Carved pumpkins are one of Minecraft’s most useful decorative blocks. They are the head for snow golems, iron golems and copper golems, the base of a jack o’lantern, and a mask that stops endermen from getting angry when you look at them. The tricky part is that you cannot craft one: you have to carve it by hand with shears. This guide explains how to carve a pumpkin in Minecraft, where to find pumpkins, and every way to use a carved pumpkin.
Quick answer: how to make a carved pumpkin
- Get a pumpkin and a pair of shears.
- Place the pumpkin on the ground.
- Face the side you want carved and use the shears on it.
- The face appears and 4 pumpkin seeds drop.
- Break the carved pumpkin to pick it up, or leave it where it is.
It works on Java Edition, Bedrock Edition and consoles. The face always appears on the side you are looking at, so stand in front of the side you want before carving.
Step 1: Make shears
Shears need 2 iron ingots placed diagonally on a crafting table or in your inventory grid. They are cheap and useful for wool, leaves, vines and honeycomb too. See how to make shears.
Step 2: Find pumpkins
- Wild pumpkin patches: pumpkins grow naturally in small patches in grassy biomes such as plains, forests, taigas, savannas and meadows. Look for orange blocks among the grass.
- Villages: taiga and snowy village farms often grow pumpkins.
- Chests: pumpkin seeds and pumpkins appear in some village, mineshaft and dungeon chests.
- Farmers: farmer villagers buy pumpkins for emeralds, and wandering traders sometimes sell pumpkin seeds.
How to grow pumpkins
Plant pumpkin seeds on farmland near water. The stem grows over several days and then produces a pumpkin on an empty dirt, grass or farmland block next to it. Leave space beside every stem, harvest the pumpkin with an axe, and the stem keeps producing more. One stem can give you pumpkins forever. See how to grow pumpkins.
What carved pumpkins are used for
Snow golem
Stack 2 snow blocks and put a carved pumpkin on top. A snow golem appears that throws snowballs at hostile mobs and leaves a trail of snow.
Iron golem
Build a T shape of 4 iron blocks, two stacked with one on each side of the top one, and put a carved pumpkin on the middle top. An iron golem appears and protects you and villagers. The arms must be clear of other blocks.
Copper golem
Put a carved pumpkin on a block of copper. A copper golem appears and the copper block turns into a copper chest. Copper golems sort items into chests. See how to make a copper golem.
Jack o’lantern
Combine a carved pumpkin with a torch on a crafting table to make a jack o’lantern, a light source that also works underwater. See how to make a jack o’lantern.
Enderman mask
Wear a carved pumpkin in your helmet slot. Endermen do not become hostile when you look at them while you are wearing it. That makes it useful in the End and for enderman farms. The downside is that it blocks part of your screen with a pumpkin-face overlay.
Decoration
Carved pumpkins are perfect for Halloween builds, scarecrows, farms and the heads of statues. You can also put one on an armor stand. See how to make an armor stand.
Pumpkin vs carved pumpkin vs jack o’lantern
| Block | How to get it | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin | Found or grown | Pumpkin pie, seeds, carving |
| Carved pumpkin | Shears on a placed pumpkin | Golems, mask, decoration |
| Jack o’lantern | Carved pumpkin plus torch | Light, decoration, golems |
A plain pumpkin is also used for pumpkin pie: a pumpkin, sugar and an egg. Carved pumpkins cannot be turned back into plain pumpkins, so keep a few uncarved for pies.
Can you carve a pumpkin with a crafting table or a dispenser?
No crafting recipe exists for a carved pumpkin. You must use shears on a placed pumpkin. A dispenser holding shears can shear sheep and other things it faces, but carving pumpkins by hand is the reliable method. When you need a lot, set up a pumpkin farm and carve them in batches.
Enchanting carved pumpkins
Because a carved pumpkin goes in the helmet slot, it can carry the curses Curse of Binding and Curse of Vanishing from an anvil. A pumpkin with Curse of Binding cannot be removed until you die, which is a popular prank on servers. It cannot get Protection or other armor enchantments.
Carved pumpkins in Java vs Bedrock
Carving with shears, golem building and the enderman mask work in both editions. The pumpkin overlay when worn looks slightly different, and golem building rules about nearby blocks can vary a little, so leave the space around a golem’s arms completely empty in either edition.
Tips
- Carve pumpkins where they grow and collect the seeds to replant immediately.
- Keep a stack of carved pumpkins in storage for emergency iron golems during raids.
- Use jack o’lanterns instead of torches for a seasonal look that lights up your farm.
Common carving problems
- The shears do nothing: you are using them on a pumpkin in your inventory or on a melon. Shears only carve a placed pumpkin block.
- The face is on the wrong side: break it, place it again and carve the side you want. A carved pumpkin cannot be uncarved.
- The golem will not spawn: the carved pumpkin must be the last block placed, and there must be no blocks next to the iron golem’s arms or below its arms. Grass and snow layers can also get in the way.
- Endermen still attack: the pumpkin only stops them becoming angry when you look at them. If you hit an enderman, it fights back as usual.
With a small pumpkin farm and a pair of shears, you will always have carved pumpkins ready for golems, lanterns and Halloween builds.
FAQ
How do you carve a pumpkin in Minecraft?
Place a pumpkin and use shears on the side you want to carve. It turns into a carved pumpkin and drops 4 seeds.
Can you craft a carved pumpkin?
No. There is no crafting recipe. You must use shears on a placed pumpkin.
What does a carved pumpkin do?
It is used to make snow, iron and copper golems and jack o’lanterns, and you can wear it so endermen do not get angry when you look at them.
How do you put a carved pumpkin on your head?
Place it in your helmet slot in the inventory.
Where do you find pumpkins in Minecraft?
In small patches in grassy biomes like plains, forests and taigas, and on village farms.
Checked by the Game Respawned editorial team against the current Java and Bedrock versions. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.