Description
These festive Halloween Meatloaf Cupcakes are savory “cupcakes” made from classic meatloaf baked in a muffin tin, then topped with ghostly mashed potatoes you can pipe into spooky swirls. They’re kid-approved, party-ready, and perfect before trick-or-treating!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Meatloaf Cupcakes:
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup ketchup (plus more for glazing, optional)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Ghost Mashed Potatoes:
- 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup milk (or plant-based alternative), more as needed
- Salt to taste
- Candy eyes, black sesame seeds, or peppercorns (for faces)
Optional:
- Ketchup or BBQ sauce for brushing tops before baking
Instructions
- Preheat: Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with silicone cups.
- Mix meatloaf: In a large bowl, combine ground meat, oats/breadcrumbs, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix just until combined—do not overwork.
- Fill tin: Divide mixture among muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Optional: brush tops with ketchup or BBQ sauce for a glaze.
- Bake: Bake 20–25 minutes, until cooked through (160°F for beef, 165°F for poultry). Rest 5 minutes.
- Make mashed potatoes: While meatloaf bakes, boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender (about 15 minutes). Drain, then mash with butter, milk, and salt until smooth and pipeable (not runny).
- Pipe ghosts: Transfer mashed potatoes to a piping bag (large round tip). Pipe tall swirls onto each meatloaf cupcake to form “ghosts.”
- Decorate & serve: Add eyes (candy eyes, sesame seeds, or peppercorns). Serve warm.
Notes
- Ghost texture: Keep potatoes on the firmer side so they hold shape when piped.
- Cool slightly: Let meatloaf rest before topping so ghosts don’t melt.
- No piping bag? Use a zip-top bag and snip the corner.
- Colorful ghosts: Tint naturally with a little beet juice (pink) or turmeric (gold).
- Variations: Use ground chicken, pork, or lentils; add shredded carrots or zucchini; swap sweet potatoes for an orange “ghost.”
- Storage: Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze meatloaf cupcakes (without potato topping) up to 2 months; add fresh ghosts after reheating.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course, Halloween
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Keywords: Halloween Meatloaf Cupcakes, Halloween Ghost Mashed Potatoes, Meatloaf Cupcakes With Whipped Potato Topping, Nice to Meat You, Salty Cake, Halloween Food Potatoes, Ghost-themed Halloween Dessert