The Best Gingerbread House Kits of 2021: Start Planning Your Holidays Now With Baking Kits and Pre-Made Sets
by Sabrina Rojas Weiss and Bethany Braun-Silva
Build traditional houses, trucks, and even a camper with the Christmas spirit. Plus, buy Lego and Play-Doh gingerbread kits for kids.
Whether you’re baking cookies or spicing up a latte, gingerbread goes hand in hand with the holiday season, and so do gingerbread houses. The demand for all things gingerbread goes up as Christmas approaches, and if you’ve got visions of a perfect little Hansel and Gretel home dancing in your head, you will be doing yourself a favor if you start prepping before all your building materials (or, um, ingredients) sell out. Whether you’re a Great British Baking Show wannabe or can barely make cookies from refrigerated dough, the time is now to start shopping for the gingerbread house kit that’s perfect for you and your family.
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Building a gingerbread house is a time-honored tradition and a great Christmas activity to keep kids busy indoors and create memories that will last a lifetime. You may remember building your own classic gingerbread house as a kid, and you can certainly find plenty of traditional ones online, but there are also many quirky gingerbread houses (and gingerbread trucks!) on the market now.
From full Christmas villages to movie- and game-themed kits, you’ll be tempted to buy more than one. But if you’re not keen on bringing a mound of sugar into your home, invest in a toy gingerbread house that can be set up year after year.
The 10 gingerbread house kits listed below come with almost everything you need to create your very own gingerbread. The only hard part? Stopping your kids from eating the icing and gumdrops.
- Best Gingerbread Kit for Serious Bakers: R&M International Gingerbread House 7-Piece Cookie Cutter and Baking Set
- Best Gingerbread Kit for Group Projects: Fox Run Christmas Village Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter Set
- Sturdiest Gingerbread Barn: Bee International Gingerbread Barn Yard Kit
- Best Space-Saving Gingerbread Decor: Wilton Build it Yourself Gingerbread Pickup Truck Decorating Kit
- Best Non-Edible: Lego Gingerbread House
- Best for Very Young Kids: Play-Doh Builder Gingerbread House Toy Building Kit
- Best for Older Kids: Ninjabread Gingerbread Cookie Kit
- Best Gingerbread Kit for Unrepentant Hipsters: Crafty Cooking Kits Holiday Camper Gingerbread Kit
- Best Gingerbread Cake Pan: Nordic Ware Gingerbread House Bundt Pan
- Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread House Kit: LillyBean by PastryBase Gluten-Free Gingerbread Tiny House Village Baking Kit
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
1 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Best Gingerbread Cookie Cutters for Serious Bakers
R&M International Gingerbread House 7-Piece Cookie Cutter and Baking Set
For some of you, when you think “gingerbread house kit” you are so not looking for someone to make gingerbread cookies for you. You want the full experience of making this masterpiece from scratch. This set contains only the cookie cutters for your construction, so you’ll have to buy ingredients and decoration tools separately (unless you already have those around the house). The kit does include recipes and instructions, which, there’s really no shame in using those, even if you’re a master baker.
2 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Best Gingerbread Cookie Cutters for Group Projects
Fox Run Christmas Village Gingerbread House Cookie Cutter Set
If you’ve got a bunch of family members or guests who want in on the gingerbread-house-building action, you may have an easier time working together on a village than on one big house. That leaves plenty of opportunities for everyone to decorate and make their mark. This gingerbread set includes 18 cookie cutters to make four different styles of houses, plus it has two icing cones and two piping bags.
3 of 10 Image Credits: Walmart
Sturdiest Gingerbread Barn
Bee International Gingerbread Barn Yard Kit
The premade cookie walls and roof of this gingerbread barnyard fit together with interlocking box joints, so you know it will remain standing, no matter what your construction experience. This kit comes with gumdrops, starlight mints, mini Jawbreakers, and farm animal cookies, as well as premixed icing.
4 of 10 Image Credits: Walmart
Best Space-Saving Gingerbread Decor
Wilton Build-It-Yourself Gingerbread Pickup Truck Decorating Kit
We’re not sure when vintage trucks like the one in this Wilton gingerbread kit became a symbol of Christmas, but that’s no matter. After putting together the premade cookies and decorating them with the included icing, fondant, and lightbulb candies, you’ll have a sweet and unique decoration that won’t take up your entire living room. The truck is 6.75 in. x 3 in x 2 in. and the tree is 3 in. long.
5 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Best Non-Edible
Lego Gingerbread House
This is such a cool gingerbread house yet there’s not an ounce of sugar in sight. While it’s on the pricier side, it is a reusable masterpiece that kids can build year after year.
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Best for Very Young Kids
Play-Doh Builder Gingerbread House Toy Building Kit
Before you enter the higher-stakes arena of real gingerbread houses—which, yeah, can result in tears from both kids and parents—why not start with a medium you can easily mash up to begin anew if someone messes up? If your Play-Doh construction crew does a good job, you can leave it standing all season long without worrying about little hands (or insects) nibbling at it.
7 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Best for Older Kids
Ninjabread Gingerbread Cookie Kit
If your kids are sick of building the same house year after year, surprise them with this funny Ninja gingerbread cookie kit. Included are four gingerbread ninjas, which you can decorate to your liking.
8 of 10 Image Credits: World Market
Best Gingerbread Kit for Unrepentant Hipsters
Crafty Cooking Kits Holiday Camper Gingerbread Kit
Whether you’ve actually have had great times vacationing in an RV or you just have nostalgia for someone else’s Airstream memories, this is the gingerbread house-on-wheels for you. Once the premade cookies are assembled, it’s a compact 7.5-inch x 3.5-inch x 4.50-inch delight for you to decorate with included candy, red food coloring, black icing pen, premixed icing, and paper cut-outs.
9 of 10 Image Credits: Target
Best Gingerbread Cake Pan
Nordic Ware Gingerbread House Bundt Pan
For those of you who are more interested in making something delicious (while still very pretty) than something that will stand up to a month of admiration, we suggest making a gingerbread cake in the shape of a house instead, using this bundt pan. Or make it in addition to the house? We like that option very much!
10 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread House Kit
LillyBean by PastryBase Gluten-Free Gingerbread Tiny House Village Baking Kit
When you have a gluten allergy or intolerance, you do not want to trust your baked goods to just anyone, and yet at-home gluten-free baking is tricky. This kit can put your mind at ease for the holiday season, as it includes a gluten-free gingerbread cookie mix (just add butter, water, and maple syrup), vegan royal icing mix, candy cane, colored sparkle sugar, sprinkle shapes, cookie cutters, parchment papers, and a piping bag. That’s enough to make five gingerbread tiny houses.
