This Halloween salad is a combination of orange, black and white low carb ingredients: sweet orange bell pepper, golden cherry tomatoes, crunchy jicama, creamy mozzarella pearls and black olives. It takes ten minutes, needs no cooking at all, and gives your guests a fresh, healthy option on a Halloween table that's usually piled high with sweets!
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When most of us think of Halloween food, we think of candy. There are a few savory exceptions on this site, like these Halloween Spider Deviled Eggs and these Halloween Stuffed Peppers, and this Halloween salad has earned its place right next to them. It looks spooky and festive in the bowl, it's naturally keto friendly at about 4g net carbs per serving, and it's one of those dishes the grown-ups quietly go back to for seconds.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Orange bell pepper. Brings the brightest orange and a sweet crunch. A yellow or red pepper works too, but orange keeps the Halloween colors on theme.
- Golden cherry tomatoes. They look dark yellow next to the pepper, which adds a nice second shade of orange. Regular red cherry tomatoes are fine if that's what your store has, or swap in orange grape tomatoes.
- Jicama. This is the secret "white" ingredient. It's crisp, juicy and mildly sweet, a bit like a cross between an apple and a water chestnut, but much lower in carbs. Peel off the tough brown skin before you cube it. Radishes or daikon make a good swap if you can't find jicama.
- Mozzarella pearls. Little balls of fresh mozzarella add creaminess and protein, so the salad actually fills people up. Bocconcini cut in half, cubed white cheddar or cubed provolone all work too.
- Black olives. The "black" in black, orange and white, and a salty contrast to the sweet veggies. Pitted canned ripe black olives are the easiest, but Kalamata olives give a stronger flavor if you prefer them.
- Cantaloupe (optional). For the fun part! Cut a thin slice of cantaloupe into little jack-o'-lantern shapes and scatter them over the top. Melon is higher in carbs than the rest of the salad, so a small handful for decoration is plenty.
Helpful Tips
Cut the cantaloupe jack-o'-lanterns ahead. Slice the cantaloupe into rounds about ¼ inch thick, then trim off the rind. Press a mini Halloween cookie cutter straight down through the flesh to stamp out little pumpkins, then use the tip of a paring knife (or a drinking straw) to poke out two triangle eyes and a zigzag mouth. You can do this up to a day ahead: lay the shapes in a single layer on a paper towel in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. Add them just before serving so their juice doesn't run into the rest of the salad.
Cut everything about the same size. Aim for bite-size pieces roughly the size of the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls. The salad looks neater, and every forkful gets a bit of each color.
Drain and pat dry. Mozzarella pearls come packed in liquid and canned olives are sitting in brine. Drain both well and pat them dry with paper towels so the salad doesn't turn watery in the bowl, and give the olives a quick rinse if you like them less salty.
Use the cookie cutters on the other veggies too. The same mini cutters work on thick slices of jicama (ghosts and bats look great in white) and on flat pieces of the orange pepper. Even a few shapes mixed in with the cubes make the bowl look extra festive.
Taste before you add a dressing. This salad doesn't have a dressing or vinaigrette, and after taste-testing it, I'm not sure it needs one! The olives bring the salt and the tomatoes bring the juice. If you'd like a little extra, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper is all it takes.
Variations
You can use whatever combination of Halloween colors you like. Just remember that the nutrition information on the recipe card is for the ingredients as written, so you'll need to recalculate if you swap things around.
- More orange. Try roasted pumpkin or butternut squash cubes (cooled), a few carrot coins used sparingly, or extra cantaloupe.
- More white. Add raw cauliflower florets, sliced white mushrooms, white asparagus tips, daikon, or swap the mozzarella for torn burrata or white cheddar.
- More black. Scatter over a few blackberries, or finish with plenty of cracked black pepper.
- Add some green. Serve it on a bed of spinach, arugula, kale or crisp lettuce to turn it into a bigger side salad. Watercress, Swiss chard, bok choy or chopped broccoli work too.
- Make it a meal. Toss in cubes of cooked chicken or salami for a quick keto lunch.
- Add a simple dressing. Whisk olive oil with a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, or try our Zero Carb Balsamic Vinegar Alternative.
Serving Ideas
This Halloween salad is made for a party buffet. Serve it in a white bowl on a black spiderweb placemat (like in the photos) so the colors really pop, and put a small spoon in it so guests can scoop up a bit of everything. It sits happily next to other savory Halloween bites like our Low Carb Monster Bites and the Owl Veggie Tray.
For a kid-friendly version, spoon it into small clear cups and top each one with a cantaloupe jack-o'-lantern. For a Halloween dinner, serve it as a fresh side with Low Carb Mummy Hot Dogs or Low Carb Halloween Spaghetti, and pour the grown-ups a Glitter Halloween Cocktail.
Storing & Freezing
Keep the salad covered in the fridge until you're ready to serve, and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The jicama and pepper stay crisp, but the tomatoes will soften a little. If you're making it ahead for a party, you can chop everything the day before and store each ingredient separately, then toss it all together and add the cantaloupe shapes just before serving.
This salad doesn't freeze well. Fresh tomatoes, jicama, melon and mozzarella all turn watery and mushy once they thaw, so it's best made fresh and enjoyed within a couple of days.
More Low Carb Halloween Recipes
If you loved this Halloween salad, here are a few more spooky low carb recipes you might enjoy:
- Halloween Spider Deviled Eggs
- Keto Halloween Snack Tray
- Halloween Jalapeño Poppers
- Low Carb Halloween Recipes
📖 Recipe
Low Carb Halloween Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep the vegetables: deseed the orange bell pepper and cut it into bite-size pieces, and peel the jicama and cut it into ½-inch cubes.
- Drain the mozzarella pearls and black olives well (rinse the olives if you like them less salty) and pat both dry with paper towels.
- Add the bell pepper, golden cherry tomatoes, jicama, mozzarella pearls and black olives to a serving bowl and gently toss to mix.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, scatter the cantaloupe jack-o'-lanterns over the top, if using.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.
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