No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

I love all things pumpkin.

I am obsessed with pumpkin pie. Pumpkin coffee drinks are delicious, and I love pumpkin muffins and pumpkin bars.

But I do not like carving pumpkins.

It’s extremely messy, it’s difficult to do with little ones, and an aging pumpkin is the worst smell. It’s been years since I carved a pumpkin because I absolutely love decorating them in other ways.

Another benefit of pumpkin decorating instead of carving is you can use real pumpkins or fake ones and reuse them over again!

8 No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Donut Pumpkin
We love donuts at my house and these pumpkins are adorable. Be sure to use acrylic paint on the pumpkins to avoid rain washing the paint off.

Melted Crayon Pumpkin
This one may be my favorite. Little kids can enjoy this as well because they can melt the crayons and choose their favorite colors.

Tissue Painted Pumpkin
This no-carve pumpkin decorating idea may still be a little messy, but they sure look awesome! Plus even the smallest little kiddos can be a part of this. 

Photo Pumpkin
Okay, I lied. This one is my favorite. Plus it is one you can use to decorate over and over again and look back at the memories each year. 

Sharpie Pumpkin
This pumpkin decorating idea is easy peasy. All you need is a pumpkin (white ones are really cool for this!) and a sharpie. Decorate it in any way you like! 

Sports Pumpkin
Fall also means football to a lot of people! Check out this awesome painted football pumpkin! We’re personally a basketball family, so I appreciated they included that as well!

Emoji Pumpkin
Who doesn’t love a cute emoji? We use them all time, why not turn a pumpkin into one? Check out these cuties here.

Glow-in-the-dark pumpkin
All you need for this no-carve idea is a pumpkin and some glow in the dark puffy paint! Design them any way you like! 

Tell us your favorite pumpkin decorating ideas! 

this post was originally written in 2019 and updated in 2025