Looking to create your very own unique gingerbread house? Try out some of our festive design ideas to get you in the holiday spirit. Gingerbread isn’t just a sweet dessert—it can be a work of art! Celebrate the holidays with these DIY gingerbread craft ideas to try at home with your family.
From classic houses to checkerboard patterns and lodge-inspired cabins, you’ll find a design idea to suit your style.
Gingerbread House Barn
Decorate the gingerbread roof with almond slices to create the idea of roof shingles. Use additional animal-shaped candies to fill the barnyard and create a signpost from large pretzel rods. Attach your ‘barn’ sign with loops of red string licorice.
For the barn door, draw on a frame and crosshatches with royal icing. Once dried decorate with a red string licorice bow. Attach mini pretzel sticks with royal icing to create crosshatches for your barn windows, and decorate with rosemary sprigs and red mini-M&Ms.
To create a fence to keep the animals in, use cinnamon sticks and mini pretzel sticks, and attach this to the perimeter of your base with royal icing. Use red or green icing to decorate your roof with lights. Once you’re all done, give the barn a dusting of powdered sugar to give the appearance of snow.
Great Wolf Lodge Gingerbread House
Decorate your gingerbread house to look like the Lodge! Using royal icing, create a wreath at the front door by creating a circle. Add festive sprinkles and mini-M&Ms to make it look full and festive. Use M&Ms to decorate the walkway to the lodge, and for the doorknob. You can use mini candy canes to decorate the perimeter.
Add your favorite characters—like Wiley—using your imagination. Sketch out your furry friend with royal icing or decorate cookies that look just like him! You can find creative ways to add your favorite Great Wolf Lodge merchandise to decorate your festive scene. Lastly, use powdered sugar to create the appearance of snow.
Rainbow Sprinkle Gingerbread House
This design idea will look exactly how it sounds—colorful! This is best done before your house is assembled. Spread royal icing all over the outside of your gingerbread house to act as adhesive for the sprinkles. Once that’s done, you can begin the (messy) fun! Carefully pour the sprinkles onto your gingerbread piece to make sure the outside of the house is completely covered in sprinkles. This might take a few attempts as you fill in all the white space.
After this is done, you can begin assembling your gingerbread house as normal. Use white royal icing to decorate the roof, door, and windows. This will really pop against the colorful background!
Haunted Halloween Gingerbread House
If you love spooky season, you can create a Halloween-themed gingerbread house! Use dark purple or black food coloring to dye your royal icing to the color of choice. Decorate your roof with peaks and spooky designs to create a haunted appearance. You can add windows and a spooky door to the outside of your house. Along the perimeter of your gingerbread house, add spiders, creepy trees and more. You can use melted marshmallows to create the appearance of spiderwebs, too!
Unique gingerbread house designs are a fun way to add laughter to your home this holiday season. Use your imagination while designing your gingerbread house and share your ideas with others. For more indoor fun this winter, check out our DIY winter bingo game.
