How to Make a Jack o'Lantern in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a jack o'lantern from a carved pumpkin and a torch. It glows at light level 15 - brighter than the torch you used - and even keeps shining underwater.

What you need

1 carved pumpkin
1 torch
Shears (for the carving step)

Step by step

Get a pumpkin: grassy patches in most biomes, taiga villages, or grown from pumpkin seeds.
Place it and carve it with shears to get a carved pumpkin.
Craft a torch from coal or charcoal and a stick.
Combine the carved pumpkin with the torch anywhere in the crafting grid to make a jack o'lantern.
Place it for light level 15 illumination - it works underwater, and it also counts as a head for snow, iron and copper golems.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical in Java and Bedrock: carved pumpkin + torch, light level 15, and it shines underwater. Golem building and wearing it on your head work the same way too.

Versions: Jack o'lanterns are one of Minecraft's oldest blocks, added in the Alpha 1.2.0 Halloween update of October 2010 - older than beds, repeaters or cake.

Frequently asked questions

Jack o'lantern or torch: which is better?

A jack o'lantern gives light level 15 (the maximum) versus a torch's 14, works underwater and doubles as decoration. Torches stay cheaper for caving - a jack o'lantern is for bases and farms.

Can I un-carve a pumpkin?

No, carving is permanent. If you want a plain pumpkin back, grow or find another one.

Do jack o'lanterns scare mobs away?

Not directly - they are a light source, not a weapon. But light level 15 stops hostile mobs from spawning around them, which does the same job.