A gingerbread house is much easier to build when the pieces actually fit together. This free printable gingerbread house template is drawn to exact size, so the walls line up, the roof covers the top with a little overhang, and the chimney sits flat on the slope.
The PDF has three pages of baking templates, a paper gingerbread house that kids can cut and glue (in color and as a coloring page), and a one-page building guide with a royal icing recipe.
What’s in the PDF
- Baking template: front and side wall
- Baking template: back and roof
- Chimney, door and fence pieces
- Paper gingerbread house to cut and glue, in color
- The same paper house as a coloring page
- Step-by-step building guide with royal icing recipe
Template pieces and sizes
Every template page has a 1-inch test square. Print at 100% (“Actual size”) and measure it before you cut any dough.
| Piece | Size | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| Front (with door) | 4.5 in wide, 3.5 in walls, 5.75 in to the peak | 1 |
| Back (with window) | same as the front | 1 |
| Side wall | 5.5 × 3.5 in | 2 |
| Roof | 6.5 × 3.75 in | 2 |
| Chimney A / B | 1 × 1.5 in / 1 × 0.5 in | 1 each |
| Chimney C (slanted) | 1 in wide, 1.5 to 0.5 in tall | 2 |
| Door | 1.25 × 2 in | 1 |
| Fence | 4 in long with pickets | 2 |
The finished house is about 4.5 inches wide, 6 inches long and 6 inches tall. That is big enough to decorate properly and small enough for one batch of dough.
The pages
Front and side wall
The front has a dashed door and a window you can cut out or leave solid. Use the side wall template twice. The side walls sit between the front and back, which is why they are a little shorter than the roof.
Back and roof
The roof panel is cut twice. Its top edge is marked “ridge edge”, so you know which side meets in the middle. The overhang leaves room for icing icicles along the eaves.
Chimney, door and fence
The two slanted chimney pieces match the 45-degree roof, so the chimney stands straight instead of tipping. The fence pieces make a little front yard on the cake board.
Paper gingerbread house
No oven required. Print it on card stock, cut around the outline, fold along the lines and glue the end tab. The roof is one piece that folds at the ridge. A blank version is included for kids who want to decorate their own.
How to build the house
- Roll and cut. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick directly on parchment. Lay the paper pieces on top and cut around them with a sharp knife. Chill for 15 minutes before baking.
- Trim while warm. Straight out of the oven, place the templates on the pieces again and trim any edges that spread. Let everything cool completely, ideally overnight.
- Build the walls. Pipe thick royal icing along the edges, press the front and one side wall together at a right angle and prop them with jars. Add the back and the second side wall.
- Let it set. Give the walls about an hour before you add the roof.
- Add the roof. Ice the top edges, press both roof panels on, and pipe a line along the ridge. Glue the chimney on last.
Royal icing recipe
This is the “glue” that holds everything together. Beat 3 tablespoons meringue powder, 4 cups (about 1 lb) powdered sugar and 5 to 6 tablespoons warm water for 7 to 10 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Keep the bowl covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t crust over.
Tips
- Use a construction dough. Recipes meant for building have less leavening, so the pieces don’t puff and change size.
- Print two copies. One gets greasy on the dough; keep the other clean for trimming after baking.
- Decorate the walls flat. Piping windows and doors before you assemble is much easier than on a standing house.
- Pick a sturdy base. A cutting board or a cake board covered in foil is easier to move than a plate.
More holiday crafts: the Christmas tree and ornament templates use the same cut-and-fold idea, and the Christmas coloring pages include a gingerbread man to color.
Questions
Can I make the gingerbread house bigger?
Yes. Print at the same percentage on every page, for example 125%, and all pieces still fit together. Remember to scale the dough thickness a little too, or the walls may lean.
Will the template work with graham crackers?
This one is sized for rolled dough. Graham cracker houses are built from whole crackers, so use the paper house or the pieces only as a guide for the roof angle.
Giving the paper house as a gift? Add one of these free printable Christmas cards and close the envelope with a Christmas sticker seal.
