90 Best Pumpkin Decorating Ideas That Require No Carving at All
With these, you're easily winning every decorating contest.
Long days spent at the pumpkin patch are always worth it when you head home with lovely gourds that are ripe for adorning. Those cutesy Pinterest photos of adorable mini pumpkins dotting a stairway and larger Jack-'o-lanterns being arranged in groups along a front porch don’t have to just live in your mind this fall. We have taken the time to sort through several pumpkin decorating ideas, finding only the easiest and most creative options that we’re sure you’ll want to give a try this holiday season.
If you’re not quite sure about how to carve a pumpkin, not to worry, because there are tons of alternate ways to decorate thanks to these no-carve pumpkin designs. Some of these are classic pumpkin faces and fun painting ideas that can be done in minutes, while others offer award-winning vibes with glitter, calligraphy and more cool (and scary) DIY options.
So, don’t wait to get those creative juices flowing, check out the best no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas for 2023 below.
For more pumpkin fun, check out these top Halloween ideas:
Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils | Cool Pumpkin Carving Ideas | Easy and Fun Halloween Crafts
Feather Pumpkin
Okay, so technically, we carved this design into a pumpkin. But skip the detailing, and opt for a vibrant faux feather, and just glue it in place. We recommend orange on a green gourd to make it look like it's lit up.
Unicorn Pumpkin
This cute unicorn pumpkin is easy to create and is super adorable. Attach a small horn to the top of your pumpkin and paint on eyelashes and blush.
Floral Pumpkin Pots
This one requires a little bit of cutting, but is pretty straightforward. Puncture a hole into the top of your mini pumpkins and fill the top with your favorite flowers.
Glitter Drip Pumpkin
Get the best of both worlds with this glitter drip pumpkin. All you need is various paint colors and coordinating loose glitter to adorn your gourd.
Witch's Hat Topped Pumpkin
If you're looking to go for a more subtle but spirited pumpkin, just top it with a festive hat. These are secured with pins.
Elvis Pumpkin
Your guests can greet the King at your Halloween party. All you have to do is glue on some hair and sunglasses. If you want to go a step further, create a collar out of glitter paper.
Pineapple Pumpkin
For an innovative design, transform your pumpkin into a fruit. Paint your gourd a vibrant yellow and top it with various colors of green felt cutouts to make the leafy top.
Fabric Pumpkins
These vibrant pumpkins are wrapped with fabric to create a draped look. Pick the colors and patterns to coordinate with the rest of your decor.
Cow Pumpkin
This adorable cow face will liven up any porch or Halloween display. Simply turn your pumpkin on its side, paint a white stripe down the middle and decorate with buttons and felt to create eyes, a snout and ears.
Galaxy Pumpkin
Take your painted pumpkin a bit further with this galaxy inspired artwork. Fill black pumpkin with blotches of pink, blue and gold paint to create this look.
Preserved Flower Pumpkins
For a fun spin on florals, try out preserved flowers on your pumpkins. Arrange the flowers in a whimsical pattern and attach them to the pumpkin with a hot glue gun.
Skeleton Pumpkin
This spooky little guy is sure to keep the monsters at bay. Stack a couple of pumpkins on top of each other after removing the stem from the bottom one. Spray paint both white and paint on black circles and ovals to create a skeleton face and bones.
Masked Pumpkins
Get your pumpkins ready for a spooktacular masquerade ball. Simply place these assorted masks around the circumference of any pumpkin and use straight pins to hold them in place. You'll end up with a gourd gang ready for its Halloween close up.
Cupcake Liner Pumpkins
Cupcake liners are good for more than just baking. When you layer a few dozen on the pumpkins of your choice, you can create a unique texture that will truly upgrade your spooky decor.
Vampire Pumpkin
For a creepy twist on your typical stoop pumpkin, try decking it out with plastic vampire fangs. To complete the look, add in some round paper doilies. You can glue the teeth if you really don't feel like carving.
Washi Tape Pumpkins
If you happen to have a bruised pumpkin or are looking to elevate a dull plastic pumpkin, look no further than washi tape to solve your problems. All you'll need to do is wrap the patterned tape around the pumpkin, filling all gaps and spaces, and seal it with a layer of mod podge.
Classic Stripes
Amp up a cobweb-covered mantel with a pumpkin decked out in black-and-white stripes. Pull the look together with candlesticks and string lights — with skulls, of course.
Hometown Pumpkin
Put your hometown pride on full display with this creative pumpkin design. Begin by printing a decal of your state's shape. After you apply it to your pumpkin, cover it in two coats of acrylic paint. (Keep in mind that it takes about 30 minutes for each coat to dry.) Finally, remove the decal once your pumpkin is dry.
Studded Pumpkins
Wow party guests with these trendy studded pumpkins. Use hot glue to apply the gold studs or purchase ones with prongs that can easily be pushed into your pumpkins.
Nature Animals
Say hello to our little friends! Gather acorns, sunflower seeds, dried leaves, toothpicks, and some nuts. Then, hot glue 'em on your pumpkins to create each of these adorable animals.
Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.
Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.
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