19 Creative Pumpkin Carving Ideas, Because You're So Bored Of Jack-O'-Lanterns

If crafty goddess Jo-Anna at A Pretty Life in the Suburbs uses templates to carve her pumpkins, I no longer think it's cheating. Most of the pumpkins above* were carved using templates she found her templates at Walmart and Michaels, and they even came with carving tools. Pro-tip: if you already have carving tools, find a free template online instead!

*One pumpkin above was free-handed... can you guess which one? The classic barfing jack-o'-lantern is a good option if you don't want to use a template!

Cutting out a detailed design with a little fine-tooth saw takes patience... and let's be real, we don't all have that. I love this kitty pumpkin by Handmade Charlotte, and it's easy and fast. She painted her pumpkin first, but you certainly don't need to. A drill and saw were used to create the cute cat silhouettes. Not a cat person? This music note pumpkin uses the exact same process, and is equally as cute.

If you prefer to follow along to a video tutorial, Sharrah from YouTube channel Live Your Style has you covered. In this video, she shows four easy jack-o'-lantern ideas, but the third is my favorite. She carves a simple face into her pumpkin but then takes it to the next level by adding creepy, toothpick-teeth to its smile. It's way easier than carving the teeth yourself, and it looks more interesting, too.

How incredible is this sugar skull pumpkin by Instagram user @will7567? You can use a pumpkin stencil to make it perfect (I found this one online from PumpkinStencils.org) or you can sketch it out if you're more artistic.

Why not use your pumpkin to pay tribute to your best friend? This corgi jack-o'-lantern by Instagrammer @weatherbee_corgi is simple, amazing, and much cuter than your average "beware of dog" sign.

I love this mystical jack-o'-lantern by Instagram user @decoherent_blue. She used a drill to create a whimsical design of small holes along her pumpkin, and it looks beautiful with a glowing candle inside.

A true artist thinks outside the box... and that's definitely how @ozymandias on Instagram approached his pumpkin. Instead of cutting straight through, he peeled off the skin and carved a face into the side of his pumpkin. This one is going to look particularly creepy after a couple days sitting out on the front porch.

Turns out, you don't need to create a perfect design on your pumpkin for it to be positively adorable. Instagrammer @gabi_harvey created this one by hollowing out a pumpkin and only adding two small holes... oh, and the super cute baby helps, too.

Are you a house of Fortnite fans? Instagram user @queenking.ubiquitous created Fortnite character Tomato Man out of their pumpkin. They used a black permanent marker to fill in some of Tomato Man's features, but black acrylic paint also works!

Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the one and only successful pumpkin I've carved. I'm American and my husband is Canadian, so naturally I carved a pumpkin to celebrate both countries represented in our household. I created a template on construction paper first, and it was a great practice round before cutting into the real thing.

I saved the best for last. Don't overthink your pumpkins this year! Whoever carved these pumpkins featured on LifeBuzz's Facebook page had the right idea. Two eyes, a smile, and done. I like their style.

If you have an eye for detail, and a little extra time on your hands, use this pumpkin by @mt_maths as inspiration. The geometric design is hypnotizing (which is fitting for Halloween) and creates a very cool effect when lit up.

Grab a big pumpkin and carve it out to look like it’s eating a smaller pumpkin like this one @Cow_Llamashared on Twitter. You don’t have to carve a panicked face on the little one like they did, but it sure won’t hurt.

Instead of going the traditional Jack-O-Lantern route, Lisa Abbott’s daughter got super creative and turned her pumpkin into a spider-infested apple core. You may need to reinforce the middle ‘core’ to make sure it doesn’t cave in on itself, but it’s still a design worth recreating.

Dentist Thomas Gonzales was totally on brand when he made his Jack-O-Lanterns with sweet teeth using chewing gum sticks, candy corn, and gum drops. It’s one of the most simple carving designs, and the candy totally plays into the theme of Halloween and trick or treating.

Sure, carving one pumpkin is fun, but have you ever carved three to form an awesome set? Anita Breik took three pumpkins and painted them red, purple, and green before cutting out the silhouettes of the famous Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus.

Whether it’s the heart eyes, side eyes, or laughing-crying eyes, everyone has a favorite emoji. Transform your pumpkin into your favorite like @tmorris0 did. There’s really not much to it, and everyone will know exactly what you were going for when they see it.

Look at this amazing Iron Man pumpkin Diane Choe Moon shared on Twitter. It is incredible and looks fantastic lit up. You can try to recreate this design, or come up with one of your own like Batman’s emblem or Spider Man shooting a web.

Stock up on a few pumpkins and create a scene right out of Pac Man like Toby did on Twitter. You don’t need to be a skilled carver to create it, but the finished product will definitely impress your guests.