Now that it’s 2022, there’s absolutely no excuse to have rickety houses made of unsteady graham crackers or crooked, leaning ones because the frosting wasn’t strong enough to adhere to each wall. Not anymore! We have far too much gingerbread-related information now—thanks to the internet and really, TikTok specifically. Come the holiday season, TikTok is the go-to source of gingerbread house-making tips, tricks, and hacks, putting those days of #GingerbreadFails from the early 2010s way, way in the past. And over on TikTok, the gingerbread houses are getting taller, crazier, wackier and more creative than ever before. We’ve got mansions, we’ve got stained glass windows, we’ve got multiple floors, even! But before we get into some of the most creative gingerbread houses on TikTok, let’s first dive into the secret of gingerbread house-making. After all, this TikToker—@tastyentertaining—went viral for sharing her ultimate gingerbread house hack. If you’re having trouble keeping your walls and roof stuck together using Royal Icing, just pull a page out of this TikToker’s book: Burn a little white sugar in a pot and use it to adhere each gingerbread piece!

Best Gingerbread House Ideas

Now that you’ve got the secret Christmas sauce for ensuring your gingerbread house never falls apart again, it’s time to upgrade your gingerbread game even more. Need some inspiration before you get going? Keep scrolling for 20 of the most creative gingerbread houses on TikTok! 

  1. The Holiday Cottage This woman had her ultimate “viral on TikTok” moment when she successfully recreated Kate Winslet’s adorable little UK cottage from the Christmastime classic The Holiday. Complete with sugared snow on the roof and a teensy little sign that reads “Rosehill Cottage,” this gingerbread house replica took over 50 unique pieces to make and about a week to plan and put together!
  2. Micro Gingerbread House If you don’t want to scale up, it’s always good to scale down, too! After all, people love mini things, especially mini gingerbread houses. Heads up, though: You might want to use a tweezer to get some of the candies on there. Fingers are just too big sometimes!
  3. Lorelai’s Dollhouse from Gilmore Girls Gingerbread House Here’s another jaw-dropping replica gingerbread house. Fans of Gilmore Girls will recognize this house’s inspiration as Lorelai’s dollhouse.
  4. Gingerbread House with Sugar Windows Here’s a simple trick to upping your gingerbread house this year: Sugar the windows! Apparently, it’s this technique in which you mix sugar and water in a pan until it reaches 300 degrees F. Pour it into the open spots that indicate the house’s windows for a refined, upscale look instead of blank and open windows.
  5. Advent Calendar Gingerbread Village Why make just one gingerbread house when you could make an entire advent village of them?! (Real answer: Because it’s a lot of work!) But if you’re willing to look past all that dough-baking for the ultimate payoff, then @TastyEntertaining is back at it again with the 24 little gingerbread houses (each with a chocolate treat inside!) she made for her grandson.
  6. Rainbow Gingerbread House Here’s an easy tip we can’t believe we never thought of before: Simply decorate each piece of the gingerbread house before adhering the whole thing together. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Slaps forehead for all the decades of improper gingerbread house-decorating lost.
  7. Nickelodeon Gingerbread Houses Who lives in a gingerbread pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Gingerbread Pants!
  8. Tiny Gingerbread House The good news is, a tiny gingerbread house is more likely to stay together and not fall over. After all, it’s much less weight to uphold!
  9. Penguin’s Gingerbread House Oasis From ice-fishing penguins to two floating treehouses, this penguin’s oasis gingerbread house is definitely something to look at!
  10. Gingerbread House with Stained Glass Windows Now that you’ve mastered the art of sugared windows, try stained glass windows by carefully melting multi-colored Jolly Ranchers in the windows of your gingerbread house.
  11. The Ultimate Gingerbread Competition We can’t get over these masterpieces.
  12. The Royal Palace of Norway Gingerbread House Wow. Just… wow.
  13. Stonefront Shop Gingerbread House Transform your gingerbread houses into a New England village with rock candies that give any gingerbread house exterior a bit more authenticity (and a lot more creativity!).
  14. Gingerbread Castle Gingerbread castle > gingerbread house. It’s simple math.
  15. Gingerbread House Lantern OK, so it’s not technically a gingerbread house, but this is pretty dang cool, right? Using similar gingerbread house-making technology, this TikToker created an edible lantern with sugared windows that lights up at night. Now, that’s our kind of night light.
  16. Lattice Gingerbread Mansion This is like, if one of the Kardashians’ mansions was made into a gingerbread house. Right?!
  17. Giant Gingerbread House from the Disney Grand Californian Hotel Made by professionals, this massive gingerbread house can be seen at the Grand Californian Hotel at Disney Land! Try our Funny Reindeer Jokes and Best Santa Jokes
  18. Lattice Gingerbread House with Sugar Windows Um… Can we live inside this gorgeously frosted gingerbread house?
  19. Gingerbread Architecture We love the passion and attention to every detail.
  20. OK, Boomer! Gingerbread Cookies If gingerbread houses aren’t your thing and you want to get all the more Gen Z. on it, try this hilarious trend of baking gingerbread cookies into the shape of American Sign Language letters that ultimately spells out, “OK, Boomer.” Good on gingerbread? Try these trending holiday baking recipes from TikTok next!