17+ Halloween Donut Ideas That Are Scary Good
Halloween treats don’t get much better than donuts transformed into spooky creations. These circular delights are the perfect canvas for ghoulish decorations, creepy colors, and festive flavors that capture the spirit of the season.
Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party, need treats for trick-or-treaters, or just want to celebrate October in style, these donut ideas range from adorably spooky to seriously frightening. Best of all, most can be made with store-bought donuts and simple decorating techniques.
Spider Web Chocolate Donuts
Rich chocolate donuts get topped with intricate white icing spider webs that look impressive but are surprisingly easy to create. The contrast between dark chocolate and white webbing is visually striking and instantly Halloween-ready. You simply pipe circles of white icing and drag a toothpick through them to create the web effect.
The chocolate flavor is deep and satisfying, while the vanilla icing adds sweetness. These are perfect for beginners since the web pattern is forgiving, and even imperfect webs look intentionally spooky and handmade.
Ghost Glazed Donuts
Classic glazed donuts get transformed into adorable ghosts with simple white icing and chocolate chip eyes. These are probably the easiest Halloween donuts to make, requiring minimal decorating skills and just a few ingredients. The sweet glaze provides that familiar donut shop taste, while the ghost faces add whimsy.
Kids absolutely love these because they’re cute rather than scary. You can make dozens quickly for classroom parties or neighborhood gatherings. The simple design means even young children can help decorate them.
Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts
These capture all the cozy autumn flavors in a tender cake donut that tastes like fall in every bite. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and real pumpkin create donuts that are moist, flavorful, and perfectly spiced. They’re delicious plain or topped with cream cheese glaze, cinnamon sugar, or maple frosting.
The pumpkin keeps them extra moist for days, making them great make-ahead treats. These are moderately easy to make from scratch or can be simplified using cake mix, and they smell absolutely incredible while baking.
Monster Face Donuts with Candy Eyes
Brightly colored frosting and googly candy eyes turn ordinary donuts into silly monsters that make everyone smile. The fun part is that no two monsters look alike, so kids can get creative with different colors and expressions. These work with any donut base, making them super versatile and easy to customize.
The candy eyes are readily available at grocery stores during Halloween season. These are perfect for parties because they’re playful rather than scary, appealing to younger children who might be frightened by creepier treats.
Mummy Wrapped Donuts with White Icing
White icing gets piped in crisscross patterns to look like mummy bandages, with candy eyes peeking through for a spooky effect. The design looks intricate but is actually very forgiving and easy to achieve with a simple piping bag or zip-top bag.
Any donut flavor works as the base since the wrapping covers most of it. These are crowd-pleasers that look professional but require minimal skill. The contrast of white bandages against chocolate donuts is especially striking, and the texture of the icing adds nice sweetness.
Black Cat Chocolate Donuts
Deep chocolate donuts get decorated with pointed ears, whiskers, and green candy eyes to become sleek black cats. The chocolate flavor needs to be rich and dark to achieve the best black cat effect. These are moderately easy to make, with the ears fashioned from chocolate cookies or chocolate triangles.
The whiskers can be piped with icing or made from black licorice strings. These look elegant and sophisticated while still being festive, making them perfect for adult Halloween parties or more refined gatherings.
Candy Corn Striped Donuts
Yellow, orange, and white frosting layers recreate the iconic Halloween candy in donut form. The striped effect looks challenging but is actually quite simple using three colors of glaze dipped in succession. These taste sweet and vanilla-forward, just like actual candy corn.
They’re incredibly eye-catching on dessert tables and immediately recognizable as Halloween treats. The color layering technique can be mastered quickly, making these accessible for intermediate bakers. Kids who love candy corn go absolutely crazy for these colorful creations.
Frankenstein Frosted Donuts
Bright green frosting, chocolate cookie hair, and icing details transform donuts into the famous monster’s square head. The green frosting is vibrant and fun, typically vanilla or cream cheese based with food coloring added. These are playful and cartoony rather than scary, making them perfect for all ages.
The decorating requires a few different components but nothing too complicated. The chocolate cookies on top add nice texture contrast to the soft donut. These always get reactions for their creative appearance and recognizable character design.
Witch Hat Topped Donuts
Chocolate donuts get crowned with miniature witch hats made from cookies and chocolate kisses for an adorable 3D effect. The construction is simple: invert a chocolate kiss on a cookie round and attach to the donut. The chocolate-on-chocolate flavor combination is rich and satisfying.
These look impressive without requiring advanced decorating skills, making them perfect for busy parents. The hats can be made ahead and attached just before serving. They’re whimsical and festive while still being delicious and not overly complicated.
Blood Drip Red Velvet Donuts
Red velvet donuts get topped with “blood” made from red glaze that drips down the sides for a gory effect. The red velvet flavor is rich, slightly tangy, and pairs beautifully with cream cheese glaze. The dripping blood effect is surprisingly easy to achieve by simply letting the glaze run naturally down the sides.
These are perfect for people who want something a bit more horror-themed rather than cute. The flavor is sophisticated enough for adults while the appearance appeals to teenagers who love the spooky aesthetic.
Graveyard Dirt Donuts with Oreo Crumbs
Chocolate donuts get covered in crushed Oreo “dirt” with cookie tombstones and gummy worm decorations. The Oreo crumbs add amazing texture and extra chocolate flavor that takes these over the top.
These are super easy to make since crushing cookies requires no special skills. The decorations can be as elaborate or simple as you want, making them adaptable to your time and skill level. These appeal to kids and adults alike because who doesn’t love the combination of donuts, Oreos, and gummy candy all together?
Caramel Apple Cider Donuts
Warm apple cider donuts get drizzled with salted caramel for the ultimate fall flavor combination. These taste like autumn in donut form, with apple cider creating moisture and flavor depth. The caramel adds richness and that sweet-salty complexity everyone loves.
These are moderately challenging to make from scratch but worth every bit of effort. They’re perfect for Halloween because they capture the season’s flavors while still being festive. The aroma while baking will have everyone hovering around the kitchen asking when they’ll be ready.
Bat Wing Black Velvet Donuts
Deep black cocoa donuts get decorated with chocolate cookie “wings” for dramatic flying bat designs. The black cocoa creates an intensely chocolate flavor that’s richer than regular chocolate donuts. The wings are simply chocolate cookies broken in half and inserted into the donut sides.
These look incredibly impressive but are actually quite simple to assemble. The dramatic black color and bat silhouette create perfect Halloween atmosphere. These are ideal for people who want treats that look sophisticated and spooky rather than cute and playful.
Purple Monster Glazed Donuts
Vibrant purple glaze with candy decorations creates playful monsters that are more silly than scary. The purple color is achieved with food coloring and can be flavored with vanilla, berry, or even grape. These are incredibly versatile since you can create any monster expression you imagine.
Kids love the bright color and silly faces, making these perfect for children’s parties. The decorating is simple enough that children can participate, and the results always look fun regardless of skill level.
Haunted Forest Green Slime Donuts
Bright green glaze drips down like oozing slime, creating donuts that look wonderfully gross but taste delicious. The green glaze is typically vanilla or cream cheese based with food coloring for the slime effect. These are perfect for people who want Halloween treats that emphasize the “ew” factor.
The dripping technique is easy and forgiving, working well even if you’ve never decorated donuts before. Kids find these hilarious and love the combination of disgusting appearance and tasty reality. They’re conversation starters at any Halloween gathering.
Vampire Fang Red Jelly Donuts
Classic jelly donuts get white fang decorations with red jelly oozing out like blood when bitten. The red jelly filling is traditional and delicious, while the vampire theme adds Halloween flair. The fangs can be made from white icing, fondant, or even white chocolate pieces.
These are fairly easy to make using store-bought jelly donuts and simple decorating additions. The surprise red center when bitten creates a fun “bleeding” effect that teenagers especially appreciate. They’re familiar enough to be approachable but decorated enough to feel special.
Eyeball Cream-Filled Donuts
Cream-filled donuts get decorated to look like bloodshot eyeballs with detailed iris designs and red veining. The cream filling represents the eye’s interior, while frosting creates the realistic eyeball appearance on top. These require a steadier hand for the detailed decorating but the wow factor is incredible.
The realistic appearance can be either creepy or impressive depending on your decorating skills. These are perfect for horror-themed parties where you want treats that make people do a double-take. The cream filling keeps them moist and indulgent.
