How to Carve a Pumpkin for Halloween

Discover the best way to carve a pumpkin with this set of carving tips from B&M. From choosing your pumpkin to gutting it and creating your design, this guide on how to carve a pumpkin is essential for Halloween. Learn how to:

• Choose a Pumpkin
• Gather The Tools You Need
• Draw Before You Carve
• Get Carving
• Light it Up

Carving pumpkins into jack o’ lanterns is a great family activity that allows you to create your very own traditional Halloween decorations. This set of carving tips from B&M will help you to safely and effectively create amazing designs to glow around your home.

Choose a Pumpkin

Choosing a pumpkin to carve is easy. Pick one that is the right size for your chosen surface. It should have a sufficiently flat “base” to enable it to stand without rolling, and a “face” area that is the right shape for your planned design.

B&M Top Tip: You can find light-up pumpkin ornaments and faux pumpkins in either traditional or original colours to sit alongside your creations in a fun display with other Halloween decor.

Gather the Tools You Need

To create the perfect jack o’lantern, you’ll need a pen and paper to plan your pumpkin, a dry erase marker and permanent marker to draw your design and a selection of carving tools.

These tools may include: 

• A serrated knife
• A more delicate craft knife for finer details
• A large spoon or ice cream scoop for the pumpkin gutting
• A bowl for the pumpkin flesh
• Tealights and a lighter or matches

Draw Before You Carve

Plan your design before you get started. Grab some paper and draw out your chosen pumpkin look.

Once you’re happy, use markers to transfer the design onto the pumpkin’s skin. Dry erase markers will help you rub out mistakes. When you’ve finished, draw over the final lines with a permanent marker.

B&M Top Tip: Carve different squashes in a range of colours, shapes and sizes to place around your home?

Get Carving

Time to grab your pumpkin carving kit and get stuck in. First, cut a “lid” for your pumpkin by slicing off a circular section around the pumpkin’s stem. Then hollow the pumpkin out by removing the flesh.

Next, carefully follow the lines you drew to cut the design into your pumpkin.

Take great care when cutting, as pumpkin skin is tough. Do not let children use sharp knives for their pumpkins - instead, allow them to draw their designs, then do the cutting for them.

B&M Top Tip: You don’t need to cut all the way through the “wall” of the pumpkin. Why not take off the skin to reveal the white flesh underneath as part of your design? This can help you to create white teeth and other features. If the flesh is thin enough, the candle will glow through.

Light It Up

Finally, grab a tealight, light it and carefully place it inside. Your pumpkin will glow beautifully in the dark like a lantern!

B&M Top Tip: Use the insides to create pumpkin pies, soups and other delicious recipes. You can also create roasted pumpkins seeds, which are great as a healthy snack or scattered over salads.

Carefully follow the above tips to discover the best way to carve a pumpkin. Don’t forget to pay a visit to B&M’s Halloween section for more awesome spooky inspiration.

Do you have a great pumpkin carving hack that never fails? Share it with the B&M Community via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram