3 Easy Ways to Try 'Kitchen Witchery' This Halloween (No Spell Book Needed)

Spooky season is officially upon us, and while jack-o’-lanterns and cobwebs bring the festive flair, there’s a more enchanting way to invite the Halloween spirit into your home. Enter kitchen witchery, a practice rooted in modern witchcraft that blends intention, ritual, and everyday cooking. 

Modern witchcraft is a nature-based, often spiritual practice that emphasizes personal empowerment, mindfulness, and a deep connection to the earth and its cycles. While its expression and practices vary from person to person, many modern witches incorporate rituals into their daily lives—especially in the home. Kitchen witchery is one such expression, where the simple act of preparing food becomes a magical, meaningful ritual.

From infusing your meals with intention to crafting seasonal treats that honor the autumn harvest, here are three ways to practice mindful kitchen witchery this Halloween season, no black hats or broomsticks required.

What 'Kitchen Witchery' Is and 3 Ways to Practice It

Kitchen witchery is ideal for those looking to slow down and practice mindfulness this season, because at its core, that’s what it’s all about. Much like the familiar sayings “cooked with love” or “just like mom used to make it,” kitchen witchery centers on the idea of preparing food with love, care, and intention, says Jill Brown, a certified evolutionary astrologer and owner of Eight Stars Co. With Halloween (also called ‘Samhain’) being the witch’s New Year, there’s truly no better time to bring kitchen witchery into your home.

While there are various ways to embrace kitchen witchery, Brown outlines three general guidelines for the practice:

• Set an intention for the cooking or baking you’re doing: Your intention becomes like a spell, which sets the tone for the type of magic you’re cooking up, she says. A few examples could include prosperity, good health, or gratitude. 
• Gather ingredients that support your intention: Think spices, herbs, and whole ingredients that match your recipe and intention, Brown advises. For example, cinnamon is known to symbolize protection, love, and prosperity, while apples are thought to symbolize love, physical healing, fertility, and knowledge (plus, they’re both seasonal!).
• Set the tone with your energy and environment: Your kitchen is your magical environment, and it should support your intention. Clear your space of negative energy, however that looks for you (maybe it’s clearing clutter or lighting a nice candle). Also, be sure to stay focused on your intention while you cook. “The magic of kitchen witchery is the energetic focus you bring to your intention while you prepare,” says Brown. 

With these guidelines in mind, below are a few simple ways to practice kitchen witchery this spooky season. 

1. Create a Simmer Pot

Simmer pots are a great way to invite the seasonal scents of autumn into your home. Still, in kitchen witchery, they offer more than just aromatics, says Angelica Merritt, a clinical herbalist, kitchen witch, and published author. By carefully choosing and using your ingredients with intention, a simmer pot can create a magical atmosphere that carries their energies throughout your space. 

Merritt points to two simmer pot recipes she loves for the Halloween season: a rosemary, orange peel, cardamom, and clove simmer pot for cleansing, abundance, joy, and clarity; and a cinnamon, apple peel, and fennel seed simmer pot for prosperity, healing, love, and protection. Place all the ingredients in a large pot filled with water on the stove and simmer gently, adding more water as needed. 

2. Try an Autumnal Recipe

Another simple way to practice kitchen witchery this month is to enjoy an autumnal recipe. Many fall-inspired recipes use ingredients known for their magical properties, such as cinnamon, apples, cloves, pumpkins, and more. For example, cloves are known for their abundance and mood-boosting properties; rosemary is known for clearing and purification; cinnamon is known for prosperity and protection; apples are known for healing; and pumpkin is known for protection and stability.

The kitchen witches we spoke to outlined several of their favorite mindful and witchy autumnal recipes for the Halloween season, which include homemade applesauce, seasonal turmeric chai, roasted pumpkin seeds, rosemary potatoes, warmed cinnamon milk, and all things pumpkin.

3. Practice a Protection Ritual

Ready to enter the winter free from negativity? If you’re looking to ward off evil spirits and negative energy this Halloween season, a protection ritual might be precisely what you need. Luckily, there are a couple of simple ways to protect your home using ingredients you already have in your kitchen. 

First, Brown says you can do a doorstep cleansing ritual using cloves, vinegar, and salt. Combine 1 cup of water with three teaspoons of ground cloves, one tablespoon of vinegar, and one tablespoon of salt in a bowl, stirring clockwise while ruminating on your intention (protection, positivity, etc.). Let the potion steep in a sunny area for about an hour, and then use a cloth to apply the mixture to each doorstep/entrance of your home. 

“As you clean the doorway threshold with the mixture, try to visualize any impurities or negativity in your home being washed away by the clove mixture,” says Brown. 

Another seasonal, straightforward protection ritual is hanging cinnamon brooms at the entrances of your home, says Rhonda Harris-Choudhry, an energy healer, psychic, spiritual counselor, and author. These decorative brooms are made from pine straw and infused with cinnamon oil for a warm, seasonal scent. In folklore, they also act as a protective charm, warding off evil spirits and negative energies from entering the home. Reinvigorating your cinnamon brooms with fresh cinnamon oil each October can be a great way to refresh their magical properties and reset their intentions for the coming year.