10 Ghostly Halloween Cupcakes Too Cute to Spook

Spooky, sweet, and adorable — these ghostly Halloween cupcakes haunt dessert tables in the cutest way. Meringue ghosts, candy eyes, and midnight-black frosting make every bite a treat.

Below you’ll find 10 reader-favorite recipes, each with a photo, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions. Save your favorites and enjoy!

1. Floating Marshmallow Ghost Cupcakes

Marshmallow ghosts with chocolate-chip eyes on chocolate cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white frosting
• 12 marshmallows
• 24 mini chocolate chips
• black gel icing

Instructions

1. Bake chocolate cupcakes per box directions; cool completely.
2. Frost each cupcake with white frosting.
3. Place a marshmallow upright in the center.
4. Pipe a frosting sheet over the marshmallow for the ghost shape.
5. Add mini chocolate chip eyes and gel-icing mouths.

2. Midnight Black Velvet Cupcakes

Dramatic black cocoa cupcakes with ghostly white swirls.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups black frosting

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F; line a muffin tin.
2. Whisk dry ingredients; add milk, oil, and egg.
3. Fill liners 2/3 full; bake 18-20 minutes.
4. Cool completely.
5. Pipe black frosting high and add white candy ghost toppers.

3. Coconut Ghost Cupcakes

Fluffy coconut 'ghost hair' with googly candy eyes.

Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla cake mix
• ingredients for cake mix
• 2 cups vanilla frosting
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 24 candy eyes
• 12 white chocolate melts
• black decorating gel

Instructions

1. Bake vanilla cupcakes; cool.
2. Frost generously with vanilla frosting.
3. Roll tops in shredded coconut.
4. Melt white chocolate; pipe ghost bodies onto parchment and chill.
5. Place ghosts on cupcakes and add candy eyes.

4. Vanilla Boo Cupcakes with Meringue Ghosts

Crisp meringue ghosts perched on orange-frosted vanilla cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups orange frosting
• 12 meringue ghosts

Instructions

1. Whip 2 egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar to stiff peaks.
2. Pipe ghost shapes on parchment; bake at 200°F for 1 hour 30 minutes.
3. Bake vanilla cupcakes at 350°F for 18 minutes; cool.
4. Frost with orange frosting.
5. Top each with a meringue ghost and candy eyes.

5. Vampire Bite Red Velvet Cupcakes

Bloody-good red velvet with vampire teeth and dripping gel.

Ingredients

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
• ingredients for cake mix
• 2 cups cream cheese frosting
• 12 plastic vampire teeth
• red gel icing
• 12 white chocolate ghosts

Instructions

1. Bake red velvet cupcakes; cool completely.
2. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
3. Drip red gel icing from the center like blood.
4. Stick vampire teeth into the frosting.
5. Add a white chocolate ghost on the side.

6. Pumpkin Patch Ghost Cupcakes

Pumpkin-spiced cupcakes with toasted marshmallow ghosts.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups marshmallow frosting

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F; line a muffin tin.
2. Mix pumpkin, oil, egg, and sugar; fold in dry ingredients.
3. Bake 18-20 minutes; cool.
4. Pipe marshmallow frosting into ghost peaks.
5. Toast lightly with a kitchen torch and add chocolate eyes.

7. Graveyard Dirt Cupcakes

Cookie-crumb 'dirt' with Oreo tombstones and gummy worms.

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• ingredients for cake mix
• 2 cups cookies-and-cream frosting
• 12 Oreo halves
• 24 candy eyes
• 12 gummy worms
• chocolate sprinkles

Instructions

1. Bake chocolate cupcakes; cool.
2. Frost with cookies-and-cream frosting.
3. Dip tops in crushed Oreos for dirt.
4. Write RIP on Oreo halves with gel icing; stick in as tombstones.
5. Add gummy worms crawling out of the dirt.

8. Purple Potion Cupcakes

Mystical purple frosting with hand-shaped fondant ghosts.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups purple frosting
• 12 fondant ghosts

Instructions

1. Bake almond-vanilla cupcakes at 350°F for 18 minutes; cool.
2. Tint frosting deep purple.
3. Pipe tall swirls.
4. Shape white fondant into little ghosts.
5. Place a ghost on each cupcake with candy eyes.

9. Candy Corn Ghost Cupcakes

Salted caramel drizzle with candy corn ghost toppers.

Ingredients

• 1 box spice cake mix
• ingredients for cake mix
• 2 cups maple frosting
• 12 candy corn pieces
• 24 candy eyes
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• sea salt

Instructions

1. Bake spice cupcakes; cool.
2. Frost with maple frosting.
3. Drizzle with caramel and sprinkle sea salt.
4. Stack 3 candy corns into a ghost shape with frosting glue.
5. Add candy eyes to the candy corn ghosts.

10. Haunted Mansion Cupcakes

Jet-black cupcakes with glowing candy windows.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup black cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups vanilla frosting

Instructions

1. Bake black cocoa cupcakes at 350°F for 18 minutes; cool.
2. Frost with vanilla frosting tinted gray.
3. Press yellow candy melts in as glowing windows.
4. Pipe black frosting doors and roofs.
5. Add candy bats on toothpicks for a haunted skyline.