Bring the Beetlejuice theme to your buffet with party-ready appetizers, mains, desserts and drinks, all with fun Beetlejuice-inspired recipe names. From black and white Pinstripe Skewers and Sandworm Hot Dogs to Showtime Shots, you’ll find plenty of ideas for putting together a menu your guests will have almost as much fun reading as eating.
A Beetlejuice party calls for food that’s a little strange, a little over-the-top, and definitely not boring.
These Beetlejuice-themed food and drink ideas take inspiration from the movie’s black-and-white stripes, outrageous characters and memorable moments.
Fun, movie-inspired recipe names add another layer to the theme and make the menu part of the party.
You’ll find everything from easy appetizers and hearty party food to creepy desserts, dark cocktails and Jello shots.
Best of all, you don’t need to turn every dish into an elaborate work of art. These are easy-to-make recipes you’ll actually want to serve and eat.
Beetlejuice themed Appetizers
These Beetlejuice appetizers include plenty of easy dips and finger foods that work well for a party buffet. Some play up the signature black-and-white color scheme, while others get their Beetlejuice twist from a fun name or a simple themed presentation.
Otherwise known as: Shrimp cocktail
It starts out as a perfectly respectable shrimp cocktail. Then somebody puts on Harry Belafonte and all hell breaks loose.
Keep your hands off the table and your shrimp where you can see them.
2 | Pinstripe skewers
Otherwise known as: Black olive and mozzarella ball skewers
Black and white, neatly lined up, and looking far more respectable than their namesake.
Give it time. Nothing at a Beetlejuice party stays well-behaved for long.
Otherwise known as: Ghost bruschetta
Adam and Barbara are still working on the whole frightening-the-living thing. But these little ghosts are ready for their big debut.
Fortunately, they’re much better at disappearing from a party platter than the Maitlands are at getting rid of unwanted houseguests.
4 | Barbara’s cheese course
Otherwise known as: Mozzarella cheese and black crackers
Barbara has always believed a proper gathering calls for something simple, elegant and easy to serve.
Even when the guests have moved into your house without asking.
To make the cheese look more theme-specific, you can use a cookie cutter to cut them into ghost shapes.
Otherwise known as: Halloween fruit salad
Blackberries and blueberries mingle with green grapes and creamy mozzarella pearls in a fruit salad that looks like it belongs somewhere between the land of the living and the Recently Deceased waiting room.
The black, white and green color scheme fits right in on a Beetlejuice-themed food table. And unlike most things in the Neitherworld, you probably won’t regret eating it.
Otherwise known as: Graveyard buffalo chicken dip
The graveyard may look quiet now, but give it a few minutes.
Once the guests start digging in, it’ll look like Beetlejuice just burst out of the ground.
Otherwise known as: White queso dip
Adam and Barbara may not be very good at scaring unwanted houseguests, but they do know how to put out a decent spread.
Apparently haunting is much easier when you have good snacks.
Serve with black chips for more of a Beetlejuice-inspired color scheme.
Otherwise known as: Homemade guacamole and chips
Green, lumpy, and unexpectedly fresh for something served in the land of the dead.
Nobody knows exactly what’s in it. Some secrets are worth waiting 125 years for.
Dark colored tortilla chips would work even better than the regular ones I used.
Otherwise known as: Stuffed mushrooms
Small, savory, and suspiciously head-shaped, these stuffed mushrooms look like something the Recently Deceased might encounter while waiting for their caseworker.
The good news? They won’t get any smaller while you’re eating them.
Mains & Sides
These mains and sides add some more substantial options to the Beetlejuice party menu, with a mix of easy-to-serve favorites and dishes that work well on a buffet. The themed names and a few simple visual touches give them plenty of Beetlejuice personality without making the recipes complicated.
Otherwise known as: Black and white bow-tie pasta salad
When you’ve built an entire reputation around black and white, even the food has to stay on brand.
Beetlejuice may be chaotic about almost everything else, but apparently he takes the dress code very seriously.
Otherwise known as: Mummy hot dogs
These creepy little creatures have escaped from the desert and made their way onto the buffet.
Grab one while you can. They have a habit of disappearing without warning.
Otherwise known as: Pepperoni pinwheels
Some souls pass peacefully into the afterlife. Others apparently get a little twisted along the way.
Those are usually the ones you want at a party.
Otherwise known as: Spicy chicken wings
Straight from the hottest nightclub in the afterlife, these wings come with enough heat to wake the dead.
Dante’s regulars recommend ordering a drink with them. You’ve got eternity to recover.
Otherwise known as: Shrimp Casserole
Delia would like everyone to know this is not dinner. It’s an important artistic statement.
You may eat it, but please try to appreciate what the artist was going through first.
Otherwise known as: Baked chicken drumsticks
Crispy, savory, and much easier to deal with than Juno’s usual clientele.
They’re the only dead beats she doesn’t mind seeing at her desk.
Beetlejuice-themed Desserts
These Beetlejuice desserts are easy to make but still look right at home on a Halloween party table. With dark chocolate, black-and-white combinations and pops of color, they fit the theme without requiring a lot of complicated decorating.
Otherwise known as: Oreo cheesecake bites
Black, white, and just polished enough to earn a spot at the dessert table.
Proof that something inspired by Beetlejuice can actually have good taste.
Otherwise known as: Dirt pudding cups
Welcome to the afterlife. Apparently nobody mentioned that being recently deceased comes with dessert.
It’s not in the handbook, but some things are better discovered on your own.
Otherwise known as: Grasshopper parfait
Miss Argentina has had plenty of time behind that desk to perfect the afterlife’s dessert menu.
Her advice? Enjoy this one while you can. As she knows better than anyone, you never know when your number is up.
Otherwise known as: Black and white Oreos
Even the cookies have a dress code in the Neitherworld.
Serve regular Oreos alongside white-chocolate-covered ones for a black-and-white platter, or dip them halfway in white chocolate for a striped version Beetlejuice would definitely take credit for.
Otherwise known as: Red velvet cupcakes
Deep red, dramatic, and sweet enough to make even a forced wedding look tempting.
Fortunately, these are much easier to say “I do” to.
Otherwise known as: Dulce de leche chocolate brownies
Dark, rich, and developed to Lydia’s exact specifications, these fudgy brownies are the perfect thing to eat while hiding behind a camera.
No smiling required.
Cocktails
No trip to the Neitherworld would be complete without a drink in hand. This cocktail lineup has something for everyone…from smooth and creamy to fruity, colorful and dangerously easy to drink.
Otherwise known as: Layered White Russian
Beetlejuice has never been known for subtlety, and his signature cocktail is no exception.
One or two might loosen you up. Three, and you may find yourself making questionable deals with a bio-exorcist.
Otherwise known as: Blackberry sangria
Fruity, tropical, and deceptively innocent, this punch has been known to cause spontaneous singing, dancing, and complete loss of control over one’s own extremities.
If the whole table suddenly breaks into a perfectly choreographed calypso number, just go with it.
Otherwise known as: Green apple Jello shots
Bright green, jiggly, and glowing with the sort of color that generally means you shouldn’t consume it.
Naturally, Beetlejuice recommends having two.
Otherwise known as: Purple Jello shots
Purple, boozy, and suspiciously easy to swallow, these Jello shots are rumored to make eternity considerably more entertaining.
Side effects may include questionable decisions and accidentally saying someone’s name three times.
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