20 Simple 3-Ingredient Recipes to Make This Halloween

Recipes To Make With Pumpkin Guts

Spiced Pumpkin Cider

Swap out the pumpkin puree with your own pumpkin goodness to make this luscious Halloween drink.

Pumpkin Rolls

These luscious pumpkin rolls make for the ultimate cozy weekend breakfast! To make use of your pumpkin leftovers, swap the canned pumpkin puree for your own homemade version.

Pumpkin Pasta

Get us a spoon! Nothing says comfort food like mac and cheese, but this pasta takes things up a notch. Fall is no better time than fall to nosh on homey eats that carry *all* the fall flavors.

Pumpkin Curry

Make this pumpkin-packed curry however spicy you'd like it for a *totally* warming bite when it's chilly out!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These paleo-friendly baked bites scream fall, especially when you decorate them in jack-o'-lantern fashion.

Pumpkin Juice

Whip up your very own pumpkin puree to dress up this seasonal drink!

Chocolate Pumpkin Banana Bread

Freshly-baked banana bread is made for the fall season, so why not doctor things up with some pumpkin? Leverage your leftovers for a sweet little treat!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Grab your pumpkin and get to work, because the good stuff is on the inside. Slice, scoop and de-seed your way to homemade pumpkin puree that'll knock *any* canned pumpkin product out of the patch.

The Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Once you've spilled the guts, work on gathering all of those pumpkin seeds. Not only do pumpkin seeds have nutritive value, they're excellent for munching on their own.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

So, yeah… pumpkin, cinnamon and maple cream cheese all infused into a warm, sticky bun. We'll take two, please.

Overnight Pumpkin Butter

Once you've had the sweet and spicy taste of warm pumpkin butter hit your taste buds, you'll never look at a pumpkin the same way again. Grab a pumpkin and get digging, because these guts make something quite grand.

Hard Squash Hummus

Creamy chickpeas and raw pumpkin (instead of squash) combine for a flavorful spin on the classic dip. Reap the rewards of the pumpkin and score some 'oohs' and 'ahhs' by roasting the seeds for a crunchy garnish.

Honey Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

If you're a pumpkin lover, get on this recipe! They're perfect for dunking into chilis and stews, or if you like your cornbread on the sweet side, add a drizzle of melted butter and warm honey. (via Ambitious Kitchen)

Pumpkin Bisque

Learn how to use a pumpkin as a serving vessel and flavor enhancer for superb dishes like this crisp fall bisque.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Martha knows a thing or two about pumpkin… like how excellent it is when you bake it into pillowy cookies sandwiched around sweetened cream cheese.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

It's October, and that means pumpkin-flavored everything hits supermarket shelves. If you live in a warmer area, you can forget the fuzzy sweaters and hot apple cider. Get your fall fix with this creamy sherbet that's perfectly spiced, made with milk, pumpkin puree, and spices.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

You're drooling, right? This pumpkin dessert just might make it into your regular rotation.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge Truffles

For the love of pumpkin and chocolate! These bite-sized truffles are basically magic in the mouth. Bibbity-bobbity-boo, do spread the love for a treat, and share this recipe with your friends.

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos

Starbucks is life, but if you want to save some money this week, whip up this delicious pumpkin spice Frappuccino recipe at home! Mash up your leftover pumpkin guts to make a puree that'll serve as the base for this fall drink.

Black Bean Dip with Roasted Squash, Garlic, Pumpkin Seeds and Chipotles

Your nachos are waiting for you to dip them into this delectable black bean dip with roasted squash, garlic, pumpkin seeds and chipotle peppers.

6-Ingredient Spiced Pumpkin Butter

Step up your pumpkin butter game with this recipe. It's a perfect alternative if you want to have a spiced buttery spread to top your breakfast toast or croissant.

Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie with Ginger and Cardamom

This vegan pumpkin smoothie with ginger and cardamom is the fall drink you didn't know you needed to make.

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells

Let your pumpkin's guts help you create the creamy puree that gives this stuffed shell recipe a burst of fall flavor.

Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup with Ginger

This pumpkin and cauliflower soup with ginger is great comfort meal on the cold, rainy fall days. (via Salt & Lavender)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let your kids help you scoop out out the guts of your pumpkins so you can bake this sweet treat. They'll love eating this yummy twist on a traditional dessert.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Crumb Cheesecake

Bake this gluten-free pumpkin crumb cheesecake for Thanksgiving, and watch as it slowly becomes your family's favorite dessert.

Dog Birthday Cake

It's time to celebrate your fur baby's birthday with this delicious cake. It's filled with yummy and safe ingredients like pumpkin, peanut butter and apple sauce!

Recipes For Your Dog, Made With Leftover Pumpkin

Pumpkin Dog Treats

Ifyour dog is as sweet as pumpkin pie, why not give him a bone that's packed with the flavor and nutrients of pumpkin?

DIY Self-Care With Pumpkin Guts

Pumpkin-Honey Baking Soda Scrub

Welcome the fall season and brighten your skin without the aid of sunshine with this pumpkin body scrub. Rich in vitamins A and C and various enzymes, raw pumpkin is the secret ingredient to radiant skin.

Pumpkin Sugar Body Scrub

Want to try something magical on your skin? DIY thisbody scrub packed with natural enzymes that fight free radicals, slough away dead skin, and leave you feeling rejuvenated. Get to the kitchen and begin mixing nutrient rich, raw pumpkin with coarse sugar or salt, a bit of honey and sweet almond oil for a body scrub that packs a punch.

Flamingo Pumpkin

It's always a bit easier to just paint them, right? And you can easily add everything you need to make a flock of them for your living room.

Make this cute fox by slicing spots for cardboard ears and tails and painting a little heart face!

Daisy Pumpkin

Celebrate the Summer of Love all the way into October with this boho, no-carve pumpkin design.

DIY Cat Drilled Pumpkin

Opting for a repeating pattern and some paint creates a fresh look without having to spend hours carving out a ghoulish face.

Candy Jar Carved Pumpkin

Turn your pumpkin into a candy jar with some knife skills and chalkboard paint.

Nightmare Before Christmas fans can make these 'kins with black and white paint!

Unicorn Pumpkin

Because we all need a little bit of magic as we go about our day.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin

White pumpkins are versatile, and this simple fabric paint DIY will carry you through from Halloween to Thanksgiving.

Textured Clay Bow Craft Pumpkin

Go ghostly with your own textured bow from clay for a unique décor piece! (via Michael's)

Cute Ghost Pumpkin

Carve a ghost with this Etsy stencil - easy, peasy!

Modern Geometric Pumpkin

Since you won't be carving, stick to a smoother faux pumpkin for this DIY. Its less-pronounced ridges will make it easier to apply these vinyl pieces.

Gold Confetti-Dipped Pumpkin

These pumpkins were *meant* to be seen.

Cactus Pumpkin

These are simple to DIY and are a major conversation starter.

Turquoise Pumpkin

Rhinestones make everything prettier, and we love this DIY teal-painted take on the orange classic.

DIY Animal Pumpkins

Invite the girls over to spend an afternoon carving woodland creatures. They'll thank you later.

Finding Dory Pumpkins

Ya know, for the kids in your life. Don't forget to do Hank the Septopus!

Gold Leaf Patterned Pumpkin

Yes, you can add a chic touch to your decor with a *pumpkin*.

Cosmic Pumpkins

Those pre-painted plastic versions are the perfect backdrop for a night's sky or the Milky Way.

Emoji Head Pumpkins

Bring those keyboard faves to life this year with a stoop full of emojis.

Anatomy Pumpkins

Rather than hanging a skeleton outside the door to spook trick-or-treaters, carve these pumpkins for a more original take on the tradition.

Pun-kins

Bow down, witches.

Cross-Stitch Pumpkins

Take your hobby to the next level this season with these charming & ghoulish designs.

Creepy Cat-Eye Pumpkin

This one doesn't need to be big to make a statement. The multitude of eyes staring back at you as you walk across the room is creepy enough.

Skeleton Diorama Pumpkin

Love this diorama idea! Choose your theme and add some sparkle. Make it a party! (via Michael's)

Scalloped Pumpkin

Have some tissue confetti left over? Excellent. Layer it to create a fish-scale effect.

Hocus Pocus Pumpkins

Hocus Pocus Pumpkins

Thackery Binx would be proud to sit by these while guarding the book and the black flame candle.

Tetris Pumpkin

AKA Pumpktris, this carved and LED-equipped 'kin is perfect for the throwback gamer in all of us.

Retro Label Maker Pumpkins

Live your office supply dreams all season long with a label maker.

Text Pumpkins

Text designs make a big impact without all the hard work.

Simple Tassel Pumpkin

There are never enough ways to use all the cute tassels in the world. This is ideal for adding texture to the waxy ones.

Pom Pom Pumpkins

Living colorfully is a 24/7 kind of lifestyle. Embrace the trend this fall with a collection of rainbow pumpkins.

Hot Crayon Pumpkin

Don't bother with melted crayon art. Instead, use the technique on these tiny little ones. They'd make a stylish centerpiece and are a way to get the kids involved.

String Art Pumpkin

String us along anytime for an art project that combines bright fabric, metal, and organic materials.

Gold Geo No-Carve Pumpkins

These geometric gold pumpkins may look fancy, but they only require you to use a gold pen.

Boho Agate Geode Jack-O-Lantern

Incorporate crystal magic into your Halloween decor-scape with agate slices that glow deep blue when candlelit.

Pumpkin Flower

This may not be for novices, but it's a totally different take on pumpkin carving for those at home with a scalpel.

White Moon

Simple yet refreshingly different, this white pumpkin carving is perfect for beginners.

Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead

Inspired by El Día de los Muertos, this skull pumpkin is more adorable than spooky.

Abstract Pumpkin

Turn pumpkins into art by painting an abstract design in your favorite colors.

Harry Potter

If people wear costumes on Halloween, why can't pumpkins get in on the fun?

When's the best time to do holiday shopping?

The best time to do holiday shopping really all depends on your personal shopping goals. Do you want to get a jump on items you know will sell out soon? Do you want to save the most money possible? Do you want to focus on handmade, personalized gifts? These factors will undoubtedly influence your holiday shopping schedule.

Shopping early can be advantageous for all of the aforementioned goals. A lot of retailers start promoting their holiday products early on, giving you ample time to snatch up that limited-time lip kit or fancy water bottle you’ve been eyeing way before the holidays.

Plus, some of the best deals for holiday shopping happen ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – in 2023, Experian observed a surge in early spending in October, thanks to early discounts, a trend likely to continue in 2024.

Finally, shopping early can be especially helpful if your plan is to focus on handmade or personalized gifts, giving the artisan you buy from (or yourself, if you’re DIY-ing your gifts) plenty of time to craft the item with love and care.

Gallup reported in 2023 that one in four shoppers start shopping as early as September, a trend likely to continue in 2024 – so you might already be embarking on your shopping spree!

If right now is just still too darn early for you to start holiday shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best times to shop since so many retailers offer their largest discounts of the entire year. Plus, the late November-early December timeline can feel a bit more appropriate for the gifting season opposed to late October-early November, when everyone’s still recovering from Halloween.

The only thing to consider during this time is the shipping timelines for the items you purchase – but most retailers will typically advise their specific shipping schedules, so you don’t risk your goodies arriving late.

Where should I shop for gifts?

You have three main options when it comes to where to shop for holiday gifts: online, in-store, and via our amazing gift guides. Of course, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

Shopping in-store offers a tangible experience: the opportunity to hold specific items in your hands and gauge exactly what they’ll be like when you give them as a gift. The pitfall with shopping in-person is that it typically requires a commute and journeys through potentially very busy malls and shopping strips, which can add to the already-stressful holiday experience.

In-store shopping can be more physically exhausting, but it’s all about preference! Sometimes strolling through the stores that get all dolled up for Christmas is the best part of the season.

Per Google, 65% of those planning to shop for the holidays say they will shop online more. Shopping for gifts online can be super helpful since you can centralize your findings in your browser’s bookmark tab or via virtual cart(s). Plus, shopping online can pose more opportunities for saving some money: lots of retailers typically offer discount codes for online users, especially if you sign up for their digital marketing channels (like email and text) and make a purchase.

Shopping online isn’t just shopping, either. The internet can be a stellar research tool to help you vet whether certain products are worth it, where they can be bought, and when they’ll be available. In fact, Google reported that more than half of U.S. holiday shoppers who went into a store last year say they looked up product reviews online and/or located an item in-store by checking it online.

Last but not least, scrolling gift guides has to be our favorite place to shop for gifts – and not just because we write and publish them.

At their very core, gift guides help streamline the holiday shopping process, alleviating the stress that bubbles up when you’re wondering what the heck to shop for in the first place. Our gift guides are backed by real people, real experiences, and real opinions from our editorial team. We only promote products that we really love and believe in, oftentimes ones we’ve tested and reviewed ourselves.

We have gift guides for just about everyone on your list, with more on the way! Check ‘em out:

• Gifts for Him
• Gifts for Her
• Gifts for Foodies
• DIY + Handmade Gifts
• White Elephant Gifts
• Gift Sets

What are the best kinds of gifts to give?

The best kinds of gifts to give are thoughtful gifts that consider the giftee’s interests, wants, and needs. These gifts can be sentimental, practical, or both simultaneously. What matters most in a gift is that it’ll be meaningful to them past just the holiday season, whether it’s helping them get through daily tasks, reminding them of a memorable trip or event, or giving them small doses of joy.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking for personalized and unique gifts that reflect the recipient's personality and interests,” says Mia Anderson, Owner of ChicSew. “With the rise of online shopping, many consumers are opting for curated gift boxes or experiences that add a special touch.”

Gift boxes, personalized items, books of interest, self-care goodies, and even gift cards can all be thoughtful gifts depending on the recipient. If you have no clue what your giftee is into, it’s not a bad idea to ask them what they want the most!

“My idea of a great gift is something that is in tandem with the recipient's interest and offers something new to the person, be it learning a new skill, enjoying a calming activity, or simply spending quality time with the family,” says Alfred Christ, Sales Manager & Marketer at Robotime. “This season, we encourage shoppers to shift their focus on quality and the memories their gifts will create and not just merely material aspects.”

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday lands on November 29.

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is typcally the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, Cyber Monday will land on December 2. Oftentimes, retailers and brands extend their online offers through the week (coined Cyber Week) after the event. Salesforce reported that 67% of shoppers in 2024 plan on shopping during Cyber Week!