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Published 17/09/2025

How to carve a pumpkin

Get in the Halloween spirit and adorn your front door with a carved pumpkin or two. Follow our easy steps to carving your very own spooky jack-o-lantern, perfect for adding some seasonal fun to your home.

With Halloween not too far away, it’s time to get into some pumpkin carving fun. Although perfect for all ages, this is especially a fun activity to do with your kids (with adult supervision, of course).

Cut out the top of the pumpkin

Take your pumpkin (add an extra fun step and go pumpkin picking so you can choose the best one amongst the crops) and cut a circle around the stem at the top of the pumpkin. The hole needs to be large enough for you to get your hand inside.

Use a sharp, serrated knife when cutting the lid, or you can use a dedicated pumpkin carving kit.

Remove the seeds and pulp

Using a specialised pumpkin scoop or large spoon, scoop out the insides – this means the pulp, seeds and stringy bits. Keep the pulp and seeds – you can use these extra parts to cook up delicious, toasted pumpkin seeds or use the pulp to bake a pumpkin pie!

Cut a hole in the bottom

An optional step, but one we recommend, is cutting an opening in the bottom of the pumpkin too. Not only can this be done to help remove the insides of the pumpkin, but it can also make it easier to position an LED candle inside.

Choose a design

There’s a lot of inspiration on the internet, from carving out silhouettes of cats, ghoulish horror icons or the traditional jack-o-lantern face. Once you’ve decided on your design, use a marker to draw out the parts you’re going to cut and remove.

Carve the design (carefully and safely)

Using a pumpkin carving kit or a small, serrated knife, it’s time to start carving. Always carve away from your body and use a sawing/rocking motion to cut through the tough pumpkin skin. If you’re pumpkin carving with kids, this is a job for the adults.

When carving your pumpkin, carve in stages. Start with the trickier, smaller parts of your design before moving on to the larger parts.

Add a candle

Clean up your pumpkin, wiping away any leftover pen marks and removing any leftover parts of the pumpkin. Take your pumpkin outside and place an LED candle inside to add illumination!

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