Vegan Gingerbread House Recipe

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Making this Vegan Gingerbread House recipe has become one of my favourite Christmas traditions. Every year we challenge ourselves to make something completely different instead of a traditional cottage. Over the years we’ve recreated a TARDIS, the lighthouse where we got married, and even our own home! I’ve included photos of some of our favourite creations throughout this post in case you’re looking for inspiration for your own festive bake.

This Vegan Gingerbread House recipe creates sturdy gingerbread that holds its shape beautifully, making it perfect for detailed designs as well as classic houses. The gingerbread has a warm, gently spiced flavour and bakes firm enough for construction while still being delicious to eat once Christmas is over. You can design your own or use this simple template.

TL;DR

• Perfect for building sturdy gingerbread houses
• Great for custom Christmas designs
• Egg-free and dairy-free gingerbread recipe
• Includes a strong vegan royal icing recipe
• A fun festive baking tradition for the whole family

Vegan Gingerbread House Recipe

Ingredients

For the Gingerbread

• 250g Vegan Butter
• 200g Dark Brown Sugar
• 600g Plain Flour
• 7 tbsp Golden Syrup
• 2 tbsp Bicarbonate of Soda
• 4 tsp Ground Ginger

For the Royal Icing

• 500g Icing Sugar
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 75ml Water

How to Make This Vegan Gingerbread House Recipe

For the Gingerbread

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the vegan butter, dark brown sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until everything has melted together.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger.
4. Pour the melted mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
5. Leave the dough to cool for a few minutes until it is comfortable to handle.
6. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to approximately ½cm thick.
7. Cut out your gingerbread house pieces using your chosen template. Gather and re-roll the leftover dough as needed.
8. Place the pieces onto the prepared baking trays, leaving at least 1 inch between them. Bake in batches if necessary.
9. Bake larger pieces, such as walls and roof panels, for 10 minutes. Bake smaller decorative pieces for around 8 minutes.
10. Leave all of the pieces to cool completely before assembling.

For the Royal Icing

1. Mix together the icing sugar, cornstarch and xanthan gum in a large bowl.
2. Gradually add the water while stirring until you have a very thick icing. It should be thick enough to act like cement for the gingerbread walls without running.

To Assemble the Gingerbread House

1. On a flat board or cake drum, use the royal icing to stick the walls together.
2. Support the walls with tins or jars while the icing hardens.
3. Once the walls are firm, attach the roof using more icing.
4. Leave the structure to set before decorating.
5. For decorating, either thin the remaining royal icing slightly with a little water or use ready-made icing pens to add festive details.

Top Tips

• Allow every gingerbread piece to cool completely before assembling.
• Roll the dough to an even thickness so all the pieces bake uniformly.
• Use tins, jars or mugs to support the walls while the icing dries.
• If you’re making an unusual design, sketch it first and make your own cardboard template.

Serving Suggestions

Although this gingerbread is designed for building, it’s still delicious to eat!

• Display it as a festive centrepiece throughout Christmas.
• Break it apart and enjoy with a hot chocolate after Christmas.
• Decorate with vegan sweets, biscuits and chocolates.
• Package leftover gingerbread pieces as edible Christmas gifts.

Storage

Store assembled gingerbread houses in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Unused gingerbread pieces can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

The baked gingerbread pieces can also be frozen for up to 3 months before decorating. Simply thaw at room temperature before assembling.

Top Tips

• Allow every gingerbread piece to cool completely before assembling.
• Roll the dough to an even thickness so all the pieces bake uniformly.
• Use tins, jars or mugs to support the walls while the icing dries.
• If you’re making an unusual design, sketch it first and make your own cardboard template.

Serving Suggestions

Although this gingerbread is designed for building, it’s still delicious to eat!

• Display it as a festive centrepiece throughout Christmas.
• Break it apart and enjoy with a hot chocolate after Christmas.
• Decorate with vegan sweets, biscuits and chocolates.
• Package leftover gingerbread pieces as edible Christmas gifts.

Storage

Store assembled gingerbread houses in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks. Unused gingerbread pieces can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. The baked gingerbread pieces can also be frozen for up to 3 months before decorating. Simply thaw at room temperature before assembling.

FAQs

Recipes Similar to This Vegan Gingerbread House Recipe

• Christmas Pudding Cookies
• Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumkin Spice Mix

Vegan Gingerbread House

Difficulty: Medium

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

A Christmas classic - this gingerbread is great for creating sturdy gingerbread houses.

Ingredients

• 250g Vegan Butter

• 200g Dark Brown Sugar

• 600g Plain Flour

• 7 tbsp Golden Syrup

• 2 tbsp Bicarbonate of Soda

• 4 tsp Ground Ginger

• Icing

• 500g Icing Sugar

• 1 tbsp Cornstarch

• 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

• 75ml Water

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc/350ºf and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
• Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan on a medium heat until combined.
• In a separate large bowl mix the flour, bicarb and ground ginger. Pour in the melted ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Leave to cool for a few minutes until it is cool enough to handle.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/2cm thick. Use the template to cut out the shapes (or use your own template). You might need to re roll the dough to make all the pieces.
• Place on the baking tray with at least an inch between each piece. You can do it in batches if you need to.
• Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes for the bigger pieces like walls and 8 minutes for smaller decorative pieces.
• Allow to cool completely.
• Icing
• Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and slowly add the water while stirring. You will need the icing to be thick but not so thick that you cannot spread it. Think of it as concrete for the walls. Once it is at this consistency stop adding water.
• On a flat surface (I like to use a large square cake drum) start assembling your walls, using the icing to glue them together. I assemble the walls first and use things like tins of beans to provide support while the icing sets. You can then remove the tins and put the roof on.
• Once your house is assembled and the icing has set you can either water down the royal icing slightly or use icing pens to decorate the house.

Comments

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out.