Denver – October 15, 2026 -- Households across the U.S. are dropping whole potatoes into their Halloween candy bowls, and Potatoes USA is backing the trend with three new "spooky spud" recipes for October.
The trend is called Trick-or-Tater. Some families have handed out potatoes for more than a decade, and more join each year. The Wall Street Journal said it "started as a lark has gained steam in recent years," and NBC Nightly News called potatoes "the new star of spooky season."
Kids are asking for the potato house
Maren from Virginia offers trick-or-treaters a choice of a full-size candy bar, a small toy, or a potato. She ran out of potatoes in her second year after word spread. Last year she went through about 25 pounds, up from 16 the year before, and she is planning for a lot of "tater-or-treaters" with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year.
Videos of kids grabbing spuds off the stoop have drawn hundreds of thousands of views. Most participating households mix the potatoes into the candy bowl so kids can choose, and many families report running out.
A tractor trailer of chips and a rhythm at the door
Potato farmer Dan Corey, who farms in Maine and Florida, tried the idea at the Halloween festival in downtown Houlton, Maine, last year. He filled a trailer with potato chips and set out boxes beside a tractor. Kids climbed aboard and left with a bag of chips, and he is repeating it this year.
In Lyons, Colorado, band director Karen Crews Gregg posts a short rhythm on her front door. Kids who knock it correctly choose candy or a potato. She went through four bags of potatoes last year.
One medium potato has more potassium than a banana
Per the source, a medium 5.3 oz skin-on potato has 620 mg of potassium, compared with 422 mg in a banana. It also supplies 30% of the daily value of vitamin C.
Potatoes USA chefs add three Halloween recipes
- Spooky Spud Skulls: crispy skull-shaped potatoes topped with cheese and pepperoni as an appetizer.
- Monster Mash: green mashed potatoes.
- Mashed Potato Mummy Meatloaf Cupcakes: savory cupcakes for a family dinner or a decorating station.
Households handing out spuds can tag @PotatoGoodness on Instagram and TikTok.