Halloween potluck ideas that feed a crowd, from dips to desserts.

Twenty-four potluck recipes, best first

• Jack-O-Lantern Taco Dip Halloween Appetizer RecipeServes 12 — Taco flavors in a pumpkin costume: a cream cheese, salsa and taco seasoning dip under shredded cheddar, with blue tortilla chips, olives and a celery stem doing the decorating. Everyone can reach one bowl at once, so pack extra chips for scooping. The guide
• Halloween Chex MixMakes 15 cups — Cereals, pretzels and cashews get a buttery brown sugar glaze and a low, slow bake, with Reese’s Pieces, candy corn and chocolate chips tossed in. Easy to scoop, easy to gift; label it for allergies, since it has cashews and peanut butter candies. The guide
• Halloween Deviled EggsServes 24 — Bloodshot eyes are the trick: red food coloring painted on with a brush, avocado and dill relish in the filling, and a black olive slice for the pupil. Keep the platter chilled and serve within six hours, which suits a lunchtime spread. The guide
• Halloween Bacon Jalapeño MummiesServes 16 — Crescent dough strips play the mummy bandages around jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, pepper jack and bacon, baked and finished with candy eyes. Hand-held and a little spicy, they’re for guests who like some heat with their appetizers. The guide
• Pizza-Stuffed PumpkinsServes 16 — Biscuit dough wraps a ricotta and mozzarella filling and gets tied with twine for pumpkin ridges; after baking, the pumpkins get garlic butter and a pretzel stick stem. Set out marinara for dipping and you have hand-held pizza for a standing crowd. The guide
• Pumpkin Spice Hot Honey Brie BitesServes 24 — Sweet with a kick: flaky puff pastry filled with spiced pumpkin and topped with brie, pecans and hot honey, bite-sized and quick to bake. It suits a standing crowd; the pecans mean it needs a nut-allergy label. The guide
• Sushi Balls (Temarizushi)- Halloween Style ハローウィーンの手毬寿司Serves 16 — Bite-size balls of seasoned sushi rice dressed as jack-o'-lanterns and black cats with nori cutouts, thin rounds of fried egg, radish and cucumber. A no-utensil, hand-held pick that stands apart on a table of dips and sweets. The guide
• Halloween Feet Loaf RecipeServes 12 — The hearty centerpiece: a ground beef meatloaf shaped like a foot, with onion toenails and a ketchup-topped stump, baked and served with a dipping sauce. It puts its best foot forward, and it’s best served to a crowd with a sense of humor. The guide
• Bloody Popcorn with BonesServes 16 — Movie-marathon popcorn gone gory: buttery popcorn in a glossy red gelatin glaze that crisps into a shell, finished with a quick bake and candy bones pressed on top. Sweet and crunchy, it’s easy to eat by the handful. The guide
• Eyeball Caprese BitesServes 16 — Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil become eyeballs with a melon baller and a hole punch, served on skewers. Quick to assemble and easy to graze with one hand, it’s the fresh, savory break from all the sweets. The guide
• Halloween Brain Dip Appetizer (Using Brain Mold)Serves 12 — Cream cheese and Boursin, packed into a brain mold and chilled overnight, then turned out onto a platter and finished with red pepper jelly. Nearly all the work happens the night before, which is exactly what a potluck morning needs. The guide
• Halloween Monster Munch MixServes 12 — No oven needed: crunchy cereal in a rich cocoa coating, loaded with candies and finished with an orange chocolate drizzle. You choose the Halloween sweets, so check their labels for allergens before it goes in the bowl. The guide
• Halloween SlidersMakes 12 sliders — Mini cheeseburgers: small ground beef patties, cooked and stacked with cheese on slider buns. The familiar crowd-pleaser among the eyeballs and the severed foot, and small enough to eat standing up. The guide
• Candy Corn Sugar Cookie BarsServes 24 — Layers of yellow and orange sugar cookie dough are baked, topped with cream cheese frosting and cut into triangles that read as candy corn. A tidy, easy-to-portion bar, and a bright change from the chocolate trays. The guide
• Halloween Cookie PizzaServes 24 — One giant pumpkin-spice cookie, baked golden, covered in black almond-flavored buttercream and scattered with Halloween candies. It keeps in the fridge for up to a week, so bake ahead; flag the candy and almond flavoring for allergies. The guide
• Halloween Sugar Cookie BarsServes 30 — Soft, chewy sugar cookie bars made with butter and oil, topped with orange frosting and Halloween sprinkles. They stretch the furthest of the bars here and have the best texture after a chill, so make them ahead. The guide
• Monster Mash Halloween Cheesecake BarsServes 16 — An Oreo crust and a baked cheesecake layer in a foil-lined 9x13 pan, so the whole slab lifts out for neat bars, with the Monster Mash finish in the full guide. Bars travel flat and slice cleanly for a crowd. The guide
• Halloween BrowniesServes 12 — Brownies cut into rectangles become a graveyard: each piece gets a Milano cookie headstone marked RIP, a mound of green frosting and a candy pumpkin. Every serving is its own scene, which makes them easy to portion and hand out. The guide
• Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake BarsServes 15 — A buttery oat and pecan crust holds a cream cheese filling swirled with pumpkin butter, finished with a crumbly topping. They chill before cutting into squares and keep in the fridge for up to three days; the pecans call for an allergy label. The guide
• Ghost Marshmallow BrowniesServes 16 — Loaded with Reese’s, M&M’s and candy corn, these fudgy brownies are topped with marshmallow, a white chocolate drizzle and black gel faces to make ghosts. Candy-heavy, so check labels and flag them for allergies before they hit the table. The guide
• Pumpkin Crème Brûlée Cheesecake BarsServes 16 — Bring a kitchen torch for this one: a crunchy Oreo crust holds a silky pumpkin filling baked in a water bath and chilled, and the caramelized sugar top gets torched just before serving. It’s the showpiece of the bars. The guide
• Black-Bottom BrowniesServes 16 — Fudgy chocolate brownies with a tangy cream cheese swirl, cut into witch hat shapes for show or plain bars for a big tray. Espresso powder deepens the chocolate without taking over. The guide
• Halloween Eyeball PunchServes 12 — Blackberries, cherry juice and ginger ale make a sweet-tart punch, and the eyeballs floating in it are frozen blueberries stuffed into canned longan. Serve it chilled on the drinks table as one of the two nonalcoholic options. The guide
• This Non-Alcoholic Halloween Punch Is Scary Good (and Kid-Approved!)Serves 24 — Peach nectar, pineapple juice and orange and lemonade concentrates are frozen for at least a day, then softened and mixed with ginger ale just before serving. Alcohol-free and kid-friendly, it works for the whole guest list; start a day ahead for the freeze. The guide