Graham Cracker Haunted Houses: Easy Halloween Gingerbread House

These graham cracker haunted houses are a Halloween twist on our Christmas house tradition. Chocolate graham crackers, colorful frosting, and spooky candy turn a simple house into a Halloween gingerbread house—complete with a chocolate tree and a little candy graveyard.

My obsession with graham cracker houses started when I helped at a preschool Christmas party. They used school milk cartons as a base, and before long I was saving cartons for our own Halloween and Christmas houses.

For this version, I skipped the milk carton. I was a little nervous about building without that support, but the houses were sturdy once assembled. Below, I’m sharing the cutting and gluing method, frosting tips, and decorating ideas I’ve used with my family and at school parties.

Halloween graham cracker gingerbread house haunted house

Important: The pictured house was assembled with hot glue and is for display only. Do not eat houses or decorations assembled with hot glue. You can also use melted candy melts to join the cracker pieces, as explained below. An adult should handle the serrated knife and hot glue gun and help with hot candy melts. Small candies and candy eyes need age-appropriate supervision.

Supplies for Graham Cracker Haunted Houses

Chocolate graham crackers
Warm glue gun and glue sticks for a display-only house, or candy melts for joining the cracker pieces
A plate or tray for the house
Serrated bread knife for cutting the crackers

Frosting and Candy Decorations

White cake frosting and food coloring in Halloween colors, such as orange, purple, or yellow
Chocolate frosting and black food coloring for black frosting
Powdered sugar to thicken the frosting
Candy corn, M&Ms, pumpkin candies, lollipops, and other spooky candies or marshmallow decorations

Optional Chocolate Decorations

Black melting chocolate
Microwave-safe glass bowl
Plastic squeeze bottle
Wax paper
Optional candy eyes for the tree
Cookie icing in a squeeze tube for writing

How to Make a Halloween Gingerbread House

Start by cutting and assembling the house. Let an adult prepare the cracker pieces and handle the hot glue or help with melted candy melts, then let the kids help with decorating. No milk carton is needed for this version.

Hot Glue or Candy Melts for Assembly

Hot glue: This is the method I used for the pictured house. It is a quick, dependable way to assemble the walls and roof without waiting for candy melts to set. The finished house is for display only.

Candy melts: To skip the glue, use melted candy melts to join the pieces. I’ve worked with candy melts for decades; they set hard and fairly quickly, but assembling a house this way takes more patience. Hold or prop the walls in place while the candy melts set, and let the walls become secure before adding the roof. Use candy melts, not chocolate chips, for this option. Follow the package directions to melt the candy melts.

Watch How to Cut and Assemble the House

Cut the Graham Cracker Pieces

Step 1: Shape the front and back walls. Use a serrated bread knife to gently saw off the upper corners of the crackers, creating the slanted edges that will support the roof. Press very lightly. I broke quite a few crackers when I pushed down too hard!

pieces of graham cracker needed to assemble graham cracker houses

Showing how to cut the graham cracker for graham cracker house

Step 2: Trim the side walls and prepare the roof. The two straight side walls should reach the point where the roof slope begins on the front and back pieces. Gently saw a thin strip from an end as needed. The roof pieces are each one-half of a long graham cracker. Use the layout below as your guide.

Assemble the House

Step 3: Join the walls. Use hot glue or melted candy melts to attach the front and back pieces to one straight side wall, then add the remaining side wall to complete the four sides. If using candy melts, hold or prop the pieces in place until the joints set.

assembling the graham cracker house craft

putting a graham cracker house together with glue

Step 4: Attach the roof and base. Once the walls are secure, attach the two roof pieces to the slanted edges using your chosen assembly method. With candy melts, support the roof pieces until the joints set. Secure the assembled house to its plate or tray with the same material so it stays in place while decorating.

Assembling a graham cracker house with glue

Frosting for Graham Cracker Houses

I like to add about a cup of powdered sugar to a carton of frosting to thicken it. This helps keep candies from sliding off the roof and walls, and the frosting dries firm. Tint white frosting with your choice of food coloring.

Frosting for graham cracker gingerbread houses

How to Make Black Frosting

Start with chocolate frosting when you want black frosting. Add powdered sugar to thicken it, then mix in black food coloring until you reach the shade you want. Starting with a dark frosting gives you a head start.

A tip for Making dark black frosting for decorating

Chocolate Trees, Windows, and Gravestones

The spooky tree is made from melted chocolate. I use the same method to make windows, doors, and gravestones.

Watch How to Make the Chocolate Tree

Step 1: Melt and pipe. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe glass bowl following the package directions, then transfer it to a plastic squeeze bottle. Lay wax paper on your work surface and pipe the shapes onto it, filling them in with melted chocolate.

Making chocolate trees and decorations for haunted house

Step 2: Add details and let the chocolate set. Add candy eyes while the chocolate is still wet, or attach them later with a dab of melted chocolate. Let the shapes harden. To speed this up, slide the wax paper onto a baking sheet and place it in the freezer.

Step 3: Letter the gravestones. Once the chocolate has hardened, use cookie icing in a squeeze tube for writing.

Candy Ideas for a Halloween Candy House

When I made these houses, I found a fun selection of decorating candy at Dollar Tree. Look for shapes and colors that fit your house; availability will vary.

Candy corn: use it on the roof or arrange it around a little graveyard.
M&Ms: make a colorful path leading to the door.
Pumpkin candies: place them around the house or at the base of the tree.
Ghosts, marshmallow shapes, skeletons, gummy worms, and lollipops: set them out so everyone can choose their own decorations.

Haunted Gingerbread House Decorating Ideas

Give each child a divider tray with frosting and candy before they sit down. I’ve found that portioning the supplies first means less arguing over decorations.

Use frosting to attach candy to the house and plate.
Add frosting to the ground around the house to help hold decorations in place.
Support chocolate trees with candy in front and behind the trunk. Mine needed that extra support even with frosting underneath.
Let everyone decorate differently—that’s part of the fun!

Melissa’s Tips for a Classroom Decorating Party

Assemble ahead: have each house assembled and secured to its plate before the party. Allow candy-melt joints to set before decorating.
Portion the frosting: put it in individual cups before going to school, with plastic cutlery for spreading.
Separate snacks from craft supplies: keep any candy for eating apart from the hot-glued display pieces, and follow classroom food and allergy rules.
Set out candy: bring a few bowls for each table or portion it into individual decorating trays.
Invite parents: they’ve enjoyed joining in at our parties, too.

More Halloween Ideas You’ll Love

For more party and classroom fun, try these lollipop spiders or tissue paper pumpkin lollipops.

Graham Cracker Haunted Houses for Halloween Craft