Get into the Halloween spirit by transforming your ordinary pumpkins into extraordinary works of art to celebrate the spooky season. Carving pumpkins is a timeless tradition that allows you to showcase your creativity and set the stage for spooky, whimsical, or even magical displays.
Whether you’re a seasoned pumpkin-carving pro or just a beginner looking to try something new, these simple yet imaginative pumpkin carving ideas will help you conjure up some truly spooky designs that will surely frighten your trick-or-treaters. Browse our collection of ideas below, which includes links to all sources for further details, including tutorials.
If you are looking for more Halloween decorating ideas to try this season, be sure to check out our best no-carve inspiration and our DIY Pumpkin Decorating Ideas, too!
Tips For Carving Pumpkins:
Pick a theme and group jack-o’-lanterns together. When choosing pumpkins to carve, select ones with beautiful, long stems. Remove the guts and seeds from the interior of the pumpkin from the bottom (not the top). Illuminate the pumpkins with battery-powered candles or fairy lights.
Tell Us: Which one of these pumpkin carving ideas do you find most inspiring? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
1. Pumpkin Fairy House.
This whimsical pumpkin house offers endless decorating possibilities, including fairies, gnomes, and woodland creatures. To create this look, take a trip into nature with your family and collect items such as acorns, sticks, bark, moss, pinecones, and more. Affix to your pumpkin house using a hot glue gun. You may wish to add some woodland figurines and even a string of fairy lights to add a magical glow. (via @theunschooledproject)
2. Sunflower Pumpkin.
Carve a sunflower design on your pumpkin by first drawing out the design by hand or with a free DIY pumpkin carving stencil. The stem has been painted in a shiny black to really make it stand out. You can carve a hole in the bottom to gut out the pumpkin and add an LED tea light to illuminate from within. (via @gilbertiesorganics)
3. Classic Jack-o’-Lantern.
To create this fun group of pumpkins, start with the traditional Jack-o’-Lantern face, but add your unique twist by giving it an expressive or mischievous expression. You will need a much larger pumpkin to create the look of a pumpkin eating another pumpkin. Use parsnips for the eyes of the scary large pumpkin and the ears of the lady pumpkin with the hair. (via @asaki_ichi)
4. Pumpkin Art.
This beautiful pumpkin is a creative work of art. You will need some pumpkin carving tools to re-create this look, along with pumpkin lights to illuminate from within. (via @ruthbilhamart)
5. Creepy Doll Eating Pumpkin.
For this spooky pumpkin, trace out the face you wish to create on your pumpkin and carve it out using a knife or pumpkin carving kit. Use props to make a funny or terrifying scene. Stuff your jack-o-lantern with fake body parts (such as a doll’s leg), red paint, or fake blood from a Halloween Superstore. Use toothpicks or jagged sticks for the teeth and styrofoam packing for the eyes. (via @our.darlington)
6. Pumpkin Nachos For A Halloween Party.
If you are having a Halloween bash, get inspired by this fun to make (despite looking sick), delicious to eat appetizer. Simply fill a baking tray with tortilla chips and cover with mozzarella and cheddar, and grill in the oven until nicely melted. Next, cover with salsa, sour cream, and homemade guacamole. Creatively arrange and bon appétit! (via @thegourmetgram)
7. The Beautician.
If pumpkin carving is not your strong suit, this simple pumpkin DIY might be just for you! You can get creative in other ways, such as using fake nails, googly eyes, and makeup to transform a pumpkin into a scary monster. (via @bestdayoftheweek_)
8. Owl Pumpkin.
Carve an owl design on your pumpkin, utilizing the pumpkin’s natural shape to create the owl’s round body. Add details such as feathers or leaves to the wings, and create large eyes that can be carved into the pumpkin. Add a light inside the pumpkin to illuminate the eyes at night. (via @tonyastaab)
9. Spooky Jack-O-Lanterns.
This trio of creative and spooky pumpkins is carved with different patterns, from ghosts to a scary face and the letters “BOO!”. For the carved pumpkins, add fairy lights for a warm glow in the evening. Be sure to roast your pumpkin seeds after scooping out your carved pumpkins. (via @fifiandfriendly)
10. Pumpkin Mama.
This creative pumpkin features a fatigued, lactating “mommy” pumpkin with a baby pumpkin. This is a creative look to display on your kitchen table. (via @mindful_mamas)
11. Easy Pumpkin Carving Idea With Toothpicks.
This creative pumpkin carving idea requires a carving kit to make eyes and a mouth. To elevate the eerie factor, use toothpicks to create sinister, jagged teeth. Be sure to add an LED candle with a timer inside the pumpkin to cast a spooky glow. (via Pinterest)
12. What A Hoot.
This pumpkin idea is creative and fun and will be sure to give your trick-or-treaters a hoot! To create these owl pumpkins, you will need a hot glue gun for the mini pumpkin eyes. Pumpkin seeds are used to create a border around the eyes, and a hot glue gun is also used. (via @hectormsanchezphoto for @southernlivingmag)
13. Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil.
This trio of stacked pumpkins features skeleton hands and mini pumpkins for eyes. For the eyes, trace the mini pumpkins onto the larger pumpkins to ensure the correct hole sizing, and then carve out the circles to insert the mini pumpkins with their bottoms facing outward. The pupils are black thumbtacks. Carve out the mouth. Repeat these steps for all three pumpkins, then stack them. Secure the pumpkins with skewers. Use T-pins to affix the skeleton arms and hands to the pumpkins. (via @womansdaymag)
14. Haunted House With Meringue Ghosts.
Carve a spooky haunted house scene on your pumpkin, complete with windows, doors, and eerie silhouettes. Place a small candle inside to create a spooky glow. (via @nourkandler)
15. Pumpkin Eating A Pumpkin.
A large pumpkin has been carved out with teeth, and a mini pumpkin sits inside the mouth of the much larger pumpkin. (via @morning.sophie)
16. Use The Stock As A Nose.
Carve a spooky face into your pumpkin using the stock as the nose. You can add a hole on the other side to insert an LED candle. (via Pinterest)
17. The Lord Of The Gourd.
This angry pumpkin boasts gaping teeth and some serious carving skills. Use the stem for the nose and gut the pumpkin from the side of the mouth. (via Patrick Harrison via Pinterest)
18. Pumpkin Eating Another Pumpkin.
Scare your trick-or-treaters with this scary pumpkin ensemble. Here, a large pumpkin is carved with menacing teeth, munching on a pair of more miniature pumpkins. (via Pinterest)
19. Scary Pumpkin Head.
Make a spooky pumpkin face with creepy eyes and jagged teeth, along with some fake blood for a gruesome finishing touch. For the eyes, you can use golf balls or styrofoam balls and use a paint marker to draw the eyeballs. (via Johnnyray on Pinterest)
20. Spooky Pumpkin Eyes.
Add these DIY eyeball pumpkins to your doorstep, where they’ll keep a vigilant watch over your trick-or-treaters this Halloween season. While these look difficult to make, they are actually surprisingly simple to put together and will make a fun family project! To make these, you will need two small white pumpkins, two large orange pumpkins, a pumpkin carving set, a linoleum cutter, a red permanent marker, a black permanent marker, green acrylic paint, and black acrylic paint. Get the how-to tutorial at the provided link. (via Woman’s Day)
21. DIY Pumpkin Fairy House.
This fun craft project is perfect for those who do not like scary-faced pumpkins. This can be placed on your front porch to greet trick-or-treaters and showcase your creative prowess. To make this enchanting pumpkin, you will need the following: a medium-sized blue Hubbard squash, a small brown or green acorn squash, toothpicks, mini glass balls, acorn caps, wood rounds, ginkgo leaves, a carving knife, a linoleum carving tool, and a hot-glue gun. Get the complete instructions at the provided link. (via Country Living)
22. Cracked Open Jack O’Lantern.
This jack-o’-lantern, cracked open to reveal a skull within, promises a spooktacular Halloween display for your trick-or-treaters. (via @pigletsadventurefarm)
23. The Cookie Monster.
For this project, paint a real or faux pumpkin black. Use a pair of ping pong balls for the eyes, with googly eyes attached with a glue gun. Some chocolate chip cookies (preferably freshly baked) are a great party favor for a Halloween bash. The cookies are sitting in a black dish to match the color of the pumpkin. (via @pigletsadventurefarm)
24. Halloween Pumpkin Monster With Tooth Braces.
This adorably fun pumpkin Jack-o-lantern with braces is simple to make. This can be made using aluminum foil for the braces. (via @morning.sophie)
25. Pumpkin Brace Face.
To create this fun brace face look, all you need is some small corner brackets with screws, purchased from your local hardware store, and a wire, inserted underneath the brackets. Carve off the lid of the pumpkin at a slight angle to keep it from falling into the pumpkin and remove the pulp. Draw shapes on the pumpkins with a black sharpie for the mouth and eyes. Cut out the eyes with a pumpkin carving kit or a sharp knife. For the mouth, you can use a Potato peeler or an X-acto knife to peel off the skin and to carve and shape the teeth. (via Pinterest)
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