Pumpkins are the one shape that reads as fall and Halloween the instant you see it, whether it’s glowing on a porch step or sitting in miniature on a mantel. This 3D paper pumpkin folds and cuts from a single sheet of orange paper into a rounded, ridged little pumpkin with a curled green stem and vine, no carving or seeds involved.
This is Day 5 of six in the Cute-Spooky Halloween Wall Display series, following the felt garland, origami bats, origami ghosts, and origami spiders you’ve probably already made. Today’s job is three to four of these small pumpkins in orange and gold tones. The bigger accordion-fold pumpkins are Day 6, and they come together fast once you’ve got this smaller fold down.
Once your display is finished, our full lineup of Halloween crafts has plenty more pumpkin, ghost, and spider projects if you want to keep going.
3D Paper Pumpkin at a Glance
- Difficulty: Beginner-friendly, with one cutting step that takes a bit of patience
- Time: About 30 to 40 minutes per pumpkin
- Cost: Under $2, using paper you likely already have
- Ages: 6 and up, with an adult nearby for the scissors steps
- Best for: Halloween and Thanksgiving decor, garlands, and centerpieces
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What You Need to Make a 3D Paper Pumpkin
Materials
- Orange and green medium-weight craft paper (construction paper works too), because thin paper won’t hold the ridges and cardstock is too stiff to crease cleanly.
- Craft glue, strong enough to hold the petals and stem together without the mess of hot glue.
- A sharpie or marker, handy if you want to add a jack-o’-lantern face to dress your pumpkin up for Halloween.
Tools
- Scissors, for cutting the petal and leaf shapes along your traced lines.
- A pencil, for tracing the petal and leaf shapes before you cut.
- A bone folder or roller, for pressing each crease flat and sharp so the folds hold their shape.
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How to Make a 3D Paper Pumpkin
Step 1: Measure and Cut Your Paper Pieces
Choose orange and green medium-weight craft paper, then cut out the pieces using the measurements shown in the photo. You can scale everything up or down if you want a bigger or smaller pumpkin.
Warning: if you resize, keep every measurement in the same ratio to each other. Scale one piece without the rest and the petals won’t meet properly once you get to assembly.
Step 2: Crease the Diagonals
Cut your main pumpkin paper into a 6×6 inch square. Fold it corner to corner on both diagonals, then unfold. You’re not keeping either fold, just pressing in the crease.
Step 3: Crease the Vertical and Horizontal Lines
Flip the paper over and crease it in half vertically, then horizontally, unfolding each time. Work on a flat, hard surface for this part, since a soft or uneven one leaves stray creases that throw off the shape later. With those folds facing up, bring the diagonal creases in to form a diamond.
Step 4: Fold Into the Base Structure
Follow the video to bring the paper into its folded base. You’ll end up with two triangular flaps sitting on each side, which is the foundation the rest of the pumpkin builds on.
Step 5: Bring the Flaps Together
Gather all four triangular flaps and bring them together on one side until the paper sits in a compact, folded shape. If it resists, work it back and forth gently a few times first. That softens the paper and the flaps come together much easier.
Step 6: Trace and Cut the Petal Shape
With a pencil, draw a petal shape on the top flap, keeping the inner edge intact. Cut carefully along your traced line.
Tip: a sharp pair of scissors makes a cleaner cut here than a dull one. If you want more texture, curve the petal edges slightly instead of cutting them straight.
Step 7: Unfold to Reveal the 8-Petal Base
Slowly unfold the whole paper. You should now see an 8-petal shape, which becomes the base of your pumpkin. Go slowly here, especially with thinner paper, since it tears more easily while unfolding than while folded.
Step 8: Roll the Center Cylinder
Take your small round cutout and the base cylinder cutout. Roll the base piece into a cylinder shape and glue the seam shut.
Step 9: Attach the Cylinder to the Pumpkin Base
Glue the small round cutout onto one end of your cylinder, then run glue around the open end and press it into the center of your pumpkin base. Hold it for a few seconds so it bonds properly, or add a small piece of tape on the inside if you want extra insurance.
Step 10: Attach the First Petals
Dab a little glue on the tip of each petal. Attach them to the top of the cylinder one at a time, starting with an opposite pair before working around to the rest.
Tip: starting with opposite pairs keeps the petals evenly spaced. Filling them in randomly tends to bunch them up on one side.
Step 11: Join the Criss-Cross Petal Pairs
Join the two opposite petals together, then do the same with the remaining criss-cross pair.
Step 12: Join the Rest of the Petals
Work your way around, joining all 8 petal tips to the closed end of the cylinder. Once every petal is attached, you’ll have a round, ridged 3D paper pumpkin shape.
Step 13: Cut the Leaf and Vine Shapes
Trace and cut leaf, vine, and stem shapes out of green paper. Use your own freehand shapes or our template, whichever you’d rather work from.
Step 14: Crease the Leaf for Texture
Fold the leaf cutout in half symmetrically, then make slightly diagonal accordion folds and unfold them. This is what gives the paper leaf its vein-like texture.
Step 15: Coil the Vines
Take a green paper strip and coil it tightly around a quilling tool. Hold the outer edge firm, push the center out, then slide the tool free and let the spiral relax slightly. Coil one or two more vines the same way.
Step 16: Attach the Stem, Vines, and Leaf
Roll the green rectangle into your stem shape and glue it to the top center of the pumpkin. Arrange the vines and leaf around the stem’s base and glue them down to finish the craft.
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Tips for Your 3D Paper Pumpkin
- Use medium-weight craft paper or light cardstock rather than thin origami paper. Origami paper is too flimsy to hold the ridges once the petals are joined.
- Mix orange, gold, and even cream paper across your batch so the pumpkins don’t all look identical once grouped together on your display.
- Fold a few pumpkins per session and stash them somewhere flat and dry until you’re ready to arrange the whole display. That’s the pace the Day 5 countdown is built for.
- Beyond the wall display, these pumpkins double as a Thanksgiving centerpiece grouped in a bowl, a garland strung on twine, or a single accent piece on a fall table.
Video Tutorial: How to Make a 3D Paper Pumpkin
Prefer to watch instead of read? The video below walks through every fold and cut in real time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of paper works best for a 3D paper pumpkin?
Medium-weight craft paper or light cardstock holds the ridges best once the petals are glued together. Thin origami or tissue paper tends to go floppy under the glue, and paper that’s too stiff won’t crease cleanly at the folds.
How long does a 3D paper pumpkin take to make?
Plan on about 30 to 40 minutes once you’ve read through the steps, a little longer for your first one while the folds are new. It goes faster with each pumpkin after that, since the same folds repeat.
Can kids make this pumpkin craft?
Yes, it’s a good project for kids around 6 and up. Have an adult handle or supervise the scissors steps, use non-toxic craft glue, and keep an eye on the small cut pieces around younger children since they can be a choking hazard.
How many 3D paper pumpkins do I need for a Halloween wall display?
Three to four small pumpkins is enough to fill in the display without crowding it, especially once they’re mixed in with the larger Day 6 pumpkins. Group them in a small cluster or scatter them along the base of your display near the origami spiders and bats.
What else can I make with 3D paper pumpkins besides a wall display?
They work well past the wall display too. Group a few in a bowl for a quick Thanksgiving centerpiece, string several onto twine for a garland, or set a single one on a place setting as a fall table accent.
More Halloween Paper Crafts
- How to Make an Origami Spider, Day 4 of the wall display series
- Easy 3D Paper Pumpkin to Make with Kids, the larger Day 6 pumpkins for the same display
- How to Make Origami Pumpkins for the mantel below your wall display
- How to Make Origami Maple Leaf if you want to round out the fall theme
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