Spider Donuts {Easy Halloween Treat}

Last Updated on September 17, 2024

These spider donuts are fun and easy Halloween treats to make with or for your kids. Once you learn how to make a spider with a mini donut, you can quickly put together enough to delight an entire group of kids.

So, if you’re looking for a Halloween snack idea or spooky treat, you’re going to love these adorable spider donuts.

I understand why some moms spend hours looking for cute ideas on Pinterest and then spend just as much time recreating those projects in real life. I just don’t have that much spare time!

So, in my ongoing effort to pull off Pinterest-worthy projects with as little time and effort as possible, today I’m sharing a simple tutorial to show you how to make fun spider donuts.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Who doesn’t love a quick and easy recipe that gets oohs and aahs? These cute Halloween spider treats are so easy the kids can make them.

There’s absolutely no cooking involved. Also, no cutting. That means your kids can put them together themselves if you want to sit the whole process out!

And most importantly, they’re yummy! You get the delicious combination of sweet and salty from the donuts and the pretzels.

These are perfect for a Halloween party or just a fun Halloween snack in your child’s lunchbox.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, make sure to check out the equally simple Polar Bear Donuts (made with mini powdered sugar donuts) you can enjoy after Halloween all winter long. I admit, I’ve become a little obsessed with store-bought donut recipes.

🥘 Ingredients

To save time, these spider donuts are made entirely with store-bought items. This way, you can skip the baking and get right to assembly.

• Mini Chocolate Donuts
• Mini Pretzel Twists
• Candy eyeballs
• Chocolate frosting
• Chocolate jimmies

🔀 Substitutions

Nutella: Nutella is a great substitute in this recipe for the chocolate frosting. Feel free to make the swap if you have it on hand.

Homemade Donuts: If you want to make this more work than it needs to be, you could always make your own mini chocolate cake donuts from scratch instead of using premade donuts. I won’t judge. Somebody has to put that mini donut maker machine to use.

Mini Chocolate Chips: Don’t have chocolate jimmies? You can use mini chocolate chips instead.

M&Ms: Brown mini M&M’s also make a great alternative to the jimmies. Likewise, you could also use red or orange M&M’s in place of the edible eyes to make the spiders look extra spooky (or if you can’t find candy eyes at your grocery store).

🌈 Variations

You can skip the frosting and sprinkles if you really want to keep this project simple. But in my experience, sprinkles make everything WAY cooler to kids. Same with the googly eyes, just like in my Chocolate Covered Halloween Pretzels recipe.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

The only equipment you may need (it’s not necessary) are a piping bag and round tip for the frosting. You can also just use a plastic zipper storage bag and snip off the corner.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Halloween Spider Donuts

Ready to get to work? Don’t worry. It’s just 3 simple steps.

Step 1: Make the Spider Legs

The very first thing we need to do to make spider donuts is to break the pretzel twists to use as the spider legs. I’ve found that if you break them in half and remove the broken middle pieces, they come out to the perfect length and curve.

You’ll need 8 legs per spider, so 4 pretzels per donut.

Step 2: Attach Pretzel Legs

Next, stick 8 of the pretzel pieces into the sides of the donut to create the spider’s legs (4 legs on each side).

Um, you’ll notice I only did 6 legs. I thought they looked too crowded with all 8 legs. Do know that every single child you present one of these spiders to WILL point out there are 2 legs missing if you decide to follow my example.

Step 3: Finishing Touches

You can skip this step if you want, but it doesn’t take long. Plus, if you’re making these with your kids, this is usually their favorite part.

Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and attach a standard round tip to the end. Fill the donut holes with chocolate frosting.

While you have the frosting out, dab a little on the back of the candy eyeballs and attach them to the front of the spider donut. Alternately, you can add two dots of frosting on the donut to makr where you want the eyes, and then press the candies onto the dots.

To make the donut spider look hairy, add some chocolate sprinkles on the top of the donut.

Make up enough for the whole family to enjoy.

Cute, right? And unless you struggled with breaking the pretzel twists, it should have only take a few minutes.

❄️ How to Store Delicious Spider Donuts

Store in an airtight container. The donuts will stay fresh for one to two days on the counter (out of direct sunlight) and up to one week in the refrigerator.

📋 Recipe

🎃 More Halloween Recipes

Want to delight your kids this Halloween with even more treats? Check these out:

• Black Cat Pudding Cups
• Ghost Cupcakes
• Candy Corn Fudge

Get Crafty This Halloween with Easy DIY Ideas

Looking for simple, creative ways to make this Halloween extra special? Check out my Easy Halloween Crafts eBook! It’s packed with fun, low-cost ideas that are perfect for families.

Whether you’re planning a spooky party or just want to keep the kids entertained, these crafts will add a festive touch to your Halloween celebrations. Grab your copy here and get ready for some ghoulishly good fun!

SEE MORE –>> Fun Halloween Ideas