How to Carve Pumpkins as Peanuts

Select a tall skinny pumpkin to carve a peanut.

Carving a pumpkin to look like a peanut requires the selection of the perfect pumpkin. Tall skinny pumpkins are the best candidate. The slender design of the pumpkin is used to create the hourglass shape of a peanut with two nuts. Create other shapes of peanuts with the different shapes of the pumpkin. The skin of the pumpkin is carved with a sharp knife or saw blade, while the flesh is carved with a rounded edge instrument such as a spoon or melon ball maker.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper or tall kitchen trash bag
• Tall slender pumpkin
• Marker
• Ruler
• Sharp paring knife or keyhole saw
• Spoon or melon ball maker

Instructions

1. Cover a flat work surface with newspaper or a tall kitchen trash bag. Place the tall skinny pumpkin on the covered work surface.

2. Stand a ruler against the side of the pumpkin. Divide the pumpkin into thirds. Mark a line around the pumpkin to indicate the top, middle and bottom portion.

3. Insert the tip of the paring knife through the skin approximately 1/8 inch. Cut along the top and bottom line of the middle section. Carve the skin away from the pumpkin between the two cut lines.

4. Carefully carve away 1/2 to 3/4 inches of the pumpkin's flesh with a spoon or melon ball maker to create an hourglass shape within the center section of the pumpkin. Be careful not to carve through the flesh to the hollow center of the pumpkin.

5. Cut a beveled edge along the top and bottom edge of the center section. This will taper the carved section to the two ends of the peanut.

6. Cut small V-shaped groves from the top of the pumpkin vertically to the bottom to create the texture of the peanut shell. Add the desired amount of V-shaped grooves.

7. Cut a small tapered edge on each groove to create a rounded appearance.

Tips & Warnings

• Carve out the inside of the peanut pumpkin. Add a candle.

• Paint the outside of the carved peanut pumpkin with acrylic paint to give it a more authentic peanut color.

References

• Pumpkin Shop: How to Carve a Pumpkin
• Spook Master: Pumpkin Carving 101