Why wait ’til the sun goes down and the costumes go on to start with the Halloween festivities? Kick things off at breakfast with these 14 spooky recipes. Whether you want to keep things savory or sweet, salubrious or sinful, we have you covered! (And really, when else can you start the day with candy guilt-free?)

1. Halloween Donuts: With the choice of baked chocolate or spice donuts, you’re bound to please even the pickiest goblin eater in your household. (via The Little Epicurean)

2. Toxic Swamp Halloween Smoothie: Not quite green juice, this smoothie featuring yogurt, banana and spinach is a sweet(er) intro. (via Fuss Free Flavours)

3. Monster Eye Cinnamon Rolls: Have fun decorating canned cinnamon rolls to resemble scary monster eyes — a great activity to get the kiddos involved in the kitchen. (via Sweet Treats + More)

4. Vampire Pumpkin Spice Donuts: Admittedly, our reaction to these treats was more along the lines of “awww” than “ahhhh!” It probably has something to do with all that True Blood we’ve watched over the years… (via Erica’s Sweet Tooth)

5. Pumpkin Pancakes With Cinnamon Syrup (Gluten-Free): Simply add ground cinnamon and a few drops of black food color to agave nectar for a spooky alternative to maple syrup. (via Simply Gluten-Free)

6. Count Chocula Donuts: Get this: These donuts may be one of the only times that soggy cereal is actually considered a good thing. Stirred into the donut batter along with cereal milk, the tiny Draculas dot the batter with bursts of chocolatey goodness. (via The Baking Robot)

7. Candy Corn Waffles: For the most realistic candy corn appearance, you’ll definitely want to use a round waffle iron. Feel free to swap in your favorite weekend waffle recipe. The technique is the same regardless. (via She Knows)

8. Devil’s Food Doughnuts: Enjoy these rich — shall we say devilish? — chocolate donuts as a sweet treat to start your day. (via On Sugar Mountain)

9. Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed French Toast: It’s easy to DIY your own creepy custom stencil for these or any other powered sugar or cocoa powder sprinkled treats. (via Family Fresh Cooking)

10. Donut Hole Monster Eyeballs: Okay, now these are almost too realistic! (via Sugar Hero)

11. Tangerine Pumpkins + Banana Ghosts: Since the rest of the day is likely to be corn syrup-filled, it may be prudent to kick things off with some fruit. (via Weelicious)

12. Mummy Bagel: Pipe cream cheese over your favorite bagel to mimic mummy wrappings. Just add blueberries for eyes to make it come alive — err, you know what we mean. (via Eighteen 25)

13. Spider Web Eggs: Stained with a natural dye made from blueberries, the crackly pattern definitely calls to mind a spider web. (via Dayton Daily News)

14. Halloweenies: To make these little mummies perfect for breakfast, simply swap in mini chicken-apple sausage links for hot dogs and serve ’em up with maple syrup for dipping! (via Pillsbury)

Who else is planning on starting their Halloween celebration first thing in the morning? Share your plans for the holiday below!

Heather Sage
Heather Sage is a gluten-free recipe developer and freelance writer living in Orlando by way of the Silicon Valley. When she isn’t playing around with alternative flours in the kitchen, she can be found tackling DIY projects around the house or exploring her neighborhood. Check out her gluten-free recipe blog, A Sage Amalgam.