The best gingerbread house kits to buy in 2024

There are supermarket gingerbread house options from M&S starting at just £7, plus more elaborate ideas from Not on the High Street and Lakeland to stretch your skills.

If you’re starting from scratch, Good Food’s Lulu Grimes will walk you through how to make gingerbread and offer her top tips for cutting, shaping and decorating the dough.

For more Christmas inspiration, visit our reviews section to find our best Christmas sandwich taste test, plus the ultimate foodie gift guide, our 5o budget Christmas gifts and the results of our Christmas Taste Awards. Discover more Christmas gifting inspiration with our best hampers, gin gifts or best baking gifts.

Best gingerbread house kits to buy at a glance

• Best traditional gingerbread house kit: Lakeland traditional gingerbread house kit, £15.99
• Best gingerbread house kit for gifting: Biscuiteers DIY pre-baked gingerbread kit, £38
• Best chocolate house kit: Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate house kit, £14
• Best gingerbread house kit for baking from scratch: Honeywell Biscuit Co gingerbread house kit, £24.50
• Best budget gingerbread house kit: Marks & Spencer gingerbread house kit, £7

The best gingerbread house kits to buy 2024

Lakeland traditional gingerbread house kit

• Available from Lakeland (£15.99)

Best traditional gingerbread house kit

The large triangular, colourful box containing Lakeland’s traditional gingerbread house is so pretty, and that’s even before opening and finding the delightful contents inside. As well as pre-cut, baked gingerbread pieces, there’s the most charming little gingerbread family, plus a dog and two bags of Smarties for decorating. All that’s needed is an egg white, a few drops of lemon juice, and elbow grease to whip up the royal icing to glue everything together. The Lakeland set is so easy to use, it fits together beautifully, and the little family and Christmas tree make the finished house wonderful. Lakeland also do a gluten-free gingerbread house kit (£10.99) so everyone can enjoy it.

Available from:
Lakeland (£15.99)

Biscuiteers DIY pre-baked gingerbread kit

• Available from Biscuiteers (£38)

Best gingerbread house kit for gifting

Presented in an ornately decorated square-edged tin, The Biscuiteers gingerbread house kit is a high-end treat that’s ready to assemble and suitable for the whole family. Inside, you’ll find the brand’s twice-baked gingerbread house pieces that have the snap you’d expect from gingerbread with the buttery crumble of shortbread. Vanilla-flavoured royal icing sugar, piping bags and an assortment of colourful decorations are also included. Alternatively, the brand’s gingerbread Christmas baubles DIY tin would make a perfect addition to any Christmas tree.

Available from:
Biscuiteers (£38)

Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate house kit

• Available from Cadbury Gifts Direct (£14), Boots (£11.25)

Best chocolate house kit

Although this isn’t your standard gingerbread house, this kit from Cadbury makes a great alternative. The compact kit comprises four firm Cadbury favourites: Dairy Milk Bar, Dairy Milk Winter Wonderland Edition, White Buttons and a Flake. Cement the walls together using melted Dairy Milk and decorate with the icing provided. For little elves who don’t enjoy the flavour of gingerbread, this Cadbury set ensures they can still have their fun.

Available from:
Cadbury Gifts Direct (£14)
Boots (£11.25)

Honeywell Biscuit Co gingerbread house kit

• Available from Honeywell Biscuit Co (£22.50), Not on the High Street (£24.50)

Best gingerbread house kit from scratch

This kit starts you off making and baking the gingerbread, so it’s a great project for kids (and adults!) who love cooking. A template, recipe card, icing and sweets are all included, with a few extras to nibble on during the build. Buy this for your family or to give as a foodie gift – there’s also a gift-wrapping option which includes a personalised message.

Available from:
Honeywell Biscuit Co (£22.50)
Not on the High Street (£24.50)

Marks & Spencer Gingerbread House Kit

• Available from Ocado (£7)

Best budget gingerbread house kit

The Marks and Spencer gingerbread house kit is the cheapest on our test at £7, and you get a lot of bang for your pennies. There’s no gingerbread or icing to make as it has all been done for you. Assembly is easy using the enclosed tray for support. And, as each gingerbread piece is meticulously scored where windows, doors and roof tiles are, the lines can be quickly filled using the enclosed icing tube with its plain nozzle. There are also decorative nozzles, sweets, and sugar decorations to use, so the house looks almost professional when finished. We loved this quality kit and its great price.

Available from:
Ocado (£5)

Why do we make gingerbread houses at Christmas?

The tradition of building houses made from gingerbread can be traced back to the fairytale of Hansel & Gretel by Brother's Grimm. In the story, an evil witch lives in a house of gingerbread - and German gingerbread guilds soon began creating their own creations. These have become the less sinister festive cottage designs we recognise today.

What type of gingerbread is used for a gingerbread house?

The term 'gingerbread' is a broad term that can apply to several different styles of spicy cookie and cake. Our gingerbread cookies recipe makes a soft, cakey result - a great festive snack, but not the type you need if you are building with your dough. This needs to be dry and strong to be able to stand up straight and set with icing without crumbling. Check out our simple gingerbread house recipe for a crisp, strong cookie if you've got time to make you own. The kits above vary between making your own or having readymade slabs so you don't have to worry.

Gift ideas for Christmas

Best sweets subscriptions
Best letterbox-friendly gifts by post
Our ultimate foodie gift guide
Best Advent calendars
Best marshmallow toasting kits
Best Christmas Cookie Cutters

More gingerbread recipes

Gingerbread loaf cake
Gluten free gingerbread
Ultimate easy gingerbread
Gingerbread latte
Gingerbread pancakes
Gingerbread cake with caramel biscuit icing
Lighter gingerbread
Gingerbread syrup

If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.