How to make lanterns in Minecraft

These simple-to-craft items are both useful and decorative

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One of the key things to surviving in Minecraft is, somewhat obviously, light. After food, lighting is probably THE key thing to survival, certainly if you want to keep the monsters at bay. And while you can surround your base with torches galore, the more stylish way to keep your home well-lit is with lanterns. So, here, we’re going to take a look at how you craft these handy and attractive lanterns, and what resources you’ll need.

How to craft lanterns in Minecraft

Lanterns are actually really simple to make. The main resource you’ll need is iron, as you’ll need 8 Iron Nuggets for every lantern you wish to craft. That can add up if you want a lot, as it’s just under one full ingot per lantern. And while you may think Iron is quite easy to come by, it’s harder than ever in Minecraft 1.18+. We’ll have a separate guide on where to mine for Iron in Minecraft 1.18+ very soon.

From there, each lantern you craft will simply require one torch. Torches are also easy to craft but are resource expensive thanks to the current Minecraft ore distribution. One stick and one coal (or charcoal) will actually make four torches, though, so one lantern actually only requires one quarter of a piece of coal. However, coal no longer appears AT ALL below Y-level 0, and is more common the higher you go, so you need to make sure you have collected plenty from mining high up in the mountains. If you’re struggling to find coal, you can burn wood in a Furnace to make charcoal instead.

Once you have your torch and eight iron nuggets, simply surround the torch with the iron in the Crafting Table menu. As you need the 3×3 table, you will need a crafting table to make lanterns in Minecraft.

How to craft soul lanterns in Minecraft

Soul lanterns are, subjectively, even more attractive than regular ones. However, they do give off less light. These new, turquoise-colored lanterns were released along with soul torches and soul campfires in the huge Nether Update of 2020.

To craft a soul lantern, you first need to know how to craft a soul torch, as this will replace the normal torch in the lantern crafting recipe. To craft a soul torch, simply add a Soul Sand block below the stick and coal. As such, you will again need a crafting table for this as you will need the 3×3 space.

You will, of course, need to enter the Nether in order to gather the Soul Sand needed for making Soul Lanterns, making it a slightly more precious (and dangerous) commodity. From 1.19 The Wild Update, you will also be able to collect Soul Sand (and Soul Lanterns, no less) from Ancient Cities in the Overworld.

Once you have your Soul Torch, simply recreate the same crafting recipe from above to make a Soul Lantern.

Where to find lanterns in Minecraft

If you want an easier way to fill your home with lanterns, you can find both Lanterns and Soul Lanterns throughout the world, as both generate naturally (as of 1.19). Though, it’s worth noting, when I say easier… it’s not, really. In fact, while the introduction of the Deep Dark biome allows you to get your hands on the Soul Lantern without ever setting foot in the Nether, getting them in the overworld is possibly even more dangerous.

Coincidentally, unless you stumble upon a Snowy Taiga village in the Overworld, getting naturally-generated regular lanterns does require a terrifying trip to the Nether. You see, as well as appearing on lamps and buildings in Snowy Taiga villages, Lanterns also generate as part of the Nether Update’s Bastion Remnants. These scary structures are swarming with Piglins, Hoglins and even killer Piglin Brutes, so make sure you’re kitted out before you make the journey.

Back, finally, to Soul Lanterns, and their procedurally-generated location – Ancient Cities, new structures to Minecraft 1.19, AKA The Wild Update. These massive structures can be hundreds of blocks in size and house the most hotly-anticipated mob in Minecraft history, the terrifying Warden. As well as having their horrifying halls lined in Soul Lanterns, you might also come across a central feature made up of Soul Sand burning bright with blue flames.

While that’s all we’ve got on Minecraft’s Lanterns (though, tbf, it’s probably more than you were expecting on just one small light block), we have an ever-increasing range of guides in our dedicated Minecraft hub. For example, you might want to know all about Glow Squids, or how to get the Totem of Undying. It’s all there!

More Minecraft Crafting Recipe guides

• All you need to know about the Minecraft Crafting Table
• How to craft and use a Blast Furnace
• How to craft a Fermented Spider Eye
• How to make and use a Minecraft Armor Stand
• How to make a book in Minecraft
• How to craft a Shulker Box in Minecraft
• How to make and use a Fletching Table
• How to craft Minecraft Fireworks
• How to make green dye in Minecraft
• How to craft, find and use Minecraft Lanterns

And head over to our Minecraft hub for even more news, guides and how-tos!