The Best Recipes to Cook in October 2026.

October is here, and I could not be more excited. This collection is filled with my favorite recipes to cook this month. Below, you’ll find warm fall dinners, some of my best soups, creamy pastas, game day favorites, and plenty of pumpkin, apple, and chocolate treats. Plus, a few of my spooky (and seriously cute!) Halloween desserts for all the fun October nights ahead. So much to cook and bake this month!

Just like September, October is a very special month for me personally. Most importantly, October is my Nonnie’s birthday month. Her birthday is October ninth, and as many of you have come to learn over the years, my grandma was incredibly special to me.

Since she passed, I’ve realized just how much of what I love and share today came from her. She was a pro entertainer and an effortless cook who loved fall and the holidays just as much as I do. Candles were burning every single night of the year, fresh flowers were always around, and she really tried to make every day feel special. There was just this beautiful magic about her.

And oh, how she loved October. Her Halloween decorations were up by the last week of September. They were always cute, never too spooky, and somehow worked right into Thanksgiving. She knew what she was doing! I miss her so much, especially this time of year.

A lot of the recipes below have been inspired by Nonnie or have little pieces of her woven into them, which makes this collection feel extra special.

It was SO hard to narrow this list down, but these are the recipes I come back to every October. There’s something delicious to make every single day of the month.

And really, we have the best three months of the year ahead. I’m so excited!

And check out my A Bewitchingly Halloween Chili Dinner