This delicious Caprese inspired Halloween Salad is the perfect healthy dish for Spooky Season! With sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and adorable skull shaped mozzarella, this salad will be a showstopper on your Halloween table.
I love spooky season and all the Halloween themed food it brings! With an abundance of indulgent dishes, this light Halloween salad is a refreshing break from the norm. The delightfully creepy mozzarella ball skulls are surprisingly easy to make. With classic Caprese flavors that everyone loves, it's the perfect spooky salad for your Halloween table!
Jump to:
More Halloween recipes you will love.
Equipment
To make this Halloween salad you will need some basic kitchen equipment such as a cutting board and knife, salad bowl and mixing tools.
To make the skull mozzarella balls you will need a silicone skull mold. I used this Silicone Skull Mold for ice cubes that I got on Amazon and it works great.
However, any mold of a similar size that can be heated to at least 350 degrees F will work.
Ingredients
- Mozzarella balls: I recommend using the Ciliegine sized mozzarella balls. These fit really nicely in the molds. I find it you opt for the smaller mozzarella pearls they're a bit too small to get good definition.
- Lettuce: I typically use a 4-6 oz package of spring mix greens. You can also use romaine or whatever salad mix you prefer. And of course you can add more or less depending on how many servings you need.
- Cherry tomatoes: Choose a high quality, sweet tomato for the best results.
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil: I highly recommend using a good quality drizzling olive oil for the best results.
- Balsamic glaze: Balsamic glaze is different from balsamic vinegar in that it is much for reduced, thus thicker and sweeter. I like using Nona Pia's balsamic glaze but you can use whatever brand you prefer. Just choose a good quality one for the best flavor.
- Flaky sea salt: I flaky sea salt obsessed and I think it adds such a terrific element to this salad. I recommend using the classic, Maldon sea salt flakes.
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Lemon (optional): I like squeezing some fresh lemon juice on the lettuce and tossing before topping with the Caprese ingredients. You can omit this if preferred.
How to make the mozzarella skulls.
Time needed: 20 minutes
How to make mozzarella ball skulls for Halloween.
- Place mozzarella balls in skull molds. Bake at 350 F for 6 minutes until softened.
- Use the back of a spoon to press the warm cheese into the mold.
There will be some liquid coming from the cheese. That's totally normal. Just make sure you really press the cheese into the crevices of the mold to get good detail.
- Chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Then pop out of the molds.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you will need a silicone skull mold. I recommend this mold from Amazon. Keep in mind if you only buy one of these you may need to do a few batches to get the number of skulls you need.
You can but it's not going to have the same richly sweet flavor. If you can find it I highly recommend using balsamic glaze.
You can even make your own by reducing it on the stove until it is sweet, thick and syrupy.
More spooky recipes for you to enjoy.
Sweet and Spicy Skeleton Bone Appetizers
Made this spooky Halloween Salad recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Halloween Salad
Equipment
- Silicone skull molds (see above for more info)
Ingredients
- 8 oz mozzarella balls, about 16 balls You can also use a large ball of mozzarella cut into cubes.
- 6 oz mixed salad greens
- 1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon fresh basil, thinly sliced
- olive oil Choose a good quality finishing oil.
- balsamic glaze
- flaky sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ lemon optional
Instructions
Make the mozzarella skulls.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place one mozzarella ball in each skull mold. *You can grease the molds with olive oil if you'd like. I find they pop out pretty easily even without*Bake the balls at 350 F for about 6 minutes. You want them to be soft but not fully melted. Remove from the oven and immediately use the back of a spoon to press them into the molds, filling all the crevices. Place the molds into the fridge and allow the cheese to cool for 10-15 minutes. Then remove from the fridge and carefully pop out the mozzarella skulls. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until needed.
Assemble the Halloween Salad.
- Add your greens to a large mixing bowl. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon (optional). Top with sliced cherry tomatoes, mozzarella skulls and fresh basil. Then finish with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic glaze, flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Krystle
One of my all time favorite salads. Even my kiddos ate it because of the cool Halloween theming.
Pam
Can the mozzarella skeletons be made the day before?
jamjarkitchen
Yes! You can make the mozzarella skeletons a day ahead. Just store them in the mozzarella brine (or a little salted water) in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll stay fresh. Hope you enjoy!
Nicole Kendrick
This is so tasty, and I love that little spooky twist you put on it. I'll be making it again.
Criss
This looks amazing! I made something similar for Halloween last year, and it was a hit. Love how creative and fun this recipe is—perfect for the spooky season!
Swathi
Halloween salad l is delicious I tried it, I enjoyed it with family, cute mozzarella skull.
Josh
Looking forward to trying this recipe this Halloween! Question: Did you just fill the eye and nose sockets with balsamic glaze to get that dark color on them? Thanks!
jamjarkitchen
Yes! I drizzle balsamic glaze over the top and it settles in the eye and nose sockets nicely. Hope you enjoy!
CeCe
How do you spread the balsamic. I did a test and the balsamic glaze was so thick it was just like a big dark glob on the skeleton.
jamjarkitchen
Hi there- It's probably the kind of balsamic glaze that you are purchasing. Mine comes in a squirt bottle so I just drizzle it over the top. If yours is very thick you could thin it out with a little water, balsamic vinegar or even olive oil and then drizzle it with a spoon. Hope you enjoy!
Cecilia Borchardt
I did a test with some of the skeletons. The glaze was so think it was more like a glob rather than a coating. Did you mix it with oil or toss it with the skeletons rather than just drizzling? I used TJs glaze.