Spoon University Logo
Lifestyle

Here Are The Best Halloween Costume Ideas For Food Lovers

Maybe you’ve waited an hour for a table just because you saw the restaurant on TikTok. Maybe you have a Notes app ranking of every matcha or coffee you’ve tried. Or maybe you’re the friend who insists everyone waits before taking a bite because you need to get a picture first. 

Whatever your foodie credentials may be, Halloween is your chance to finally dress the part. 

From Diet Coke to Grillo’s Pickles, some of our favorite foods and drinks make surprisingly good costumes — and a lot of them are pretty easy to recreate yourself. Whether you’re looking for a last-minute solo idea or want to convince your entire friend group to commit to the bit, Spoon has you covered with six food-inspired Halloween costumes.  

Popcorn 

@lauren.plank

me when i finally put my diy costume together!!! ok im done goodbye halloween😁#diy #halloween #popcorn #fyp

♬ obsessed. – amber

If Halloween snuck up on you, popcorn might be one of the easiest costumes on this list to pull together. Start with a red-and-white striped skirt, dress or top to mimic the classic popcorn box, then add white and yellow mini balloons, crumpled paper, or felt on top to represent the popcorn itself. TikToker @lauren.plank turned a white top into a popcorn bucket by covering it in pieces of popcorn, then paired it with a red-and-white striped skirt and a mini popcorn-box headband. 

It’s cute, immediately recognizable and, most importantly, doesn’t require explaining your costume to everyone you meet. For a duo costume, have one person dress as popcorn and the other go as a movie ticket or soda! 

Diet Coke 

For those that treat cracking open an ice-cold Diet Coke as their sacred mid-afternoon pick-me-up, this costume is the one for you! 

Go monochrome in silver, add red Diet Coke lettering and accessories with a straw or can-shaped purse if you really want to commit. You can even carry around an actual Diet Coke all night, which has the added benefit of doubling as a prop. In this TikTok, creator @morggyu fully commits to the can aesthetic with a silver corset-style top, a matching sequined skirt and the Diet Coke logo across the front. 

And if your friend happens to be more of a Coke Zero person? You already have the easiest duo costume imaginable. 

Pickles 

Some people like pickles. Other people make liking pickles a personality trait. If you fall into the second category, Halloween is your time to shine.

An all-green outfit can easily become a pickle with some darker green circles or felt details added on top. Want to take it even further? Dress up as your favorite pickle brand, like user @ashleyrex52 did with the Grillo’s Pickles jars. 

You could also take your costume in a completely different direction with Pickle Rick if you want your food costume to come with a pop-culture reference. 

Cake 

In this TikTok, creator @fernandaraamirez turns a DIY-ed pink corset and ruffled mini skirt into an adorable cake costume, with rows of red cherries and frosting-like trim down the front. She finished the look with a mini cake headband and cake-shaped purse. 

It’s an easy way to make your costume obvious without wearing a literal cardboard cake, and the look can be easily recreated with pieces you might already own (plus a few DIY details). You can also go as a cupcake, cotton candy or ice cream for a similar vibe. It’s the perfect option if you want something food-inspired that still feels girly and dressed-up! 

Pasta 

If your ideal night out involves ordering a bowl of pasta the size of your head, it only makes sense to become one for halloween. 

In this TikTok, user @biancabosso takes us step-by-step through her process of DIYing her Barilla pasta box costume. She turned a basic blue dress into the iconic branded box with a printed logo and some pasta details she drew and cut up herself. 

The best part is that you don’t need to buy much for this costume — with a dress you already have, some printed graphics and a little DIY effort, you can make the whole costume yourself! 

Cereal 

Your childhood breakfast obsession can make a surprisingly good group Halloween costume! Each person can dress as a different cereal — Froot Loops, Cap’n Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles — with outfits inspired by the boxes’ colors and mascots, like user @athenaconley did. 

Whether you go all-out with a DIY pasta box or keep things simple with a drink-inspired costume, the best food costumes are assuredly the ones that feel a little bit like you. So pick the food, drink or snack you’re known for, convince your friends to join in (if necessary) and get excited for the chance to finally make being a foodie your whole personality for the night!

Sophia Bateman is a member of the Spoon University National Writer Program. She is passionate about food journalism and enjoys covering food trends, content creators, and nutrition. She is especially interested in emerging food brands and the broader food and beverage consumer packaged goods industry.

Bateman is studying journalism, political science, and data science at Northwestern University. On campus, she leads the digital editorial team for Northwestern’s chapter of Spoon University, in addition to serving as an editor for The Daily Northwestern. This fall, Bateman will be reporting on U.S. politics from Washington, D.C., for the Medill News Service. Previously, she worked as a fact-checker for MediaWise and interned at Agência Lupa, a Brazilian fact-checking organization, and Newsreel, a news app startup recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30.

Having lived in several cities around the world, Bateman loves exploring local food scenes and discovering new cuisines and dishes. In her free time, Bateman enjoys trying new restaurants with friends, testing recipes, going on long walks through London, and sharing her latest reviews on Beli and her food Instagram account, @batemansbites. Her all-time favorite cuisines are Brazilian, Italian, and Greek, though she is always looking for new foods to try.