We’re so accustomed to pumpkin showing up in sweet treats that we forget this vegetable’s savory side. Mixed with brown butter, bacon, garlic, shallot, cream cheese, and cheddar, roasted or canned pumpkin transforms into a bewitching dip. Serve it cold with crackers, or bake it until it’s hot and bubbling.
This dip is one element of our Halloween cheese board. A little sculpting turns two small rounds of Brie or Camembert into a skull, with pomegranate seeds for eyes and black sesame seeds for the nose and a stitched mouth. A row of yogurt-covered pretzels becomes her spine, artfully curled slices of salami become her hair, and a crown of marigolds and zinnias makes her a wonderful lady skeleton. Surround her with your favorite cheese board elements, including crackers, local cheeses, and the darkest grapes you can find. This crowd-pleasing party tray will keep everyone in good spirits as they sip their Poison Apple Punch or other Spooky Halloween Cocktail.
TABLE developed this Halloween recipe collection so our readers would have the most amazing, amusing, and gorgeous food and drink for their Halloween parties this year. Every recipe was developed and styled by Anna Franklin and photographed by Dave Bryce, and every one works as well at the office as it does at home.
Why Savory Pumpkin Dip Belongs at Your Halloween Party
It’s unexpected. Pumpkin is usually dessert, so a salty, smoky, cheesy pumpkin dip surprises people. It’s easy. The pumpkin mixture cooks in a few minutes, and a stand mixer does the rest. It’s flexible. Serve it cold on a cheese board or bake it and bring it out bubbling. And it makes the board. Its deep orange color is the perfect Halloween counterpoint to the white skull, black grapes, and red pomegranate.
Canned or Roasted Pumpkin?
Either works. Canned pumpkin is quick and consistent. Just make sure the label says pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. If you roast your own, choose a small sugar or pie pumpkin rather than a carving pumpkin, which is stringy and watery. Roast it until tender, scoop out the flesh, and mash it smooth.
Browning the butter first gives the dip a nutty depth that echoes the roasted pumpkin, and cooking the pumpkin briefly with the garlic, shallot, and spices blooms the flavors before the cheeses go in.
How to Build a Halloween Skull Cheese Board
The skull is the centerpiece, so build the board around her. You’ll need a large round tray or board, plus a small bowl for the dip.
- Carve the skull. Chill two 8 oz rounds of Brie or Camembert so they’re firm. With a small, sharp knife, trim one round into the rounded cranium and cheekbones of a skull, and cut the second into the jaw. Set them together at the center of the board.
- Add the face. Press pomegranate seeds into two eye sockets, a small mound of black sesame seeds into the nose, and lines of sesame seeds across the jaw for a stitched mouth.
- Build the spine. Line up yogurt- or white chocolate-covered pretzels below the jaw to make a spinal column.
- Give her hair. Fold and curl thin slices of salami and other charcuterie around the top of the skull like a wig of red curls.
- Crown her with flowers. Tuck marigolds and other bright orange, red, and yellow flowers into the curls.
- Fill in the board. Add the bowl of pumpkin dip, then fill the gaps with crackers, cubes and wedges of local cheeses, a second salami, the darkest grapes you can find, and a scattering of pomegranate seeds.
- Let loose the spiders. Set a few [LINK: Berry Scary Spider Treats] creeping across the board. Made from blackberries and blueberries with candy eyes and chocolate legs, these little critters look frightful but taste like fresh berries and chocolate.
Our board includes seeded crackers, dark rye crisps, a peppercorn-crusted salami, herbed cheese cubes, marbled cheese wedges, white cheese sticks flecked with black, a wine-rinded goat cheese, and long, dark grapes. But feel free to choose your favorite cheeseboad ingredients and make this recipe your very own.
Tips for Making Savory Pumpkin Dip and the Skull Board
Soften the cream cheese. Room-temperature cream cheese blends smoothly with the pumpkin. Cold cream cheese stays lumpy.
Cool the pumpkin mixture. If it’s hot, it will melt the cheeses and make the dip greasy.
Fold in the bacon by hand. The mixer would break it into crumbs. Save a spoonful to sprinkle on top.
Taste before salting. Bacon and cheddar are both salty, so add the salt a little at a time.
Carve cold cheese. Brie and Camembert are much easier to shape straight from the fridge. Let the board sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before guests arrive so the cheeses soften.
Use flowers grown to eat. Choose pesticide-free flowers from a garden or grocery store, not a florist, since they’ll touch the food.
Make it ahead. The dip keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a sealed container.
Know your guests. The board contains dairy, pork, wheat, and sesame, so label it at a party or office potluck.
Print
Savory Pumpkin Dip Recipe
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
A savory pumpkin dip of brown butter, garlic, shallot, cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon, served cold or baked until bubbly.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 shallot, minced
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin or canned pure pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
- 1 (8-oz) block cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (about 8 slices)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and shallot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the pumpkin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool, about 15 minutes.
- In a stand mixer, blend the pumpkin mixture with the cream cheese and cheddar until evenly combined.
- Fold in the bacon by hand.
- Serve cold, or spread the dip in a small oven-safe dish and bake at 350°F until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, dip, party food
- Method: Stovetop and mixer; optional bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 160
Savory Pumpkin Dip FAQs
Can I use canned pumpkin?
Yes. Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened and spiced.
Should I serve the dip hot or cold?
Either. On a cheese board, cold is easiest. For a warm appetizer, bake it at 350°F until bubbly and serve it with crackers or toasted bread.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Make the dip up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Fold in the bacon the day you serve it so it stays crisp.
How do I carve an 8 oz wheel of Brie into a skull?
Chill it well, then trim it with a small, sharp knife, using one round for the cranium and a second for the jaw. Press pomegranate seeds into the eye sockets and black sesame seeds into the nose and mouth.
What else goes on a Halloween cheese board?
Dark grapes, blackberries, pomegranate seeds, salami, crackers, a mix of local cheeses, yogurt-covered pretzels, and edible flowers in autumn colors.
More Halloween Party Recipes from TABLE
These are one of eight Halloween party recipes from Anna Franklin. Pair them with our Poison Apple Punch, a color-changing big-batch Halloween punch. For more ideas, try our Halloween cocktails and Halloween treats to make with kids.
About the Recipe Author
Anna Franklin is TABLE Magazine’s food stylist and recipe developer. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, she spent many years cooking in restaurant kitchens and photo studios before moving into food styling. Anna tests, plates, and styles the recipes and restaurant features in TABLE’s print and digital editions, working alongside photographers Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla. Read more of her work at TABLE.
About the Photographer
Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine’s contributing architecture, interiors, and food photographer, based in Pittsburgh. He photographed Fallingwater: Living With and In Art (Rizzoli, 2025) and regularly shoots for Pittsburgh Magazine and American Farmhouse Style, working with architects, interior designers, and hospitality brands. See more at davebrycephotography.com
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition.
