Learn how to make a sturdy and completely edible gingerbread house! My recipe includes a template to make one larger house or two smaller houses. Recipe includes a how-to video tutorial!
Why You Should Try This Gingerbread House This Season:
- Better than using a gingerbread cookie recipe. I have a great gingerbread cookie recipe, but that one, and most others out there, are not suitable for making a house as they’re designed to be soft and melt-in-your-mouth, making them not sturdy enough to hold up a house. This recipe is specifically engineered for building houses.
- Makes a solid, sturdy house. I carefully engineered this recipe to make a strong house. Once you assemble this, it’ll hold for, essentially, forever. I’m planning on using the one I made and photographed above as a Christmas decoration until the New Year (Zach is not happy about this 😂).
- The icing works about as well as cement. It is strong! Instead of a classic sugar cookie icing, we’re making my royal icing (which is equally great for decorating gingerbread houses and sugar cookies). It dries solid, you won’t have to worry about your house falling apart, and it’s totally edible (and quite tasty).
- Totally edible (and YOU control the ingredients). Every bit of this house is completely edible, and it tastes quite good (better than a kit from the store (and with fewer preservatives)!). My kids quickly devoured the houses they decorated.
I’m including templates (in the recipe card) to make either 1 larger gingerbread house (which I demonstrate in the video) or two smaller houses (shown above). This recipe will make enough to do either one of these.
Also, all parts of this recipe can be prepped in advance, so it’s great for having a gingerbread house decorating party! Let’s get started!
What You Need
Here are the ingredients you need to make the gingerbread house(s) and the icing. Don’t forget candies and sprinkles for decorating too!
For the house
- Molasses. Molasses is a key ingredient in any gingerbread recipe. Stick with an unsulphured molasses like Grandma’s or Brer Rabbit brand. Do not use blackstrap molasses here!
- Butter. While vegetable shortening could be substituted, I wanted this recipe to be suitable for eating and butter is simply the better choice for that. If you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the salt that you add to ¼ teaspoon.
- Sugar. Light or dark brown sugar would be the best choice here. Use whichever you have on hand. Light brown sugar will yield a lighter-colored gingerbread house, while dark will give you a darker one with a richer flavor. You can’t go wrong either way, really.
- Flour. All-purpose flour is recommended. We use a lot of flour and it’s important that you add it gradually as the dough will become quite stiff. The dough should not be sticky when you go to roll it out (and it shouldn’t be if the directions are followed) but if for any reason yours is sticky/unmanageable, you can try adding a bit more flour.
- Spices. Including nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and ginger. These are warm and cozy spices that are perfect for winter baking!
For the Icing
- Meringue powder. This stabilizes our royal icing (without using egg whites), making it sturdy and firm. Do NOT skip it, or you will have a mess on your hands.
- Vanilla extract. I use regular vanilla extract in my icing, but if you want yours to be pure white, use clear vanilla instead. You can use either type in the gingerbread dough (or leave it out entirely if you don’t plan on eating your gingerbread house! Vanilla is expensive, no sense using it you aren’t going to be eating it).
- Food coloring. If you plan to color your icing (optional), consider using gel food coloring. It’s much more potent than liquid food coloring, which means you won’t need nearly as much.
SAM’S TIP: You might end up with a little excess dough if you roll your pieces thinner than I did. If so, use some Christmas cookie cutters to cut out some shapes for decorating the house (gingerbread men, trees, stars, etc.).
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make a Gingerbread House
Make the Dough
- Beat the butter, sugar, and molasses together with an electric mixer until combined, then stir in the egg, vanilla, spices, and salt. Don’t worry if the mixture separates a bit–this is totally normal!
- Add the flour gradually with the mixer on low speed. Keep mixing until the dough is smooth and cohesive. It will be stiff!
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and form into two discs. Roll one disc to ¼” thickness and set the other aside for now.
- Cut shapes out of the dough using the provided template. Use a knife or pizza cutter for clean edges.
Bake
- Transfer the cut pieces to a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing 2″ apart. Repeat with the other disc of dough.
- Bake at 375F (190C) for for 13-14 minutes (check at 11 minutes if you are making the mini houses) or until the edges are just slightly darker around the edges. Note that the chimney will cook faster and will need to be removed early. Let the gingerbread house pieces cool completely before assembling.
SAM’S TIP: The fewer cuts/re-rolls of the dough you do, the better. The dough needs to be smooth and cohesive, otherwise air pockets can work in and form bubbles in your pieces after baking. Bubbles are most likely to happen when regrouping the dough and rerolling it out, but if you do a good job forming the scraps back together, it’s less likely to happen.
Icing/Assembly
- Combine the sugar, meringue powder, and water in a stand mixer on low speed. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Color any icing as needed, then transfer to piping bags.
- Assemble the house by piping icing on the edges of your pieces and pressing together for several seconds until they hold. Do this until your house is fully assembled.
- Decorate with candies and icing, then let the house sit for several hours before moving so it can set up properly.
SAM’S TIP: I like to use a cake platter as the base for my house/houses. This allows me to use icing to cement the pieces down so they are even more stable. A plate or even a piece of cardboard would also work!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few things you can do to make sure your gingerbread house is nice and sturdy. First, roll your dough to the proper thickness (I recommend ¼” thick — too thin and the sides may not hold up to the weight of the roof. ). Next, make sure to wait until your gingerbread has cooled completely before attempting to assemble it. Using the proper icing (in this case, royal icing) will make a huge difference in how secure your gingerbread house is, since the icing is the glue that holds it together. And finally, securing your gingerbread house to a base (I recommend a cake plate) will help it stand tall for weeks.
Some people will also recommend you assemble your house and let it set before decorating. I’ve had success with decorating mine right away, but do what works best for you.
Yes, my gingerbread house recipe is anyway! It does not taste as good as my gingerbread men cookies, bit it’s still tasty and my kids will eagerly devour a whole house. Very eagerly.
You could, but I recommend using my gingerbread cookies instead. This gingerbread house recipe focuses on structure instead of flavor, and my gingerbread men recipe has a better flavor and a much softer, melt-in-your-mouth texture. If you made cookies out of this recipe, they would be tougher, less flavorful, and not as soft.
I can’t wait to see how your gingerbread houses look!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Gingerbread House Recipe
Ingredients
For house
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup (120 ml) unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
Royal icing
- 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar
- 2 ½ Tablespoons (27 g) meringue powder
- 6 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring optional
- Candies sprinkles, peppermints etc. for decorating (optional)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Before beginning, please select your gingerbread house template from the "Recommended Equipment" section above. Click the link and print the template you would like to use (you can make either 2 small houses or 1 large with this dough). Print and cut out the shapes. A heavier card stock paper works best/is easiest to use, but I've done this with regular printer paper, too.
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine butter, sugar, and molasses in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Beat until creamy and well combined.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, ½ cup (120 ml) unsulphured molasses
- Stir in egg, vanilla extract, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt and stir until well combined. Mixture may look piecey/separated, this is fine.1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add the flour to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until all ingredients are combined and dough is smooth and cohesive. Dough will be stiff.4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- Drop dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and divide into two discs. Working with one half at a time, use a rolling pin to roll to ¼” (.6cm) thickness.
- Use a pizza cutter, sharp knife, or any straight edge to cut shapes out of dough. Use a large spatula to carefully transfer pieces to prepared baking sheets, spacing pieces at least 2” (5cm) apart. If you have extra dough, cut out gingerbread men or trees for decorating!
- Bake in center rack of a 375F (190C) oven for 13-14 minutes (check at 11 minutes if making small houses). Pieces will be turning slightly darker around the edges when they are close to done. Note that house pieces will still be soft when warm, but will harden as they cool. Let cool completely before building your house. Chimney note: The chimney will cook much faster than the other house pieces, I bake mine on the same sheet as the other pieces but set a timer for 5-7 minutes and remove the chimney early, otherwise it will burn.
- Allow pieces to cool completely before assembling with royal icing.
For the icing
- In the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar, meringue powder, and water. Use whisk attachment to mix on low speed until combined.5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, 2 ½ Tablespoons (27 g) meringue powder, 6 Tablespoons water
- Once ingredients are combined, add vanilla extract and gradually increase mixer speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form (this will likely take 5 minutes or longer.) When icing is ready, it should look billowy and almost fluffy, not dense and pasty.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- If coloring icing, separate into smaller bowl and mix in color until evenly incorporated.Food coloring
Assembly
- Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip, or you can simply cut off the tip of the bag (you could also use a butter knife to spread along the edges). Assemble your house by lining the edges with icing and pressing two pieces together. Hold for several seconds until the pieces stay together. Repeat with each piece. It’s also helpful to have a base, like a cake platter, for the house, and to use the icing to cement the pieces to the base.
- Decorate with colored icing and various candies. Allow house to sit for several hours for house to be completely stable.Candies
Notes
Molasses
Use an unsulphured molasses (it should say this on the label). I generally use Brer Rabbit or Grandma’s brand. Do not use blackstrap molasses.Storing
Store your house at room temperature somewhere where everyone can see it! It will keep for several weeks, the gingerbread will get harder as it sits.Making in advance
Dough may be formed into a disc, tightly wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated for up to 5 days before rolling out and using. Dough will be firm, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or longer before you can easily roll it without it cracking. The house pieces may be baked a week or longer before using. The icing can be prepared and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Transfer it to an airtight container and smooth a piece of plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface of the icing before sealing your container. This icing will keep at least several days, but may need to be stirred again before using.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Matthew
Fantastic recipe!
This was my first time doing gingerbread houses and I am so glad to have found this one, already shared it with others who wanted the recipe 😛
The only alterations I did was double the spices and add a tsp of cayenne for some heat. I did have to use less flour than called for (got really dry after the 3rd cup) but they hold up amazingly and have a nice soft texture. Still more than sturdy enough that its standing after pickin’ at it for 2 days though.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! Lookin forward to doing these again next year~
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy we could be part of your new tradition, Matthew! Thanks for letting us know how it went for you 🩷
Rita Marie
Great recipe & perfect for my gingerbread houses. other recipes have the dough rising too much.I did have to add 2 Tbps water to my dough to make dough workable. It helped to dampen as I re-rolled the remaining dough pieces. SO glad I found this recipe. Thank you very much for this & cookie dough & icing. Yay!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rita! 🙂
Eliza
Worked great. I did have to add extra water to the icing because it was clumpy , dry and thick. But adding small amounts at a time it became the right consistency.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Eliza! 🙂
Michele F
This is our second year using this recipe for our family gingerbread house contest and it worked beautifully and tasted delicious! My only change (not to the recipe but to our own usage) is that next year I need to purchase frosting tips with bigger holes. The thick frosting (which made for sturdy houses!) was hard to squeeze out of the biggest tips that I own. Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Sam! We hope it will be a family tradition for years to come!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy our recipe has become a tradition for your family, Michele! Thanks for sharing 💕
Angela
This was a fun bake and build with my kids! I was a little anxious doing this all in one day but your tips, recipes and pictures did so much to assist in it all. The recipe was forgiving as I used more brown sugar instead of molasses. I only needed to add a few drops of water with the dough later. The icing kept the houses up although they were quite imperfect shapes. I’m so proud that we did not need a tasteless kit that stays in the fridge too long because no one wants to throw it away and no one wants to eat it. Haha! Thank you for bringing Christmas cheer to our home Sam! God bless you.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Angela! 🙂
Maria Braun
It was a great recipe, and not too hard to make.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Maria! 🙂
Janis
I wanted to use black strap molasses but you don’t recommend it. Does it change the structure of the pieces when baked? We are making gingerbread boxes to decorate and fill with candy.
Sam
Hi Janis! Black strap is much darker and more bitter than classic molasses so it will change the color and flavor of the gingerbread. If you don’t plan on eating it, it could still work, but it will likely be darker. 🙂
Catherine Gemberling
What is small? Like one inch by one inch. Small does not help at all. What are the dimensions of the “small” house. Just frustrating. I don’t waste time and ingredients. I need four houses for four kids. But what is small? This is your recipe and I assume you are familiar with the dimensions of “small”. Thank you.
Sam
Hi Catherine! There are templates available so no measuring needed. You may have scrolled right passed them in the “recommend equipment” section in between the ingredients and instructions. 🙂
Cathy
Thank you! 😊
Nata
Can I skip ground ginger or is it very important to the recipe?
Sam
Hi Nata! If you plan on eating any of it you will be missing the flavor but it won’t change the final texture. 🙂
Jenn
For expense-sake, could I replace the butter with vegetable shortening (I have a big tub of Crisco and these cookies will not get eaten)?
Sam
Hi Jenn! I haven’t tried using shortening so I can’t say for sure how it would work here. 🙁
Ashlea C Yerkes
How about margarine? again for expense purposes, we don’t eat out houses.
Sam
Margarine could work, but it may not set up as firmly. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Nataly
It works! Just be mindful that when you do, it’s even less hydration to this already very dry dough.
I add about 2tbsp water to my first batch to account for this and the called amount of flour. For my second batch, I stopped adding flour around the 400g mark because of how dry it was ,but that seemed to work fine (no water needed even when I used Crisco).
And for anyone else who struggles with the dough releasing after you cut it:
Get a piece of parchment the size of your sheet pan. Roll out and cut out the shapes on THAT instead of the actually table/counter. Just make sure to leave room between the shapes (about half an inch) to make sure everything bakes appropriately. I did two sheet trays for one mini house to make sure I didn’t frick it up lol. Also, FLOUR YOUR ROLLING PIN.
Ashlea Yerkes
Hi! I’m updating my comment from a couple weeks ago! I ended up trying with the margarine and they still came out great! I did it last year with butter and don’t see a significant difference. dough was a bit dry but I added a few tablespoons of water and they rolled and baked great!!!! perfect substitute if you don’t eat your houses! 😀 thank you Sam! Merry Christmas!
Ashlea C Yerkes
Hi Sam! i tried with the margarine for cost efficiency and it worked perfectly! i also had Blackstrap molasses that I had gotten for really cheap and since we don’t eat our houses it worked out great! thank you! Merry Christmas!
Sam
Thank you for the feedback! I’m glad it worked out! 🙂
Brittney Bowman
I’ve used other recipes before but this is by far the best. The Royal Icing is PERFECT. It’s not running and glues the house together so well.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Brittney! 🙂
Becca stein
Hi Sam,
I have never used meringue powder for a royal icing “cement.” I am looking to make kits for friends and family. Would your recipe be shelf stable or if I package the icing in piping bags, or do you think it should be refrigerated?
love your recipes!
Sam
Hi Becca! Thank you for trusting my recipes! The icing is able to be stored at room temperature. It will dry out if exposed to air though so to save it in a case like this I would typically place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface while it sits in the bowl.
Deb
I found this recipe perfect to make with my grandkids! Thank you for sharing!
Mariam Faisal
Hi,
what can I use instead of meringue powder and molasses?
Sam
Hi Mariam! Unfortunately I do not have a good substitute for those ingredients. 🙁
Kelly
Can you let me know why you prefer Grandmas over Blackstrap? Will it change the recipe?
Sam
Hi Kelly! Blackstrap is very different flavor profile. You need an unsulphured molasses. 🙂
Bethany
Arrowroot powder is a non-egg substitute I found. Or xanthan gum
Clea
This is an amazing recipe for a gingerbread house! The taste is awesome, and the pieces held up using a much larger template than what was provided (we wanted to go bigger). We doubled this recipe (x2.5), and found there was just enough scrap dough to finish (plus decorative cookies!).
We did notice that both times our dough was a bit dry, and that it rolled out much more consistently and with fewer cracks after adding two(ish) tablespoons of water at the end. Despite that small tweak, I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone interested in gingerbread houses, especially if you intend to eat them!
(Also, thank you thank you for the notes about molasses. We tried a different recipe using blackstrap molasses – they didn’t specify and we had no idea – without vanilla and much else in the way of spices. It was very disappointing! I was so happy to see that you had added this recipe to your site!)
Sam
Thank you so much for this comment, Clea! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe so much, thank you so much for commenting!
Natalie
I can only imagine how long it took to perfect this recipe and decorate 3 beautiful gingerbread houses without little fingers taking a sample! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe; I was hoping my favorite dessert blogger would have one in time for my family’s gingerbread house decorating day!
Sam
🤣 I had lots of help! I hope you enjoy doing this with your family. 🙂