25 Magical Gingerbread Houses to Feast Your Eyes On

There’s no better way to celebrate Christmas than constructing a gingerbread house. They are fun for adults and kids and make for an excellent project that the whole family can pitch in to create. The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in the early 1800s. The first gingerbread houses were the result of the well-known Grimm’s fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” in which the two children abandoned in the forest find an edible house made of bread with sugar decorations.

After this book was published, German bakers began baking ornamented fairy-tale houses of lebkuchen (gingerbread). These became popular during Christmas, a tradition that came to America with Pennsylvanian German immigrants. Today, you can find kits readily available to help you with a prefab build. These sweet, candy-jeweled houses have evolved into an art form for some who create amazingly detailed designs that deserve an audience. We decided to take a closer look at the world of these delicious houses to bring you some amazing examples. Here are 25 magical gingerbread houses that look as sweet as they taste.

Rainbow House

Look at this scrumptious mini gingerbread house that’s decorated with colorful candies. There’s so much detail for a bake so small that you could finish it in one bite.

Thatched Roof

A genius used frosted wheat cereal to create a thatched roof effect for their gingerbread home. This very simple build is punctuated by a very resourceful and smart use of decorating materials which include pretzels, candies, pecans, and licorice.

Victorian Beauty

You know you’ve hit the gingerbread major league when you start to find houses constructed with candy glass windows. The person who created this wonder has also installed Christmas lights inside for added warmth.

Greenhouse

A person who is very skilled with a piping bag should only attempt icing work this detailed. We find a greenhouse here that is breathtaking. There are even plants inside made of icing. What a dream!

Pagoda-Inspired

The person who constructed this showstopper wrote that they were inspired by an episode of Great British Bake Off. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing, go with it and create a bake that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before. It will clearly pay off.

Snowy Christmas

Let it snow! Here we find a very cute snow-covered scene with dripping icing icicles. The edible candy beads around the windows is a nice touch as they look like ornaments.

Pretty in Pastel

“The most difficult part about falling in love with an over-the-top gingerbread castle is that, at some point, somebody’s gotta eat it!” the person who shared this image wrote. It would almost feel criminal tearing this pastel piece of art apart.

Stately

It’s fine if you need to take a moment and catch your breath. This gingerbread structure is absolutely breathtaking. The icing and custom candy-work here are pure perfection.

Choo-Choo!

Here’s a novel idea, a gingerbread locomotive! Top marks for creativity by not only constructing a house but also tackling a mode of mass transit. Bravo!

Frozen Blue

Burrrrrr. This neat little house is decked out in blue fondant which gives the house a fluffy almost cloud-like texture. A cute little polar bear welcomes guests into this magical home.

Pink Cottage

Simplicity is bliss and this no-fuss pink gingerbread house is a pure dream. If you have time, go all out and construct a mansion, but if you want to just dip your toe in the water, a small cottage like this one is equally charming.

Candy Cane Classic

Bust out those red stripes because we’re taking a trip back to a classic look that consists of red and white candy canes. An excellent way to keep your gingerbread house looking tidy is to stick to a strict color scheme. See how composed this one looks?

Manor

Feeling peachy! This remarkable cookie house with orange windows looks warm and inviting. That cute little cat doesn’t hurt either.

Green with Envy

Like we said, thinking outside the box results in magnificent creations. Here, we find a green spring-themed house that has a slight ombre effect. We love how fresh this looks. Achieve this looks by purchasing stencils that will add so much texture to your house.

Norman Bates’ House?

What!? Someone recreated Norman Bates’ home from Psycho. If Halloween is your favorite holiday and you’re just playing along during Christmas, you could do no better than creating this cinematic home.

One Tall House

The person who created this imagined multiple floors inside the home and have iced accordingly. We love the inclusion of green all around the house that’s dusted in white to look like snow. This is like something you’d find inside a snow globe.

Chocolate Baby

Miniature gingerbread houses are a trend at the moment and we’d like to share this chocolate one with you. How delicious does this baby house look to you?

Carousel

Although this is not a house, we do love the idea of building other festive objects. This pink and blue carousel is pure joy and a brilliant idea.

Red Roof

Check out this red roofed Mediterranean-style home. The person who built it has used ground pistachios to create a mossy texture on the roof and foliage for the trees. We’d like to retire here, is that possible?

Little Wonder

This marvelous gingerbread house looks like a dollhouse with its many pink features. The extremely detailed icing work does a lot of the heavy lifting here. What a gem!

Haunted Gingerbread House

We did not set out to find creepy gingerbread houses but we did manage to stumble on a couple that really caught our eye. This haunted house is a masterclass in texture. The walls are covered with a crackled ingredient and the door is iced to look as if its the grain of wood. This is boo-tiful.

Colorful Jolly

Don’t be afraid of color! Using skittles, gumdrops, and other colorful candies will help you bring your gingerbread house to life. This is exactly how we imagine Santa’s workshop.

Candy House

See? Using little candies all over is also a smart move and helps bring a basic gingerbread so much visual interest. These little candies look like bricks and shingles and we love the effect.

A Massive Tower

We’re not entirely sure what sort of structure this is supposed to be. Is that a steeple? Does it matter? This person has decorated this “house” to the nines with no detail spared. We imagine constructing that tall tower felt similar to play Jenga.

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A Wonder

Can you imagine planning and cutting all of these pieces ahead of baking? What sort of blueprint could prepare a person for this herculean task? We must admit this one of the most amazing builds we’ve ever seen and one of our favorites on this list.

Are you feeling the Christmas spirit? Do you have a craving for ginger now? We hope you enjoyed these houses and feel inspired to make your own this year. It’s the perfect way to pass the time and nibble on some sweets.