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Looking for the best gingerbread house kit? We put 6 to the test
M&M's, Wilton, Trader Joe's and other brands sell these fun treats — but we'd take only two home for the holidays!
Did you know that Dec. 12 is National Gingerbread House Day? Well, it is, and we're excited to share our take on the best gingerbread house kit for 2024. One of the most fun activities (and treats) of the holiday season is building (and eating) a gingerbread house. But with so many kits on the market, it can be a bit overwhelming to decide which one to buy and build. We asked Yahoo shopping editors and friends with kids to help us test some of the most popular kits.
Thanks to these kits, you're under no obligation to bake your own gingerbread or even pick out the candy for decorating — it's all included! We evaluated how easy it was to put the houses together, whether you had to mix the icing yourself and how the end result tasted and looked.
Important note: Some of these kits arrived with broken panels. Generally, you should be able "glue" the pieces together with icing, but you may want to pick one up at a store if you're worried about broken parts.
Best gingerbread house kits of 2024
One of the challenges in building a successful gingerbread house is keeping the roof panels in place while the icing dries. Not with this kit from M&M's. Nicole Sforza, executive editor and a mom of two kids ages 9 and 11, gave it a ringing endorsement. "This was much easier to put together than other gingerbread houses I've tackled — and it's due to the genius plastic roof clips they include so the roof pieces don't slide down while you're waiting for them to dry. There are also four base clips. They worked very well!"
Sforza was also impressed by the gingerbread's flavor: "I was shocked, but this didn't just taste good for a gingerbread house, it tasted so great that I kept going back for more! This is unusual because others I've tried tasted like cardboard."
- Includes clips to hold the roof panels together while icing dries
- Premade icing
- Top-notch taste
- Comes with decorative stickers for the door and windows
- Overly complicated instructions
- Didn't come with as many M&M's for decorating as the package promised
"This is a fairly simple kit that would be a good choice for families with small children," says our tester and commerce editor, Saundra Latham. "We managed to get it together despite broken pieces, and there was enough icing to cover a multitude of mistakes."
Speaking of the icing, Saundra said it was "exactly what you'd expect, in a good way — creamy and very, very sweet." She did mention a few minor drawbacks: Her family, which includes a 13-year-old and an 11-year old, would have liked a better variety of decorations, though she points out that "it would be easy to embellish with other candy you might have on hand, like peppermints or candy cane pieces."
Overall, "it's not a kit I would buy expecting a tasty treat, but it was a fun way to spend an hour on a lazy morning," she says.
- Easy to build
- Comes with plenty of icing
- Affordable
- Arrived with some broken panels
- Limited variety of candy included
How we tested gingerbread house kits
We asked Yahoo shopping editors and friends with kids to test the most popular options for sale. We sent them the kits and asked that they have the kids do most of the work. The adults were encouraged to offer help as needed ... both with the building, and of course, the tasting!
Other gingerbread house kits we tested
Elf on the Shelf Gingerbread House Kit: This kit arrived with broken roof and side pieces, which meant that the tester and her kids had to attempt to assemble it by "gluing" parts together with icing. Her assessment was this: "The cookie house sides were proportionate, and the pre-made icing was sticky enough. While we were able to wedge the side pieces to stay in place, the broken roof was a non-starter. We tried to use frosting to patch it together, but gravity won out and we were unable to complete the house."
Target Favorite Day Class Gingerbread House Kit: Our tester reported that many of the gingerbread panels were broken on arrival. "It was a crumbly mess that we couldn't salvage in any way. It doesn't ship well. Luckily I have a Target less than a mile from my house, so I picked up another one." This new one came together well, but it took awhile to put it together. "It's best to assemble the sides carefully and then take a break to make your hot cocoa before moving to phase two. The waiting might send a younger, less patient kid into a fit."
Williams Sonoma DIY Classic Gingerbread House Kit: This kit comes with a generous array of candy for decorating, but it arrived several days later than we expected, after the weekend our tester had planned to try it out with her kids. We called Williams Sonoma to complain and they promptly credited our shipping fee, but the tester was still disappointed to have missed out on that weekend's festive activity.
Trader Joe's Gingerbread House Kit: This kit's major drawback is that it doesn't come with premade icing. According to our tester, making the icing was not easy and the instructions were difficult to follow. The resulting house was quite a mess. His 12-year-old son summed it up, "We wanted to quit."
Gingerbread house must-haves
Take your home decorating (get it?) to the next level with these fun buys.
This edible glue could be the key to easier gingerbread house building. Simply add small dabs to peppermints, gumdrops and other candy to hold them securely in place.
When the icing that's included in the kits doesn't suffice, pick up a set of holiday frosting to ensure everyone has what they need for the best decorations. This set comes with sprinkles, three types of frosting and four decorating tips.
Who could resist these teeny, tiny edible candy cane icing decorations? They'll make a festive finsihing touch on any holiday desssert.
Display your creation in style with this pretty stand from the queen of the kitchen herself, Martha Stewart. The milky green glass feels festive, but would look lovely on a table any time of year.
Once you've built up an appetite and it's time to eat the gingerbread, serve it up on these adorable kraft paper plates. They're about the size of regular dinner plates — but much sweeter looking!
