25 Easy Halloween Cupcakes You'll Love

Updated August 24, 2020
Credit: Oxmoor House

These easy Halloween cupcake ideas are fun for the whole family. Whether you're looking for something simple to decorate with your kids (they can get as creative as they want with these Trick or Treat Cupcakes), impressive design inspiration (these Spun-Sugar Cobweb Cupcake Toppers aren't nearly as difficult as they look), or a dessert to complement your little one's costume (superheroes-in-training will love these Superman and Spiderman cupcakes), you'll find what you're looking for in this collection of Halloween cupcakes recipes. 

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Black Sesame Cupcakes

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Black Sesame Cupcakes Recipe

There's nothing artificial about these dramatically hued treats. Supermoist (and whole-grain) chocolate cupcakes get their blackout color from black sesame seeds and antioxidant-rich dark cocoa powder. These desserts are delicious and better for you, with every bit of fun, festive flair you crave.

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Mini Ghost Cupcakes

Credit: Mark Thomas

Mini Ghost Cupcakes Recipe

Decorate mini chocolate cupcakes for the perfect Halloween treats by topping them with whipped topping in the shape of spooky ghosts and chocolate chips for their ghastly expressions. These cupcakes are perfectly portable and great to bring along to a your next Halloween bash! 

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Trick or Treat Cupcakes

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro

Trick or Treat Cupcakes Recipe

This cupcake is the showcase for our Halloween thrills. For the parade of goblins, ghosts, and monsters looking for something sweet, we top it with anything we can find on the candy aisle. There's no trick to this treat—it's scrumptious any time of year.

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Chocolate Spider Cupcakes

Credit: Romulo Yanes; Styling: Rachel Haas

Chocolate Spider Cupcakes Recipe

These spooky spiderweb cupcakes for Halloween are easier to decorate than you think. Simply frost in white icing, then pipe black icing in concentric circles and drag a toothpick through them to create the webbed effect. For kid-friendly cupcakes, use water instead of bourbon in the frosting.

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Spun-Sugar Cobweb Cupcake Toppers

Credit: Thomas J. Story

Spun-Sugar Cobweb Cupcake Toppers Recipe

Spun-sugar recipes typically involve flinging hot liquid sugar across a setup of dowels and newspaper. It's messy and, frankly, a little bit frightening. Here's a much easier method that requires nothing more than a few forks and a small upturned bowl, and you can do it on your kitchen counter.

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Skeleton Cupcakes

Credit: Mark Thomas

Skeleton Cupcakes Recipe

Stop the presses! These too-cute cupcakes are a must-bake for your Halloween party. There's room for creativity on these delicious desserts, so make the faces fun or scary--your choice.

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Meringue Ghosts

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Linda Hirst

Chocolate Cupcakes with Meringue Ghosts Recipe

Cute candy eyes turn these meringue-topped cupcakes into adorable ghosts and make them the perfect dessert for a Halloween party.

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Carrot-Coconut Spice Cupcakes

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Linda Hirst

Carrot-Coconut Spice Cupcakes Recipe

Looking for some not too scary Halloween snacks? These Carrot-Coconut Spice Cupcakes will to the trick. Try this spin on carrot cupcakes by added shredded coconut to the batter and toasted coconut on top!

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Chocolate-Coconut Cupcakes

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Linda Hirst

Chocolate-Coconut Cupcakes Recipe

Nothing could be better than a chocolate cupcake topped with marshmallow frosting, except maybe one topped with marshmallow frosting AND ganache. If you want to pin this, we suggest swirling the ganache to look like spooky spiderwebs.

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Orange Angel Food Cupcakes with Candy Corn Buttercream

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Linda Hirst

Orange Angel Food Cupcakes with Candy Corn Buttercream Recipe

This citrus-flavored spin on angel food cake is perfect as the base for colorful Candy Corn frosting! Pile the cupcake high with buttercream and enjoy this Halloween treat.

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Bat Cupcakes

Credit: Image: JK Denim

Learn how to make scary-good bat cupcakes using chocolate cookie pieces and frosting.

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Red Velvet Cobweb Cupcakes

Credit: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Ed Gallagher

Red Velvet Cobweb Cupcakes Recipe

These festive Red Velvet Cobweb Cupcakes are as delicoious as they are detailed. 

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How to Make Groot Cupcakes

JK Denim from Koalipops shows you how to make easy (really!) Groot cupcakes from Guardians of the Galaxy. Download your own Groot stencil here.

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Almond Spider Cakes

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Linda Hirst

Almond Spider Cakes Recipe

A web of sugary goodness awaits you in these Halloween cupcakes. Almond paste in the batter and a colorful almond glaze give these cakes a distinctive nutty taste that kids will love. Top with plastic or gummy spiders for a spooky touch.

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Little Monster Cupcakes

Credit: Mark Thomas

Little Monster Cupcakes Recipe

Decorate cupcakes for Halloween by creating not-too-scary monster faces on top of the cupcakes using colored frostings and an assortment of candies.

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Superman Cupcakes

Credit: Beth Branch

Superman Cupcakes Recipe

Superman cupcakes are a great way to celebrate the next big super hero movie, your child's birthday party, or even Halloween! (Click here for the stencils.)

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Spiderman Cupcakes

Credit: Beth Branch

Spiderman Cupcakes Recipe

Are your spidey senses tingling? These Spiderman cupcakes will be a hit at your child's next birthday party or any festive celebration. Please do not try to climb any walls or jump off of any buildings. (Click here for the stencils.)

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Instant coffee intensifies the chocolate richness of these cupcakes. To repeat the Halloween theme, decorate them with plastic cake toppers, licorice, jelly beans, or candy sprinkles. For thicker frosting, cover and chill for 10 minutes before spreading on the cupcakes. Refrigerate frosted cupcakes overnight; cover lightly with plastic wrap, or store them in an airtight container.

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Heavenly Candy Bar Cupcakes

Heavenly Candy Bar Cupcakes Recipe

Tempted to break into those bags of candy you've stockpiled for trick-or-treaters? Melt a few Milky Ways in a saucepan and bake them into these ultra-rich cupcakes. Top with Chocolate-Marshmallow Frosting and chopped candy garnishes.

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Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling

Credit: James Carrier

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling Recipe

These chocolate cupcakes have a secret: They're loaded with marshmallow cream filling. If you grew up on store-bought snack cakes, these family-friendly desserts will blow your mind.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes Recipe

Loaded with toasty fall flavors, a batch of these easy PSL cupcakes will have you in sweater weather mode faster than hitting the Starbucks drive-thru.  

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Candy Butterfly Cupcakes

Credit: David Malosh; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps

Candy Butterfly Cupcakes Recipe

Make adorable butterfly cupcakes by adding simple candy pieces to your favorite frosted cupcakes.

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Hamburger Cupcakes

Credit: LindsayRenee11

Hamburger Cupcakes Recipe

These cupcakes are fun, fairly easy to make, an great for cookouts and celebrations!

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Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes

Credit: William Brinson

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes Recipe

These easy spiced cupcakes are secretly a better-for-you option (they're low-carb and low in sodium). But they taste just as decadent as other fall desserts!

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Black Kitty Cat Cupcakes

Credit: Oxmoor House

Black Kitty Cat Cupcakes Recipe

Don't be afraid of these black cat cupcakes... they are devilishly good!

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