7 Scary-Fun Foods Perfect for the Premiere of 'Stranger Things'

Season five of Stranger Things has been over three years in the making, leaving plenty of time for rewatches and analyzing the details of each episode. With the finale officially here, it’s time to celebrate the nearly 10-year journey Stranger Things has taken us on. Whether you’re hosting a watch party for the premiere, or just looking for ways to make the final season feel a little more special when you tune in, these 7 foods will take you on a trip down memory lane (through Hawkins and the Upside Down), highlighting some of the show’s most iconic moments from the first four seasons (light spoilers ahead!).

Eleven’s Waffles

If there’s one food associated with Stranger Things, it’s waffles (specifically Eggo). When the show first premiered, dressing as Eleven with a box of Eggo waffles under her arm was a top Halloween costume, and waffles have been featured in every season since. While you can certainly grab a box from the store before you press play on season five, we also recommend pulling out your waffle iron and serving a few batches of our homemade waffle recipe. It’ll give you the option to dress them up with add-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips, and while Eggo’s might be Eleven’s favorite, we also think the final season is worthy of a full-blown homemade waffle bar.

Joyce’s Holiday Light Cupcakes

In possibly the most iconic scene from season one, Joyce Byers paints the alphabet on the walls of her home and hangs holiday lights with one bulb lining up with each letter to communicate with her son Will in the Upside Down. Although writing out the alphabet is optional for this recipe, holiday light cupcakes will instantly bring back memories from season one. Simply frost a white base and pipe a colored holiday light. You can even "connect" your cupcakes by arranging them in a line and piping black to each edge. As a bonus, with Stranger Things airing in three parts over the holiday season, you can make a double-batch of cupcakes to bring to a holiday gathering, then serve the rest at your watch party.

Spooky Strawberry Pumpkin Patch

As the main characters slowly realize the Upside Down is an ongoing threat in season two, one of the first signs of trouble shows up in spoiled pumpkins in patches around Hawkins. While this recipe mimics the look of a pumpkin patch, there’s no Upside Down interference here, just strawberries dipped in melted orange candy coating and served on crushed chocolate cookie “dirt.”

1980s Sodas

Season three was set in 1985—the same year New Coke hit shelves. While you can’t find this controversial drink in stores, you could recreate your own version using our guide to homemade soda. And if you were never a New Coke fan, you can use this guide to create any fizzy drink you want; it can always be your own “new” version of any favorite soda.

Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream

Starcourt Mall is a recurring setting in season three, along with the ice cream shop Scoops Ahoy near the food court. With our recipe for no-churn ice cream, you can create any flavor you want (or even recreate your own mini ice cream shop with multiple flavor options). If you’re going for authenticity, recreating the USS Butterscotch sundae from the show is a must, though a sailor hat and costume is optional.

Surfer Boy Pizza

Season four takes some of the main characters out to California, where they spend a good portion of episodes on the run in a borrowed pizza delivery van from Surfer Boy Pizza. The restaurant’s specialty is a Hawaiian-style pizza topped with controversial pineapple. Even if you’re skeptical of fruit on pizza like Mike, this fruit pizza recipe might turn you into a believer.

Upside-Down Cake

The Upside Down mirror reality appears in every season of Stranger Things, and while you could make any upside-down cake recipe to represent it for your watch party, we love this pineapple pecan dump cake version for a season five celebration. With the final episodes airing through November and December, this warm, cozy upside-down cake is perfect for snacking on while you watch the finale. Plus, crunchy pecans and delicious pineapple may be foods we need to make it through the intensity of the final episodes.