25+ Best Samhain Recipes

Updated On Updated November 22, 2022

Best Samhain recipes for the Celtic feast! Enjoy delicious autumn harvest recipes and sweet desserts. We collected more than 25 recipe suggestions for comforting and tasty meals.

25 +Samhain recipes, including pendle witch stew, barmbrack, soul cakes and colcannon

Many traditional Samhain recipes are still around for modern day cooks. These are easy recipes with simple pantry ingredients that probably you have at your home.

Celebrate the end of harvest with these delicious recipes!

The ancient Celts ate a diet of primarily dairy, fish, vegetables, grains, nuts, fresh and dried berries and fruits, herbs, eggs and meats such as lamb, beef and chicken.

You can find traditional Samhain recipes, as well as adapted recipes with ingredients available in European cuisine nowadays.

What is Samhain

The modern Halloween celebration originated from Celtic Samhain (pronounced sow-in) festival.

Celts lived more than 2000 years ago on the territory of present Ireland, United Kingdom and north of France.

They celebrated New Year on the 1st of November. In the one hand, this is a time of the year that marks the end of harvesting. On the other hand, starts the dark time of the year, often associated with human death.

They believed that in the night bounds of the other world is dimmed. Celts lit bonfires and cooked dinner with autumn produce. They also left food for their lost relatives that returned to Earth that night as ghosts.

Celtic people also celebrated it in costumes of animals and made predictions of each other’s fortune.

Samhain recipes: colcannon, barmbrack, soul cakes and mustard chicken

Traditional Samhain Recipes

Traditional Samhain celebration includes Barmbrack, Soul Cakes, Colcannon and Wassail drink.

A slice of sweet Irish bread with raisins
Barmbrack is a traditional Irish sweet bread, usually made for Halloween. Brack is a moist and delicious bread, filled with raisins.
Traditional soul cake recipe, holding a cookie with raisins
Soul cakes are traditional English sweet cookies with raisins that are made for Halloween or Samhain, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
Colcannon mashedpotatoesinabowl.
This colcannon recipe is one traditional Irish food to try. It turned out best mashed potatoes I ever had! Simple mashed potatoes with sauteed kale and garlic, great and filling side dish. Moreover, colcannon is ultimate St Patrick's day food!

Warming Soups

Cosy and warming soups are essential for this dark and cold time. Pumpking and carrot soups also add brightness and colours to the table!

Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup in hands
Vegan carrot ginger soup is a healthy meal to prepare. This is one of the best easy soup recipes to make during the fall!
Bright orange butternut squash soup served on a white plate
Delicious Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apple, ginger and cream.
Beef barley soup recipe in a bowl
Beef barley soup with mushrooms is simple cozy soup to get you warm and full. Vegetables with beef, barley and mushrooms cooked together, create delicious and aromatic soup.
Pumpkin soup served with parsley and sliced bread on a white plate
Prepare your Samhain dinner with this healthy and comforting pumpkin soup. It is simple and quick recipe!

Main dishes for Samhain

This is the time of the year, when people gathered their crops. Seasonal fresh vegetables were cooked with hearty meat meals.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with lemon, orange and herbs
Roasted Chicken and vegetables is a winner family dinner for holidays or weekends. It is easy to prepare a tasty one pan dinner in few hours, using high heat method.
Jack O’ LanternChickenPotPieviewfromtop
Easy chicken pot pie with Jack-O'-Lantern face for your Halloween dinner.
Irish Beef Stew with Guinness and a spoon
Irish beef stew is incredibly rich and flavorful comfort dish. Simple beef stew recipe with Guinness. Perfect Irish dinner to enjoy with your family and friends.
Creamed leeks served in the tray
Quick and easy creamed leeks recipe is a good side dish for any main meals.
Stew with lamb and vegetables served on the white plate
Perfect Samhain dinner idea with warming tender lamb and vegetables.
Stuffed pumpkin with baked vegetables is beautiful and healthy meal. Orange pumpkin, stuffed with zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms and red bell pepper.
Stuffed pumpkin with baked vegetables is beautiful and healthy meal. You can serve this pumpkin as a side dish or main dish for vegan dinner!
Honey Roasted Parsnips, served on on plate with fork and knife
Honey roasted parsnips is one of our favorite dishes from now! So easy to make, sweet sticky baked parsnips are great as a side dish. Sweet and delicious.
Cooked chicken breasts served on a plate with applesauce
Healthy and simple ingredients combined easily in a slow cooker. Savory and sweet main dish that can be served with grains or vegetables.
Roasted Butternut Squash pieces with nuts and spices in a spoon
Flavourful and rich roasted butternut squash with garlic, rosemary and bacon.
Autumn vegetables in a pot served with a wooden spoon
Easy and always delicious vegetable side dish during this time of the year!
Pork loin slices served on a brown plate
Roasted pork loin recipe is simple to make, but will elevate your Samhain dinner from boring to incredible.
Chicken breasts served in a black pot, view from top
Easy and delicious Samhain meal. You can make it ahead of time and keep in the fridge or freezer before serving.

Other sweet pies, cookies and drinks

Add more variety of delicious pies, cakes and cookies!

French apple tart – Apple dessert recipes
Beautiful French apple tart is one of my favorite apple dessert recipes to make during the fall. Short crust pastry shell, filled with homemade apple jam, with apple slices that arranged liked rose and baked with cinnamon.
Irish apple bundt cake sliced and served on white plates with rose flowers on the table
Flavourful autumn apple cake with cinnamon apples baked in the center. Serve hot or cold with tea or cider.
Pumpkin cookies with pumpkin seeds in a baking tray with white parchment paper
Soft and chewy Pumpkin Cookies with pumpkin seeds that are crispy outside. Easy and quick recipe with autumn flavours!
Blondies squares stack on the white plate
Easy and lovely treats for autumn holidays.
Muffins with nuts, dried raisins and pumpkin seeds on the dark table
Soft and delicious homemade Pumpkin Spice Muffins that are made with pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, cranberries, pecans and lots of autumnal spices.
Blackberry pie bars on the black board
If you're looking for easy blackberry recipes, you should try these blackberry pie bars! Easy sweet breakfast idea for a crowd or sweet party snack.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie recipe with dried cranberries
Make these vegan oatmeal cookies ahead of time to have a healthy snack between the meals! These banana oat cookies are so good for breakfast, too.
Apple Oatmeal Bread
Apple Oatmeal Bread is one of our sugar free recipes to try. You can use our applesauce recipe to make this apple bread. It delivers great flavor and apple chunks will make it more moist.
Mulled Cider served in a glass with cinnamon stick and a slice of apple
Make mulled cider or mulled apple juice for the celebration. It lighter, fruitier and more refreshing than mulled wine.

 

Let us know in the comments below, what your favorite Samhain recipe is!

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Check also our 30+ Best Halloween Recipes and 60+ Best Fall Recipes with Pumpkin, Mushrooms, Apples.

Comments COMMENTS

  1. So pleased to see a post about Samhain. This traditional Celtic festival seems to be mostly forgotten these days. Love all of the recipes and thank you for including a couple of mine.

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