Easy pumpkin carving ideas

This Halloween, utilize our easy pumpkin carving ideas to decorate your home. Bring flickering lights, spooky shadows, spectral faces, or cute seasonal creatures into your house. Have a family pumpkin carving contest to see who can carve the scariest pumpkin.

For even more inspiration for ghoulish gourds, check out our printable pumpkin carving templates. Set yourself a challenge and try our haunted house motif or a daring Dalek.

Make sure you use up your pumpkin innards with our roasted pumpkin seeds recipe and our top 10 ways to use up leftover pumpkin.

Before you’re elbow-deep in pumpkin, check out our video on how to carve a pumpkin for more expert techniques and tips or read our guide on carving pumpkins in four easy steps:

Easy Halloween pumpkin carving ideas

For this enjoyable family activity, all you need is a serrated knife or a pumpkin carving kit that comes with a knife and scoop.

All of our pumpkins were hulled as usual, and the tops of each one had a circle cut out to make it simpler to put tealights. Pen ink can smudge and make the design on the pumpkin look untidy, so try sketching it on with a pencil first so you can erase it if you make a mistake. We carved the patterns with a serrated knife.

1. Cat pumpkin

Complete your witchy aesthetic with a cute cat cut-out for your Halloween table. We love the look of the chunky whiskers and expressive eyes. Cut out triangular orange peel ears, then scrape the flesh from the underside of the peel. Use halved cocktail sticks to secure the ears to the top of the pumpkin.

2. Owl pumpkin

With this owl pumpkin design, you can celebrate Halloween and declare your affection for this frightful season. Cut orange peels into feet to give your owl the ultimate finishing touch before carving small arrowheads through the middle to give his tummy a feathered appearance.

3. Little pumpkin, big pumpkin

Keep it classic with a scary pumpkin face, then add a fun twist with a mini pumpkin surprise sat inside. Use different-coloured pumpkins if possible to get a seriously eye-catching display. To carve the face on the smaller squash inside the bigger pumpkin, use the eye remover on a potato peeler – it will help you get precise scoops.

4. Laughing pumpkin

Who said Halloween had to be a spooky holiday only? This silly pumpkin face with its gap-toothed smile is impossible to resist. Kids can try their hand at this basic design, and once lit up, it looks just as effective.

5. Scary thoughts pumpkin

Capture the scary Halloween spirit with a creepy word or phrase. Try ‘boo,’ ‘eeek,’ ‘spooky,’ ‘happy Halloween’ or ‘trick or treat.’ Try printing your word in your favourite font on a word document, then using that as a stencil to trace with. Outline the word in marker, then carve with a small knife.

6. Polka dots pumpkin

This gorgeous polka-dot pumpkin is really simple to make. For a more understated appearance, the straightforward design is efficient and appealing. Use small knives and skewers to carve out tiny dots and circles, or use an electric drill to make the process simpler. To make sure the dots are distributed equally, use a ruler.

7. Bat pumpkin

What’s more fitting for Halloween than a spooky bat? Draw a simple bat shape, using clip art for inspiration. You can either carve the bat out directly or carve around it and make a silhouette.

8. Haunted house pumpkin

With this creepy pumpkin concept, you may create the haunted house of your dreams. Add extra details, such as floors, windows, and doors. Let your creativity go wild. Its wonderful, timeless style will make your front door stand out.

9. Furry friend pumpkin

Devote your pumpkin to your favourite furry friend with this design idea. Print out a picture of your pet, trace onto your pumpkin and get to work using tiny knives and tools to capture small details. Try this with your dog, cat, or even a fish.

10. Happy messages pumpkin

With this uplifting pumpkin design, you can add some positivity to your Halloween celebration. For a happier Halloween message, carve a message that is accompanied by flowers, peace signs, or cheerful faces.