PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
We’re of one of a few minds for what to eat for breakfast on Halloween: Is it just an excuse to eat even more sweets that day? Or should we be starting out healthier in anticipation of all the candy we’ll get trick or treating later. And we can’t forget to take advantage of all the great fall produce around, like pumpkins and apples too. Whichever direction you prefer to go, we’ve got something here for you. Check out our best Halloween breakfast recipes for ideas—they’ll get the spooky holiday started off right.
Halloween is ALL about the candy (well, and the costumes), so why not make your day extra sweet, starting with breakfast? While we don’t have any breakfasts here that are explicitly covered in candy (hm, not yet!), we’ve definitely got some decadent options that’ll hit the spot. Check out our apple cider donuts, our pumpkin pie pop tarts, our apple pie stuffed French toast, or our breakfast monkey bread. We’ve also included a few drinks here that SCREAM fall, like our apple cider mimosa, our pumpkin spice latte or our apple cider latte. Even if you don’t have big Halloween plans later, they can start your day off feeling a bit more special.
If the thought of too much sugar for breakfast icks you out or you want something to balance out your day (especially with all that candy in your future), try one of the healthier, heartier options on this list. Check out our baked apple oatmeal, our sheet pan sweet potato hash, our healthy pumpkin muffins, our apple pancake dippers, and more. They’re sure to fuel you (and your family) up for whatever your Halloween has in store.
Since pumpkin puree adds extra moisture to the cookies, these won’t get quite as dry as traditional biscotti, but are still plenty sturdy. Serve these with a pumpkin spice latte for a double-dose of fall this Halloween.
This easy bacon and sweet potato hash can upgrade any breakfast and comes together in one. single. pan. Yes, even the bacon! Making this the savory start to your sweet-filled Halloween will keep you from sugar crashing (too) hard.
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
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Pumpkin Pie French Toast Bake
Homemade pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice lattes aren't the only way to get into the spirit of pumpkin season. This cozy make-ahead baked French toast is the easiest way to enjoy all the warm, autumnal flavors you love, without having to stand over the stove all morning.
In the Harry Potter books, pumpkin juice is traditionally served over ice for a refreshing drink that screams fall and is a great alternative to your morning OJ. You could also warm this up in a mug for something more cozy too.
With fall comes apple cider donut season, the best time of the year. This easy pound cake is warmly spiced and so much easier than frying up a dozen donuts. Boiling down the apple cider makes it more concentrated, which gives you more of that sweet apple flavor while using less liquid in the cake.
All the best parts of breakfast in a convenient pull-apart loaf that's fun and zany enough for Halloween morning. We used a combo of seeds and spices here, but feel free to swap in for your favorite everything bagel seasoning.
PHOTO: LUCY SCHAEFFER PHOTOGRAPHY; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
A surefire way to make a baked good better is to add cream cheese to it, and these pumpkin muffins are no exception. The swirl of cheesecake batter offers tangy balance to the sweet pumpkin cake, making these the perfect decadent on-the-go breakfast for Halloween morning.
Each bite here is studded with chunks of tart Granny Smith apples and toasted walnuts, and there's just enough cinnamon and nutmeg to infuse the dish with a cozy autumn aroma without overpowering the other flavors. It's the perfect healthy, hearty breakfast to get your through a busy Halloween day.
These adorable pumpkin deviled eggs are way easier to make than Jack-o'-lanterns! Paprika gives a wash of bold color, while a fresh chive (or snip of scallion) makes for the perfect stems.
♪Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at suppertime. When ghosts are on a bagel, you can have pizza anytime♪ even for Halloween breakfast! We definitely recommend using a cookie cutter for the ghosts—try other shapes too if you got 'em.
These scones aren't super sweet on their own, making them perfect to fuel you up for a long night of trick or treating. If you've got a super sweet tooth, though, go hard on the powdered sugar glaze!
In our minds, fall isn't fall 'til we've had at least a dozen apple cider cake donuts. This super-sized version comes together in no time, and there's no deep-frying involved. That's a win in our book!
To create this sweet treat, we decided to keep it classic with a twist, adding yeast to a cake donut to give these fluffy rings the best of both worlds. If you do this right, you should be covered in a dusting of ghostly white powdered sugar when all is said and done.
When it comes to biscuits and other bread products, sweet potatoes are magical. Adding them to dough results yields softer and fluffier results that are perfect for an after-dinner treat—try them topped with apple or pumpkin butter.
We admit, we've fallen hard for the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. If you don't want to wait in lines (or pay those prices), we've got good news for you: Making your own at home is super easy, even on a busy Halloween morning!
A combo of pumpkin and buttermilk keeps these air fryer biscuits extremely tender. For the ultimate grab-n-go breakfast, split 'em, spread with butter, and drizzle with honey. Wrap them in foil and toss in your purse or backpack—they’re perfect for dunking in a PSL (pumpkin spice latte) en route to work on Halloween.
Even if you can't pull off a homemade pumpkin pie, you can definitely master these adorable hand pies. They're the cutest start way to start your Halloween, so make enough to share!
Have a trick and a treat for Halloween breakfast with this Bundt cake. The sweet and salty cinnamon glaze and a little bit of black pepper in the batter sets this cake apart. They both enhance the other more common pumpkin spices, like cinnamon and allspice, without tasting overly salty or spicy. Yum!
These pumpkin pancakes are so tall and fluffy with all of the fall spices you love. These are best served with a pumpkin spice latte and lots of butter and toasted pecans.
Seasonal apples work wonders in this easy coffee cake. They add extra sweetness as well as making the cake moist and tender. We love it with Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, but your favorite baking apple will do the trick!
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: FRANCESCA ZANI
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Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Pumpkin spice syrup is the BEST way to turn all your favorite breakfasts into a Halloween-y treat—try it over classic pancakes, waffles, or even plain oatmeal.
Any chance you get to dunk your favorite things in pancake batter, you absolutely should. These are great for Halloween morning because the fruit makes them slightly healthier than your average pancake—perfect to offset with lots of candy later in the day!
Got a lot of apples and don't know what to do with them? If homemade apple pie seems like too much of an undertaking, this jam is just the thing to prolong those delicious fall apples. We love it shmeared on toast with peanut butter, but it would also be delicious stirred into yogurt or spread on top of pancakes or waffles.
We love this classic, no-frills pumpkin bread (especially warmed up and slathered with cream cheese—seriously, TRY IT). Other times, we're craving a little something extra in there, so go wild with chocolate chips, pecans, dried cranberries, or even extra Halloween candy. 😉
Mimosas are thebrunch cocktail, but as the weather gets colder, we start looking toward more comforting, autumnal flavors. Enter: apple cider! It's the perfect fall twist on the classic and gives you another reason to celebrate the season.
These mini donuts couldn't be easier to make. All you're doing is buying a box of donut holes, dipping them in chocolate and fall-appropriate sprinkles, and sticking a pretzel stick inside. Ta da, you've just made an adorable little acorn perfect for a Halloween breakfast on-the-go.
We're here to scream from the rooftops about how versatile pumpkin butter is—like apple butter, you can put it on everything from simple breakfasts like oatmeal or toast, to more decadent options like waffles or French toast.
Warm, soft, and gooey cinnamon rolls topped with a maple cream cheese frosting?! No, you aren't dreaming. These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are just what you need on a slow Halloween morning alongside a cup of coffee (or a PSL?).
