A Simple Halloween Breakfast Table for Kids
/Some of my favorite traditions with our kids are the ones that aren't really traditions yet—the little things we do one morning that are so sweet, I immediately know I want to do them again next year.
This little Halloween breakfast table for the kids was exactly that.
Nothing about it was overly complicated. I pulled together an orange, black and white table, added fresh orange dahlias, made our Halloween character pancakes and tucked a few of the kids' favorite snacks into little Halloween favors.
We all wore our Halloween pajamas, sat around the table together and turned an otherwise ordinary October breakfast into something that felt really special.
And honestly, these are the mornings I know I'm going to miss someday.
A Halloween Breakfast Made for Little Ones
When I'm setting a holiday table for our family, I want it to feel special without feeling too precious for little hands.
Especially at this stage of life.
I want Shepherd to be excited when he sees it. I want Amelia sitting right there with us. I want everyone eating the food, touching everything and actually enjoying the table instead of worrying about keeping it picture-perfect.
For this Halloween breakfast, I kept everything within a simple orange, black and white color palette.
The Halloween pancakes brought in the playful part, while orange dahlias made the table feel a little more elevated. Then I added small Halloween favors at each place setting so the kids had something fun waiting for them when they came to the table.
It was festive without requiring an entire house full of Halloween decorations.
What I Put on Our Halloween Breakfast Table
The star of breakfast was definitely our Mummy, Pumpkin and Frankenstein Sourdough Discard Pancakes.
I started with my favorite sourdough discard pancake batter, doubled it and divided it into three bowls. One stayed plain for our mummy, one got a little natural orange coloring for the pumpkin and the last was naturally colored green with matcha for Frankenstein.
Then I used Greek yogurt, chocolate and fresh fruit to make all three characters.
Halloween Sourdough Discard Pancakes – Mummy, Pumpkin & Frankenstein
I love that they're fun for kids but are still made from a breakfast we would normally eat at home.
Alongside the pancakes, I added a big bowl of Cuties because...duh.
They're orange. It's Halloween. They practically decorated the table for me.
And more importantly, they're something the kids will actually eat.
Halloween Goodie Bags for Breakfast
I wanted each of the kids to have a little surprise waiting at the table, but I didn't want to fill the entire breakfast with candy.
Instead, I made little Halloween goodie bags filled with Little Spoon Puffs.
They worked as part of the table decor while also giving the kids something they already love.
I also used little witch hats as party favors and filled those with Little Spoon Bars.
This might be my favorite little detail because the hats added height and a Halloween element to the table, but they weren't decorations I was buying just to look pretty for one morning.
They doubled as favors.
If you're recreating a Halloween breakfast for your own kids, that's one of my biggest tips: let the food and favors become part of the decor.
A bowl of orange fruit, Halloween snacks tucked into bags and favors at each place setting can make the entire table feel finished without adding a ton of extra decorations.
Fresh Orange Dahlias for the Centerpiece
For the centerpiece, I kept it incredibly simple with fresh orange dahlias.
They were perfect.
The orange tied into the Halloween theme without making the table feel overly themed, and fresh flowers always make even a casual breakfast at home feel a little more special.
You could easily recreate the same idea with whatever orange flowers you can find at the grocery store or farmers market.
I wouldn't make the arrangement too tall or elaborate, especially for a family breakfast. I like being able to actually see everyone across the table.
The Halloween Pajamas Made It Even Cuter
Of course, we had to coordinate with the table.
Mine were black and white gingham, which ended up fitting the whole orange, black and white color palette perfectly.
Amelia wore the sweetest tan gingham pajamas with little bears dressed in pumpkin costumes, and Shepherd wore gray striped pajamas with skeletons driving cars.
Which may be the most Shepherd pair of Halloween pajamas imaginable.
I love that they weren't perfectly matching sets. Everything coordinated without feeling like we were all wearing exactly the same thing, and each pair still felt like them.
It made the morning—and the photos—even sweeter.
Shop Our Halloween Breakfast
I rounded up the pieces from our breakfast along with more of my favorite Halloween finds for little ones in my Halloween with Kids Favorites
I'll keep adding to the shelf throughout the season, including Halloween pajamas, kids' tableware, baking pieces, little favors, kitchen finds and other things we're using for our October traditions.
If you want to recreate a similar breakfast, I would start with just a few pieces rather than buying an entirely new table:
Halloween or black-and-white plates and cups
Simple napkins or linens
Little treat bags
Halloween party favors
Seasonal pajamas
Kid-friendly Halloween snacks
A few baking or pancake-making essentials
Fresh orange flowers
Use what you already own for everything else.
How to Create an Easy Halloween Breakfast Table for Kids
The biggest thing I took away from this breakfast is that you really don't need much.
Start with one simple color palette. Orange, black and white made it easy for me to look around the house and pull things together without worrying about whether every piece was technically "Halloween."
Then choose one special food.
For us, it was the Halloween pancakes. You don't need an entire buffet of themed recipes when one really fun dish immediately tells the story.
Next, add something unexpected at the kids' places. A tiny goodie bag, witch hat filled with snacks or another inexpensive party favor instantly makes sitting down at the table exciting for them.
Finally, use food as decoration.
The bowl of Cuties is probably the easiest example. It's something we were going to eat anyway, but all of that bright orange fruit looked so cute sitting on the Halloween table.
What to Serve for a Kids Halloween Breakfast
Our Halloween Sourdough Discard Pancakes were plenty festive on their own, so I don't think you need to make every single thing Halloween themed.
I'd pair them with easy breakfast foods your family already loves: eggs, bacon or sausage, fresh fruit and milk or juice for the kids.
For another cozy addition, my Peach Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping would be perfect for a larger Halloween brunch.
You could also add my Apple Pie Overnight Oats or Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Loaf if you're hosting more people.
Make It a Halloween Morning Tradition
I think this is the part I love most.
Halloween can so easily become about everything we're going to do later that day—the costumes, trick-or-treating and all the excitement that comes with it.
But there's something really sweet about starting the celebration first thing in the morning.
Put on the Halloween pajamas. Make something fun for breakfast. Give the kids a tiny surprise. Sit down together before the craziness of the day starts.
It doesn't have to be elaborate enough for Pinterest.
It just has to feel special to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you decorate a Halloween breakfast table for kids?
Start with a simple Halloween color palette and use a few playful details rather than trying to theme every piece. I used orange, black and white with fresh orange flowers, Halloween pancakes, little favors and seasonal pajamas.
What can I put in Halloween goodie bags besides candy?
Snacks your kids already enjoy are an easy alternative. I filled our goodie bags with Little Spoon Puffs and put Little Spoon Bars inside witch hat party favors.
Other ideas could include stickers, temporary tattoos, small toys or other age-appropriate treats.
What food can double as Halloween table decor?
Anything naturally orange works beautifully. I used a bowl filled with Cuties, but mini pumpkins, apples or other seasonal fruit could work too.
What should I serve for a Halloween breakfast?
Choose one special Halloween breakfast and keep everything else simple. We made mummy, pumpkin and Frankenstein sourdough discard pancakes and served them alongside easy breakfast foods and fruit.
Do kids need matching Halloween pajamas?
Definitely not. I actually love coordinating pajamas more than perfectly matching ones. Ours all worked within the same neutral Halloween palette while still being completely different.
More Halloween Ideas for Kids
If you're planning your own Halloween morning, start with my Halloween Sourdough Discard Pancakes and then shop everything I've saved to my Kids Halloween Favorites ShopMy Shelf
You can also find more seasonal recipes here:
Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Skillet Cookie
Final Thoughts
I know this season of matching pajamas, funny pancakes and tiny goodie bags around the breakfast table won't last forever.
That's probably why I love doing these things so much right now.
It wasn't an elaborate Halloween party. It was just the four of us at home in our pajamas, eating pancakes around a table covered in orange, black and white.
But Shepherd got his skeletons driving cars. Amelia got tiny bears dressed like pumpkins. We had Frankenstein pancakes, little witch hats filled with snacks and a bowl of Cuties sitting next to the prettiest orange dahlias.
And somehow all of those little details turned breakfast into a memory.
Those are the traditions I want to keep.
