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This fluffy gingerbread house icing is the only thing I use to build and decorate our houses every December. It’s three ingredients, it pipes beautifully, and it dries hard enough to hold up a roof. No collapsing walls and no sad Christmas tragedy on the kitchen counter!
Use it for gingerbread houses, mini gingerbread houses that perch on a mug of peppermint hot chocolate, gingerbread Christmas trees, and gingerbread cookies. It’s also what I make in big batches for our annual gingerbread house party.
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Pin It“Wonderful recipe. Holds like superglue and looks great! Thank you so much.” — Róisín
Table of Contents
- Here’s What You Need to Know
- Why Buttercream Won’t Work
- Gingerbread House Icing Ingredients
- How to Make Gingerbread House Icing
- How to Know It’s the Right Consistency
- How Much Icing Do I Need?
- Easy Way to Fill a Piping Bag
- How to Use It to Build a House
- Icing for Graham Cracker Houses
- Eden’s Tips
- If Your Icing Isn’t Holding
- Storage
- Gingerbread House Icing FAQs
- Gingerbread Desserts
- Gingerbread House Icing Recipe
Here’s What You Need to Know
Gingerbread house icing is royal icing, and royal icing is the only frosting that works as edible glue. It whips up in about seven minutes with egg whites, cream of tartar, and powdered sugar, then dries hard and holds.
It’s thick on purpose. You want it to hold a peak and stay exactly where you pipe it. One batch makes about three cups, enough to build and pipe three standard houses or six to eight minis.
Use pasteurized egg whites from a carton if anyone is going to nibble on the house. They whip up exactly the same.
Why Buttercream Won’t Work
I get this question every year, so I figured I would answer it here!
Buttercream is wonderful and I have a whole collection of frosting recipes I love. But buttercream never fully sets. It stays soft and creamy, which is exactly what you want on a cupcake and exactly what you don’t want holding up a wall. Your house will slide.
Save the classic buttercream frosting for cakes, the Swiss meringue buttercream for when you want something less sweet, and the fluffy gingerbread buttercream for a gingerbread cake after the house is finished.
Gingerbread House Icing Ingredients
Confectioners’ sugar. Also sold as powdered or icing sugar. It’s milled fine enough to dissolve completely, which is what makes the icing smooth instead of gritty.
Egg whites. These give the icing its structure and that pretty glossy finish. Use pasteurized egg whites from a carton if anyone plans to taste the house. They whip exactly the same.
Cream of tartar. Small ingredient, big job. It stabilizes the whipped whites so they don’t deflate on you halfway through building. Don’t skip it.
How to Make Gingerbread House Icing
1. Beat the egg whites: In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks form.
2. Add the sugar: Turn the mixer to low speed and add powdered sugar one spoonful at a time.
3. Finish the icing: Once all of the powdered sugar is in the mixer, turn it to high again and beat until the icing is fluffy.
Test it: Pull a knife straight through the icing. The line should stay open and not run back together. That’s how you know it’s ready to hold a wall.
How to Know It’s the Right Consistency
This is the part that decides whether your house stands up, so it’s worth thirty seconds.
- Too runny? The knife line closes back up. Add powdered sugar a quarter cup at a time until it holds.
- Too stiff to pipe? Add water one teaspoon at a time. One teaspoon does more than you think.
- Just right? It holds a peak, the knife line stays open, and it squeezes out of a bag without an arm wrestle.
Humidity changes everything. On a damp day you’ll need more sugar than the recipe says, and that’s completely normal.
How Much Icing Do I Need?
One batch makes roughly three cups, which fills about four small piping bags.
- Standard gingerbread houses: three, assembled and piped
- Mini gingerbread houses: six to eight
- Graham cracker houses: four to five
- A party with eight kids: double it, and honestly triple it if they’re little
The recipe doubles and triples without any fuss. If you’re hosting a gingerbread house party, make it the day before and store it sealed.
Easy Way to Fill a Piping Bag
A friend taught me this years ago and I’ve never filled a bag any other way since.
- Grab a tall glass or jar with a wide mouth
- Set the piping bag inside and fold the edges over the rim
- Spoon the icing in, pushing it down as you go
- Fill about three quarters full, then lift the bag out
- Twist the top and secure it with a rubber band
How to Use It to Build a House
- Pipe a thick line along the bottom edge of each wall and press it onto your base.
- Pipe the vertical seams where the walls meet and hold each piece for about 60 seconds.
- Let the walls set for 15 to 20 minutes before you even think about the roof.
- Pipe the roof seams, hold, and let the whole house dry at least an hour before decorating. Overnight is better.
- Use the same icing to stick on every candy.
Full step by step is in my gingerbread house recipe, including the dough and the templates.
Icing for Graham Cracker Houses
Graham crackers are my shortcut when we’re doing this last minute or with a crowd. No baking, no rolling, no cutting out templates.
The icing works exactly the same, but graham crackers are lighter than gingerbread, so they set faster and you don’t have to hold the pieces as long. Give the walls ten minutes instead of twenty.
A milk carton or a small box makes a great interior support for very young helpers.
Eden’s Tips
Keep a damp cloth over the bowl. Royal icing crusts over fast. Lay a damp kitchen towel over the bowl any time you’re not actively scooping and it stays workable for hours. This is the best trick in this whole post.
Use gel food coloring, not liquid. Gel gives you deep reds and greens without thinning the icing. Dip a toothpick into the gel, then into the icing. A little goes a long way.
Add flavor with clear extracts. A drop of peppermint or almond makes the whole house smell like Christmas. Clear extract keeps the icing bright white.
Build first, decorate later. I assemble our houses the day before a party and let the kids do the fun part. Nobody has the patience to wait for walls to set and then decorate in the same afternoon.
Wrap finished houses in cellophane tied with ribbon, and they become the prettiest party favor.
Skip the icing in the kit. Even when I buy a boxed gingerbread house kit, I never use the icing packet that comes with it. It’s stiff, there’s never enough of it, and it’s a wrestling match to squeeze out. I make a batch of this instead and use the kit for the pieces and candy.
Serve something soft alongside. Royal icing dries rock hard, so I always put out gingerbread cookies or spritz cookies for actual eating, plus a hot chocolate charcuterie board for the grownups.
If Your Icing Isn’t Holding
- The whites weren’t whipped enough. They need to hold genuinely stiff peaks before the sugar goes in. Under-whipped whites make a loose icing that no amount of sugar quite fixes.
- There’s not enough sugar in it. Add more, a quarter cup at a time, until the knife test passes.
- It’s humid. Damp weather means more sugar. Just keep adding.
- You froze it. Frozen icing loses some structure on thawing. Bring it fully to room temperature, re-whip, and add a little powdered sugar to bring it back.
- You’re rushing the set time. Walls need 15 to 20 minutes before the roof goes on. Every single time.
Storage
Room temperature. Sealed piping bags or an airtight container will hold overnight. Make it the day before a party and let it come back to room temperature for a couple of hours before you use it.
Refrigerate. Up to three days in an airtight container. It firms up in the cold, so it needs a few hours out and usually a quick re-whip.
Freeze. Up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, bring fully to room temperature, then re-whip. Expect to add a little powdered sugar to get it back to glue consistency.
Gingerbread House Icing FAQs
Yes, as long as you use pasteurized egg whites. They come in a carton in the dairy aisle and they whip up just like fresh. Fair warning though, royal icing dries rock hard and doesn’t taste like much once it sets. It’s glue first and dessert a distant second.
You can, but I don’t. I’ve made this with egg whites every year for as long as I’ve been building gingerbread houses and it’s what I trust. If you’d rather skip raw eggs entirely, use pasteurized egg whites from a carton. They whip up exactly the same and they’re completely safe to eat.
It’s set to the touch in about 30 minutes. Walls are stable enough to add a roof after 15 to 20 minutes of holding. For a house that’s truly rock solid, give it overnight before you start piling on candy.
Pipe a thick line of this icing along the edges, press the pieces together, and hold for about 60 seconds. Thick lines, not thin ones. This is where most houses fail.
Yes. It stabilizes the egg whites and keeps them from deflating while you build. It lives in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
Absolutely. Make it the day before, store it in sealed piping bags or an airtight container, and let it come back to room temperature before you build.
Gingerbread pieces or graham crackers, this icing, piping bags and tips, a lot of colorful candy, and a sturdy base like a cake stand or a pretty platter.
Yes, and I’d recommend it. Use the kit for the gingerbread pieces and candy, and make this icing instead of the packet that comes with it.
Gingerbread Desserts
Holidays
Spritz Cookies Recipe
Christmas
Moist Gingerbread Cake Recipe
Holidays
Homemade Gingerbread Syrup
Christmas
Classic Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
If you’re building the whole thing from scratch, start with my gingerbread house recipe. Then set out a hot chocolate charcuterie board and a peppermint simmer pot so the whole house smells like Christmas while you build. Here’s how I set up our gingerbread house party too.
Made this gingerbread house icing? Please leave a 5-star rating and a comment below. It helps other readers find the recipe, and I love hearing how your houses turned out.
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Gingerbread House Icing
Equipment
- Electric Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar , start with 4 cups and see how the texture is, then add the 1/2 cup.
- 2 tbsp food coloring , optional
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high until stiff peaks form.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar one spoonful at a time.
- Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer back to high and beat until the icing is thick, glossy, and fluffy. This takes only a few minutes.
- Test the consistency by pulling a knife through the icing. The line should stay open and not run back together. If it closes up, add more powdered sugar a quarter cup at a time.
- Divide into bowls and tint with gel food coloring if you'd like different colors.
- Keep a damp cloth over the bowl while you work so the icing doesn't crust over.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Question:
Sounds like a great recipe from the reviews and I’d like to use it. But, can this frosting be made in advance? How would you store it if made ahead of time?
Thank you!
The best icing for building a gingerbread house. Hardens very fast and holds its form. Highly recommend.
How long does this frosting last once applied? At what point do you think it will be bad? Days? Weeks?
It honestly stays a very long time! I toss them after Christmas, but it doesn’t go bad, and I think it would last another 3 months!
How much meringue powder do you substitute for the egg whites
Hi Barbara, I haven’t tested this! Bit, maybe try one and see if that works. If not add another.
how much does your recipe make? How many piping bags would this fill? I’ve got 10 gingerbread decorators and they’ll each need their own piping bag. Just wondering how many batches I’ll need to make. thanks!
You will get about 4 small piping bags. You can double the recipe to fill more.
This is the very BEST icing I’ve ever used. So soft, creamy and stiff yet extremely easy to pipe and hardened quickly and beautifully! I’ll never use anything else. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Isn’t it the best!! It works SO well and it’s so fluffy. We use it several times a year! I am so happy it worked for you!
I had a gingerbread decorating party for 7 kids aged 7-9. This was perfect for decorating and easy for the kids to work with. The flavor wasn’t important for this project so it’s a 5 star recipe.
Yay! So glad you liked it Diane! We use it every year and it works SO well!!
I haven’t made this yet, but was wondering how much should I use to frost 24 cookies?
Hi Ashlee, this recipe is for gingerbread house. I wouldn’t recommend it for cookies.
I just made this last night for an Easter-themed house. In south Louisiana, it’s quite humid and it was made even more so by 5 straight days of rain. (Yes. Really. Non-stop rain.) Even so, I made this recipe, added a little more powdered sugar due to the humidity and it was AMAZING. I was a bit nervous because it seemed so soft, but it piped like a dream, held color beautifully, and it really held that house together! Even with the humidity, I left the roof go after only 30 seconds and it stayed!
The frosting was so supply and pliant, that we actually used it like buttercream for some areas, but it hardened like a rock and it didn’t take that long. I will never use any other icing but this. Thank you!
Thank you for this beautiful review Meagan! What a cute idea to make an Easter themed house too! There is much fun Easter candy to decorate with!!
I was wondering how far ahead this recipe can be made and how long it could be stored? It looks so good can’t wait to try!
Hi! The icing can be made a few days ahead but has to be stored completely sealed or it will dry out. It also needs to be brought back to room temp before using. I do like it fresh better as it’s the perfect consistency.