26 DIY Gingerbread House Ideas

Gingerbread — whether it comes in the shape of cookies, people or homes — has been a longstanding holiday menu item for many families. Building a gingerbread house is a great activity for kids of all ages; even some of the youngest family members can do some of the simpler tasks. If you don’t have the time to make your gingerbread house from scratch, there are gingerbread house kits available in various sizes and themes. Pre-made kits can be customized and decorated any way you like, you don’t have to follow what’s on the box. Make it your own. If the taste of gingerbread isn’t your thing, we’ve got recipes that are cake-based so they can easily become part of your holiday dessert offerings. We've also got ideas for savory gingerbread houses that would be perfect for any holiday party.

First up: A cake-based, graham-cracker-covered A-frame house. This one is as tasty to eat as it is to look at. To make it easy, this home was constructed using two boxes of store-bought cake mix that were cut and shaped then covered in chocolate frosting and graham crackers. The roof is made of graham-cracker-flavored cereal and adorned with white-frosting icicles, candies and gumdrops. A little cotton candy stuffed into the chimney serves as a touch of smoke.

GET THE RECIPE: Gingerbread House Cake

A basic gingerbread kit was taken from boring to fabulous with an upgrade that's brimming with classic farmhouse style. Royal icing is the glue that holds the siding (white sticks of chewing gum) and the roof shingles (almond slices). Pretzel sticks make the perfect rustic-style door and window shutters. The roofline is accented with a rosemary twig and red cinnamon candies to give the home its holiday flair. Shredded coconut makes a snowy landscape and graham cracker crumbs create a welcoming walkway. The idyllic mailbox is made with a pretzel stick, rolled up piece of gum and a decorative piece of rosemary topped with confetti sprinkles.

This house is a chocolate lover's dream from top to bottom. You can start eating at the roof peak made of chocolate kisses, work your way down to the roof shingles made of chocolate curls, then the chocolate-chip trim. Finish up with the nonpareil windows and chocolate gummy penguins.

GET THE RECIPE: Chocolate Gingerbread House

Here’s a gorgeous way to get both a gingerbread house and a cake onto your holiday dessert table. To make this village cake, start by decorating house and tree cookies in various sizes — bake your own or buy them premade. Make a one- or two-layer cake with white frosting — any box mix will do. To adhere the cookies to the cake, fill a pastry bag with white buttercream frosting and make a T shape on the back of each cookie then gently press it onto the sides of the cake and on top. Alternate trees and houses and use mostly large cookies on the bottom layer and smaller cookies on the top. Pipe on some snow drifts and sprinkle with confectioners sugar to add some fresh snow.

Your friends and family are going to remember this showstopping centerpiece for years to come. The candy windows create a stunning stained-glass effect and add a pop of color, especially when lit from within by a battery-operated tealight or LED fairy lights.

GET THE RECIPE: Light-Up Gingerbread House

These holiday-themed cookies combine all of the fun and deliciousness of a gingerbread house without the assembly. Use a house-shaped cookie cutter to punch out your gingerbread dough, bake, and then decorate in any fun way you choose.

GET THE RECIPE: Gingerbread House Cookies

Take your grazing board in a new direction for your next holiday party by building a savory house made of meats, cheeses and fresh veggies. The home is framed in cheesy cracker dough and glued together with a mix of soft cheeses. Pretzel rods serve as the corner posts while the roof and eaves are adorned with savory nibbles. We are especially impressed by the fresh mozzarella snowman wearing a black-olive cap and the sled made simply by laying a slice of red pepper on top of two green beans.

GET THE RECIPE: How to Make a Charcuterie House

Here’s another option for a unique party platter that is sure to impress your guests. Breadstick siding, pretzel windows and a pepperoni roof are all held together with various types of cheese. The landscaping is also all edible. The pine trees are beef jerky and rosemary sprigs, the shrubs are button mushroom and thyme, and the welcoming walkway is comprised of dried chickpeas. And no charcuterie holiday house would be complete without a mozzarella snowman.

GET THE RECIPE: Cheese and Cracker Holiday House

Popcorn and pretzels meet caramel and candy in this salty-sweet house. You’ll probably recognize the popular frosted cereal on the roof and the fig sandwich cookies used for the shutters. Sweet jellybeans and a gumdrop make up the wreath above the door while a pair of gummy gingerbread people stand guard on either side of the door.

GET THE RECIPE: Salted Caramel Gingerbread House

Dare to be different this year and design a Victorian-style gingerbread house. Our free printable template will help you construct the angular frame, porch and eaves, and then you can fuse those pieces together with warm candy melts. Once the "mortar" has cooled, you can cover your gingerbread house in yellow icing and complete it with chocolate-fondant shingles.

There's snow place like a log cabin for the holidays. With thick pretzel rods, royal icing, chocolate fondant and powdered sugar, you can create this adorable gingerbread ski lodge, complete with snow-kissed timbers. Get the full ingredients list below, and learn how to make that festive wreath for the front of the house.

To make this delicious house on the hill, use special mini-house cookie cutters to make the tiny houses. Use store-bought or homemade cupcakes, just make sure they are frosted with delicious white icing. Assemble the cookie houses using royal icing. Once dry, set one finished house on top of each cupcake. Add a tiny pine tree with a sprig of rosemary placed next to the tree. Then add a little snow by dusting each cupcake with confectioners sugar.

If you’re looking for next-level gingerbread house inspiration, head to The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, in December. For more than 30 years, this landmark hotel has held one of the biggest gingerbread house competitions in the nation with over $40,000 in prizes awarded. The competition is broken down into four age groups from child to adult, so the all-edible designs range from quaint cottages to elaborate villages. Luckily, The Grove Park has shared its recipe for the gingerbread and royal icing, grab it below.

If the typical gingerbread house construction doesn’t appeal to you, take the easy way and use a cake mold to bake a spice cake house. You can still get that tasty gingerbread flavor and have all the fun decorating it with gumdrops, coconuts and gobs of sweet icing. Tip: If the house doesn't come out of the mold in one piece, you can repair it by using icing as the glue.

GET THE RECIPE: Gingerbread House Cake

Not every gingerbread house has to look like it belongs in the snowy north woods. Let this desert home be your muse to explore a variety of architectural styles when designing your holiday gingerbread home. Bonus points if you can re-create the wood-paneled station wagon parked in the driveway.

A garage is not something you usually see on a gingerbread house, but why not get realistic and include one on your edible creation? A peanut brittle driveway and walkway leading to the door are also a must when building your typical suburban gingerbread home.

This minty white house is caked in sugar and spice and everything nice, including jellybeans, peppermint gummies, hot cinnamon candies, marshmallows and 96 white chocolate wafers. It all looks so sweet, we almost forgot to mention how wonderful the gingerbread tastes, too.

GET THE RECIPE: Peppermint Gingerbread House

Evoke thoughts of a cozy Christmas by the sea by creating a Cape Cod-style gingerbread house. This sweet structure calls for blue food coloring, royal icing, chocolate fondant, sprinkles and a slight dusting of powdered sugar. Follow our step-by-step tutorial below and finish the design with a friendly marshmallow snowman.

Making a gingerbread house is often a family activity, so why not include the family on the house, literally. Along with the gumdrops and candy canes, add a gingerbread person to represent each member of the family. And don’t forget the gingerbread dog and cat, too.

The only thing better than a gingerbread house? Gingerbread house cake pops that are oh, so fun to eat. Make a whole batch by placing large marshmallows onto lollipop sticks, then build the bite-sized abodes around the marshmallows. Suffice it to say, these cheerful cake pops will be a huge hit at your annual holiday party.

It's Christmastime in the city! Capture the holiday magic with a block of gingerbread townhouses. Start by cutting your dough into five identical rectangles, then use a butter knife or spoon to carve out distinctive rooflines. From there, you can pipe on little windows, address numbers, mailboxes and more, then connect the pieces with our famous royal icing recipe, below.

Turn this season's gingerbread masterpiece into a chic centerpiece for your holiday table. Let the kids help decorate it with candies and printable party circles to give it even more style, then set it in coconut "snow" atop a cake stand.

Let the season's hottest drink be your muse and whip up a hot cocoa-inspired gingerbread house. Gather all of your favorite gourmet toppings (like mini marshmallows, candy canes, cinnamon sticks, chocolate cream-filled rolled wafers, etc.) and decorate the sides as usual. And if you need something to sip on while you work? Treat yourself to a batch of our rich slow-cooker hot chocolate.

Now here's a gingerbread house fit for sugar plum fairies. To make your own, start with a petite frame and pitched roof covered in chocolate squares, then pipe on dusty blue lines and dots for a magical aesthetic. Add royal icing to the eaves, too, so it looks like your fairy-tale cottage is dripping with icicles. And in lieu of powdered sugar "snow"? Sprinkle on some edible glitter.

If you really want to make an impression, then opt for a gingerbread village. The secret is to snag a two-tiered cake and a ready-to-decorate gingerbread house kit from the grocery store, then "build" your houses along the cake's edge. Pipe on thick snowdrifts to give the village even more dimension. Get more tips with our quick video, below.