Halloween Donuts
Halloween donuts are an easy way to add something festive to a party, classroom celebration or October breakfast.
You can bake a batch from scratch or start with plain store-bought donuts and decorate them with colorful icing, sprinkles, candy eyes and other simple toppings.
These Halloween recipes include spiders, mummies, monsters, pumpkins and more.
Set out the decorations and let the kids create their own, or make a few designs ahead of time for your Halloween dessert table.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you when you make a purchase through my links. Thank you for supporting my kitchen!
Easy Halloween Donut Decorating Ideas
Most of these ideas start with plain glazed, chocolate or powdered donuts and use decorations found in the baking or seasonal aisle, so you don’t need special decorating skills to make them.
- Mummy donuts: Drizzle white icing or melted white chocolate back and forth across each donut. Add two candy eyes before the icing sets.
- Spiderweb donuts: Cover the donut with dark chocolate icing. Pipe circles of white icing on top, then drag a toothpick from the center toward the edge to form a web.
- Pumpkin donuts: Dip the donut in orange icing and add a small pretzel piece or green candy at the top for a stem.
- Monster donuts: Use bright green, purple or orange icing, then add candy eyes, sprinkles, gummy teeth or mini marshmallows.
- Graveyard donuts: Spread chocolate frosting over the donut and cover it with crushed Oreo cookies. Finish it with candy bones or a small tombstone decoration.
- Bat donuts: Place pieces of chocolate sandwich cookies into the sides for wings and add candy eyes to the front.
- Bloody donuts: Start with a white-frosted donut and drizzle red gel icing over the top for a creepy Halloween treat.
- Witch hat donuts: Place a mini chocolate-covered sugar cone over the center and decorate it with icing and sprinkles.
- Ghost donuts: Dip the donut in white icing and use mini chocolate chips or black decorating icing to make the face.
- Eyeball donuts: Frost the donut with white icing and place a colorful gummy candy or candy melt over the center. Add red gel icing around it to make veins.
Tips & Tricks for Making Halloween Donuts:
- Let donuts cool completely before decorating to prevent icing from melting and sliding off.
- Use store-bought donuts to save time—plain glazed or cake donuts work great for decorating.
- Set up a decorating station with bowls of toppings like sprinkles, crushed cookies, mini candies, and icing tubes.
- Dip, don’t drizzle your glaze for a smooth coating—use a shallow bowl and gently press the donut in.
- Make your own colored glaze with powdered sugar, milk, and food coloring for a custom spooky look.
- To attach decorations, use a little bit of icing as “glue” for candy eyeballs or other toppings.
What Do You Need to Decorate Halloween Donuts?
Choose a few of these easy toppings so everyone can create a different design:
- Plain cake, glazed or chocolate donuts
- Vanilla or chocolate frosting
- Powdered sugar glaze
- Orange, purple, green, black and white food coloring
- Halloween sprinkles
- Candy eyeballs
- Mini chocolate chips
- Gummy worms or gummy teeth
- Pretzel sticks
- Chocolate sandwich cookies
- Red decorating gel
- Melted white or dark chocolate
You don’t need to buy everything on the list. Frosting, two or three sprinkle mixes and a package of candy eyes are enough to make several cute designs.
Ann Clark Pumpkin Orange Food Coloring Gel .70 oz. Professional Grade Made in USA
Gel Food Coloring for Cake Decorating – 40g Concentrated Assorted Edible Colors – Vibrant Tasteless Food Dye Professional-Grade Dye for Easter Eggs Fondant Cookies Frosting Royal Icing Baking – BlackFood Coloring Liquid – ERCorArt 16 Colors Food Coloring, Food Grade Food Dye, Tasteless Food Color Set for Cake Decorating, Easter Egg, Cooking, Fondant – 0.25 Fl OzSweets Indeed Sprinkles, Halloween Sprinkles, Candy Eyeballs, 4 Pack, 10.90 ounces, Edible Sprinkle Mix, Perfect for Cake Decorations, Baking, Ice Cream, Cookies, Cupcake Topper, 10.90 ounces (Halloween)Halloween Sprinkles – Bulk Sprinkles -16 Oz – Orange, Black, Purple and White Jimmies – Spooky Halloween SprinklesSweets Indeed, Halloween Sprinkles, Bulk, 10 ounce, Edible Sprinkle Mix, Perfect for Cake Decorations, Baking, Ice Cream, Cookies, Cupcake Topper (Halloween)Zhaoyao 2 Pack Donut Pans, Carbon Steel Donut Pan for Baking with 6 Holes Non-Stick Stackable 10.35Aichoof Silicone Donut Mold for 6 Doughnuts, Set of 2. Food Grade LFGB Silicone Bagels Baking Pan, Non-Stick, Dishwasher Safe, Heat Resistant and Microwave Safe(Gray)Azzuro Piping Bags Disposable 12 Inch, 100PCS Extra Thick Pastry Icing Piping Bags for Cake & Cookie Decoration, Anti-Burst Cake Frosting Decorating Bags Easy to SqueezeOXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Cooling Rack and Baking Rack,Metal
Tips for Decorating Halloween Donuts
- Let homemade donuts cool completely before adding icing. Warm donuts can cause the icing to melt and slide off.
- Use plain store-bought donuts when you need a quick Halloween treat.
- Place the donuts on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath to catch extra icing and sprinkles.
- Use gel food coloring for brighter colors without making the icing too thin.
- Pour toppings into small bowls before you begin so they are easy for kids to reach.
- Use a dab of frosting or melted chocolate to hold candy decorations in place.
- Allow the decorated donuts to sit until the icing has set before moving or stacking them.
How to Make a Halloween Donut Decorating Station
A decorating station is a fun activity for a Halloween party or family movie night.
- Place plain donuts on a large tray and fill small bowls with frosting, sprinkles, crushed cookies, candy eyes and other toppings.
- Give each person a plate or piece of parchment paper to use as a work surface.
- Put icing into piping bags or zip-top bags with one corner snipped off for easy decorating.
- Keep a few finished donuts nearby to give everyone ideas, but let the kids come up with their own creations, too.
More Spooky Treats to Try
If you’re planning a Halloween party, add a few of these easy ideas to your menu:
- Use these Halloween Dessert Table Ideas to arrange your donuts, cupcakes, cookies and candy into one festive display.
- No-Bake Halloween Treats are great for last-minute parties and days when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
Halloween Donut Recipes to Try
3 Comments