Pumpkin carving is a classic Halloween activity. It’s messy, fun and creative! It’s great both for keeping kids entertained and expressing your creativity in pumpkin form.
Pumpkin carving stencils are a helpful tool which helps you carve your pumpkin into your chosen design. It’s an easy way to guide your carving, allowing you to create more intricate styles than you usually would if you were freestyling it.
There’s plenty of pumpkin carving stencils to choose from, both free to download and to buy online. We’re here to round up the best of both worlds. This will give you so many choices when it comes to pumpkin carving, including ideas you may never have thought of.
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30 pumpkin carving stencils for Halloween
Spooktacular pumpkin carving stencils to buy
1. Pumpkin carving stencils by Scary Night Press
Want the luxury of choice? This book is for you! With over 30 spooky designs it’ll be tricky to pick just one.
The book includes both classic and unique designs. In addition to the traditional pumpkin faces, you'll also see more unusual designs like a creepy skull, Frankenstein's monster, and even a giant spider!
The book is really easy to use. Simply cut out your chosen template, trace the design onto your pumpkin and start carving.
At a low cost, this book is perfect for all the family to use, plus you’ll likely be able to make use of it for a few years.
2. Set of 12 pumpkin stencils
These stencils are perfect for your pumpkins! They are made from laser-cut plastic meaning they are reusable, durable and washable.
These are great to use as a guide for carving your pumpkin and as a stencil for painting/spray painting.
There’s 12 designs to choose from including a variety of pumpkin faces, a witch, a haunted house and a cobweb. Which one will you choose?
3. Pumpkin carving stencils by Jack O Pattern Press
If you want a mega choice of pumpkin stencils this one's for you! With over 50 stencils to choose from, you won’t be short of inspiration this Halloween.
There’s a mixture of easy and difficult ideas inside making this book perfect for beginners and pumpkin pros alike.
Will you carve the intricate owl, a monstrous face, or a black cat? There’s lots of creepy, fun and even cute stencils to choose from in this book, so whatever your Halloween style, it’s got you covered.
27 free pumpkin carving stencils
4. Printable graveyard pumpkin carving stencil
There’s tons of free pumpkin carving stencils to choose from over at Muse Printables, but this graveyard design caught our eye.
It’s a great stencil if you want to create something a bit different than your usual pumpkin face. Make sure you check out the rest of the collection, it’s amazing!
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5. Skeleton with top hat stencil
If you want to make a pumpkin with a lot of character, this one is ideal! With a silly face and fun top hat, this one will make trick-or-treaters smile.
The Pumpkin Lady (as the name suggests) has a whole host of pumpkin templates to download for free. Make sure you have a browse to find your favourite.
6. Pumpkin carving templates with how-to guide
Choose from a range of simple templates to carve into your pumpkin with HobbyCraft. There’s a cute ghost, the classic pumpkin faces and a little cat!
You’ll also find a helpful tutorial video for carving your pumpkin.
7. Star Wars pumpkin carving stencils
Are you a Star Wars mega fan? Transform your pumpkins into characters from your favourite franchise. Choose from eight designs including a Stormtrooper, Yoda, R2D2 and many more!
8. Skull pumpkin carving stencils
Skulls are an excellent option for spooky Halloween carving. These free skull templates from Artsy Pretty Plants are available in a variety of options. You’ll find a pirate skull, a grim reaper and much more.
On top of that, there’s also pro tips for carving your pumpkin and a guide on how to use a pumpkin stencil.
9. NASA pumpkin carving stencils
Yes, these pumpkin carving templates are from the official NASA website. Just when we thought they’d done everything. Choose from the iconic NASA logo, the moon, the sun, a rocket and more.
10. Baby Groot pumpkin carving stencil
One for Marvel fans! Baby Groot is just the cutest, and now you can carve him into your pumpkins with this free template from Pumpkin Pile.
There’s plenty more templates on their site too, so make sure to have a look around.
11. Animal pumpkin carving stencils
Carve your favourite animals into your pumpkins with these free templates from Fluker Farms.
There are four templates to choose from: a frog, a lizard, a turtle or a snake.
How to carve a pumpkin
So you’ve got your stencil ready? Time to learn the ins and outs of carving a pumpkin with our simple guide.
12. Cheshire Cat pumpkin stencil
Carve the famous Cheshire Cat’s grin into your pumpkin for a magical Halloween decoration. This one is ideal for fans of Disney.
13. Autumnal pumpkin carving stencils
If you’d prefer to go more wholesome than haunting this fall, then these leafy pumpkins will delight you!
They are designed with the Midwest in mind, so the other designs include a barn, a deer and a sunflower.
14. The Lion King pumpkin carving stencil
How cute is Simba in this The Lion King-themed pumpkin carving stencil?
If you love Disney you’ll love this pumpkin and the best part is that it’s easy to carve.
15. Inside Out Sadness pumpkin carving template
Oh, what a movie Inside Out is! So funny, poignant and well-made. We love it, so we’re embracing Sadness with this cute pumpkin carving. You can download the free template from Halloween Costumes.
16. Frankenstein's Monster pumpkin carving stencil
Grab yourself this free pumpkin template from Shine 365. The friendly Frankenstein’s Monster template is a fun one to try and not too scary which is great for smaller children.
17. Woody pumpkin carving template
Carve everyone’s favourite Toy Story character Woody into your pumpkins with this free stencil from Disney Inspired.
18. Monstera pumpkin carving stencil
If you want to keep your pumpkins modern and simple, try these botanical beauties by BHG.
These certainly won’t scare anyone this Halloween as they’re so lovely! There’s lots of other designs to pick from too, if you do want something spookier.
19. Emoji ghost pumpkin carving stencil
This boo ghost emoji will be popular with the kids. It’s a cheeky little ghost with his tongue sticking out. Download it for free from Real Simple.
As the name suggests there's loads of other beginner-friendly pumpkin stencils to choose from on their blog.
20. Monster eyes pumpkin carving stencil
Have you ever had that unnerving feeling like you’re being watched? Get ready to give trick-or-treaters the creeps with this eyes pumpkin.
Just beware if the eyes start following you!
21. Haunted house pumpkin carving template
The classic haunted house! A place you don’t want to find yourself when darkness falls. Carve it now with the free template by Dot Com Women. Once you’re finished place a tea light inside for an ominous glow.
22. Galaxy pumpkin carving stencil
If you're looking for something a little different, then how about this stunning constellation pumpkin from Martha Stewart?
You will need to master the basics first, but this is a great one to work towards and will look stunning on your front porch and will certainly impress passers-by.
23. Good to Know Jack O' Lantern face templates
If you're feeling overwhelmed for choice, Good To Know has a nice selection of easy, classic pumpkin carving templates.
24. The Pumpkin Lady templates
Traditional Jack O' Lanterns are where most people start when carving their first pumpkin, and The Pumpkin Lady has a massive selection aimed specifically at beginners. And the best part - they all have their own name!
25. WOO! Kid's Activities
Aimed specifically at kids, WOO! Kid's Activities have hundreds of pumpkin face templates to choose from, and have made several of their designs free!
This is a great way to 'try before you buy', and if you like their freebies, why not treat yourself to the 100+ printable templates bundle.
26. Readers Digest templates
Ahh good ol' Readers Digest. They have a great collection of free pumpkin carving templates including beautiful script pumpkins, emoticon pumpkins and even a super simple Vincent Van Gogh-inspired Starry Night pumpkin. And they're great for beginners, too!
27. Free Jack O' Lantern Face Stencil Gallery
Because pumpkin carving templates are essentially just stencils, dedicated stencil websites are a great resource for pumpkin carving inspiration.
Free Stencil Gallery has an extensive selection of Jack O' Lantern templates, but if you're after something of a more intermediate level, scroll through their free Halloween stencil gallery!
28. Celebrating Halloween pumpkin templates
There is a lot to choose from here, and if you're looking for non-traditional, Celebrating Halloween has a great selection of flower pumpkin carving patterns, as well as easy-carved pumpkin topiary and pirates. We love the howling wolf and Tinkerbell pumpkin templates!
29. Partyrama Jack O' Lantern face templates
For a spooky history of the Jack O' Lantern and traditional Halloween pumpkin carving templates, Partyrama is a great place to start.
30. BBC Good Food's easy pumpkin carving templates
BBC Good Food's pumpkin carving templates are as easy as one, two, BOO! There are five to choose from, including a super easy spooky bat, a witch on her broomstick, a haunted house, Dalek and the classic spooky face.
Get creative this Halloween with pumpkin carving stencils
A template makes carving your pumpkin so much easier! You can plan your design and carefully transfer it onto your pumpkin, so you know exactly where to carve.
Pumpkin carving ideas to make your Halloween spooktacular
Looking for even more pumpkin inspiration? Get inspired with our mega round-up of the best pumpkin carving ideas.
