Jack o'Lantern is crafted from one carved pumpkin placed above one torch on the crafting grid, yielding a single block. The carved pumpkin itself comes from shearing a regular pumpkin with shears, which also drops four pumpkin seeds — players who want a stockpile can plant seeds from the same shearing process and replant indefinitely. The result is a glowing orange face mounted on top of any block, casting light at level fifteen — equivalent to glowstone and the strongest torch-equivalent block in vanilla.

Unlike a regular torch, this block is fully waterproof: it can be placed underwater and continues to emit light without going out. Combined with sea pickles, prismarine lanterns, and lit squids, it forms part of the small set of underwater-compatible illumination. Builders also use it as a decorative Halloween or autumn accent, sometimes carved into Halloween courtyards or pumpkin patches surrounding villages. Endermen do not become aggressive when a player wears this block on their head, the same trick as carved pumpkin without sacrificing visibility past the carved face.