A drop of green food coloring is all it takes to add holiday magic to a boring bowl of spaghetti.
TikTok creators are getting in the holiday spirit with Grinch spaghetti, a festive dish named after the Christmas grouch himself.
Posts about successful Grinch-themed family dinners—and some families who wouldn’t touch the bright green pasta—are all over the platform. Creators are sharing recipes and fun variations on the dish, like adding heart shaped meatballs, using alfredo sauce, or adding vegetables.
How to make Grinch spaghetti in 2025
Gather the ingredients: spaghetti noodles, 20 drops of green liquid food coloring, water, salt, spaghetti sauce and toppings
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add salt.
- Add 20 drops, or more for deeper color, green food coloring to boiling water. The water should look Grinchy.
- Add dry spaghetti noddles to the dyed water and cook according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta and rinse well with color water to set the color.
- Toss the pasta with sauce and add toppings.
“Trying to be the fun mom this Christmas”
@kayla.younggg wrote that she made Grinch spaghetti for fun. She demonstrated her technique in a post from Dec. 4, 2025 that accumulated 1.8 million views and plenty of comments from people who are mad she broke the dry pasta before adding it to boiling water.
@kayla.younggg Trying to be the fun mom this holiday season!🤍 #christmas #christmasmeals #christmasideas #grinchideas #grinch ♬ You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch (A Funny Christmas Song) – Allan Sherman
“Not even the Grinch breaks spaghetti!”
“I am a big pesto fan – I cooked pesto, alfredo pasta for my nanny kid the other day and called it “grinch noodles” and he was excited.”
Add some extra love to your Grinch spaghetti
@winsletsmom used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to shape the meatballs. She wrote, “Grinch spaghetti with heart shaped meatballs! Magical dinner for the kids 🥹 I love the season, the hype, the traditions, and the magic.”
@winsletsmom Grinch spaghetti with heart shaped meatballs! Magical dinner for the kids 🥹 I love the season, the hype, the traditions, and the magic. @McCormick Spices #grinch #grinchdinner #grinchfood #grinchfoodideas ♬ You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch (A Funny Christmas Song) – Allan Sherman
Get it green with frozen peas and fresh basil leaves
Add a drop of green food coloring to boiling water before adding dry pasta to get the Grinch effect. Here’s a dye-free variation if you have allergies or are just trying to do the most.
@shelbyk95 Planning to make this this week, so I had to reshare! My kids love it and so do I! Start boiling water for pasta To blender add: 1.5 cups green peas (I use frozen that I preheated in a pan) A small handful of basil (about 8-10 leaves) | would add more for my own taste, but this keeps the flavor pretty mild for young kids 0.5 cup cottage cheese (no you cant taste it) 0.5 cup pasta water (from your boiling noodles) A dash of garlic powder and salt Blend Mix in with the cooked and drained pasta #grinch #christmasrecipe #dinnerideas #recipe #momsoftiktok ♬ You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft
“Coming back to report I just made this for my 16 month old and she absolutely loved it!! Will definitely be making again!!”
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