My handy DIY gingerbread house glue is made from an easy royal icing recipe that will hold your house together all season long. With only 3 ingredients and no heat necessary, even the kiddos can help make this 'glue'. Best of all, you don't have to hold pieces together forever until they dry- it takes no time at all!
Once your icing is in the bag, you're ready to get to building your gingerbread house. Check out our Christmas guide for step-by-step instructions on getting the rest of your home prepared for Christmas day. Merry Christmas!
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Building homemade gingerbread houses is one of the best family activities for the holiday season. However, your gingerbread house is only as good as its glue.
This 'glue' recipe is for a quick and simple royal icing that will hold your house together until it's time to toss it. It's easy to make, fast-drying, and deliciously sweet!
🥘 Ingredients
This gingerbread house icing recipe is made without eggs or corn syrup. You only need 3 ingredients!
- Powdered Sugar - 1 pound of powdered sugar (roughly 3 ¾ cups).
- Meringue Powder - 3 tablespoons of meringue powder.
- Water - 4 tablespoons of water (use cold water, up to 6 tablespoons as needed to reach your desired consistency).
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Gingerbread House Glue
With just 3 steps, anyone can make this icing, it's all about getting the right consistency.
This will make about 4 cups of icing. It should be more than enough for any standard gingerbread house.
- Mix dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients in a glass mixing bowl (3 tablespoons of meringue powder and 1 pound of powdered sugar). I like to whisk these dry ingredients together before adding water.
- Add water. Mix in 2 tablespoons of cold water. Slowly add water as needed until it reaches a very thick consistency.
- Make a piping bag. Transfer the icing to a piping bag or Ziploc plastic storage bag and cut the corner off. Start with a small tip and open up more if needed.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can find meringue powder in any store that sells cake decorating supplies, including the party supply section at Walmart.
- Check the consistency of your frosting by dragging a knife through it. You want it to leave a clear path behind it. If it is too thick, add a small amount of water, mix, and test with your knife again. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, mix, and test with your knife until it reaches your desired consistency.
- To store: The icing can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If stored in a bowl, cover with cling film that rests on the icing surface to prevent it from forming a skin or drying out.
🎨 How To Color Gingerbread House Icing
Food coloring is all you need to make gingerbread house glue in your favorite colors! I prefer using gel food coloring, but any type will do.
- First, separate your icing into bowls - one bowl for every desired color.
- Add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl. Start with a couple of drops and stir. The color is highly concentrated, so a little goes a long way. For deeper colors, use more food coloring. Always stir after every few drops to ensure you don't overdo it.
- Get to decorating! Add your icing to a piping bag or Ziploc with the corner cut off and use it to glue walls together or decorate your gingerbread house!
I prefer using a rubber spatula and hand-mixing the color into the icing. You can use an electric hand mixer on low speed, but I always opt for fewer dirty dishes when I have the choice.
Try different piping tips to make fun shapes and patterns! Always wash your piping bag or use a new one for each color, or you risk the colors blending and turning brown.
🍭 Best Gingerbread House Candy Decorations
Once your house is standing, it is time for the fun part! Decorating your gingerbread house is where you get to let your creativity shine.
Technically, any candy can be used as decoration on your gingerbread house. But these candies are our favorite festive options (and we've included how to use them):
- Candy Canes - Mini candy canes are a versatile and tasty addition to any gingerbread house! The full canes can be used to make an adorable picket fence. You can also place your candy canes in a bag and crush them with a cup or rolling pin. The bits of candy cane can be sprinkled over 'snow', used as trim around the roof, or used to make an enticing walkway up to the front door!
- Candy Christmas Trees - They come in different sizes, making them perfect for yard decor or creating gardens. The smaller trees are perfect for decorating the inside of your gingerbread house if it has an open concept!
- Tootsie Rolls - Tootsie rolls make fabulous firewood or yule logs. They can also be used to build a chimney on the roof! If you want to get creative, try working with the colored tootsie rolls!
- Jelly Beans - You can use jelly beans in many ways! Red and green jelly beans make fun and festive Christmas lights around the roof of your gingerbread house.
- Neco Wafers - Break these wafer cookies in half and use them as walkway stones or roof shingles!
- Hard Candies (and Spice Drops) - Spice drops, peppermints, and other hard candies give your house that fun 'Candyland' feel. Use them however you like to add pops of color to your house!
- Chocolate Bars - Chocolate bars like Hershey's or Kit-Kats make perfect bricks or structural elements.
- Get Creative! Any sweet treats can be used to make your gingerbread house unique! Try playing with fruit strips, cookies, rock candy, and powdered sugar!
>>>See All Of My Tasty Recipes Here!<<<
❓ Recipe FAQs
Generally, frosting or icing is used to hold a gingerbread house together. It is important to use very thick piping icing so the walls of your house don't slide off! This royal icing is thick, spreadable, and dries quickly. It makes the perfect glue!
If you plan to eat your gingerbread house, you should do so within a month. If it is purely decoration, it will last much longer (up to a year)! However, I suggest picking an expiration date after Christmas and tossing it. Just like Christmas lights, there is no need to keep it up year-round.
For this recipe, the glue should work rather quickly. Hold the 2 pieces you want stuck together against each other for about 10 seconds. They should stay when released.
🎄 More Fun Christmas Recipes
- Traditional British Christmas Cake
- Gingerbread Eggnog Cocktail
- Christmas Gumdrop Cookies
- Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
- British Christmas Pudding
- Eggnog Creme Brulee
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📖 Recipe Card
Gingerbread House Glue Recipe (Easy Icing For Decorating)
Ingredients
- 1 lb powdered sugar (roughly 3 ¾ cups)
- 3 tablespoon meringue powder
- 4 tablespoon water (use cold water, up to 6 tablespoons as needed to reach your desired consistency)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients (1 lb powdered sugar and 3 tablespoon meringue powder) in a glass mixing bowl. I like to whisk these dry ingredients together before adding water.
- Mix in 2 tablespoons of the 4 tablespoon water. Slowly add water as needed until it reaches a very thick consistency.
- Transfer the icing to a piping bag or Ziploc plastic storage bag and cut the corner off. Start with a small tip and open up more if needed.
Notes
- You can find meringue powder in any store that sells cake decorating supplies including the party supply section at Wal-mart.
- Check the consistency of your frosting by dragging a knife through it. You want it to leave a clear path behind it. If it is too thick, add a small amount of water, mix, and test with your knife again. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, mix, and test with your knife until it reaches your desired consistency.
- To store: The icing can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. If storing in a bowl, cover with cling film that rests on the icing surface to prevent it from forming a skin or drying out.
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