How to carve a Halloween pumpkin

Get set for spooky season with our ultimate guide to making your pumpkins pop. Learn how to pick your perfect pumpkin, then download our free pumpkin carving template and get creative with some frightfully fun designs. All our pumpkins are sourced from trusted M&S Select Farms and have sweet, edible flesh, so use it up with our seasonal recipe ideas, from hearty soups to fragrant curries..

Senior Food Editor

Heather Taylor

Choose your perfect pumpkin

Look out for pumpkins with a flatter bottom, which will help them stay stable as you carve, and with a long, sturdy stem, to help you cut out a neat lid. All the pumpkins we sell at M&S (look out for them in store near Halloween) are edible and come in several sizes so you can choose the best one to suit you. Bear in mind that for more intricate designs, a bigger pumpkin might be easier to work with. Look out for our cute mini squashes in the Foodhall, too, which come in a spectrum of autumnal colours – these can be carved or placed next to your pumpkin to create a spooky display.

Get carving

Cut the lid off your pumpkin by making an opening at the top with a sharp chef’s knife, then scoop out the insides with an ice cream scoop or melon baller, saving the flesh to eat. Draw your design using a paper template, marking the shapes with a pencil then carefully cutting out with a paring knife (little ones might want to ask grownups for help with this part). We’ve created some spook-tastic pumpkin templates for you to download and create your own pumpkin design. Or look out for our carving kits, available in store.

Download them here (opens a PDF file)

Try a no-carve pumpkin

Don’t fancy carving, want to save more of the flesh to reduce waste, or want younger children to be able to join in? A no-carve pumpkin could be for you. Decorate the skin with paint, marker pens and accessories like googly eyes and fake spiders – then cook them once Halloween is over (uncarved pumpkins typically last over a month).

Pumpkin recipes

Carve a petrifying pineapple

Pumpkins aren’t the only thing that you can carve. Try punching eye holes in a persimmon (available in store around Halloween) or carefully cut the top from an orange or satsuma, scoop out the flesh (use in smoothies) and carefully cut two eyes with nail scissors. Our extra-large King Pineapples also look brilliant when carved – cut off the top and scoop out the flesh, pat the inside dry with kitchen paper then carve your face, pop in a tea light and replace the spiky lid. Create a fun display by carving passion fruits to sit next to your pineapples – save the flesh for a Halloween punch.

More spook-spiration

Light up your Halloween

Once you’re happy with your designs, try sprinkling some cinnamon around the rim – when you light the pumpkins they’ll burn and infuse your home with the scent of a pumpkin spice latte. Place on your doorstep and wait for the trick-or-treaters to come calling. Don’t have as much outside space? You can display pumpkins on a window ledge or fireplace if there's enough space, or even on your Halloween party table – just be sure to keep them away from fire hazards.

Halloween recipe ideas

Get cooking!

If you choose an M&S pumpkin, there’s no need to discard the flesh. Try roasting it with a teaspoon of ras el hanout, then blitzing into a velvety soup. From cute mini pumpkin pies to fragrant curry and autumnal salads, we’ve got lots of pumpkin recipes online to help you make the most of this seasonal veggie. The seeds are edible, too – remove the stringy flesh, pat dry then arrange on a baking tray with a sprinkle of paprika and sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 170°C, shaking the tray halfway, until toasted. These are brilliant for sprinkling on soups and salads.

Recipes this way

Published 9.17.2024