On Halloween, we remember the dead with gratitude and respect as we welcome the arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The holiday has its roots in pagan celebrations of the end of the harvest season, the Celtic Samhain festival, and various festivals of the dead. Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is celebrated throughout Mexico and parts of Latin America. It is the day when the spirits of the dead come home for the night to visit their loved ones.

It is not only the spookiest but also one of the sweetest times of the year as we stock up on sugary treats to give away. While Halloween is perhaps still most popular in the US, people all over the world have started to celebrate it every October. Although it is a time especially beloved by the little ones, as they get to dress up in scary costumes and go trick-or-treating, there are ways for people of all ages to get festive.

If you’re wondering how to enjoy the fear factor while being plant-based, we got you covered. Here are some plant-based Halloween tips.

Accidentally plant-based candy

If you’re following a plant-based diet, you probably don’t want to give out just any candy to trick-or-treaters. Luckily, there are quite a few accidentally vegan sweets and candy that you can get in most supermarkets, as well as offerings from plant-based brands – just look out for a vegan label.

However, a lot of commercially available sweets and candies still contain animal ingredients. Which is why we’ve gathered some ideas for scary-good plant-based sweets that you can get creative with. These can easily be prepared ahead of time and are perfect gifts for trick-or-treaters while also making for great snacks for a Halloween party.

DIY Halloween treats

Nut and Date Balls: This is an easy-to-make, perfectly nutritious snack that only takes fifteen minutes to make. Take it to the next level by shaping them as Witches Fingers and you have a perfect finger-food centrepiece for your Halloween party.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Chocolate Cinnamon Icing: Get seasonal with this amazingly fluffy doughnut recipe. If you’re in the mood for a more frightening treat, drawing a spiderweb with the glaze or adding some pretzel spider legs will do the trick.

Triple chocolate cookies: Where there are cookies, there are monsters. Meet these crunchy, gooey, and decadently chocolaty cookies that you’ll never be able to get enough of!

In between devouring all the sweets, you can get crafty with some pumpkin carving. It’s a fun and creative activity for everyone and helps keep the Halloween spirit alive.

So, enjoy making these sugary goodies to treat yourself, your friends and loved ones, and strangers arriving at your door. We wish you a thrillingly heartwarming time this Halloween.