Gluten free gingerbread houses are fun and delicious to make with family. And gingerbread houses aren’t just for Christmas anymore!
Making homemade gluten free gingerbread houses is so fun!! Whether for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day or a random weekend, grab your favorite gluten free candies and gfJules Gluten Free Graham Cracker/Gingerbread Mix and go!
It doesn’t even have to be a holiday to build a gluten free gingerbread house. It’s just whenever the house-building spirit moves you!
Especially on those cold, stuck inside January and February snow days) … “building” a gluten free gingerbread house is one of the most fun family activities you can enjoy in the kitchen!
I used gluten-free Peeps, M&M’s, Dum Dums, Unreal Dark Chocolate & Coconut Bars, Enjoy Life Chocolate Bars, Sweets Indeed Googly Eyes, and Wilton Royal Icing Ghosts & Cats. (Note: these Wilton candies are made on equipment that also processes wheat, but because we’re not eating these, I used them to decorate — whether you use these is up to you.)
For the gluten free candies I used in this Gluten Free Halloween Gingerbread House and more gluten free Halloween candy decorating ideas, hop to my Gluten Free Halloween Candy List!
Mini Gingerbread House made with mini-cutters – click to shop!
Because remember, gingerbread houses can be any shape or size!!
One bag of mix or one recipe will make enough dough for one LARGE house with plenty of dough left over to make trees, gingerbread people or gingersnaps, or a mini gingerbread house VILLAGE — all gluten free, all vegan and allergen-friendly!
(Note: This recipe + lots more fun gluten free winter baking recipes can be found in my gfJules Holiday Baking e-book!)
The easiest way to make this deliciously edible gluten free and vegan, nut-free, allergen-friendly gingerbread house is to use my gfJules Gluten Free Graham Cracker/Gingerbread Mix, but I’ve also provided you with a from-scratch recipe in the recipe card below.
Either way — the mix or the recipe — you’ll have more than enough dough to make a house and lots of gingerbread people or other decorations, so plan accordingly, or freeze the dough for more cookies (or s’mores!) later!
To make the template for the gluten free gingerbread house, grab a sheet of 8×10 paper and measure out the dimensions below, cut the templates out, and lay them on top of the rolled out gluten free dough.
Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter Set – click to shop!
Using either the template or the cutter set, it’s handy to cut a piece of parchment to fit inside the two roof pieces and “glue” this paper to the underside of the roof to hold the pieces together and keep them from sliding down the house! See my video for more on how this works, but it’s an easy little fix for any gingerbread builder!
See the notes section of my recipe card below for more information and ideas for gluten free candies and decorations, even dye-free, sugar-free, vegan and more.
I also have a vegan meringue powder source for you, if you’d like to make Royal Icing to “glue” this edible architecture together and keep it vegan!
Announcing the winners of the 2021 #gfJulesHolidayContest Giveaway!
The top 3 winners in this year’s Gluten Free Gingerbread House competition on the blog, Instagram and Facebook: Chrissy Murray “GF Holiday in the Sun”; Ashley Housley #veryhousleychristmas; Ellin Smith “Rooftop Reindeer” House.
And to recap: gluten free gingerbread houses aren’t just for Christmas … they’re fun anytime you find yourself inside looking for a fun family activity.
Here’s one of our Valentine’s Day Gluten Free Gingerbread Houses for more inspiration!
Making gingerbread houses at the holidays is a treasured memory for many of us; don't let celiac or food allergies get in the way! This adorable Gluten Free Gingerbread House recipe and how-to will get everyone in the kitchen to have fun making more yummy memories!
Beat together the first four ingredients listed above in one large bowl, and mix all of the remaining dry ingredients in another bowl. Slowly stir the dry mixture into the first bowl, adding water if and as necessary to create a consistency such that you could make a ball with the dough and it is no longer crumbly.
Cover and refrigerate dough until cold if very sticky.
Preheat oven to 325º F for static ovens, 300º F for convection.
If using template, use three 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper and measure out shapes as pictured, according to inches noted. Cut around the shapes so you have one for the sides; one for the front/back; one for the roof. Lay onto rolled dough and cut out two roof pieces; two front/back pieces; two sides. (Otherwise, simply use cutters to cut out large house pieces or many mini gingerbread houses.)
Roll one half of the cold dough onto a surface liberally dusted with gfJules All Purpose Flour. The dough should make a large 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Do not roll the dough too thin, or the sides of the house might break.
Lay templates over the dough and cut with a pizza cutter or butter knife. Repeat with remaining dough until two roofs, two front/back sides, and two sides are cut.
Use remaining dough to cut trees, gingerbread people or other designs. Place cut pieces onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake in preheated oven for 19 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned, but not getting hard. (For mini gingerbread houses, bake for only 15 minutes and check the house pieces for done-ness so they do not burn.)
Remove to fully cool on wire racks.
Make 1 recipe of White Frosting or Royal Icing (whip 1 2/3 sifted confectioner's sugar together with 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar and 1 egg white or vegan meringue powder*) to “glue” the house pieces together and to a base, and to adhere any candies or **edible decorations to the house.
Notes
TEMPLATE NOTES: Use three 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper and measure out shapes as pictured, according to inches noted. Cut around the shapes so you have one for the sides; one each for the front/back; one for each side of the roof. Lay onto rolled dough and cut out two roof pieces; two front/back pieces; two sides. Use extra dough for chimney pieces, gingerbread men, other decorations or extra cookies.
Also see visual above regarding cutting a piece of parchment to "glue" to the underside of the two roof pieces to keep them from sliding down the gingerbread house!
I have Celiac Sprue, and have missed out on Gingerbread houses for many years. Gluten-free dough is always crumbly and never holds, but your Gingerbread Mix is PERFECT! It’s absolutely delicious and holds up in a house! Thank you for making my holidays this year!!
Oh Jennifer, I’m SO happy to see that gingerbread houses are back for you, as well!!! Your open door is absolutely precious, and symbolic, I might add — so many more gluten free baking opportunities await! I’m just glad you gave my mix and this project a try and didn’t give up. Wishing and yours a blessed and delicious holiday!
~jules
My son loved decorating his winter wonderland. Thank goodness the mix makes a lot of dough to enable us to make some cookies because we couldn’t stop eating them! They are absolutely deliciously just like everything else we have bought. Thank you Jules for the amazing products.
What an adorable little gluten free gingerbread house / homestead you’ve built there, Nicole!!! And yes, the mix does make much more than one house which is so great for munching!! We made a house last night but are still making more men/women and trees and such for decorating and nibbling. We might be making our house for days at this rate!!! LOL! I love all the “snow” icing. You can tell there was a lot of fun had in making this edible craft. Thanks so much for sharing!
~jules
The house is half eaten already! It smells so good every time you walk past and everyone in our house takes some pieces throughout the day. If anyone is on the fence about buying this product because only one person is gluten free in your household, go for it because my son is the only one who has to eat gluten free/dairy free but all of us love it and can’t stop eating it. I am glad I froze some of the dough so we can make gingerbread men next weekend.
Thank you so much for the recipe & instructions. I’m not a novice cook but am a novice gingerbread house builder. How much meringue powder would be needed for the icing?
Hi Lisa, with the VOR vegan meringue powder, their Royal Icing recipe calls for 3 Tbs. meringue powder + 4 cups powdered sugar + 5 Tbs. warm water. Depending on how much “glueing” and decorating WITH the royal icing you wanted to do though, you may need more than one recipe of royal icing. I would think one recipe would hold the house together, but as you can see from my photos, I like to use icing for snow and other decorations too, so it’s really up to you on how much you want to use as extras. I hope that helps!
~jules
As a follow-up to this response, I can now say that ONE recipe of vegan meringue should be plenty for the gingerbread house, having made it and made a house and had plenty of icing left over! It worked great, btw!
~jules
I’m so excited for you and he to make this gluten free gingerbread house project together! I’ve made these as classes with kids of all ages and they really have such fun when they’re free to play with all the pieces because there’s no fear of allergic reactions. It’s a liberating experience for mom and child. I hope you make lots of delicious memories together! (and be sure to share your pictures with us!!!)
~jules
Every year my troop of Girl scouts who are now 11th graders (Ambassadors) have been making gingerbread house as a troop meeting. It is a time the girls have fun seeing who’s house will collapse first under the enormous pressure of the candies they place on them. This year we will be doing this remotely on zoom. I will be making the houses and giving each girl a house ready to assemble. It should be fun. I will post pictures of their creations here.
What a fantastic idea, Rena! I love that you’re making the houses for them to make together on zoom, and so hilarious that they overload the roofs with candy (not surprising, though!). I can’t wait to see the photos of the fun!!!!
~jules
SO disappointed!!!! “From scratch” should mean just that – using ingredients one can buy in bulk NOT a prepackage mix as used in this “from scratch” recipe!!! MANY of us who are gluten free CANNOT afford these expensive, store-bought mixes & use ingredients we’ve bought in bulk for financial reasons!! I was hoping this particular recipe would be a truly “from scratch” recipe but alas, I’ll have to keep searching
Hi there, good texture but flavors needed much more ginger spice to my mind. I made giant gingerbread men for a tree, it made 7 men, baked for 20 minutes, and 12 little guys for 15 minutes. I did not have rice flour so substituted sweet sorghum there and used buckwheat for the added flour. Adorable. Made them super crisp to hold up on the tree, but about 1/4 or more inch thick. Thanks Jules. Anne
So excited to try this. Making a Gingerbread has been a family tradition since my children were toddlers. Now in their 20’s, one has Coeliac Disease so we now need a GF option. Simply wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
It wouldn’t be Christmas if we didn’t make a gingerbread house. Using your gingerbread mix, it is so easy! It is a tradition my family has had since I was a teenager.
That’s what I love to hear, Amanda! Bringing back and KEEPING traditions is so important when we go gluten free. So happy making a gluten free gingerbread house is one that you are still enjoying!!!
~jules
Thank you so much! I just made this for gingerbread men with my 5 year old this morning. Turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to try a house next year. I used coconut sugar, coconut oil, and date molasses, bumped the all purpose flour 1/2 a cup and used a cup of quinoa flour since I didn’t have either of the rice flours and wasn’t about to go to the store today.
I recently bought this, but haven’t made it yet. I also bought some silicone gingerbread house molds – for baking the walls/roof/snowman/ reindeer etc…
Are any modifications needed for baking in a silicone mold?
Hi Cathy- there shouldn’t be any modifications needed except that sometimes cookies don’t get crispy in silicone, so make sure to bake them long enough to crisp up for structure for the house. Have fun!
~jules
I was dreading making one so bad but Jules directions were so simple for the recipe! I did get a bit confused about the cutting a little and I read it several times. I would suggest writing the number of how many of each piece cut, just above the pictures. And also rub oil on your hands as it did dry out quickly but it’s probably my using coconut oil and a bit less than the shortening recommended. The texture and taste was amazing! I don’t use shortening because I have to watch fats and haven’t purchased molasses in years so coconut oil and maple syrup are usually my substitutes for these items. The color wasn’t as dark but the taste is wonderful! !!! We couldn’t stop eating the scrap pieces!
Thanks so much for sharing your modifications of coconut oil and maple syrup, Dora. And your ideao of writing the numbers on the pieces is so smart! I’m happy you dove in and made the house even though it seemed daunting. Your house was beautiful from the pictures I saw on Facebook – maybe this will be a new family tradition for you!!!
Happy holidays!
~jules
I spent the afternoon (yesterday and today!) with my daughter decorating GF cookies. It’s the stuff memories are made of. Glad you share this passion with your daughter too, Sharon! ~jules
The easiest way to make this deliciously edible gluten free and vegan, nut-free, allergen-friendly gingerbread house is to use my gfJules Gluten Free Graham Cracker/Gingerbread Mix, but I’ve also provided you with a from-scratch recipe in the recipe card below.
I have Celiac Sprue, and have missed out on Gingerbread houses for many years. Gluten-free dough is always crumbly and never holds, but your Gingerbread Mix is PERFECT! It’s absolutely delicious and holds up in a house! Thank you for making my holidays this year!!
Oh Jennifer, I’m SO happy to see that gingerbread houses are back for you, as well!!! Your open door is absolutely precious, and symbolic, I might add — so many more gluten free baking opportunities await! I’m just glad you gave my mix and this project a try and didn’t give up. Wishing and yours a blessed and delicious holiday!
~jules
My son loved decorating his winter wonderland. Thank goodness the mix makes a lot of dough to enable us to make some cookies because we couldn’t stop eating them! They are absolutely deliciously just like everything else we have bought. Thank you Jules for the amazing products.
What an adorable little gluten free gingerbread house / homestead you’ve built there, Nicole!!! And yes, the mix does make much more than one house which is so great for munching!! We made a house last night but are still making more men/women and trees and such for decorating and nibbling. We might be making our house for days at this rate!!! LOL! I love all the “snow” icing. You can tell there was a lot of fun had in making this edible craft. Thanks so much for sharing!
~jules
The house is half eaten already! It smells so good every time you walk past and everyone in our house takes some pieces throughout the day. If anyone is on the fence about buying this product because only one person is gluten free in your household, go for it because my son is the only one who has to eat gluten free/dairy free but all of us love it and can’t stop eating it. I am glad I froze some of the dough so we can make gingerbread men next weekend.
This looks like a great gingerbread house! i can’t wait to try it
Oh I hope you do, Karen! It’s such a fun activity!!!
~jules
Thank you so much for the recipe & instructions. I’m not a novice cook but am a novice gingerbread house builder. How much meringue powder would be needed for the icing?
Hi Lisa, with the VOR vegan meringue powder, their Royal Icing recipe calls for 3 Tbs. meringue powder + 4 cups powdered sugar + 5 Tbs. warm water. Depending on how much “glueing” and decorating WITH the royal icing you wanted to do though, you may need more than one recipe of royal icing. I would think one recipe would hold the house together, but as you can see from my photos, I like to use icing for snow and other decorations too, so it’s really up to you on how much you want to use as extras. I hope that helps!
~jules
As a follow-up to this response, I can now say that ONE recipe of vegan meringue should be plenty for the gingerbread house, having made it and made a house and had plenty of icing left over! It worked great, btw!
~jules
I’ve always wanted to make a gingerbread house with my little one but he has a sever wheat allergy. Happy to try out this recipe.
I’m so excited for you and he to make this gluten free gingerbread house project together! I’ve made these as classes with kids of all ages and they really have such fun when they’re free to play with all the pieces because there’s no fear of allergic reactions. It’s a liberating experience for mom and child. I hope you make lots of delicious memories together! (and be sure to share your pictures with us!!!)
~jules
Every year my troop of Girl scouts who are now 11th graders (Ambassadors) have been making gingerbread house as a troop meeting. It is a time the girls have fun seeing who’s house will collapse first under the enormous pressure of the candies they place on them. This year we will be doing this remotely on zoom. I will be making the houses and giving each girl a house ready to assemble. It should be fun. I will post pictures of their creations here.
What a fantastic idea, Rena! I love that you’re making the houses for them to make together on zoom, and so hilarious that they overload the roofs with candy (not surprising, though!). I can’t wait to see the photos of the fun!!!!
~jules
I love gingerbread
Well, I know you’ll love this recipe and this activity, then, Thomas!!
~jules
SO disappointed!!!! “From scratch” should mean just that – using ingredients one can buy in bulk NOT a prepackage mix as used in this “from scratch” recipe!!! MANY of us who are gluten free CANNOT afford these expensive, store-bought mixes & use ingredients we’ve bought in bulk for financial reasons!! I was hoping this particular recipe would be a truly “from scratch” recipe but alas, I’ll have to keep searching
There’s a recipe for both!! Look closer.
There’s a recipe included, sheesh!
Hi there, good texture but flavors needed much more ginger spice to my mind. I made giant gingerbread men for a tree, it made 7 men, baked for 20 minutes, and 12 little guys for 15 minutes. I did not have rice flour so substituted sweet sorghum there and used buckwheat for the added flour. Adorable. Made them super crisp to hold up on the tree, but about 1/4 or more inch thick. Thanks Jules. Anne
I’m always game for MORE SPICE! Glad you were able to make it work anyway. Here’s to gingerbread season!
~jules
So excited to try this. Making a Gingerbread has been a family tradition since my children were toddlers. Now in their 20’s, one has Coeliac Disease so we now need a GF option. Simply wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
It’s such a wonderful tradition, Jane! SO happy your family will be enjoying it together again this year, gluten free!
~jules
It wouldn’t be Christmas if we didn’t make a gingerbread house. Using your gingerbread mix, it is so easy! It is a tradition my family has had since I was a teenager.
That’s what I love to hear, Amanda! Bringing back and KEEPING traditions is so important when we go gluten free. So happy making a gluten free gingerbread house is one that you are still enjoying!!!
~jules
Thank you so much! I just made this for gingerbread men with my 5 year old this morning. Turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to try a house next year. I used coconut sugar, coconut oil, and date molasses, bumped the all purpose flour 1/2 a cup and used a cup of quinoa flour since I didn’t have either of the rice flours and wasn’t about to go to the store today.
So happy you made a great memory today, Melissa! Merry Christmas!
~jules
I recently bought this, but haven’t made it yet. I also bought some silicone gingerbread house molds – for baking the walls/roof/snowman/ reindeer etc…
Are any modifications needed for baking in a silicone mold?
Hi Cathy- there shouldn’t be any modifications needed except that sometimes cookies don’t get crispy in silicone, so make sure to bake them long enough to crisp up for structure for the house. Have fun!
~jules
I was dreading making one so bad but Jules directions were so simple for the recipe! I did get a bit confused about the cutting a little and I read it several times. I would suggest writing the number of how many of each piece cut, just above the pictures. And also rub oil on your hands as it did dry out quickly but it’s probably my using coconut oil and a bit less than the shortening recommended. The texture and taste was amazing! I don’t use shortening because I have to watch fats and haven’t purchased molasses in years so coconut oil and maple syrup are usually my substitutes for these items. The color wasn’t as dark but the taste is wonderful! !!! We couldn’t stop eating the scrap pieces!
Thanks so much for sharing your modifications of coconut oil and maple syrup, Dora. And your ideao of writing the numbers on the pieces is so smart! I’m happy you dove in and made the house even though it seemed daunting. Your house was beautiful from the pictures I saw on Facebook – maybe this will be a new family tradition for you!!!
Happy holidays!
~jules
Aw, this brings back wonderful childhood memories. I haven’t tried to make a gingerbread house since going gluten-free. Gonna have to try this!
Thanks so much for sharing this at Savoring Saturdays, Jules! I’m going to feature it at this weekend’s party. 🙂 Hope to see you there.
Wonderful, Raia! I hope you and your family do try making a GF gingerbread house. We’ve made 2 already this season and it’s such fun!
~jules
So fun! I haven’t made a gingerbread house from scratch since I was a kid. Thanks for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays linky party!
OOOh Emily, sounds like you have something new for your holiday list this year!!! Let me know if you make one!
~jules
Definitely need to make this with my daughter – she’s two and she’s SO into decorating cookies!
I spent the afternoon (yesterday and today!) with my daughter decorating GF cookies. It’s the stuff memories are made of. Glad you share this passion with your daughter too, Sharon!
~jules