered. They’re simple to make, loaded with flavor and versatile enough to go with just about anything. Whether you carve each one or mix skulls with whole spuds, this shrunken head appetizer (or side dish) will bring smiles to your table. Let everyone load up on toppings and enjoy this fun twist on roasted potatoes for Halloween.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Honestly I was going to skip this one because they looked really fiddly to make and I’m not the best at using a sharp knife but I got my daughter in law to help out and she told me they were super easy to carve and guess what, they looked just like in the photos, so everyone loved them a lot
These were so cute and clever! I did a test run and am now going to make them for Halloween!!!
Glad I am not the only one that gets excited about all the fun Halloween foods!
I have to try these for my party!